Gluten-Free Blueberry Corn Muffins

I was unexpectedly successful at inventing a recipe today!  I love when this happens.  It's a huge kitchen-confidence booster.  This is also a recipe that falls into an uncharted category for me- gluten-free baking.  On a GF-familiar friend's suggestion, I used Pamela's baking and pancake mix for this recipe.  I don't have enough GF experience to try creating my own GF flour mixture, yet.

The idea for this recipe came from my desire to recreate a muffin I had at Ravens Restaurant in Mendocino.  This recipe didn't come close to replicating that one, but it did successfully create a tasty blueberry corn muffin.  As with all GF baked goods I've ever had, I can't say this muffin truly compares to the real thing.  It is good for what it is, though; and, it's a healthier alternative to regular muffins.  I plan on playing with and tweaking this recipe over the next few weeks to refine it.  I'd love feedback from some of my gluten-free readers.  If anyone tries this recipe out, please comment letting me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Corn Muffins

1 tablespoon chia seeds (you can leave them whole or grind them.  I used a mortar and pestle, but I       can't promise I actually did anything to them)
3 tablespoons almond milk
1 cup Pamela's baking & pancake mix (or GF flour mix of your choice)
1 cup cornmeal 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
4.4 ounces organic blueberries


Directions:


1.  In a small dish, combine chia seeds with almond milk.  Stir and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
2.  Preheat oven to 375 F
3.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine Pamela's baking mix, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk to make sure ingredients are evenly distributed.
4.  In a small bowl, combine agave nectar, applesauce, olive oil, and almond extract.  Stir well.
5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir vigorously until well incorporated.
6.  Add the (now goopy) chia seed mixture to the batter and mix in well.  Then fold in blueberries.
7.  Spray a muffin pan with oil and distribute batter into the spaces, filling 3/4 full.
8.  Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes, until they turn golden on top.  Makes about 6 muffins.

Serve warm or cooled.  I liked mine best warm from the oven with a spread of earth balance.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones

Having an English boyfriend makes for some interesting debates on what food should or shouldn't be (and how it should or shouldn't be pronounced).   English scones (pronounced sc-ON) are more like American southern style biscuits.  They aren't sweet; but, they're generally eaten with dollops of clotted cream and jam.  I imagine the final outcome to be quite similar to a traditional strawberry shortcake:
Meanwhile, the English use the word biscuit to describe, well everything:
Cookies are biscuits.

Dog kibble is biscuits.

Crackers are biscuits.

Drugs are biscuits.

I'm pretty sure everything is a biscuit.  Except for cake.  Everything else is cake.
Brownies are cake.

Cake is cake.

Pudding is cake.

Although sometimes pudding is bread.

And pudding is cake.

Pudding is also meat.  Gross.

Got it?  Good.
That's enough culture.  Back to America and these beautiful sc-OH-ns.  I found this recipe here:  http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/ and easily converted it to vegan.  These scones were not too sweet, had a moist texture inside, and a slightly crunchy outside.  This will be my new base for scones as they can easily be modified by adding different fruits and spices.
Orange Cranberry Scones
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt ---> DO NOT MEASURE YOUR INGREDIENTS OVER THE BOWL.  I can say with sheepish certainty that salty scones are not very satisfying.

5 tablespoons chilled earth balance

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup soy cream
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt  into large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in earth balance until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger margarine lumps. Stir in chopped cranberries and orange zest. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add cranberries and orange zest and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in soy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with a knife or bench scraper
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sunny Orange Layer Cake

The dreary fog has descended and the rain has commenced in our busy little city by the bay.  To keep spirits up and bring a little colour into our soggy lives, I decided to bake a much needed orange cake.  I know, it's not included in the "can eat" section of our diet; but, we needed to prevent scurvy somehow.  It's cake for survival, mates!
I got delightful results from converting a recipe I found on finecooking.com: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/orange_layer_cake.aspx
Here is my own vegan version of the recipe by Ris Lacoste:
Sunny Orange Layer Cake

Ingredients:
For the filling:

2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh orange juice (from about 3 large or 4 medium oranges), without pulp
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 Tbs. earth balance

For the cake:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup earth balance
1/3 cup unhydrogenated vegetable shortening
2 tsp. grated orange zest (from about 1 large orange)
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tsp Energ Egg Re-placer + 8 Tbs hot water + 1 Tbs vegetable oil (whisked until powder is incorporated)
1 cup fresh orange juice (from about 3 large or 4 medium oranges), without pulp

For the frosting:
6 oz. (12 Tbs. ) Earth Balance at room temperature
4-1/2 cups (about 18 oz.) confectioners’ sugar
Dash salt
1 tsp. grated orange zest
5 Tbs. fresh orange juice

For the garnish:
1 or 2 small oranges, sliced thinly, slices cut halfway through on one side, laid on paper towels to drain
7 or 8 sprigs fresh mint (pick pairs of leaves)

Directions:
Filling:
In a small saucepan, whisk the sugar, flour, xanthan gum.  Pour in the orange juice and whisk vigorously to combine.  Place pan over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until boiling.  Once mixture begins to boil, continue to whisk as mixture thickens for about one minute.  Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl.  Cover and refrigerate.

