Pear, Nutella and Oat Scones (Gluten-Free | Soy-Free)

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you! I hope you enjoy all the big and small moments today has to offer - soak it up before the next holiday rush hits! I still have a hard time believing it's that time of year already.

What are you thankful for?


I'm thankful for you visiting this little bloggy of mine - I hope you stick around!

Pear, Nutella and Oat Scones (Gluten-Free | Soy-Free)
adapted from bron marshall

1 cup almond meal
1 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup oat flour
3 t of baking powder
1/2 t salt
7 T butter, cubed
1 (preferably free range) egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used rice)
1/2 cup Nutella
1 ripe pear, peeled and grated

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or Silpat a cookie sheet.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours. Add in the baking powder and salt and mix again.

3. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg and add the sugar, applesauce and milk and thoroughly combine.

4. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet and combine. Add the shredded pear and mix again. It will be quite wet.

5. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet and spread to about 1/4 inch thickness. Add 1 teaspoon (or more!) of Nutella in the middle and cover with 2 more tablespoons of batter. Continue until it's gone.

6. Bakes for 15 minutes, until cooked through and the outsides are slightly browned. Keep scones covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie (Gluten-Free | Vegan | Soy-Free)

I've always loved smoothies. When I was younger, my friend and I would plan mall dates. This happened mostly during the summer, when our parents were off working and weren't able to take us to and fro all the necessary social spots we wanted to visit. I would spend the night at her house and we would check the Kitsap Transit bus schedule, plan our outfits and make our window-shopping routes (since you know, we were like ten and couldn't afford to buy anything but tasty snacks).

Then, when we were on the bus feeling all grown-up about ourselves, I got to dreaming about my Orange Julius and my friend would dream about her Cinnabon.Why I would pick a smoothie over a cinnamon roll is beyond me, but kids are weird.

The thing about some smoothie things, however, is that they're no good for keeping you full. At least, my stomach isn't having it. It knows that it's just ground up fruit and juice, which is nothing substantial.

At first, I started putting protein powder in the mix, along with peanut butter or Nutella, if I was feeling ultra decadent. Then I realized that if I'm soaking my oats in milk and with chia seeds overnight anyways, I could blend that up into a delicious concoction that was delicious as a smoothie but filling as a well-rounded breakfast ought to be.

Oh She Glows always comes through for me in the vegan department. Her recipes are not only tasty and unique, but they're easy and she's great at explaining the steps.

A friends made this recipe by her, and highly recommended it - which, duh, how could it be wrong with so many key words in the title?

I'm pleased to say, it hit the spot. The sweet, savory spot. For 4 hours, until I wanted another.

Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie (Gluten-Free | Vegan | Soy-Free)
adapted from Oh She Glows

1 cup almond milk
1/3 cups oats
1 T chia seeds
1 frozen banana
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 t cocoa powder or hot chocolate powder
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 ice cubes
1 tbsp chocolate chips

1. In a small bowl, mix the almond milk, oats and chia seeds. Place in fridge and let it soak for at least 1 hour to soften - I prefer to do it overnight for a fast breakfast.

2. After soaking, add to blender along with the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate) blend on high speed until smooth. Add chocolate chips and blend on low until chunky.

Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy-Free)

With daylight savings time in the mix these days, I've been able to go running in the mornings again. I realize this might sound like crazy talk, but I am a morning person to the extreme. It's my time of the day. It's when I'm most productive, positive and energetic and generally just feel like super-woman.

Fast forward to noon and then this is me. At least my days are very balanced, right?

The one downfall about going running in the morning is that I'm a breakfast girl. However, I'm pretty certain it's common enough knowledge that one is not supposed to eat a large amount of food (which is what I would prefer) before partaking in physical activity. So I eat these balls:

These guys are packed with protein and nutrients the body needs, but they don't weigh me down when I'm out running amok. One keeps my appetite at bay for about 5 miles, and then I need to stop and have a real meal before a mental hangry breakdown erupts.

