Tag: gluten free

sunday muffins- gluten-free double chocolate mini muffins!

nothing beats a little bit of chocolate and these mini muffins really just hit the spot!

last weekend we were away and fortunate enough to get to spend sunday morning on the beach.  our short vacation was much needed and we all returned feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. the thought of travelling internationally during the pandemic had us all on edge but everything went better than we anticipated and being able to spend most of our time outdoors helped to assuage our fears of being around strangers for the first time in months.

we visited a hotel in dubai where we had stayed before; but quite some time ago- our last visit there was in 2013-and we found many pleasant changes upon our arrival… more restaurants to visit, a whole new wing of the hotel, and tons of gluten-free options. full gluten-free menus are now easily available in all the dining areas and asking for gluten-free bread was not met with looks of uncertainty! at breakfast i was even offered a whole basket of gluten-free pastries- first time that has ever happened!

the mini muffins were my favorite and they are the inspiration behind this week’s sunday muffins. i’m not sure which recipe the hotel used but here is one with shredded zucchini that we love in our house- not vegan but thoroughly gluten-free and delicious too!

ingredients:

  • 1 cup zucchini- shredded 
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 large handful dark and milk chocolate- roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup gluten-free flour
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup coconut oil- melted

instructions: 

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
  • line mini muffin pan with muffin liners
  • combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
  • combine eggs, almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract in another bowl- mixing well
  • pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined
  • add in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips
  • use a small spoon to fill muffin cups
  • bake for 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean

*** if making regular sized muffins please increase cook time to 20-25 minutes***

a new routine- sunday muffins!

join us as we embark on a new routine- sunday muffins!

as a virgo through and through i am a very big fan of routines.  

knowing what is coming up centers me. it helps me to keep some of the more anxious thoughts and “what ifs” at bay. not only do i love living the routine, but i also adore planning the routine.  i have all sorts of notebooks- one for daily to-dos; one for our weekly meals; one for recipes; one for bigger, long term plans- and tons of lists! books to be read; articles to check out; yoga classes to take; things to buy; things to give away… all listed nicely and neatly.

as much as i love a routine life, over the years i have learned (sometimes the hard way) to let go and go with the flow (sort of).  juggling the needs, wants and schedules of three kids; living in the beautiful chaos of istanbul; being connected to other people socially and professionally- all these have been known to cause glitches from time to time! 

and of course, this year we are living through the biggest glitch of all! not in a million years would i have ever thought we would be on month 10 of staying home, at home learning, curfew and weekend lockdowns.  i really somehow thought this would be a couple months long blip in an otherwise normal year.

the first couple of months were better; alegra and i had a really great whiteboard, and we had a schedule for every day- it was great! i knew what was coming, everyone at home knew the plan.  it was as “normal” as one could have hoped for.

our first schedule was pretty simple… as time went by we added all sorts of information and started other lists too…

but these days, as covid wears on and on, i am finding it hard to even consider creating a routine.  i had hoped new years would inspire me but here i am halfway into the month and still a bit lost.

so, as i baked these muffins for sunday morning breakfast, i realized these might just be the perfect way to start a new routine! 

i’ve had food projects before; you can find a whole year of vegetable fritters (mucver, in turkish) here … and a year of gluten free kid-friendly treats here 

and so, it seems 2021 will be the year of muffins! the muffins will always be gluten-free; though not always vegan nor sugar free (sometimes we need a little treat too, guys!) i hope that you enjoy this new routine as much as i do 🙂

gluten-free vegan blueberry muffins

ingredients:

  • 2 vegan flax eggs (mix 2 tablespoons ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons water and set aside to thicken)
  • 2/3 cup vegan buttermilk (mix nut mylk with 2 teaspoons vinegar and set aside)
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ½ cup gluten free oats
  • ¾ cup gluten free flour mix **
  • 2/3 cup coconut sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cup blueberries (can be fresh or frozen)

instructions:

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
  • line muffin pan with liner cups
  • combine flours, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix well
  • add flax egg, buttermilk, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix until just combined
  • fold in blueberries carefully – 
    • batter should be thick at this point, if not add 1-2 tablespoons almond flour
  • spoon batter into prepared muffin pan 
  • bake for about 30 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
  • cool on rack for at least 10 minutes
  • serve warm with a cup of tea or coffee! 

