Tag Archives: #refinedsugarfree

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

These were one of my first blog posts, and when I made them last week, I decided to redo the post with an updated look. If you like chocolate chip cookies that are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, then these are for you! Don’t worry, the banana makes them moist, without a banana flavor.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-free)'

  • Servings: 34 cookies
  • Difficulty: easy
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Easy healthy vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You won't miss the refined sugar!

Tips:

  1. Organic Pure Maple Sugar instead of brown sugar – you can buy the Coombs Family Farms Maple Sugar brand from Fresh Thyme, Amazon, or Whole Foods. It is a great flavor, it has a lower glycemic index than sugar, and contains important antioxidants and minerals like zinc and manganese.
  2. Coconut sugar instead of cane sugar – coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular table sugar because it contains a fiber called inulin, which may slow glucose absorption. A lower glycemic index means that you don’t get as much of a sugar rush and insulin spike with maple syrup sugar and coconut sugar.
  3. Chocolate chips –Lily’s Baking Chips are sugar-free and are sweetened with stevia.  They are awesome. If you can’t find any, Enjoy Life contain refined-sugar but are vegan, dairy free, soy free, and allergy friendly option.
  4. If you are a junk food gluten-free vegan, just use cane sugar and brown sugar.

Ingredients

Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine gluten-free flour, baking soda, and Redmond’s Real Salt in a small bowl.
  3. Prepare your Ener‑G Egg Replacer (take with 3 teaspoons egg replacer, 4 tablespoons warm water, and mix until it thickens)
  4. Beat vegan butter, sugars, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy.
  5. Add the egg replacer.
  6. Gradually beat in dry ingredients.
  7. Add ½ of the banana
  8. Stir in chocolate chips.
  9. Drop by small rounded teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet.
  10. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (I cooked them for 11)
  11. Cool for 2 minutes and then move them to wire racks to cool completely.
  12. Makes ~34 cookies

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susanellenlogoweb

Topless Pear Pie (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

What’s on your Thanksgiving dessert menu this year? Often I end up making several Thanksgiving desserts, but I always have a chocolate for my husband and a fruit pie for my daughter. Normally apple pie is on the table, but this year I saw some ripe organic pears at Trader Joe’s and our menu changed!

The natural sweetness of the tender pears with just a touch of cinnamon steals the show in this pie. Serve it with a little homemade vegan dulce de leche and some dairy-free ice cream or whipped topping, and you will be in heaven! I also experimented with a topless pie this time, instead of a crumb topping, and I love how pretty it plated.

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Topless Pear Pie (Vegan & Gluten-free)

  • Servings: 9
  • Difficulty: easy
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You will love the ease and natural sweetness of the tender pears with just a touch of cinnamon. Serve with dairy-free ice cream and dulce de leche for a nice flavor of caramel

Tips: If you do not have a Wholly Gluten-Free Pie Crust or another gluten-free vegan crust available near you, you can make a crust from scratch. Click here for a gluten-free and vegan recipe.
Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

Pie Filling

Crumb crust topping

Pie crust

Wholly Gluten-Free Pie Crust or make one from scratch.

Optional: top with homemade vegan dulce de leche or store-bought caramel sauce and dairy-free ice cream.


Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Remove your frozen pie crust from the freezer or make your homemade crust.
  3. Wash, peel, and slice pears and put them in a large bowl.
  4. Combine cinnamon, coconut sugar, gluten-free flour, and Redmond Real Salt into a small bowl. Pour mixture over the pears and stir to coat. Stir in lemon juice and melted butter.
  5. Layer pears in a circular pattern in the pie dish, layer by layer.
  6. In a small mixing bowl, add maple sugar, gluten-free flour, and vegan butter, and combine with a fork until combined.
  7. Spread crumb topping to the top of the pears.
  8. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until pears are tender.

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susanellenlogoweb

French Toast (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

After using chickpea brine for a vegan meringue, I had the idea to use it to make a gluten-free french toast! Guess what?! It worked! I have missed French Toast, but not anymore!

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French Toast (vegan & gluten-free)

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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A classic French Toast with flavors of cinnamon, and vanilla, but with a vegan twist and gluten-free bread!

Tip: (1) You can substitute gluten-free bread with a gluten-free vegan baguette sliced, I personally like Schar (they are reasonably priced on Vitacost, try your local grocery store or Amazon). (2) Top with vegan whipped cream (if desired) and warm maple syrup.

Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

  • Chickpea brine drained from a 15.5 oz can of chickpeas
  • 2.5 Schar gluten-free baguettes or 10 slices gluten-free vegan toast
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup dairy-free milk (I used almond)
  • 1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener (you can also use sugar, coconut sugar, or xylitol)
  • Butter or coconut oil to grease the pan.