You're probably wondering what the heezy is covering the outside of these suckers - chia seeds. Yes, you can grow a bushy animal out of these but more importantly they pack protein, calcium, fiber and heart-healthy fat into your diet. These are a dream for vegetarians, given that they are a complete protein and you don't need to combine them with other food to get all the essential nutrients. Feel free to read more about them here.

One way I enjoy these little seeds is to soak them with oats and milk overnight in the fridge, so that I have a creamy, pudding-like breakfast the next morning. It tastes like dessert, but it's not. I'll give you a recipe for that in a couple days!

Anyway, I hope I provided a little bit more insight into how us vegetarians, athletes or not, get our protein. I get my chia seeds in the bulk bin at WinCo, but I've seen them at pretty much every grocery store lately. They've received a lot of positive publicity these days, and rightfully so!

Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy-Free)
Adapted from Beth
Makes 10 balls

1/4 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup oats
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
8 dried dates, pitted
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons pumpkin purée (I used canned)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
roughly 1/4 cup chia seeds

1. Add the oats, walnuts and coconut to a food processor and blend until fairly ground. Remove and set aside until later.

2. In the now-empty food processor, process the dates until a thick paste forms. If your dates are really dry, feel free to add a tablespoon of water to thin it out a little.

3. To the dates, add in the peanut butter, pumpkin, spices, salt and vanilla and process a bit until thick and blended together.

4. Add in the processed oats, walnuts and coconut to the mix and blend all together until a ball seems to form in the processor. If it doesn't get this thick, add in more oats or walnuts to thicken it up a little.

5. Take the blade out of the processor and roll the dough into balls as big as you would like. Mine were about 1.5" in diameter. Roll into the chia seeds and then place them in a tupperware or on a plate. Store in the fridge!

Source: No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Cookie Balls (Gluten-Free, Vegan + Sugar-Free) | Free People Blog http://blog.freepeople.com/2012/10/nobake-pumpkin-spice-cookie-balls/#ixzz2C3CoNQDA

Birthday Apple Dutch Baby (Gluten-Free)

This past weekend was my hunky husband's birthday! I tell you, I love the simple celebrations of someone's special day. A warm breakfast treat. Gift wrap. Sprinkles...on everything. Not to mention using the day as another great excuse to hang out with family that gets together far too infrequently.

I used a different recipe for this "baby" than I did for this one. I went for the Festive Fall route using apples and pears than the tropical road with the mango and coconut. Oh, and real butter is involved in this version. Ohhh, that's a good day.

I used this recipe from The Kitchn, which I'm just going to assume you've heard of because it's one of the best online kitchen resources I've come across (not to mention the recipes. Oh, goodness). You know that one day you get every 82 when you find yourself with a spare hour? Yeah, use that hour to scope out that site. I bet you'll have more than 2 questions answered. 

But anyway - this recipe did not disappoint. This "baby" came out a lot puffier and delicate than the mango version, which I like because it means the edges are thing and crispy. 

Also, you know that whole saying "a watched pot never boils"? Yeah, well, "a watched pancake never puffs." 

Enjoy!

Apple Pear Dutch Baby (aka, German Pancake)

adapted from The Kitchn

serves 2-3

1 apple (I used Fuji) and 1 pear (I used Barlett), diced into 1/4 inch pieces
4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup Gluten-Free flour (I used Bob'd Red Mill since I had a little left in my cupboard)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup rice milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon and ginger and set aside.

3. Cut the butter into chunks and place them in a deep cast iron skillet or 8x8-inch baking dish. Put the skillet or baking dish in the oven until the butter is melted. Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the 1/3 cup brown sugar over the melted butter. Carefully spread the apples and pears on top of the brown sugar and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples. Put the pan back in the oven to caramelize the apples and sugar.

4. Whisk the gluten-free flour with the remaining tablespoon of sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add the rice milk, whisking constantly with a large wire whisk to beat out any lumps. When the flour is smoothly incorporated into the milk, beat in the vanilla and the eggs one by one. Continue to beat by hand for 2 minutes, or until foamy. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. By now the sugar should be bubbling around the apples.

