Vegan and GF options

So I’ll be honest anything with dough can intimidate me, but I wanted to start to cook or bake out of my comfort zone a little bit and these cinnamon rolls were the perfect introduction! These babies were fairly simple for someone that has never made anything like this before and came out divine! This is definitly a recipe for when you have a little more time on your hands, perfect for a weekend activity or just being stuck home (thanks covid). This recipe is VEGAN friendly, and can also be made gluten free with a few extras. I will add alternatives at the end of the recipe so anyone with any dietary preferences can enjoy! Here we go….

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH

• 3 Tbsp vegan butter ( or butter of choice)
• 1 cup unsweetned almond milk
• 1 Tbsp organic sugar
• 1 packet of yeast
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups organic unbleached flour (** if going for a gluten free dough, be sure to add xantham gum to help with dough consistency)

CINNAMON SUGAR FILLING

• 3 Tbsp vegan butter ( or butter of choice)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar and 2 Tbsp monk fruit sweetener (OR if you prefer a sweeter filling 1/4-1/3 cup sugar)
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 8oz vegan cream cheese ( OR Philadelphia plain cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup vegan butter ( OR butter of choice)
• 1 cup powdered sugar ( for this one I tossed my monk fruit sweetner in a blender- worked FAB)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Starting with dough, add almond milk and butter to a saucepan until just melted. Once melted pour into a larger bowl and let cool until luke warm. Too hot and the yeast will not survive. Add 1 tbsp of sugar, mix and let sit for 10 mins.
2. After 10 mins is up, add salt and 1 cup of flour at a time mixing as you go. I like to use a large wooden spoon to be sure I do not over mix.
3. Sprinkle some flour onto a flat surface, I used my cleaned countertop. Place dough ball onto floured surface and knead until its formed a bit more of a loose ball.. if its still crumbly keep going or add a splash of water. (see pics for reference)
4. Spray a large bowl with olive oil or coat with butter, place dough ball into bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let sit 1 hour. Dough sets best in a warmer environment, I put my bowl in a sunny spot in the kitchen and it worked quite well.
5. While dough is setting, get started on you’re filling and frosting. For filling: melt 3 tbsp of butter. In a seperate bowl measure out your sugar and cinnamon and mix together. Frosting: mix softened butter and softened cream cheese add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt, mix well set aside.
6. Once dough is ready ( should be almost doubled in size) place back onto floured flat top and begin rolling it out. I personally do not have a rolling pin and instead used a wine bottle- wine saving the day for me per usual! TIP add flour to wine bottle to prevent sticking. You’ll want to get as close to a rectangle as possible, don’t be afraid to shape the dough with your hands. When its ready it should be about 1/4 inch thickness.
7. Coat rolled dough with melted butter, then sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly.
8. PREHEAT OVEN to 350F at this time*
9. Start to roll the dough as tight as possible, naturally the dough will loosen. Once rolled, cut 2 inch pieces and place in buttered round cake pan. Feel free to spread them out a bit as they will get larger as they bake. Coat all the rolls with more melted butter and cover until oven finishes preheating.
10. Bake for 25 mins and check with toothpick, may need an additional few minutes depending on oven.
11. Add cream cheese frosting as soon as rolls are done, this will help melt the frosting for the perfect coating.

A few tips:

Feel free to use sugar sweeteners such as monk fruit as I did in this recipe other than when adding to yeast, I am not sure how well the yeast will work with a sweetener!

If you dont have powdered sugar make your own- sugar or sweetner of choice blend it up and viola, powder!

There are a million ways to make icing or frosting. Experiment with what you like, this cream cheese frosting is a thicker option, if you prefer more of a drizzle, powdered sugar and milk of choice works great as well.

ALTERNATIVES: Vegan butter OR regular butter, Cane sugar OR sweetener, White flour OR GF flour( with addition of xantham gum), Cream cheese OR vegan cream cheese.

Happy baking! Leave a comment if you tried this one out!

This recipe is beginner friendly, vegan friendly ( minus hershey kisses) and wont make you feel so awful in indulging!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 3/4 cup flour (I used organic unbleached)
• 1/3 cup sugar ( I switched this up and used monk fruit sugar instead and a dash of brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup apple sauce unsweetened
• 3 VERY ripe bananas mashed well
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk ( plus a splash more- depending on how dry your batter appears)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan (I used vegan butter) set aside.
2. Mash bananas and add maple syrup, vanilla extract,apple sauce and almond milk. Mix together.
3. In a seperate bowl add all other dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, and salt. Mix well.
4. Add wet to dry and mix well.
5. Feel free to fold in cinnamon, chocolate chips, walnuts etc.. remember a chunky batter is good but be sure its not dry.. also add any extra splashes of almond milk if necessary.
6. Pour batter in loaf pan
7. Bake for 50 mins- check with tooth pick to be sure middle is fully cooked.

