Pumpkin Bread

Now that the weather is cooler, it is the perfect time of year to make pumpkin bread and muffins.  I usually just use canned pumpkin, but I really do want to try using a sugar pumpkin.  These don't last long, so it is perfect that this recipe makes a double batch.  

Ingredients

3 c flour

1 ¼ c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)

½  c soy vanilla yogurt

½ c canola oil

½ c soymilk plus 1 tbs vinegar

Grease 2 loaf pans with shortening.  Measure all dry ingredients and put in a large mixing bowl.  Stir together.  Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.  Mix for one minute on low speed.   Pour into two pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.  


*  This recipe also makes 2 doz. muffins that bake for 20 – 22 min, or 48 mini muffins that bake for 11-12 minutes.  For a variation stir in 1/2 c of raisins or 1 c of chocolate chips.  You can add more (up to 1 c) if you like, but I don't like my pumpkin bread too raisiny.  






*  Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Dairy Free Tofutti Cream Cheese Frosting and Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Candy Corn

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Bars

These cookie bars taste great and are easy to make too.  They are great for bake sales or just for after school treat!

Ingredients

2 sticks of soybutter softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tbs water 

4 tbs canola oil 

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder 

2 tbs wheat germ

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats

1 cup craisins

1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl cream together the soybutter and sugars with a mixer.  Add the water, oil and vanilla and beat well.  Mix together the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, wheat germ, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl.  Add this to the wet ingredients and mix well.  Stir in oats, craisins, and chocolate chips.  

Form dough and spread into greased 9 x 11 baking pan.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown.  Cool and cut into squares.  Store in an airtight container.  

Makes about 2 doz. bars.

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Cupcakes

This post is for my sister Kelly, who does not have food allergies, but loves this recipe.  This was the first cake that I made for my daughter after she had an allergic reaction from the bakery cake for her first birthday.  

Ingredients

2 ½ c flour

2 c sugar

½ c cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 c water

1c soymilk

2/3 c canola oil

2 tbs white vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin cups of 2 muffin tins with shortening or line with paper baking cups.  Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to mix.  Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.  Mix with a mixer until blended.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups to 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.  Cool on racks for 10 minutes and remove from pans.  Cool completely and frost.  Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

* Variations:
        - This recipe can also be made into a cake.  Grease two 9 inch cake pans with shortening and dust      with flour.  After mixing batter, pour it into the two cake pans and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vanilla Soy Buttercream Frosting

3 c powdered sugar

1/3 c soybutter or shortening

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 to 2 tbs soymilk

Cream together all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.  Frosts and fills a two layer round cake or 24 cupcakes.  Double the recipe for lots of frosting when piping cupcakes or when coloring frosting for extra decorating.  

Oatmeal Pancakes

My kids and I love pancakes, in fact we have them almost every weekend.  But, we enjoy them so much we sometimes have them for brinner (breakfast for dinner) along with pure Vermont maple syrup, bacon, and fruit.  Try it!

Ingredients

1 1/4 c flour

½ c quick oats

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs wheat germ

1 ½ tsp b powder

½ tsp salt

1 1/4 cups soymilk

3 tbs canola oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

 (Add 3/4 c of fresh fruit such as blueberries or raspberries for a change before cooking.)

Put dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir.  Add wet ingredients and stir until just moistened.  Cook in a frying pan over medium heat.  Serve immediately.  

Zucchini Bundt Cake

Last year our garden produced so much zucchini, I tried to develop a recipe for zucchini bread, but I thought that this was even better.  Plus, it's the one way that my kids will eat zucchini and actually like it.

Ingredients

Filling

½ c packed brown sugar

1/3 c dried cranberries

1 tbs cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

Cake

3 c flour

1 ¼ c granulated sugar

3 tsp b powder

1 tsp b soda
1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1/2 c soy vanilla yogurt
1/2 c applesauce

1/2 c soymilk plus 1 tbs vinegar
1/3 c canola oil

1 tbs vanilla

2 c shredded zucchini

Glaze

¾ c confectioner’s sugar

2 tsp vanilla soy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Shred zucchini in a food processor.  Place shredded zucchini on paper towels to absorb water and let stand for 5 – 10 minutes.

Combine brown sugar, dried fruit, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Mix together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and pour into the well in the flour mixture.  Add zucchini and stir until just mixed. 

Coat a bundt pan with shortening and flour lightly.  Spoon 1/3 of batter into the pan.  Sprinkle in ½ of the brown sugar mixture.  Spoon ½ of the batter into the pan, add the remaining brown sugar mixture.  Spoon in a final layer of batter. 

Bake at 350 preheated oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes on a rack and remove from pan.  Mix powdered sugar soy milk, vanilla and drizzle over the top.  Serve warm. 

Variation:  Zucchini Bread

Just make the cake part of the recipe and bake in 2 greased loaf pans for 40 - 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I think that banana bread was the first recipe that I made that was dairy and egg free.  When I began I used egg replacer, but sometimes when I ran out, my local store didn't always have more in stock.  I wanted to use regular baking ingredients and still have tasty bread.  I did some experimenting and came up with this recipe.  I often double the batch and freeze the extras to use for breakfast when I haven't had time to bake.

Ingredients

1 ½  c flour

½ c sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbs wheat germ

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbs water

3 tbs canola oil 

2 tbs orange juice

¼  c soy vanilla yogurt

1 c mashed ripe banana

1/2 c dairy and peanut free chocolate chips such as Divvies

Grease muffin cups with shortening, I like to use Spectrum Organic.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir together until blended.  Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.  Mix on low with an electric mixer for 1 minute.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.  

You can also omit the chocolate chips and just make plain banana muffins or you make a loaf of bread by baking for 35 to 40 minutes.  

Enjoy!