5. Take the pan out of the oven and pour the batter over the apples. Bake for about 20 more minutes or until center is set and sides are lightly browned. The pancake will puff up like crazy but fall after a few minutes after you take it out of the oven.

*If you're a sugar nut you could service this with syrup or slightly sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Healthy & Cheap Egg McMuffins

Uhhh, yeah. Welcome to my Saturday morning. This was the kind of breakfast that I was literally drooling over as I took this picture. It was painful and embarrassing how much I was withering inside as I took this picture because it was 3 additional seconds that I couldn't eat this.

I've always deeply loved McDonald's Egg McMuffins. My favorite part? The egg. Weird, I know. I've always wondered how they got it to be so perfectly round and soft, with the yoke still semi-in tact.

Then when I got to thinking too hard about the egg perfection I had to tell myself to stop, because really, it's a fast food place, and how right can that be?

 

This morning, ladies and gentlemen, I nailed the egg. As in, I made a perfectly round, soft,scrumptious egg. In the oven. I actually made 6 of the buggers, and could have eaten every last one on the spot if I didn't know I had to put it onto a sandwich.

The recipe states that you should use a jumbo muffin tin, which I had on hand. If you don't, you can use ramekins or another round oven-proof dish. The main goal here is to get your baked egg the appropriate size so it fits on the sandwich. I could have probably made my eggs a little bit flatter, so a wider dish might work better.



What ignited this McMuffin-making endeavor was this post that I found via Iowa Girl Eats. I love this idea, because not only are they super cheap to make (I calculated it to be around 92 CENTS per 'wich), you can make them however you want to according to your taste buds. Plus, there is the added benefit that you can grab one and go on busy mornings, only taking time to microwave it.

I used whole-wheat English muffins, but Udi's gluten-free bread (or any gluten-free bread, really) would work great since the size is similar to that of a smaller muffin. For my protein, I used Morning Star Soy-Based Bacon, and then threw on some cheddar cheese. This morning was special (you know, to celebrate my baking-of-the-eggs) which meant pesto and tomatoes were added to the mix. You really can't go wrong.

I'm pumped to make more varieties, not to mention more baked eggs (!!!). I can foresee this being a long-term relationship.

DIY Egg McMuffins
Adapted from The Yummy Life
Makes 6 sandwiches

You need:
12 slices of smaller-sized bread, or 6 English muffins
6 eggs
cheddar cheese
meat of choice - I used Morning Star Bacon


How you do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease your jumbo muffin tin or ramekins.

2. Crack an egg into each tin or ramekins and lightly break the yoke so it spreads a little. Add some ground pepper and/or garlic salt if you desire. I definitely desired.

3. When the oven has preheated, bake the eggs for about 25 minutes, until baked through and slightly browned at the edges.

4. While the eggs are baking, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Slice the cheese, prepare your protein, and toast the bread if you're into that kind of thing. I didn't add any condiments to the sandwiches that I was going to save for later, since I figure I will just do that when I am ready to eat them.

5. When the eggs are done, use a knife to gently scrap them from the muffin tin or ramekin. I assembled my sandwiches by adding the cheese first, then the facon, and lastly the egg. For those that you are freezing or refrigerating for later eats, wrap them in wax paper and then covered in a baggie.

*I have not yet tried re-heating these, but according to the original poster, you microwave thawed ones for a minute and frozen for 3 minutes.

Yes. Future presents to myself.

Simple Granola, Oil-Free | Gluten-Free |

These days, its has been too blasted hot to turn the oven on. Every night this past week, we either had a raw, straight-from-the-fridge, no-heat-required dinner, or we went out. Done.

Just as I was starting to get a little antsy and wanting to get crackin' on some new recipes, yesterday arrived with its cool 80-degree self and I jumped at the chance to turn my oven on. I know it sounds like a small occurrence, but it was a welcome move given that all I wanted was some breakfast granola but didn't want to sweat myself into a puddle on the floor for it.

I'm fairly picky with my granola. It obviously needs to taste good, but I also like it to have multiple components - a nice mix of grain, fruit, crunch is necessary. I like it when it's all in clumps, and not individual oat pieces. Just like Cream of Wheat! Anyone else a huge fan of lumpy Cream of Wheat?

