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Even though they look brown (which they are, but only because I won’t use food dye) these are indeed red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting- (CLICK HERE for recipe). These are amazing to take to office parties or any event where people might have varied diets. These cupcakes are safe for those with gluten allergies or celiacs disease, vegetarians and vegans, (if  using carob) safe for those allergic to chocolate, low fat, and low calorie (compared to most cupcakes)! Whoa! Not many recipes I know of are so socially friendly, so make a batch and take them to your next office party, but you better save a few at home, you might not get any!
Ingredients:
DRY:
2 1/2 cup all purpose Gluten Free Flour – Click Here for my recipe or use any store brought brand
1 – 2 cups sugar (use more if you want it sweeter, I use 1 cup)
4 1/2 teaspoons egg replacement powder – Click HERE for my recipe or any store bought brand works
3 tablespoons roasted carob powder or cocoa powder (I used carob)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
WET:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup banana puree (about 2 large bananas) (if you don’t like banana flavor, use applesauce or 1 extra cup oil if you don’t mind the fat calories)
1 cup nondairy milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar – Mix and let set 5 minutes
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon vinegar
2 tablespoons red food coloring / beet juice or water (If you don’t want artificial colors, just add 2 tablespoons water instead, that’s what I did)
2 – 4* tablespoons water (depending on the flour you use, you might need more, start with 2 tablespoons)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
In a large bowl, mix all of your dry ingredients together, if needed sift them to prevent lumps. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl or a blender (which I did), blend all your wet ingredients. A blender works best to prevent clumps of banana/applesauce. Blend until smooth and reserve until ready to bake cupcakes.
It is important to not mix your dry and wet ingredients together until just before you fill the muffin tins, so get them out and line with paper cups or liberally spray with nonstick spray (make sure its gluten free). When your oven is preheated and you’re all ready, Mix the wet into the dry until the lumps are gone. Fill muffin tin to desired levels: full makes about 14 cupcakes with big muffin tops, 3/4 makes 16-18 with just a little top, 1/2 way makes 20-24 cupcakes with no top.
Bake in the middle rack for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you’re going to frost them let cool completely first or frosting will run. For our frosting recipe please click HERE.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: If you are making this and cooking for someone with gluten allergies or celiacs disease. Make sure to purchase ingredients that are certified gluten free, and clean your utensils very well. Better safe than sorry.
Prep time: about 5 minutes Cook time: Approx 20-25 minutes
Allergies: banana*(optional) , food dye*(optional)
This recipe is safe for those on a gluten free diet, vegan diet, low fat diet, low calorie diet, and if used, chocolate free diet. This is a great recipe to bring to a party, safe for almost everyone!
(Nutritional information assumes you’re using low fat dairy cream cheese and banana instead of oil, variations in recipe will affect calories:)
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(Frosting shown on-top of my Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes, click HERE for the recipe!)
Cream cheese frosting doesn’t have to be super unhealthy or boring, nor does it need to come out of a blue container. Store bought frosting contains preservatives, chemicals of all sorts, TRANSFAT, twice as much sugar, and modified foods. None of that screams healthy. However, my frosting can be a healthy treat in moderation, best of all its a fraction of the price.
Ingredients:
1 8 ounce container or block of cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
powdered sugar to taste. I used between 1/4 – 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
enough cornstarch to thicken. For a stiff frosting I used 3 tablespoons.
Directions:
In a bowl, all your cream cheese and sugar and vanilla. Whip until smooth (use an electric hand mixer for convenience). Taste it, if its to your sweetness you’re ready to add cornstarch, if its not add 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time until you like the taste. Add cornstarch 1 tablespoon at a time until desired thickness, but remember it will set up slight if putting it in the fridge, you may use more or less than what I did.
Thats it, you have homemade frosting, yes guys, seriously that easy! =)
Makes about 1 1/4 cups frosting. Prep time: 5 minutes
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: If you are making this and cooking for someone with gluten allergies or celiacs disease. Make sure to purchase ingredients that are certified gluten free, and clean your utensils very well. Better safe than sorry.
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For those wanting to bake without eggs we usually turn to store bought egg replacements like Bob’s Red Mill brand or Ener-G brand. While they are both amazing in their own right, they’re expensive, and what happens if you don’t realize you’re out of it? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can make it at home for a fraction of the price, with 4 basic ingredients.