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 round  9" x 1 1/2" cake pans.
I recently learned a useful trick for removing cake from pans.  Trace the pan bottom onto parchment paper and cut out the rounds.  Place them in the bottom of the pan.  You don't need to grease them, and the cake will dump out beautifully when it's finished baking.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl,  (or kitchen mixer) cream the earth balance, shortening, and zest.  Gradually add the sugar.  Cream until light and fluffy.  Add the egg re-placer mixture and mix well.  Alternate between adding orange juice and flour mixture until all is well incorporated.  Don't over mix.  Batter will be very thick.  Pour into prepared pans.  It will seem like it's not enough batter, but remember this is a layer cake.  Pick up the pans and drop them on the counter to remove trapped air bubbles.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.  It doesn't get very golden on top, and that's okay.
Frosting:
Cream all ingredients except orange juice with an electric mixer.  Add the orange juice slowly until desired thickness is achieved.  Careful- too much orange juice will make the frosting separate a little and give it a slightly curdled look- DO NOT WANT!
Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Then flip out onto wire cooling racks.  Allow cakes to cool upside-down on the racks to help flatten them and make them look better when stacked.
If you are impatient: Once cakes are cool, flip one over onto a cake stand or plate.  Spread the filling on top of the cake.  Carefully place second layer on top.  Spread cake with a very thin layer of frosting.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Frost the rest of the cake.  Garnish with orange slices and mint leaves.
Alternately: Once cakes are MOSTLY cool, flip one over onto a cake stand or plate.  Spread the filling on top of the cake.  Carefully place second layer on top.  Stick the cake in the fridge.  Go watch an episode of whichever British telly series you're currently in the middle of and enjoy a smallish glass of wine.  When the episode has finished, frost the cake- first smooth over a thin layer to lock in the crumbs, then cover the cake with the rest of the frosting.  Garnish with orange slices and mint leaves.

Tip: If you don't want to waste the orange peels, candy them!  It's easy to do (although slightly time-consuming).

Peanut Butter Pies and the Red Vic Movie House

I haven't been posting as much these days, partially due to the fact that I'm on a diet.  It's a very boring diet that mostly has to do with eating a lot of beans.  Here's what I've learned from the experience:
IT IS VERY HARD TO BE ON A DIET AND ALSO BE A BAKER.
Case in point:

Why was I cheating on my diet?  Because I had some very important baking to do.  These delicious peanut butter pies were part of a sample box I put together for an interview:



Yes, I said interview.  Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting an inspiring woman whose family is working on a wonderful project.  I'm hoping picnic will become a part of that project.  Even if it doesn't, they have my full support!  Here's what they are all about:

Betsy and Jack Rix, owners of the (recently closed) Red Vic movie house have unleashed their future plans for the history-laden space on San Francisco's Haight St.  Their intentions?  To create a food-centric incubator for budding entrepreneurs to get started before moving on to their own storefronts.
I was really excited to learn about their idea when I first read the article about it in the SFist:  http://sfist.com/2011/10/25/red_vic_movie_house_could_become_fo.php
But, I learned even better things when I went to the Red Vic's website to find their contact info.  They are also trying to "help create change in the local food system by focusing on local, sustainably grown food."  Not only are they trying to help baby businesses get off the ground, they're also trying to make a positive change in our food system.  I think I can get behind that!
Will picnic be one of the vendors there?  I really hope so.  If not, I will surely be visiting them when they open to support their cause!

Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns with Maple Glaze

Having made my first pie crust last week, I was feeling rather bold today and decided to experiment with a new dough.  I wasn't going to make cinnamon buns because there is already a place that solely makes (delicious) vegan cinnamon buns in Berkeley.   I wrote my dear friend Kate about it; and, she suggested I do it anyway as it certainly doesn't hurt to have a good cinnamon bun recipe up your sleeve.  It's a comfort food and it brings in business.  There is absolutely nothing more enticing than the scent of cooking cinnamon.
Someone asked me recently if vegans eat yeast since it's alive.  Caught off gaurd,  I had to think about why vegans can eat yeast.  I finally, decided yeast is ok because it's a fungus and not an animal.  Even so, I should be sure the yeast has a nice life. So, after much deliberation on pandora, I finally settled on a Tammy Wynette station.  After a few knee-jerk thumbs down reactions to Garth Brooks, Pandora seemed to get it and began playing old country songs for my yeast dough to grow up listening to.  It seemed appropriate to be baking comfort food and listening to country music.  I probably won't do it again, though.
The recipe I chose was actually a vegan recipe I found in the November 2011 issue of Vegetarian times found here:
http://www.zinio.com/pages/VegetarianTimes/Nov-11/416188749/pg-48
I didn't make any alterations (other than omitting the pecans- which I don't recommend doing unless you think they are the devil, as I do).  *Holy crap.  just as finished typing that last line, I felt my first earthquake.  Hello, San Francisco!  I think this may mean I should never refer to pecans as the devil again.  He doesn't like that.*
Tips for this recipe:
1.  Use a food processor to mash the sweet potato- you don't want any lumps.
2.  Mixing the pecans into the glaze will make them more ascetically pleasing.
3.  I used my kitchen aid with a dough hook for this.  It worked really well!  It's basically fool proof.
4.  Making these on a warm day is actually a good idea.  The yeast likes to be cozy.
5.  I baked mine spaced out on a buttered baking sheet.  I think next time I will bake them closer together in a buttered pan with sides.  They turned out really good, but I personally prefer the softer buns.  The edges of mine came out a little bit dry.  I think eliminating the potential for edges is a good solution.
6.  I ended up doubling the maple glaze recipe.  It just wasn't enough to liberally slather.
7.  These are obviously best served warm from the oven.  I recommend making them when you have company to help you, so you don't eat three of them by yourself, like I just did.

pumpkin poppets (vegan pumpkin sandwich cookies with "cream cheese" filling)

Today I was very excited to break out the pumpkin!  In my enthusiasm, I also gave my dog, Poppy a heaping spoonful of the festively orange stuff.  I was a little disappointed that the cookies weren't powerful enough to transport me back to the crisp autumnal days of my childhood in western Maryland.  It was hot in San Francisco today.  October is more of a summery month for us here in the bay area.  We don't really get much of a fall season.  It's very disappointing.
Speaking of disappointing- my first 2 batches of cookies turned out kind of smushy:

But this was a minor disaster because the third batch turned out beautifully: perfect pillowy pumpkin poppets!  I'm thinking that maybe the batter needed to sit a little bit before it was scooped onto the baking trays.  I will definitely be trying again to find out.  In the meantime, here is the recipe I used.  This recipe is one that I converted from a non-vegan version.  I've never tried the non-vegan version, but as these turned out really well in the end, I don't see any need to.  The best part about this recipe is that I stumbled upon a delightful vanilla cream cheese frosting.  I intend to use it again on future desserts, including the cinnamon buns I got the ingredients for today.  I would say the true test of this recipe will be my boyfriend's opinion; but, since he admitted last night that he isn't as absolutely insanely in love with pumpkin as I am, he will not be allowed to judge these.  That is, I'll let him pass judgement, but won't be very worried about what he has to say.  All of those true pumpkin lovers (you know who you are) will need to give me your feedback, instead.
For the cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cloves)
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree (chilled)
Ener-g egg replacer for 2 eggs (3 teaspoons Ener-g whisked into 4 tablespoons hot water)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the "cream cheese" filling:
3 cups vegan powdered sugar
1/2 cup room temperature vegan margarine (I used earth balance)
8 oz container of vegan cream cheese, softened (I used tofutti)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the poppets:
Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and set aside.
In seperate large bowl, whisk brown sugar into oil until combined.  Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroghly.  Add the Ener-g eggs and vanilla and wisk intil combined.
Wisk the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.
Let sit for 5 minutes.  Drop heaping tablespoons one inch apart onto the baking sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are starting to crack on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the pan.
Make the filling:
Use an electric mixer to combine the margarine and cream cheese.  Sift in the podwered sugar and mix until there are no lumps.  Don't over process.  Can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated.  Allow to warm to room temperature before assembling.
Assemble the poppets:
Turn half of the cookies upside down.  Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each one and gentlley place a cookie on top.  Push down so filling goes to the edges.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.  They keep up to 3 days in the fridge covered in plastic wrap and stored on a parchment lined baking sheet.