Vegan Baked Berries & Oats.

 So... it's been a hot minute since I've posted on here. But I'm back, and I brought you food!

Meatless Monday seems to be a thing. As a pescatarian (meaning I abstain from eating meat, with the exception of fish) my Mondays already are meatless. But after watching the documentary Vegucated I decided I'd make up my own 'Vegan Mondays' and give it a try. Today was my first go at it, and I started it off with some baked oatmeal and berries. I drew inspiration by reading these similar recipes at Sweet Roots blog and over at a blog called So, How's It Taste?.

I made some modifications, both out of personal preference and based upon what I had on hand.

So here is my recipe below. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
 2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups of mixed berries (frozen is okay, but fresh is better)


Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lightly grease an 8x8 pan. I used cocoanut oil for this, but anything works.
3. Combine oats, almonds, chia seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Line the pan with half the berries, then pour the oat mixture on top.
5. Pour the almond milk over the oats and berries, then put the remainder of the berries at the top.
6. Place on the center rack of the over for 40 mins.
7. Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

Super yummy served cold as well.


 

Fall Baking: Mini Apple Pies

As fall has rolled around, baking season has began! I decided to make these mini apple pies to kick off my fall baking. Similar to a full sized apple pie, but of course miniature anything captures my attention. There is a certain cute element to it that I crave.

Ingredients

Crust:

1 3/4 cups of flour

1/2 cup of butter

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk (you can also add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla to regular milk)

Filling:

2 large apples (I used cameos)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of sugar

Topping:

1 beaten egg

1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon and sugar 

1. Preheat oven to 425. For the crust mix the flour and butter in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and baking powder. Combine the egg and milk in a separate bowl, and mix well. Then mix it into the flour mixture until dough forms. Then cover and set aside.

2. Peel and core the apples. Chop into small cubes (varied in size, from between 1/8th of an inch to 1/2 inch squares and rectangles) Place them into a bowl, then stir in the ginger, cinnamon, and sugar.

3. Roll the dough on a floured surface, into a rectangular shape, about as thick as a pie crust. Cut the dough into squares roughly 4 by 4 inches. Put a heaping spoonful of the apple mixture into the center of your squares. Brush the beaten egg onto the edges of the dough, then fold the corners of the dough to the middle, so they cover the apple filling. Pinch the edges together to seal.

4. Place the filled squares on an un-greased baking sheet. For the topping brush the tops of the squares with the remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Bake until lightly browned, about 10-15 mins. Cool the pies for a few minutes and serve warm.

I hope you enjoy these, and I'd love to hear about what you have been baking this fall.