Golden Gluten-Free Apricot-Walnut Muffins

 

MAKES 10-11

2/3 cup soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup combined Smuckers' Simply Fruit apricot jam & agave nectar (1/2 c jam, then the remainder with agave)

1/3 cup safflower or canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup Arrowhead Gluten Free all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of fine sea salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray tin with oil.

Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl, and set aside for at least 5 minutes or until it bubbles a little. If it doesn’t bubble, keep stirring the mixture until it does.

Add agave nectar, oil, and vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until no lumps remain.

Add walnuts & stir.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, and bake for 18 to 22 minutes - should be golden color. 

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then cool completely on a baking rack before eating.

*I adapted Alicia Silverstone's Kind Diet wheat cupcakes to create gluten-free apricot muffins.

**Even though the Arrowhead Mills includes a rising agent, I still kept the baking powder & soda measurements the same.

Yummy!

STOVE-TOP VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE FILLING

After selecting & combining 4 recipes, plus adding a bit of my ingenuity I 'accidentally' came up with my perfect vegan pumpkin pie filling. Since my husband does not tolerate wheat gluten & I never really cared for pie crusts, I decided to forgo the pie & create a nice holiday pumpkin pudding.

I thought it would be simple - I'd just follow my chocolate pudding recipe making a few substitutions. But low & behold, an hour after I refrigerated my 'pudding' I discovered a consistency of pumpkin pie filling: firm & slice-able. I'm guessing that cornstarch becomes activated either by cooking over the stove or in the oven. So - for Christmas, it's back to pumpkin pie.

You can use any type of crust you'd like. I haven't decided if I'm going to opt for a gluten-free crust or combine nuts & dates to form the crust. I'll let you know later.

Here's my vegan pumpkin pie filling recipe:

Tip: Use exact amounts.

2 c canned pureed pumpkin (or freshly steamed pureed pumpkin) 

1 c soy creamer

1 T molasses

1 level T orange marmalade

1/2 c fructose

1/4 c cornstarch

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground nutmeg (can be freshly grated)

1/8 t clove

Whisk together 1st 4 wet ingredients in cooking pan that you will be using later (no heat).

Whisk together remaining 7 dry ingredients in separate bowl.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients using whisk.

Turn on stove to a medium-high heat.

Bring to boil whisking almost continuously.

Reduce to medium heat to continue medium boil for additional 6 minutes or until ingredients have thickened.
Tip: Cooking too little the filling won't set; cooking too long the filling will be rubbery.

Pour in cooled prepared pie crust.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Slice & serve each slice topped with a dollop of soy whipped cream & a sprinkle of ground filbert nuts. I'll be sure to add a finished pic after the holidays. :)

 Whisk dry & wet ingredients in separate bowls.

Here's a pic of what I thought I was making... pumpkin pudding!

By the way, my husband just informed me that I should enter my recipe in the county fair next year! 

What a compliment!

Wouldn't that be a fun surprise when I enter my gluten-free, no bake, vegan pumpkin pie recipe!