gluten-free zucchini bread

this was my first actual loaf of gluten-free bread, and i was surprised how well it turned out. the recipe is from Gluten-Free Goddess. she’s really good about giving detailed g-free baking tips and answering readers’ questions in the comments, so link to the original recipe if you need further advice. i used eggs, but she says this can be made with a substitute.

p.s. check out my guest post at The Love Vitamin today!

1 cup grated zucchini, peeled or not (i used 1 medium zucchini)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 free-range eggs or substitute
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
small handful chopped walnuts (optional)

1. preheat oven to 350 F. grate the zucchini into a bowl. press with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
2. stir together all ingredients, flour through sugar.
3. stir in oil through milk. stir vigorously until the batter is very smooth. mix in zucchini and nuts, if using.
4. place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a 9-inch loaf pan. lightly spray sides and bottom with canola spray. pour batter evenly into the pan.
5. bake 50-60 minutes (mine took 60). when done, it should feel firm and an inserted toothpick should come out clean.

gluten-free pancakes, take two: orange zest and ginger

i’m really starting to love citrus zest. when the delicate flavors of orange zest and ginger are added to a relatively simple recipe, it tastes like something special. and as you may have realized, i believe there’s no reason to skimp on these extra details, even if you’re just cooking for yourself.

this (adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl) is my gluten-free pancake template right now. i did cocoa pancakes with it the first time. as i mentioned here, in my post on lemon flaxseed cookies, a regular cheese grater works fine for zest. with these, i also made some other changes:

-added a scoop of vegan protein powder.
-reduced the milk and replaced some of it with water, as i’ve been going through coconut/almond milk cartons far too quickly, at (at least) $3 each.

make these vegan by substituting the single egg with another flax egg (see step #1). my batch made 21.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon
1 scoop vegan protein powder
1 large orange
1-1 and 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cage-free egg
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
1 tablespoon oil (i used olive)
1/2 cup (or one 4 oz. container) of unsweetened applesauce

1. boil a cup of water. in a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of hot water with the flaxseed. set aside for at least 5 minutes to gel.
2. combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, from first to last, and then the flax gel.
3. stirring well, add water only 1/4 cup at a time (you can’t undo it!) to wet the mixture and reach your desired consistency. i added 3/4 cup water total.
4. spray a heated skillet over medium-high with canola spray. drop batter by a little less than a full 1/4 cup. cook until you begin to see bubbles in the batter and they appear to be firming up. turn to cook the other side.

gluten-free cocoa pancakes

this pancake batter is rich and mousse-like, and i noticed that it keeps a circular shape amazingly well when you pour it into the skillet. freeze a batch for quick, versatile breakfasts. microwave one or two and top with things like:

nut butter
sliced bananas or strawberries
honey

this recipe is adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl. a note- i tagged this recipe dairy-free because i learned that eggs are eggs, in other words- their own category. dairy refers to animal byproducts. but you can substitute the single egg with another “flax egg” (see step #1) to make them vegan.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cage-free egg
1 and 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
1 tablespoon oil (i used olive)
1/2 cup (or one 4-ounce container) of unsweetened applesauce

1. first, boil a cup of water. remove from heat, and mix 4 tablespoons of this water in a small bowl with the flaxseed. it should form a gel in 5 minutes.
2. in a mixing bowl, mix everything from flour through xanthan gum.
3. add vanilla, egg, milk, oil, applesauce, and flax/water.
4. over medium heat, spray a large skillet with canola spray.
5. use a little less than 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. cook until you see bubbles and the edges are browning. flip over with a spatula to let the other side cook.

no-bake protein energy bars

you can make these officially vegan and gluten-free by using the appropriate chocolate chips, but i’ve still got Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. dark chocolate should be at least 70% cacao to reap its full antioxidant benefits, but hey, they’re 60%.

also, i bought my first tub of vegan protein powder. it was about $18, so i’m not dumping it in anything and everything… but you can add more if you like. really, you can make any changes you want to this recipe, which is why i liked it so much. here at Love Veggies and Yoga. you can easily grab one for a snack, and they don’t have to thaw out before you eat them- storing them in the freezer just helps them retain their shape.

p.s. (healthy) cookie fails can easily be  turned into protein bars! just add the crumbles to this recipe and use enough of the wet ingredients so they will stick together.

and a very important announcement: this is the last gluten-containing recipe you’ll find here, as i’ve decided to really stick with going g-free for various reasons, beginning fresh tomorrow.