This is healthier than your typically granola recipe on the sole basis that it doesn't have any oil to it. All the liquid consists of apple sauce, honey and peanut butter. It manages to stick together powerfully, which gets a big thumbs up in my book.

I bought millet for the first time at the WinCo bulk food department last week (I will save the profession of my bulk food love for now) and I am SO glad I did. It lent a nice, crunchy bite to my breakfast without being overbearing. It toasted up in the oven, which also gave it some great flavor.

 Simple Granola (Gluten-Free)
From Oh She Glows

2 cups rolled oats (ensure they're gluten-free)
1/2 cup uncooked millet
2 T ground flax seed
1 T chia seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon

1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
2 T peanut butter
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract

1/2 cup raisins

1. Turn the oven on to 325 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil or a Silpat.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

3. To a microwave-safe bowl, add  the applesauce, honey and peanut butter and microwave for 30 seconds to warm. Stir together and add the vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and thoroughly combine.Pour onto the baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until slightly browned. You may want to stir it up halfway through the baking time so the outside edges don't brown.

5. Cool the granola entirely and store in a container or ziplock bag. Add the raisins and combine.

Dutch Baby goes Tropical (GF)

 This little baby has some eggs, this little baby has some sugar, and this little baby goes wee wee wee all the way to the tropics.

I first heard of this oddly-named pancake a couple years ago, when a close friend raaaaved about an unforgettable puffy pancake that The Oak Table specializes in. While they simply call it the "apple pancake," everyone else seems to know it as the "dutch baby."

It's essentially a souffle, but instead of going the savory route this baby is stuffed with a delectable combination of fruit and sweetener. It's then popped into the oven in a 10-inch skillet and left to rise, becoming a custard-like, fruit-stuffed pancake. Yeah...it's that good.

I've experimented with  tons of combinations - apple and lemon, pear and nutella - I bet you even could go the savory route and stick in some onions and veggies for a dinner-time side dish.

We had a ripe mango facing its final hours on our counter so that was an easy decision. Mango + coconut?

Uhhh yeah. Easiest decision all day.

Mango Coconut Dutch Baby, Gluten-Free
Makes one 10-inch round pancake

4 eggs
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 t baking powder
1 T white sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 cup milk (I used rice)
1 t vanilla extract
2 T melted coconut oil


the filling:
3 T coconut oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 t sinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 mango, diced

1. Beat the eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add in the flours, baking powder, sugar salt and nutmeg and combine. Add the milk, vanilla and coconut oil and combine again. Let sit for 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge if you are ahead of the game and preparing this on Saturday night for Sunday morning.

2. After the batter has rested, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Moving onto the filling ingredients, melt the coconut oil over medium-low heat in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, swirling it around to cover the entire pan and up the sides. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle half in the bottom of the pan over the coconut oil. Evenly distribute the mango in the pan and cover with the remaining sugar mix. Give the batter a quick whisk and pour over the mango mixture.

3. Take the skillet off the burner and pop into the oven for 20 minutes until slightly browned on top. Prepare to be marveled.

Frozen Banana Bites (Gluten-Free | Vegan)

Most days, I leave work feeling not hungry, not full, and simply content. Just being. It's great.


Until I get on the ferry and an hour goes by and I'm staring at that woman's McDonald's bag wondering whytheheckisn'thereaMcDonaldsontheferryandwhydon'ttheymaketofuburgers?!

 It's ridiculous. I'm fully aware that there are too many people starving in this world as it is, and yet I'm hangry to the verge of tears because I haven't eaten since lunch. Then I get mad at myself and mad at my stomach and then just plain mad at the world for being so cruel and MAN, I am in a great mood when my husband finally receives me through the front door.

Which is when I go straight to the freezer and grab myself one of these puppies. I can almost feel my blood sugar evening out, the birds start chirping and rainbows popping out of my ears.

