Vegan Gluten Free recipes I tried that worked

Learning to make things gluten free without milk or eggs can be very challenging.  I never appreciated that until 2 weeks ago!  I gave up on sandwich bread.  I made a loaf that looked great and texture looked good and it was moist but when I ate a slice it got an instant thumbs down.  It was the egg replacement that messes things up.  It felt like slime going down my throat.  I decided I can live without sandwich bread if that is my options.

I did make so crackers and they were a big hit! 

Gluten-Free Herb Cracker Recipe

This crisp, herbal cracker is free of gluten, dairy, egg, corn and yeast. The dough is rolled and it's very easy to work with.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot starch OR cornstarch OR potato starch
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 1 teaspoon GF garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon GF onion powder
• 2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence OR any herb blend you like
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt to sprinkle on top of crackers
  

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Place dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add olive oil and water and stir until dough forms a ball. If mixture is still crumbly, add water, one teaspoon at a time, until dough forms a ball.
2. Divide the dough in half with a knife. Sprinkle a smooth work surface with a small amount of white rice flour. Sprinkle rice flour on a rolling pin and roll the dough until it is very thin, about 1/16th of an inch thick.  If you use a flat baking stone forget this step and just roll it out on your stone.  I cut mine with a pizza cutter into squares and topped lightly with sea salt.
3. Use a 1 1/2 inch round or square biscuit or cookie cutter to cut crackers- or use a knife to cut even squares. Prick top of each cracker twice with a fork. Using a small spatula, transfer crackers to two large, ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle tops of crackers lightly with Kosher salt.  Hope you used a baking stone!  so much easier!  I didn't bother with poking them with a fork- dough roll fine but poking them made it crumble so didn't bother
4. Repeat with second half of cracker dough.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place crackers on wire racks. Put the wire racks on the baking sheets and return crackers to the oven for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.  If you used baking stones you don't need to do this either!  Just leave on the stone for 5 minutes and move to a cooling rack.
6. Cool crackers and store in an airtight container.  Went to fast to bother storing!
   

Makes about 65 crackers

Tips:
This dough is crumbly but don't worry- just add water, a teaspoon at a time to keep the dough rollable. Gently roll back and forth on the dough to avoid cracks. Also be gentle when piercing the cracker dough with fork. I take the loose crumbs and continue to roll and cut out crackers until dough is all used.

My next success was Muffins.  It took me 3 tries to get success!  But here is my winning recipe!

Gluten Free Raisin Walnut Muffin Recipe

Applesauce, guar gum, oil, and ground flax seed give these gluten free vegan breakfast muffins a moist firm crumb, avoiding the typical dry and crumbly texture of gluten free muffins.
For an ovo-lacto version, replace gr. flax seed and almond milk with eggs and dairy milk.
Total prep & cook time: 45 minutes
12 medium muffins, I got 18 muffins!

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp chia seed + 1/4 cup water
• OR: 2 eggs
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup agave syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk OR: 1/4 cup dairy milk
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  

Dry Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup millet flour
• 2/3 cup gf oat flour
• 1/2 cup amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder 
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp Guar gum
    

  Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Lightly oil a 12 cup muffin tin
• Whisk together the chia seed + 1/4 cup cold water OR beat the eggs. Set aside
• Soften and ‘plump’ the raisins by soaking in boiling water 5 minutes, then drain and set aside
• Chop walnuts fine
• Measure applesauce, oil, agave syrup, almond milk and mix with chia seed + water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat until warm (not hot). If using beaten eggs, add them after taking the wet mixture off the heat.
• Measure and mix dry ingredients thoroughly using a whisk or electric mixer
• Add wet to dry ingredients with nuts and raisins
• Mix well, more than you usually would for muffins
• Fill muffin cups almost full
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, until browned and firm to the touch
• Cool muffins 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack
• Allow to cool 10 - 15 minutes before eating
  

Baking Tips:

Walnuts sometimes have a bitter outer skin. Soaking overnight, then draining and rinsing, will get rid of any bitterness, plus make your muffins moister. "Plumping" the raisins with boiling water softens them and adds moisture to the muffins (instead of taking away).
Usually with quick breads or muffins, the volume of wet to dry ingredients is the same. Gluten Free flours have less moisture and fat than wheat flour, so the wet volume needs to be about 20% more, and the fat in the recipe about 10% more.
Oil works better in this recipe than either veggie spread or butter.
Unlike quick breads or muffins, GF batter must be well mixed for best rising. Because there is no gluten, the result won’t be tough or have holes in it. Gluten free also needs a little longer baking time because it’s slower to rise and takes longer to brown.
1 Tbsp may seem like a lot of leavening, but GF baking seems to need about double the usual amount.
Xanthan or Guar gum helps rising and binding, and makes gf baking less crumbly. It's available in most natural food stores, often in bulk, and large grocery stores. Make an effort to find xanthan or Guar gum if you plan to do a lot of GF baking. If you can’t find it or don’t want to bother, substitute 1 Tbsp cornstarch and add another 1 Tbsp milk.

Do not store Gluten Free products in the refrigerator!  They turn into a soggy mess, totally uneatable!  Bag and store at room temperature or freeze. 


 My next success was cookies!  

Vegan Gluten Free Gingersnap Cookies

Makes 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour (I make my own- see below)
• 3/4 tsp. xantham gum or Guar gum
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 3 tsp. ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped(I used fresh grated ginger root)
• 1/2 cup vegan shortening (I used coconut oil)
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine (I used coconut oil)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp.  chia seeds or  ground flaxseeds
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup sugar
  

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together the flour, xantham gum, spices, salt, and crystallized ginger. Set aside.
3. Cream together the shortening, margarine, and brown sugar in a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flaxseeds/chia seeds and water together and add the molasses. Pour into the creamed sugar mixture. Using a hand mixer, mix on low until combined.
5. Add the flour mixture to the sugar-molasses mixture and continue to mix on low until well combined. Chill for 1/2 hour.
6. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll in the sugar.
7. Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 12 minutes.
   
    These are crisp Ginger snaps and they are very good!  Not as good as the gingersnaps I use to make but a good option for my new diet!
   
   
   I grind most of my own flours up.  Seeds and nuts I run through the blender.  to make Gluten Free All Purpose Flour I use equal parts brown rice flour, white rice flour and corn starch or Arrow Root.
   
   I'm going to try a Blue Berry Muffin tomorrow and I will let you know how that works out.  Got another cracker recipe to try too!
   
   Hope you enjoy!
   Cherlynn
   brchbell@yahoo.com