1 banana
1 and 1/2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup agave (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup vegan protein powder
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons chia seed
1/4 cup each of sesame and hulled sunflower seeds
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. first, in a large mixing bowl, mash the banana.
2. add everything else. mix very well.
3. line a smallish glass baking dish or plastic container with foil to make for easier clean-up. basically, choose a size that will allow you to spread the mixture evenly and get a decent bar thickness.
4. freeze. once frozen, remove and cut into bars or squares, depending on how long you want to ration these out!
5. tear off sheets of wax paper and sort of roll up your bars in them, separated by the paper, rather than literally wrapping them individually. place in plastic bags or tupperware back in the freezer.

flourless chocolate cookies

these can be vegan and gluten-free, or not. it comes down to the chocolate chips. i discovered that most chocolate chips contain milk fat, and i made these with Ghiradelli 60% caco semi-sweet chips, which are not vegan/g-free. so the most i can say for my batch is that they’re egg-free. you could use eight 1-ounce squares of baking chocolate instead, if you have those on hand.

these are more like thin brownies than cookies. they definitely spread out, so make sure you allow space between them on baking sheets. you might have to slice them apart with a spatula if they run together. original recipe here, from Oh She Glows. i left out her coconut, but i would add it next time to give them some more thickness.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 375 F. boil a cup of water. mix 4 tablespoons of this water with the flaxseed in a small bowl. set aside to gel.
2. in a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, sugar through salt.
3. in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: flax/water, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla.
4. add wet to dry. stir well and add the chocolate chips.
5. place spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets sprayed with canola cooking spray. i got 36 cookies out of this. bake 25 minutes. cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. be careful, as these are a little fragile before cooled.

flour-free peanut butter cupcakes

these are super easy, and when you taste these, i promise you’ll be amazed that they contain no flour. they taste as decadent as any cupcake you’ve ever had, but they’re not half as unhealthy. these get a great reception even from those who aren’t concerned about gluten!

i was searching for a simple, healthy-ish dessert recipe that would not require a grocery store trip so i could make something in advance for tomorrow night. how hard is it to find a gluten-free dessert that doesn’t call for sugar and a combination of flours; is that too much to ask? luckily, i came across this recipe at Ginger Lemon Girl. (she has a very extensive recipe archive to which i will be returning.)

and yes, i used agave, despite the controversy over it being well-marketed as a natural sweetener but supposedly high in fructose? i hate to waste.

p.s. you can omit the chocolate chips . if you need them to be gluten-free and/or vegan for sure, make sure to get the right chocolate chips.

1/3 cup agave
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/4 cups peanut butter
4 cage-free eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
mini chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 F. place 18 liners in 2 muffin pans. spray with nonstick baking spray.
2. mix sugar and baking powder. add peanut butter, and mix very well.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk eggs, water, and vanilla.
4. pour egg mixture into the p.b. mixture. stir with a fork until it resembles cake batter. this may take a while, but it’ll get there.  then stir in the pumpkin pie spice and cocoa.
5. spoon batter into the paper liners, 1/2 to a max of 3/4 full, because these rise in the oven. you might be wondering how this much batter will possibly make 18 cupcakes, but it does, trust me!
6. sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of each.
7. bake for 20-30 minutes. a toothpick inserted in the middle of one should come out clean. i know it’s a recipe standby phrase, but really do it this time.
8. cool on a wire rack.