Chocolate Brownies – Dairy-free, Egg-free

Chocolate Brownie

A warm chocolatey brownie on a chilly Fall day sounds about right.  These are vegan and easy to make.  The original recipe calls for a 9×9 inch pan, which I don’t have, baked for 25 minutes.  If you use a larger pan then you get more brownies!  I think I should buy a bigger pan…

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup cocoa
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup strong coffee **
1 Cup soy milk
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1 Cup chocolate chips (dairy free)
**if using espresso, make sure total liquid added (including soy milk) equals 1 1/2 Cups

DIRECTIONS

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment.  If you grease the bottom of the pan first, the parchment will stay in place.
Sift together dry ingredients.

Bownie ingredients

Mix together wet ingredients.

Cup of nespresso

Add wet to dry and mix well.    Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into pan and bake at 325F for 45 minutes. If using a larger pan, decrease bake time.

Chocolate BrownieEnjoy!

Allergy Halloween – not so scary

Jach O'Lantern

Here comes Halloween! Candy,candy,candy! Makes my teeth ache just thinking about it.  I was the type of kid who had Halloween candy left at Easter.  Drove my sister nuts!  What she saw as hoarding, I saw as saving (for what, I’m not sure, probably just to torture her!).  My kids like candy and all things sweet, but they are a bit like me, the first few days after Halloween are great – treats every day, but it wears off pretty soon and my kids’ candy sits around getting “in my way” (very difficult to refuse a mini aero when I’ve walked past it five times and no one is watching).

The overload of candy coming in at Halloween also has to be dealt with from an allergy perspective.  Mini chocolate bars seem to be the most common treat given out at Halloween and many of them are peanut free and say so on the wrapper (Mars has a dedicated peanut free facility in Canada).  Problem for us is, no mini chocolate bar is dairy free so most of the candy G collects, he can’t have.

We’re lucky we have two kids.  On G’s first night of Trick or Treating we set up a tradition that has worked really well.  When the boys get home they dump out their candy and the trading begins. By the end of it G is usually trading four mini chocolate bars for one yellow lollipop, but he doesn’t mind, they both always end up with far more candy than they could/should eat.

For a couple of years I traded all the kids’ their uneaten candy near the end of November for a fancy battery powered tooth brush of their choice.  Don’t think that would fly now.  My eldest is 17 and he is planning on going out with a couple of friends to Trick or Treat.  I warned him people might think he’s too old, but he’s stoked about his costume and wants to show it off and have fun with his friends.  G is going out too as Queen Elizabeth and like his brother just wants to go out and have fun with his friends.  I think for both of them the candy haul has become secondary.  Well, I guess I’ll find out at Easter…

Pear Pudding

Pear Pudding with Pears

Thanks to a friend of mine for an ample supply of the most delicious pears I have ever tasted.  Her backyard tree has been laden this year and she has generously shared the bounty!

Pears

This recipe is for a pudding in the English sense; it is a dessert not a custard. In our home it was always made with apples and it became a fall tradition the year we lived in New England where delicious cooking apples were in abundance.  We called it “Apple Top Pudding” because we used to fight over the crispy/gooey top.  Sometimes when we were young it would be our main course after a bowl of soup, our favourite autumn meal.  Apples, pears, doesn’t matter.  It’s so easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

6-8 pears (or apples)
1 Cup flour
1Cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Cup dairy free margarine (butter if you are able)
1 Cup water

DIRECTIONS

Peel and core fruit and cut up into chunks.

pear cut up
Put cut up fruit into baking dish.

Pieces of Pear in baking dish
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in margarine.  I use my standup mixer for this because it’s easy, but using a pastry cutter or knife would work as well.

Pear Pudding batter
Cover top of cut up fruit with pastry mixture and pour one cup of water all over top.

Pear Pudding adding water

Bake at 325 F for 90 minutes

Pear Pudding cookedEnjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes – dairy free, egg free

 

Chocolate Cupcake

I have been making these for years.  They are so fast and easy that they are great for last minute treats when an allergy friendly alternative is needed.  We always have a stash in the freezer, ready to grab one to take to a party or to dinner out or just whenever.   The ones in the freezer are un-iced and G’s favourite way of having them is to nuke the frozen cupcake, add a marshmallow and smother it in chocolate syrup.  Not exactly gourmet, but after all, he is thirteen.

This recipe goes by many names: wackycake, oil and vinegar cake, salad dressing cake (yuck), but is the only cake I’ve seen that actually gets eaten by kids at Birthday parties.  Normally the icing gets licked off Birthday cake and the cake left, but I have often served kids seconds of this one.  If you are baking a cake rather than cupcakes, use an 8×8 pan and increase time to 30-35 minutes (test with a tooth pick – it should come out clean unless you accidentally stab a chocolate chip).

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil (canola or similar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl; I use a whisk.

Chocolate Cupcake dry ingredients

Combine all wet ingredients, I use a liquid measuring cup and fill water up to 1 cup level and add oil up to the 1 1/3 mark and then add the vanilla and vinegar to this.  Mix well.

Chocolate Cupcake wet ingredients

Add wet to dry and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips.

Pour into cupcake pan using paper cupcake cups.  Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.  Makes about 10 cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes baked

Enjoy!

Chocolate cupcake iced

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

 

Avocado chocolate puddingWait!  Don’t turn away!  It’s delicious, honest.  My friend Jen gave me this recipe because it is egg and dairy free.  It is rich and chocolaty and very creamy.  Super simple to make and fits in with many alternative dietary needs.  It is vegan, wheat free, nut free, raw and you can get your serving of veggies in your dessert!  Worth a try for that last one alone.  Warning: It’s very sweet.

