Recipe: Cardamom-spice muffins (vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free)

I’ve been continuing my experiments in vegan baking with coconut flour. This week, I decided to try a variation on the sweet potato muffins I posted a couple weeks ago. As with the vegan chocolate-orange muffins I made last week, psyllium is the not-so-secret ingredient for holding the muffins together and giving them a nice texture. If you like chai, you’ll love these … Read more

Recipe: Dreamy chocolate-orange muffins (grain-free, sugar-free, vegan)

I finally found a way to cook with coconut flour that doesn’t require using a million eggs! The trick is to use psyllium husks – yup, the stuff in Metamucil. When you combine psyllium with a little liquid and allow it to sit, you get a thick goop. Including it in grain-free baked goods adds excellent structure and holding power to the final product. If … Read more

Recipe: Crockpot cauliflower and chickpea curry

There are few things in this world as delicious as curried cauliflower. This recipe may look complicated because of its long list of ingredients, but it’s actually very easy to make. The curry goes great by itself, on top of cooked grains (such as millet or rice), or with a little plain yogurt. Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 medium yellow onions, … Read more

Quick dinner for one: Fancy tomato soup recipe

This is a more adult version of the classic – more sophisticated and better for you than condensed Campbell’s, but just as quick to make. It also tastes phenomenal. I used home-canned tomato juice as the soup base, which guarantees very tomato-y flavor (Brandywines are my favorite for juicing). But this recipe will work with tomato juice from the grocery … Read more

Recipe: Cranberry-buckwheat muffins (low sugar, low fat, vegan option)

I was in the mood for something made with buckwheat, and while racking my brain for flavors that would go well with it, I hit upon cranberries. I almost always have a bag or two of whole, unsweetened cranberries in my freezer – I tend to buy several pounds in autumn when they are cheap and toss them in the freezer. … Read more

Recipe: Pumpkin chocolate-chip muffins (low sugar, low fat, vegan option)

My two favorite desserts are “anything with chocolate” and “anything with pumpkin.” This recipe includes both – although with its relatively low sugar content, you don’t have to save it for dessert. This muffin does not have the cake-level of sweetness that you’ll usually fine in prepackaged muffins or the ones they sell at coffee shops. I use just enough sweetener … Read more

Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins (Vegan, Low Sugar)

After I posted last week’s Nutella-inspired muffins, a vegan friend asked me for muffins with the flavors of a dark chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cup. I experimented a little and this is what I came up with. I would love to have an even peanutier taste, but these muffins are quite moist and I fear anymore peanut butter would make them dense. I’ve been thinking … Read more

Recipe: Slow cooker cabbage and apples (plus how to cut onions without crying)

I have three main motives for my love of crock pot cooking. I’m easily distracted, which can lead to burnt food when I’m cooking on the stove top. With a slow cooker, I don’t have to worry about that. I am an impatient cook when I am hungry. Slow cooking allows me to prepare a meal after breakfast or lunch when I am … Read more

Recipe: Slow cooker lentil stew (vegan, low fat)

A friend of mine from college lived on a version of this recipe during her year abroad in Greece, then cooked it for us on many Fridays after her return to the U.S. I’ve been making it ever since. Brining the lentils is a trick I picked up while watching America’s Test Kitchen with my mom over the holidays. It … Read more