Chestnut Goji Muffins - Gluten Free and Vegan!

 Sometimes when you have allergies you just crave, well, normal.  You know, not something that taste just  ok . You want something that taste like "real" food taste. Well  I'm so happy because I made a muffin that actually looks like a muffin and has... taste! They were a hit here, and I sure wish I had double the batch - but then again, I don't think I have much luck when I double things so its probably best I didn't.  So to celebrate the fact that these things looked real, I took their picture. Aren't they cute. AND you can actually see them over the edge of the muffin paper instead of sitting under the edge like a small hockey puck. Ain't life grand!

Chestnut Goji Muffins

1 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup grape seed oil

2 flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water per egg)

2 cups Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Blend

1 cup chestnut flour

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

4 teaspoons baking powder (I make my own)

1/2 tsp salt

ground ginger to taste

freeze dried goji berries to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flax eggs ( those should sit until they thicken some by the way) with sugar and mix a bit. Now add the liquids (oj, oil, vanilla) and mix those up as well. Now in another bowl combine all the dry ingredients(you can put the berries at this point too if you want), add to the wet and stir just until combined. The wonderful thing about vegan baking is you can give it a taste and see if you want to add anything else. Gotta love that. We're all ready for the muffin tins now. Once its in, sprinkle it with a mix of sugar, cinnamon, and a bit of cardamon. Put those puppies in the oven and cook them for about 30 - 35 minutes  and Voila you now have a yummy muffin! Oh La La Mon Ami il magnifique! ( that means boy thats tastier than warm tater tots in December when the sun don't shine -  in French. In case you didn't know.)

Happy Birthday Ptolemy Tortoise!!!



Ptolemy Tortoise circa 1999

Today is Ptolemy Tortoise's 14th birthday, and of course the only reason to have a birthday is to have cake! It was agreed by all  (except Mr. Bouncer ) that it should be a chocolate cake. In the past I have made some fancy cakes (see exhibit A and exhibit B) but this year the cakes are more modest than their predecessors. That, however doesn't mean we don't want them to be tasty.


exhibit A



exhibit B (and yes, the whole thing is cake)

This time I am not ashamed to say I took the easy way out. Why spend a lot of time mixing your own blend of gluten free flour when Betty Crocker can do it for you? Since I have an allergy to eggs,  (and I wanted to eat cake) I had to substitute the 3 eggs called for on the box with egg replacer. In order to not lose some of the moistness I used a secret ingredient. (SHH! Don't tell the children!)

Now mix the secret ingredient with these other chocolate lovelies,

and you end up with this:

and this:

and this:

I think the Fierce Bad Rabbit liked it too.

Besides helping to finish the cake, everyone helped wrap presents.

 Happy Birthday Ptolemy Tortoise!!!!