Happy Birthday the gluten free way!!!

Happy Birthday the gluten free way!

It was my son’s birthday over the weekend. And although gluten is not a problem for him most grain at this time are! So what do you send to school for his birthday celebration? And what on earth to you make for a delicious birthday party at home? Ahha!!!

Well well, the gluten free vegan world sure has changed over the last 15 years or so. There are a lot of options depending to suit your needs. My take is be careful with the pre-done gluten free stuff cause you don’t want “delicious corn syrup” on it!!!!!!

For his school celebration I made the good old Canadian Apple Crumble…. I sent two 8 x8 pans just in case and only got a quarter back!!! Wonderful!!

Then for the home party I made gluten free extra chocolate Gluten Free Vegan Nanaimo Bars… I just had to keep with the Canadian theme eh?, by the way can the tittle be any longer than that?

So there you go… two wonderful recipes for you to play with:

Just a note: my son can’t have rice for now, so I have used Oats and grinded Oats to make Oat flour for the recipes bellow. Oats are considered a “safe” alternative for Gluten Free recipes, but if you have an intolerance to Oats, they can easily be replaced by brown rice flour, spelt flour, barley flour, etc. You know yourself best.

 GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRUMBLE

Apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup apple juice

3 TBS sucanat

2 TBS Oat flour (just grind rolled oats. Or use spelt flour)

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil (melted if it s hard)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp. Sea salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup of Oat flour (or spelt)

1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional- I kept these out as it was for school)

Place apples into an 8x8 inch baking dish until it is 3/4 full.

Pour in juice, sprinkle with sucanat and flour over fruit, toss to combine.

Whisk together honey, coconut oil, water, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Toss into the mixture until it is well mixed.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until it is golden brown.

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN NANAIMO BARS

Grease an 8 x8 inch baking pan with Coconut Oil. Place parchment paper on top, leaving some paper hanging on all sides.

BOTTOM LAYER

• 1/2 cup vegan butter eatth balance or coconut oil . (I am not a big fan of earth balance. Once in a blue moon I will use it, but not regularly. Coconut oil will separate when you put it in the freezer. So it’s up to you.)

·      1/4 cup sugar

·      5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

·      1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp warm water, mixed)

·      1 and ¼ cup vegan graham crackers or store bought, processed into a crumb (I made my own coconut -oatmeal cookie crumb)

·      1/4 cup almonds, processed fine (optional, I put rolled oats instead)

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut

In a small bowl mix together the flax egg,  Set aside for a few minutes to allow it to thicken up.

In a saucepan, whisk together the 
butter, sugar, and sifted cocoa powder. Heat on medium to low and stir frequently until smooth.

Add in the gelled up flax egg and stir well.

Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, processed almonds (rolled oats), and cracker crumbs. Stir well and then mix with your hands.

Press this mixture into your prepared pan, ensuring that you press it down very firmly and as evenly as possibly.

VEGAN COCONUT- OATMEAL COOKIE CRUMB: 

Depending on your sensitivities you may or may not be able to use the store bought stuff.

I couldn’t use any of it so I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and then crumbled then up for the “crumb”.

• 2/3 cup of coconut oil, melted
• 1 1/4 cups of sucanat
• 1 TBS. Ground flax seed
• 1 1/4 cup of coconut flour or oat flour (I used coconut flour, which made it really crumbly, not so much a cookie but it worked just fine for this recipe)
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 1 tsp. Baking powder
• 1 tsp. Baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips.

Oil a baking pan, mix all ingredients together and spread to create an even surface. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool down while you prepare the Nanaimo Bar.

MIDDLE LAYER

• 1/2 cup vegan butter (or Coconut Oil)
  
•    2 tbsp coconut milk, full-fat (not light)
  
•    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  
•    2 tbsp vanilla custard powder
  
•    2 cups icing/confectioner’s sugar, sifted

In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tbsp of coconut milk and 1 tsp of vanilla with the 2 tbsp custard powder. Stir until smooth. 

With an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Now add in the custard, coconut milk, and vanilla mixture and beat for a few minutes.

Gradually, add in the icing sugar and beat for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Spread Middle layer frosting as evenly as possible on top of the bottom layer. Place the baking pan in the freezer for 45 minutes or until firm.

TOP LAYER

·      4 oz non-dairy dark chocolate or semi-sweet plus 2 tbsp vegan butter (or Coconut Oil)

·      Shredded coconut, to garnish (optional)

 Melt your chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir well until smooth and all clumps are gone.

Remove the pan from freezer and spread the chocolate quickly over the top. Sprinkle coconut on top if desired.

Smooth out as much as 
possible and then place back in the freezer for about 1 hour until set.

Once set you can transfer it to the fridge to keep until ready or you can place it on the counter for about 10 minutes before cutting it into squares.

Makes about 16 small squares.

Note: Middle layer gets very soft at room temperature. Please keep in the fridge until serving and 
always cut when chilled.

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Where there is a will there is a way.-
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