INGREDIENTS

2 avocados, pitted and peeled
1 cup soy milk (coconut milk or rice milk would work)
1/2 cup agave nectar (maple syrup, or honey would work)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
Avocado

agave nectar

DIRECTIONS

Blend ingredients in a blender really well until smooth.  (My Vita-Mix did nicely)

Avocado chocolate pudding mixed

Enjoy!

Avocado chocolate pudding

Yam Protein Power Muffins

Yam Protein Muffin

Including a protein with breakfast is challenging when the standards: eggs, cheese and yoghurt are out.  G’s dad came up with this muffin recipe through a lot of trial and error, but even the errors got eaten because they contained chocolate chips!  These muffins are a yummy start to the day even if you do not have allergies.  So, today we have a guest baker.  I did not write this recipe, or bake the food or take the photos.  Full credit goes to my husband.  Here we go …

INGREDIENTS

Dry mix:

1/2 cup dried soy protein
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 handful dairy-free dark chocolate chips

Wet Mix :

1 med size yam
1/4 cup vegetable oil (canola)
1/3 cup white sugar (brown optional)
2 tsp vanilla
Splash orange juice

DIRECTIONS

Oven 350 F ; prep time 15 minutes ; bake time 20 minutes ; yields 12 muffins

1. Wash yam and perforate skin all around with end of sharp knife. Place on microwave-safe dish and cook 6 minutes on 60% power. Yam should be soft through to centre when done. Remove from microwave and cut in half lengthwise. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and slice halves into smaller sections and allow to cool to room temperature.

Cooked YamCooked Yam Cut
2. While yam is cooking and cooling, add all dry ingredients except chocolate chips into cuisinart with sharp blade attachment (or hand mix with whisk). Run Cuisinart until soy protein chunks are fully chopped into powder and all dry ingredients are well blended (approx 3 minutes). Place into large mixing bowl and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Set aside.

Yam Muffin Dry Ingredients

3. In same Cuisinart with blade attachment add all wet ingredients including yam – make sure yam is room temp or slightly warm but not hot. Blend until well mixed and slightly runny ( use the splash of OJ to make the mixture flow better). Mixture should flow but still require spatula to get it out of the bowl. Set aside.

Yam Muffin Wet Ingredients

4. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin/cupcake cups.

5. Using a large spatula, add the wet mix to the dry by folding and gently stirring, but do not whip or vigorously mix the batter. Add OJ in small quantities until the batter is well consolidated. The batter should be stiff but not dry. Spoon into the muffin cups using all of the batter for 12 muffins.

Yam Muffin BatterYam Muffins Raw
Place in the pre-heated oven on the lower or middle rack. Bake 20 minutes, no peeking. Check if done using toothpick into centre of muffin – if it comes out clean they are cooked through. Remove when done and place on wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Yam Muffins

Pancakes – dairy-free, egg-free

Pancakes - dairy-free. egg-free

This pancake recipe is the one that G was supposed to have followed when making me my Mother’s Day breakfast.  It is very simple (if you read the ingredients correctly – right G?) and they taste like regular pancakes (see caveat above).  We often have pancakes for breakfast with butter (dairy free stuff) and maple syrup.  While in Scotland we often have smaller sized ones, cold, for tea (or a snack) with “butter” and jam.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup soy milk

DIRECTIONS

Mix together dry ingredients.  Add soy milk all at once a beat well. If batter is very thick add a bit more soy milk.  You should be able to pour batter without it being runny.

Pancake Batter

You can use a frying pan on the stove or an electric pan to cook pancakes.  These pancakes stick easily so a bit of oil in the pan for the first batch is recommended even if using a nonstick pan. Set to medium heat.

Pour batter onto pan to form pancakes the size you would like and when bubbles forming on top begin to burst, they are ready for turning.

Pancakes cooking

Give about the same amount of time to cook the second side.

Pancakes cooking

** If you can tolerate eggs, cut the soy milk to 1 1/4 cups and add two beaten eggs.  Pancakes will be more tender.
Pancakes - dairy-free, egg-free

Chocolate Strawberry Short Cake – dairy-free, egg-free

chocolate strawberry shortcake

After the stellar breakfast I was served on Mother’s Day (see Mother’s Day blog entry) I decided to make my own Mother’s Day dessert.  This is what I came up with.  It’s a modified scone recipe.  What makes it special is the whipped topping called Nutriwhip.  I discovered this through allergymom.ca (Thanks Noha!).  This is the only truly dairy free topping I have found that acts like whipped cream.  Healthy??  Who cares, this is dessert!  If you know of another that works as well, please let me know!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1tablespoon brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup dairy free margarine
1 cup soy milk
Topping: Nutiwhip, Strawberries

DIRECTIONS:
Chocolate Shortcake
Oven to 425F.  Mix together dry ingredients so there are no lumps (sift cocoa if needed).  Cut in dairy free margarine.  Mix in soy milk to form a soft dough.  I do all this in a stand-up mixer.  If too wet, add a tiny bit of flour.  Turn out on a floured surface and form dough into a ball and cut in half to make it easier to work with.

chocolate scone dough

Pat out dough to 3/4 inch thick.  Cut out desired shapes (circles or triangles).

chocolate scone dough

Move to cookie sheet (I cover my cookie sheet in parchment) and bake at 425 F for 12 minutes.  Cool

chocolate scone

Topping
Remove stem of strawberries and cut to desired size.

strawberries cutFollow Nutiwhip package directions to get whipped cream like topping.

nutriwhip
Cut open shortcake and layer strawberries and whipped topping.

chocolate strawberry shortcakeEnjoy!