Homemade Vegan Hot Cocoa

I’m over winter! There I confessed. Even though there’s only 30 days (and counting) until Spring it seems like the winter has just started. The S.A.D is starting wear on my psyche and despite my attempts to see the bright side, I’m beginning to want to do nothing other than stay in bed all day hiding from the cold.

However, instead of giving into the feeling, I dragged myself out of the house today and went to an evening gentle yoga class. I’m so glad I did. My body felt so much better for it. Upon my arrival home I immediately pulled out my recipe below for Homemade Vegan Hot Cocoa and whipped up a steaming mug full. There’s nothing like vegan hot cocoa to warm your bones. I’ll keep the warm beverages coming while I continue to schedule self-caring treatments to keep my body healthy.

Homemade Vegan Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar or stevia, or less

Preparation

  1. Add all ingredients into small saucepan heat until hot and well blended, stirring throughout until all ingredients are blended. Transfer to a mug, serve immediately.

Glazed Banana Bundt Cake

I’m elated to be back in the swing of sharing recipe development and food photography for all of my loyal readers here in 2019. My return to basics begins with this luscious Glazed Banana Bundt Cake which I tastespotted on the interwebs a few days after the new year. Naturally, I had every ingredient in my pantry right along with frozen overripe bananas. This cake got rave reviews at a recent potlock and makes the perfect early morning or late afternoon treat with tea or coffee

Glazed Banana Bundt Cake

Ingredients

dry

3 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt

wet

1 + 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1+ 3/4 cup mashed banana (use overripe bananas)
2 eggs separated

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together dry ingredients, set aside
  3. In a Kitchenaid stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
  4. Add in separated egg yolks and vanilla
  5. Slowly beat in flour blend and applesauce until completely blended
  6. Beat in mashed banana, use a silicon spatula of white sides of bowl ‘
  7. In a separate bowl, beat separated egg whites until stiff peaks form
  8. Fold egg whites into mixture as the last step (batter will be thick)
  9. Spray bundt pan generously with non-stick spray
  10. Slowly pour mixture into bundt pan
  11. Bake 45-55 minutes

Source: Life Made Simple Bakes

Vegan Baked Macaroni & Cheese | Living Vegan

It’s taken me months to find the time to share this amazing Vegan Macaroni & Cheese recipe with you. Created last year, this mac & cheese became one of the most popular dishes that I created for 540WMain Learning Academy’s monthly vegan pop up dinners. My goal was to create a vegan version of this classic American “main” dish as a side.

Feedback was so positive that I made it a staple for the newly created Vegan Cheese Making Class also at 540WMain. I’m elated to finally finally share this recipe with the world. Get into the recipe below.

Vegan Baked Macaroni & “Cheese”

Ingredients

  • 3 yams, peeled and steamed soft
  • 2 stalks celery
  • scallion
    3 cups non-dairy milk
  • 2 cups veggie broth
  • ¼ cup just mayo
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup (1 stick) vegan margarine
  • ¼ cup almond meal
  • ¼ cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard
    3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    2 teaspoons tumeric
    1 teaspoon cumin
  • cooking spray

Preparation

  1. Wash and scrub yams, cut in half, cover with foil and bake on 400 degree F for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool completely before moving on.
  2. Meanwhile, bring 5-6 cups water to boil. Add pasta, a pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside in large mixing bowl.
  3. In a food processor blend yams with milk until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Coat a cast iron skillet with cooking spray, add celery and scallion and sauté on medium heat until tender. Add margarine, almond meal, vinegar, just mayo, mustard, garlic, cumin, and tumeric and stir until margarine is completely melted. Add in puree yam mixture. Pour this sauté mixture over macaroni along with veggie stock. Stir in yeast and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Grease a 6×9 pirex dish and add macaroni mixture. Bake on 400 for 15 minutes until bubbly. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

The Gluten Free Chef Blog’s Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2017

It’s the end of the year so you know what that means…

Best of Compilations

That’s right. Although activity on the blog in 2017 wasn’t as plentiful as year’s past, it wouldn’t be the end of the year without a few best of compilation posts. Up first is the Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2016. These are all the top recipes that you viewed, liked, loved, and shared throughout the year.

The Gluten Free Chef Blog’s Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2017

Vegan Sorghum Pancakes

Vegan Sorghum Biscuits 

Oven Fried Garlic-Chive Potatoes (Vegan)

Chocolate Banana Apple Smoothie

Honey Balsamic Tofu Stir Fry (Vegan)

Slow Cooked White Bean, Lentil & Kale Soup

Sour Cream Pound Cake 

Parmesan Asiago Spaghetti Squash 

Apple Fritters

 

Sorghum Chocolate Pound Cake

Cookie Recipe Roundup | Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies 2017

The 2nd Annual Cookie Recipe Roundup Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies

The 2nd Annual Cookie Recipe Roundup compiles all the cookies that made this year’s Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies. I hope you are having a wonderful day, spending time with family, and eating amazing food & gluten free cookies. Until next year.

Most Viewed Cookie This Week: Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies 2017:
(1) Dark Chocolate Chunk Eggnog Cookies

Eggnog + cookies = pure decadence

(2) Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip 

A gift from Ina

(3) Salted Cinnamon Sugar Caramel Apple Blondies

Caramel blondies

(4) Simple Shortbread

Shortbread delights

(5) Hazel Nut Almond Graham Crackers 

Gluten free graham crackers

(6) Grain- Free Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grain free

(8) Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies with a twist

(10) Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

The best cookies ever

(11) Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake Cookies

The perfect breakfast cookie

(12) Pumpkin Cheesecake + Shortbread Bars

Cheesecake + shortbread  = perfect match

 

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies | Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (Day 10)

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies (Day 10)

I love a cookie with a crispy edge and a chewy center loaded with premium chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and crunchy macadamia nuts. My Cranberry White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies cookies scream “tis the season” and are perfect for dunking in milk or on the side with a mug of hot cocoa.

Cranberry White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups gluten free all-purpose flour blend
3⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup unrefined sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup dried cranberries
2 cups white chocolate chips
3⁄4 cups macadamia nuts, crushed

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F and spray 2 cookie sheets with baking spray. In a medium bowl whisk flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a stand mixer cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
3. Beat in egg. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Fold in white chocolate chips and nuts.
4. Separate dough into 3 inch balls (2 inches apart) on cookie sheet.
5. Bake until lightly brown 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden.
6. Let sit on sheet for at least 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to completely cool.

Granola Cookies

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies | Granola Cookies (Day 9)

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies | Granola Cookies (Day 9)

Our Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies countdown continue with one of my favorite cookies recipes. These cookies are very close to my heart as they are one of the very first gluten free recipes that I ever created. That’s right. Before I was the gluten free chef, I was a lowly single transplant living in Nashville, TN learning the ropes as a new teacher and figuring out to afford a gluten free diet out of my tiny kitchen. These cookies were the result of literally what I had in my cabinet and fridge at the time and a longing for a sweet treat. They were a fan favorite at the (now defunct)  theglutenfreechefbakery and here on the blog.

Granola Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup corn starch
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup rice milk or almond milk
1 egg
1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips (preferably Enjoy life brand)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup golden raisins

Preparation

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix rolled oats and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
  2. In a small saucepan on low heat, combine brown sugar, cane sugar, vanilla, honey and rice milk. Stir sugar mixture until completely combined.
  3. Combine sugar mixture with dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in egg, chocolate chips, coconut, and golden raisins. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from chiller and drop dough by rounded spoonful’s on a prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with sea salt. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Makes about one dozen.