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons potato starch
6 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
Mix well and store in a container til use. Will last very long time and is shelf stable.
This makes about 12 egg equivalent. Original recipe HERE.
How to use in recipe:
If a recipe calls for just the powder, do not add addition water. If recipe calls for a mixed egg always mix in a separate container and use this formula (this varies from original recipe):
one whole egg: 1 1/2 teaspoons powder to 2 tablespoons water
egg white: same as whole egg
egg yolk: 1 1/2 teaspoons powder to 1 tablespoon water.
This replacement is not suitable for things like scrambles eggs and the like, this is for baking.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: If you are making this and cooking for someone with gluten allergies or celiacs disease. Make sure to purchase ingredients that are certified gluten free, and clean your utensils very well. Better safe than sorry.
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Lately I’ve been dabbling in gluten free cooking, however if you’ve ever looked at all purpose gluten free flour mix, you’ll know it costs a small fortune. While this still isn’t super cheap, its much cheaper than premixed flour.
Ingredients:
2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 cups potato starch
2 teaspoons guar gum
Directions:
Mix well and store in airtight container. You can use this instead of wheat flour in most recipes. Works especially well for pancakes and cupcakes!
Prep time: less than 5 minutes , Â Makes about 5 cups
allergies: Guar gum
Is vegan/vegetarian and gluten free.
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Making homemade granola these days is not selective to hippies guys! I love to make granola and other breakfast treats all the time and its super simple, but best of all, you tend to save tons of money! What could honestly be better than that. If you have 30-35 minutes, granola is easily within your reach. This recipe is also very basic, you can add 1/2 cup crushed up nuts or seeds (flax and walnut is a great combination), you can toss in dried fruits when the granola is done or you can leave it plain for sprinkling ontop of yogurt. (that’s what I like to do! =)
Ingredients:
4 cups old fashioned oats (not oat groats, not quick cooking oats, not steel cut oats)
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch salt (optional)
1 T vanilla extract (use the good stuff, you’ll thank yourself later)
1 T evaporated cane sugar or raw sugar
1 /4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey  (5 tablespoons total)  (use maple syrup for vegan version)
2 tablespoons water
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
In a large bowl add in everything except the oats. Mix well. Add your oats 1 cup at a time and stir well. (don’t be afraid to use your hands, it really works best) After you have all your oats mixed in, let it sit for a couple minutes. 2-5 minutes is a long enough, very easy to do while your oven preheats.
Once your oven is preheated, take a full sheet pan and evenly spread your oat mixture on it. Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.
(Above photo is granola mix about to go into the oven)
After 15 minutes take the pan out of the oven and stir/flip the oats with a flat spatula. Put it back in the oven for 15 more minutes.
(Above photo is granola mix after 15 minutes in the oven)Take the granola out of the oven again and stir.
(Above photo is granola after 30 minutes, some dark bits and perfect for me)
Depending on your personal taste you can stop now. If you want it darker, continue cooking in 5 minute intervuls instead you reach your desired doneness.
Prep time: 2-5 minutes  Cook time: 30-40 minutes Serves: 4 cups
allergies: honey***, oats**
**Can be gluten-free if you make sure you purchase gluten free oats!
***vegan friendly if you it without honey, maple syrup instead.
And you’re done! See how easy that was. You now have a healthy breakfast treat that costs next to nothing to make and little time spent. A traditional basica granola in a health food store costs $4.99 a pound, YIKES! However, this granola only cost me :
Oats: 53¢
olive oil: 25¢
salt & Sugar: 5¢
vanilla (homemade): 5¢ (store bought would be more like 40¢)
honey: 45¢
Water: free (my water bill is paid)
If we total that up we’re looking at a grand total of….  $1.33 for 4 cups of granola. Talk about saving money. That’s an approx savings of  $8.50! Even if you add in nuts and seeds, you will still save money compared to the granola at the health food store.  Assuming you used 1/4 cup of both flax seeds and walnuts and they were organic, you’re still only looking at about 1.50-2.00 more dollars. Oh and all the above ingredients were purchased organic except my homemade vanilla (purchased many years ago before I cared about organic, and bought in bulk. I got 5 pounds for only 25.00!)
I hope you will try this easy granola and let me know in the comments what YOU would put with it. Me personally, I enjoy my granola with some unsweetened almond milk or on-top of organic Greek yogurt with fresh seasonal fruits, yum yum!