** recently, i have been using organik bahce’s gluten free flour mix here in turkey**

alara and alegra’s ooey gooey joyful brownies

if you live in istanbul you are hopefully enjoying this snow day as much as we are!!! the city is quiet and beautiful and watching the snowflakes fall is actually meditative in its own way. 

the snow brought us a LOT of joy- we made a snowman, had snowball fights, made snow angels, drank hot chocolate and of course, baked brownies- yum!

our brownie baking actually happened on saturday, while we were waiting rather (im)patiently for the snow to start.  we knew we would want dessert that night so alara and alegra figured out a way to use up a batch of caramel we had made mid-week for apple dipping.  

the result some of the most indulgent joyful caramel brownies i have ever tasted!  

they humored me and made them gluten free but feel free to use regular flour if you prefer; and don’t worry if you have left over caramel sauce, it is just as delicious on its own and perfect for dipping fruit or making ice cream sundaes 🙂

easy caramel sauce:

ingredients:

  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 12 tablespoons butter- cut up into small pieces
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes

instructions:

  • have all ingredients at room temperature 
  • heat sugar over medium high heat in bottom of a large saucepan-whisking continuously
  • once sugar is melted add butter and stir until melted
  • remove pan from heat and slowly add cream
  • whisk until cream is completely absorbed and caramel is smooth
  • add sea salt flakes and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes
  • store in a glass jar in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks

gluten free caramel brownies:

ingredients:

  • ½ cup dark chocolate- chopped into pieces
  • ½ cup milk chocolate- chopped into pieces
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup gluten free flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup salted caramel sauce

instructions:

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (375f)
  • line a baking dish with parchment paper and set aside
  • in a large pot melt butter and chocolate together- allow to cool slightly
  • add in eggs, sugar and vanilla extract- mix well
  • sift gluten free flour on top and mix in until just combined
  • pour brownie batter into prepared dish and spread evenly
  • place large spoonfuls of caramel sauce on top of batter and use a knife to swirl into the batter
  • bake for 20-25 minutes for fudgy brownies; 30-35 minutes for more cakelike ones
  • the caramel will bubble, and the batter will seem to be shaky but don’t worry! once the brownies cool down the mixture will harden, and you will be able to cut and serve 
  • serve warm with ice cream if desired 

beautiful boat bundt cake…

this week was the bayram, or eid, here in turkey, and we were lucky enough to manage to come to the south of turkey for a short escape from the city.

the weather has been typical late spring weather for this area. Hot midday and cool and crisp at night. we did some hiking, some swimming, a lot of reading and relaxing, and a whole bunch of cooking.

one of our favorite recipes to make on vacation is a very light, gluten free almond cake. (we also made a not at all light chocolate cake- not gluten free so not for me- and a banana bread that was a full flop- we combined two recipes and it did NOT work out at all!)

but this lemon cake is delicious. we served it warm out of the oven and it was gone within the hour. i was secretly hoping for a little slice for breakfast, but no dice.

it is so simple that i don’t know why we have never made it at home. but you know, some things just taste better in some places. so, this is our beautiful boat bundt cake… enjoy!

ingredients-

  • 4 organic eggs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup fresh almond milk
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 lemond rind
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds (alegra says to try chia seeds if you don’t have poppy)
  • 2 cups almond flour (we added a couple more tablespoons to make the dough more doughy)

instructions-

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
  • grease bundt pan with olive oil
  • mix eggs, sugar, almond milk, and olive oil with hand blender
  • add baking powder, vanilla extract
  • mix in almond flour slowly until you reach a doughy consistency
  • fold in poppy seeds and lemon rind
  • pour into bundt pan and place in over
  • bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
  • allow to cool for 5-10 minutes
  • invert on serving dish and serve warm with a glass of turkish tea 🙂

a special thanks to birdal abi for sharing this recipe with us!!

channeling our inner bi nevi deli…

this winter alara and i absolutely fell head over heels in love with bi nevi deli’s pumpkin bread… it is the perfect consistency, not too sweet and super flavorful.

but with bi nevi deli closed for the at least another couple of months, and pumpkin season nearly at a close we decided to do the next best thing and try to make our own 🙂

here the recipe we used, adapted from the minimalist baker… we loved the results, send us pictures if you try it too!

ingredients–

  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 6 tablespoons warm water
  • 1.5 cups fresh pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oik
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup nut milk (we used lokal plants hazelnut)
  • 1 cup gluten free flour (we used buckwheat)
  • 1/3 cup oat flour

instructions–

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
  • line a bread pan with parchment paper
  • mix the ground flaxseed and warm water (this is your “vegan egg”) and allow to fully combine for 10 minutes
  • in a large bowl, mix each ingredient in order, making sure to fully combine after each addition
  • bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
  • cool fully on a wire rack; slice if desired
  • we recommend serving slightly toasted with almond butter for a perfect breakfast or mid-afternoon snack