Directions

  1. Drain chickpea brine from the can and refrigerate remaining chickpeas to make pasta, soup, or salads, etc.
  2. Mix the chickpea brine, cinnamon, vanilla extract, sweetener, and dairy-free milk together in a bowl.
  3. Melt vegan butter or coconut oil in a skillet set to medium-high heat. I have used this skillet here with regular toast-sized bread and with coconut oil. I have also used my Zyliss pan for the mini-baguette slices and greased the pan with melted vegan butter. Both work well, depends on your choices.
  4. Dunk each slice of bread in chickpea mixture, soaking both sides.
  5. Place bread on the pan and cook until they are golden brown, then flip. If you remove too early, they will be mushy. You want them to almost caramelize in the butter or coconut oil.
  6. Serve warm with warm maple-syrup and dairy-free whipped cream.

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susanellenlogoweb

Coconut Key Lime Pie Filling (Gluten-free, Vegan, & Paleo)

Key limes are in season, and that means pie! I became a key lime pie connoisseur while I was pregnant with my daughter. My friend and I were traveling to every Central American country in the summer of 2009, and I found out I was pregnant in Guatemala. While we were in Nicaragua, we found this restaurant in Granada that served key lime pie; I wish I knew the name of the place. It’s probably somewhere in my travel journal. Anyway, we went there four days in a row just to have their pie. I remember it being the most delicious pie ever. That might have been because I was having crazy food cravings, or because I had been eating beans, rice, and fried plantains every meal for 3 weeks! Regardless, my love of key lime pie developed oddly there in Nicaragua.

I haven’t had a key lime pie in a long time, because I didn’t think it was possible to make one vegan and gluten-free. I was silly because this pie is awesome! Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder.

Since the grocery store only sold key limes in a 2 pound bag, I now have two key lime recipes to share with you. The recipe is not hard, but juicing the entire bag key limes was time-consuming. Since this recipe requires only 1/2 a cup, it won’t take too long. However, this pie does take planning since you have to refrigerate coconut milk or cream overnight and soak cashews for at least 4 hours as well.

Heat oven to 350 and prepare your pie crust per directions. Make sure to thaw the gluten-free vegan pie crust. I prefer this Wholly Gluten Free Pie Shell. It has to be set out 15 minutes before baking.

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Juice the key limes.

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Zest the limes. It takes ~4 limes to make 1 tablespoon. Make 2 tablespoons.

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Add all ingredients into the Vitamix or blender.

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Blend until smooth.

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Pour filling into the gluten-free pie shell, and refrigerate for at least an hour. It will be a firm cheesecake texture.

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Prepare this vegan meringue when the pie is firm. You can find the recipe on my website here.

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Spread the vegan meringue on top of the pie, sprinkle a little coconut and extra lime zest, and serve.

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Coconut Key Lime Pie Filling (Gluten-free & Vegan)

  • Servings: one 9' inch pie
  • Difficulty: easy
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This gluten-free vegan Coconut Key Lime Pie has an easy delicious egg-free, dairy-free, and paleo filling.


Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup cashews (soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours)
  • Cream of 1 can of coconut milk or cream refrigerated overnight (the hard part only + 2 tablespoons remaining milk from the can)
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ cup key lime juice
  • ½ cup coconut oil softened or melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons zest (1 tablespoon for the pie and 1 tablespoon extra for decorating the top of the pie – requires ~8 limes)
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 cup shredded coconut (+ extra for decorating the top of the pie)
  • Look here for vegan meringue topping recipe & ingredients


Directions

  1. Thaw gluten-free vegan pie crust. Most pie shells need to be at room-temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before baking.
  2. Heat oven to 350 and prepare the pie shell per directions when ready.
  3. Juice the key limes.
  4. Zest the limes. It takes ~4 limes to make 1 tablespoon. You will need 2 tablespoons.
  5. Strain and rinse your cashews until the water runs clear.
  6. Add all ingredients into the Vitamix or blender. Only use the firm top part of the coconut cream in the can. Leave the remaining liquid at the bottom, with the exception of 2 tablespoons that you add to the Vitamix.
  7. Blend until smooth.
  8. Pour filling into the gluten-free pie shell and refrigerate for at least an hour. It will be a firm cheesecake-like texture.
  9. Once the pie is firm, prepare the vegan meringue .
  10. Spread the vegan meringue on top of the pie, sprinkle a little coconut and extra lime zest, and serve.


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susanellenlogoweb

Red, White, & Blue Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

This cake is vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar free, beautiful, and is a crowd pleaser at a 4th of July party with its patriotic theme. No one else at the party was vegan or gluten-free, and everyone enjoyed it. This is not a light and fluffly cake, but a dense fruit one. The fruit gives it sweetness. Keep it refrigerated after icing in order to keep the texture and whipped-topping firm.

