Coconut-Oat Pound Cake

Here is a recipe I developed this morning for Coconut-Oat Pound Cake using oat flour and coconut milk. It's in the oven now. I'll let you know how it turns out! Update: I love the moistness and density of this cake. It's the perfect pound cake, begging to be topped with sliced peaches or fresh berries (and maybe a dollop of whipped cream!) It has a crisp outer layer and just the right amount of vanilla. Hint: Make sure you leave it in the oven long enough to bake all the way through. Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups whole oats, processed to fine flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup canned coconut milk, unsweetened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 T vanilla
3/4 t cream of tartar
1/4 t salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour one loaf pan. In mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, then add coconut milk.

Place two cups of whole oats in blender and process to fine flour. Mix oat flour with tapioca flour, cream of tartar, and salt.

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Mix until well-blended.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 65-70 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and continue to cool. Serve with fresh fruit and a cup of tea!

Healthy Carrot Cake

Here's another recipe developed by my mom (and tweaked a little bit by me!) for a yummy carrot cake. My dad always requests carrot cake for his birthday. My mom came up with a new recipe this year to accommodate our dietary restrictions. Everyone enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with all of you!

Cake Ingredients
1 1/2 c Gluten Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour
1/2 c oat flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon, heaping
1/2 t ginger

4 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 c canola oil
3/4 c unsweetened applesauce
6 large organic carrots (or 3 c carrots, grated)

3/4 c pecans, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six dry ingredients until well blended. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sugar. In a blender combine oil, applesauce, and carrots cut into pieces. Blend until smooth. (I find that blending the carrots with the oil and applesauce is much easier than grating them by hand. If you prefer to grate your carrots, omit the blender step.) Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Mix well. Add pecans and mix.

Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool.

Frosting Ingredients

1/2 c Smart Balance

1/2 carton tofu cream cheese

1 t vanilla

1 t orange juice

3 c powdered sugar

Blend all in mixing bowl until smooth. Frost cooled cake.

Mom's Best Strawberry Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream has been a part of every summer I can ever remember.  The whirl of the freezer churning creamy goodness in a wooden bucket still makes my mouth water.


In an effort to find a great tasting, dairy-free ice cream, my mom developed this recipe using soy milk and tapioca. She gave me permission to share it with all of you. (The tapioca adds a creaminess that the soy milk lacks.) Enjoy!


Ingredients

6 c soy milk

1/4 c tapioca

3 c strawberries*

I T vanilla

1 1/2 c sugar

Directions

Process tapioca in blender 15-30 seconds to make a fine "flour." Add 3 cups soy milk, 1 1/2 cups strawberries, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla to tapioca flour in blender. Blend 5-10 seconds. Pour into ice cream freezer. Blend rest of ingredients for  5-10 seconds. Add to ice cream freezer and freeze according to directions. 

*Any berries can be used but strawberries are my favorite!

Lemon Curd Blueberry Tart

I was so pleased to come up with this delicious tart crust. Filled with lemon curd and topped with blueberries, this makes a delightful dessert for summer. I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours did!

Ingredients

1 c Gluten Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour
1 c oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1 c Smart Balance
1 10 oz. jar Dickinson's Lemon Curd
2 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 T honey
1 T potato flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process oats in blender to a fine powder. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cut in Smart Balance until well blended. Press into well-greased 12-inch tart pan or pie pan. Bake 20 minutes. Cool completely.

To make blueberry sauce, place 2 cups of blueberries, honey, and potato flour in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Mix well and bring to a boil. The blueberry sauce will thicken quickly. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Fill tart shell with lemon curd and top with blueberry sauce. Chill and serve.