These truly are a great snack, given the carb : protein ratio. I love them for the times mentioned above, which is also right before I go on a run. They fuel my body for another hour before I start dinner, and keep my cravings of wanting to eat all the dinner ingredients while they're being prepared at bay.

These balls are good balls.

Frozen Banana Bites
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1 large banana
1 t cocoa powder
2 T peanut butter
1 T honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup shredded coconut


1. Mash the banana in a medium bowl.

2. Add in the cocoa powder, peanut butter and honey and mix until fully combined.

3. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly - the mix will be loose and wet.

4. Using a spoon, scoop and drop tablespoons of the mixture onto a baking dish. Mine were about 3 tablespoons big and made 6. (no need to spray). Stick balls in the freezer until frozen, then eat one (batch) and place leftovers in a baggies for the next time you crave a tofu burger at McDonald's. Weird.

Almond Flour Coconut Pancakes (Gluten-free | Vegan)

Well heeey! Today's been a pretty rad day. And not just because I've had two whole days off in a row (I realize that's called a weekend, but still - exciting). It all started this morning, when I made these. Yes, those little breakfast treaties called pancakes, which have gotten to be quite the rarity around here due to my gluten-intolerant husband.

Please, never mind the nutrition label on the spice jar. It has zero to do with breakfast.

 These beauties are 100% gluten-free (and vegan, if you're into that sorta thing), and taste better than any other pancakes I've had since I can remember. The almond flour gives it nice texture and flavor, while the coconut shines through from the oil. If you don't like the coconut flavor, it's cool! Use olive oil, or vegetable oil. These are rich with protein and keep you full until lunch.

Break out the big guns - syrup and nutella? It must be the weekend. Or a holiday. Father's day! Totally a holiday...even if your guy isn't yet a father. It's really the thought that counts. Everyone deserves pancakes.

I like these hotcakes (um, I just turned 85) because they're sturdy enough to stand up to syrup, but are in no way rubbery (as pancakes sometimes are) and give in delicately to a fork. Plus, they're just plain good, especially when you have a hungry man patiently awaiting some gosh darn food since you just made him run 4 miles with you.

Almond Flour Coconut Pancakes

Adapted from The Daily Dietribe

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups almond meal

1/2 cup potato starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/2 cup water

1. Whisk your dry ingredients thoroughly.

2. Whisk your wet ingredients together in a separate, medium-sized bowl.  

3. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and whisk to combine. 

4. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat over low-medium heat. Pour some patter on after the skillet has been heated for about 3 minutes, and you're all set!

Breakfast Quinoa Cups

Have you jumped on the quinoa train yet? I feel like everywhere I turn, there's someone else discussing the bounty and glory that all this complete-protein crop has to offer. I hear about it as often as I do kale, as if they are cahoots. Married. Quinoa and kale, forever and always.

It's great for vegetarians! It contains essential amino-acids! It will teleport you to Bermuda at first bite! Yeah, all it's benefits can get a little exhausting. Especially if you're type A and need more than a moments notice to travel to a foreign destination.

However, we can't kid ourselves. Quinoa is GOOD. As in, tasty good. And it plays well with others, like cinnamon, berries, and coconut. Making it a completely fantastic breakfast idea.

I've played around with quinoa cups before, but it's always been the savory kind for dinner. These buggers are super quick and easy to make, which makes them ideal for rushed mornings or frantic evenings. And really, you can add whatever you have on hand. For these, I used cottage cheese since I couldn't jive with cheddar. I'm sure goat cheese would be phenomenal, or ricotta.

 Breakfast Quinoa Cups
Makes 12 cups

Ingredients
3/4 cup dry quinoa
1 t cinnamon
4 beaten eggs
1/2 cup shredded pear
3 ounces of your favorite cheese
1/4 cup silvered almonds
1/4 cup dried coconut
2 T brown sugar
1/2 cup frozen berries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.

2.  Measure out 3/4 cup quinoa and the cinnamon in a medium pot; fill with 2 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil on the stove. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium and let simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa.

3. While your quinoa cooks, combine the beaten eggs, pear, cheese, almonds, coconut and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add in the quinoa when it's done. The mixture wild be slightly soupy.