I was a little disappointed with the lack of color that came from the cake when I cooked it. I was hoping for red and blue cakes! I used Watkins Food Coloing (100% natural vegetable juices and spices). I guess you have to use good old-fashion food-dyes to get the color you want, not the healthier vegetable based ones and fruit.

So here’s my take on it – the cake is a little labor intensive with washing the containers to make the red and blue cake, but healthy and yummy. That said, I have recreated it easily with my Perfect Paleo Brownies in a snap; equally beautiful and so much less time-consuming. The brownies make it a little sweeter, and personally I’m a huge chocolate lover. However, both are great – it’s just a matter of how much time you have!

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4th of July Pinterest

Red, White, & Blue Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: medium
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A patriotic inspired cake with coconut whipped topping, blueberries, and strawberries. It is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan.

Credit: myrealdish.com

Ingredients

Whipped Topping

Cake

  • 2 cups coconut sugar
  • 2 sticks of vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
  • Egg replacer for 2 eggs (3 teaspoons Ener-G + 4 tablespoons warm water)
  • 2 tablespoons (1 mini-bottle) of gluten-free blue food coloring (vegetable based)
  • 2 tablespoons (1 mini-bottle) of gluten-free red food coloring (vegetable based)
  • 2 1/2 cups Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend 
  • 1 teaspoon salt (I used Redmond Real Salt)
  • 1 cup almond milk (I used Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze)
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 ¼ cup blueberries
  • 3/4 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 cup frozen cherries

Decoration

  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 1 pint strawberries

Directions

  1. Heat water in a tea kettle for egg replacer
  2. Purée with a Vitamix or high-powered blender blueberries (I used fresh), and set aside in a bowl. Rinse out the Vitamix or blender.
  3. Purée frozen cherries and set aside.
  4. Heat oven to 350 degrees
  5. Prepare egg replacer (combine 3 teaspoons Ener-G and 4 tablespoons warm water)
  6. Cream coconut sugar and vegan butter in a mixer. Slowly add the egg replacer continuously until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  7. Combine Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend and Redmond Real Salt together in a separate bowl.
  8. Add dry mixture to the coconut sugar and vegan butter mixture alternating with the Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze.
  9. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  10. Grease two 8-inch cake pans. Line bottom of cake pans with fitted parchment paper rounds and grease top of parchment paper.
  11. Pour half of the batter to a separate bowl and set aside.
  12. In a smaller bowl mix 3/4 tablespoon cocoa powder and blue food coloring together (mine didn’t mix throughly) add to the mixer bowl of cake batter. Add puréed blueberries and mix with mixer.
  13. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a smaller bowl, then add to the blue cake mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix one last time.
  14. Add blue cake mixture to one 8-inch cake pan.
  15. Begin the second half of the cake with cherries and red food coloring. Add the container of red food coloring to the mixer bowl of cake batter along with puréed cherries and mix with mixer.
  16. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a smaller bowl, then add to the blue cake mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix one last time.
  17. Pour the red cake batter into the 2nd 8-inch cake pan.
  18. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (My red cherry cake took 30 minutes and the blueberry one took 40 minutes. Check often that the toothpick comes clean in the middle).
  19. Set cakes on the wire rack to cool completely ~45 minutes.
  20. Wash and dry strawberries and blueberries (I use Thieves Fruit and Veggie Soak because it cleans well, it’s natural and chemical-free; buy it here).
  21. Slice strawberries. It’s best to select berries of similar sizes to make them fit in the design.
  22. After cake cools, prepare coconut cream topping. Keep coconut milk cans in the fridge until you are ready to make the topping. Prepare it immediately before “icing” the cake.
  23. Scoop out the thick cream from the coconut cream or milk. Leaving the remaining water below.
  24. Add the guar gum, vanilla, and Powdered Xylitol. Mix on high-speed. Slowly add coconut water from the can, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the cream as it whips until it is light and fluffy.
  25. Carefully remove one cake from the cake pan, and place it on a cake stand or large serving platter.
  26. Spread coconut cream with a rubber scraper on the top of the cake.
  27. Remove the other cake from the cake pan, placing it on top of the coconut whipped cream.
  28. Spread the coconut whipped topping on the top and sides of the cake until it is fully covered and appears to be “iced”.
  29. Decorate the top of your cake with blueberries and strawberries. I easily created the blueberry design by connecting these two lines to a point with blueberries and symmetrically filling them in.
  30. Slice and serve.

I served mine by the pool!

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Happy 4th of July!

susanellenlogoweb

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