I love adding walnuts or chocolate chips but tonight I improvised and added a few almond Hershey kisses ontop and it was a perfect substitute.

*Reminder if you want to keep this vegan be sure to check your chocolate ingredients

Enjoy!

This dish is impressive to look at and tastes phenomenal. It also looks quite fancy, but beginners can easily master this one! A great dish to make for company or date night!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium spaghetti squash halved
• olive oil spray
• salt and pepper

FILLING

• 1 medium zucchini (half moons)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup white onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• freshly chopped parsley to garnish
• salt and pepper to taste
• parmesan cheese to top if desired

OPTIONAL ADD IN: Shredded chicken breast 2-3 cups.

We decided to cook the chicken breast in our Instapot to make sure it was extra juicy and it came out just right. We also decided to add bone broth to add for some extra nutrients for this dish and it did not disappoint. Season as desired, and shred with a fork.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat Oven to 400 F. Cut squash in half and remove filling with a spoon. Drizzle insides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. On a lined baking sheet ( I used a baking mat) place squash cut side down, bake 35 mins.
3. Add olive oil to large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender about 5 mins. Next add zucchini, tomatoes, italian seasoning, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Let cook an additional 5 mins.
4. Remove squash from oven and with a scarping motion pull along the inner portion of squash with a fork. Magically your spaghetti will appear! Scoop the spaghetti and shredded chicken into skillet with remaining ingredients. Mix well.
5. Add all ingredients into the halve squash and sprinkle with mozz cheese. Bake an additional 5 mins until cheese melts. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

TIP: I stuffed my squash quite full and still had extra shredded chicken, I used this to make chicken salad the next day and it was AMAZING. It would also be great in a dip, get creative but never waste!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cup flour ( All purpose or GF works great)
• 1 cup Unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup shredded or grated carrots
• 2 flax/chia eggs OR substitute 4 tbsp plant based plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup veg butter
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line muffin pan with muffin cups, cooking spray, vegan butter OR do what I do when desperate cut parchment paper into squares and make your own muffin cups- it worked like a charm!
3. Mix all wet ingredients together in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl mix dry- Combine dry and wet, mix until even.
5. Spoon ingredients into muffin pan ( be careful to not overfill).
6. Bake for 25 mins- check with toothpick when done.
7. Serve alone for breakfast OR add vanilla dairy free ice cream for a sweeter treat and drizzle with carrot shavings!

This dish was inspired by Gordon Ramsey and he totally gets the credit for this delicious creation!

This dish allows you to ramp up the veggie intake(which we all need) without skimping on flavor. Vegan and gluten-free friendly it is sure to be a hit with absolutely everyone!

INGREDIENTS

WALNUT PESTO

• 6 sage leaves
• 1/2 bunch parsley leaves
• 1 large clove garlic
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• salt and pepper to taste

SQUASH NOODLES

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1/2 tbsp olive
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

PESTO

1. Add parsley, garlic, walnuts and sage into a food processor OR blender. Pulse until finely chopped.( I personally only have a blender currently-the ninja- and it comes with a single serving container and mini blade that works just as well as a food processor for this recipe.
2. Now add olive oil, lemon juice and a tiny splash of water.
3. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

NOODLES

1. Cut the large bulb off of your squash. You are only going to use the longer portion for your noodles!
2. Peel the squash and use a spiralizer to make your veggie noodles!
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
4. Add chopped garlic, let sizzle a bit then add squash. Toss for about 5 mins or so-do not let the noodles get too soggy.
5. Add your pesto and mix well. Remove from heat.
6. Serve noodles in a bowl, top with more walnuts and Parmesan cheese (vegan options available of course).

This is a beautiful dish that is really quite simple and quick to make even during a busy work week.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chopped white onions
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 3 tbsp almond milk based plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup feta crumbles
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1-3 tbsp fresh chopped mint (Depending on preference)
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lemon lemon squeezed

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix together with clean hands, ensuring everything is mixed evenly.
3. Roll into balls about the size of a clementine or so about 2 inches wide. If you prefer smaller just be sure to not overcook!
4. Line a baking pan with parchment paper(see image above)
5. Place balls into pan and squeeze juice of half a lemon over entirety of pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 mins.

I served these with Tzatziki, rice and quinoa mix, kalamata olives with a slice of bakery fresh bread sliced tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic dressing.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Turkey serves as an excellent source of protein that is a lower fat choice compared to other meats such a ground beef.

Spinach is rich in vitamins A, C, K, magnesium and iron. It is a MUST in a healthy diet and adding them to this recipe is a simple way to get an added health boost to your meal!

Personally If I am going to have a meal that contains meat I like to boost it with extra veggies to be sure I am staying balanced. This recipe makes it so easy to do so and your taste buds will thank you!

Quick easy and great for leftovers, I hope you enjoy!