4. Ladle equal portions into the greased muffin tin, filling all 12 holders. Place a few berries on top of each cup and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they are slightly browned and firm to the touch.

5. Cool for 5 minutes before eating. If you can.

Blackberries: All Up Everywhere

My name is Brittani, and I'm an addict. To blackberries. My hands are scratched, my tennis shoes are black, and my teeth have seeds in them. Which makes me not only a person with an unhealthy obsession, but a frightening one that you would rather not see running from points A-F around your city.

The blackberry obsession started innocently enough. I began to take note of their fruitful locations on points here and there on my runs. I casually stopped, snacked, and carried on. I don't know when this apathetic attitude crossed over to the darkness of insanity, but it sure didn't take long. Soon I was running this way and that, just so I could scout out more blackberry bushes. Yea, the road runner is a perfect example.


So I showed THEM the Friday afternoon before the glorious 3-day weekend. I took a large bowl, got in my car, and drove around to all my per-determined blackberry stops. I stopped on the side of the road, waved to the unsmiling watchful neighbors, picked as many ripe ones as possible, and hopped back in my car. (**Please note, if your emotions run this wild, bring a towel to wipe your hands on. Your steering wheel will thank you.)

What's rather ironic about the whole ordeal, is that while I knew I had to have these gems, I really had no idea what I was going to do with them.

Plan to acquire blackberries? Spot on. Plan to use them? Fail.


So that's how I came up with three blackberry recipes in three days, with the end results being gone by the end of third day.

2/3 of the fruits of my labor. On Labor Day. Fruits of Labor Day.

Blackberry Lemon Corn Muffins
adapted from Isa Moskowitz
Makes 1 dozen muffins

These were darn tasty - soft, juicy, and with a nice gritty, corn texture.

1 cup of your favorite GF flour blend
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
grated lemon zest
1 1/4 cup blackberries

1. Turn oven on to 400F and grease your muffin tin.

2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.

3. In another bowl, whisk the oil, applesauce, milk, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon zest.

4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, lightly mix, and add the blackberries. Give a quick, gentle mix to incorporate the blackberries.

5. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 full and bake for about 20 minutes. Enjoy warrrrrrm.

Corn muffs

Vegan Blackberry Scones
Makes about 8 medium scones

*These were my favorite recipe of the bunch. The scones turned out light, but still had that signature biscuit-like bite. They are mildly sweetened, which is balanced out by those bomb blackberries.

1 1/2 cups GF flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/8 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegan margarine (I love Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blackberries
2 tablespoons raw sugar (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375F; grease a baking sheet or prepare with a Silpat.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar together in a medium bowl.

3. Cut in the margarine in with the dry business using a pastry cutter or 2 knives until the whole mess is crumbly and the margarine is pretty much incorporated.

4. Add the vanilla and milk to the mix and stir together with a wooden spoon.

5. Take a bit of dough (you decide how big - they're your scones!) and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick and place it on the baking sheet. Add some blackberries on top to cover the surface, and add another flattened piece of dough the same size to make it's top. I sort of melded the top and bottom doughs together, just to the blackberries know they're not going anywhere.

6. Repeat step 5 until the dough's gone, sprinkle with some raw sugar, and pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating; proceed to eat all but one.

Yeah, whatever Blackberry Festival.

Blackberry Pear Cobbler
Fills one pie dish

This one snuck it's way up to me on the fly. We had pears that were practically disintegrating on our counter top, which the fruit flies loved and I did not. This cobbler is a little more on the juicy side, and would go fantastically with ice cream...like everything else in the world.

For the filling:
1 cup blackberries
3 peeled, sliced pears
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch

For the top:
1 cup GF oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons vegan margarine, divided


1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In the pie dish, mix together the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in 4 tablespoons of the margarine so the entire mixture is slightly sticking together.

3. Shake the topping over the blackberry filling; cut and dot the remaining 2 tablespoons of margarine on top of the entire cobbler.

4. Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, take off the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Summertime foods

So there you have it - my labor day lovefest. Let me know how they turn out for you!