Healthy, Savory, Vegan and Gluten Free Sweet Potato Bread

Every now and then I come up with a recipe that turns out amazing. More than amazing. Freaking addictively delicious. 

This healthy sweet potato sandwich bread is one of those times. 

This sweet potato bread is one of those rare things in vegan, gluten free baking - delicious, perfect texture, sturdy yet soft, not chewy or gummy or dry, great for sandwiches, toast, French toast, and just about anything else you could ask for. 

And did I mention it's actually healthy? 

Unlike a lot of other sweet potato breads that are... well... really sweet, this one can be enjoyed guilt-free. It's low in sugar, uses a small amount of olive oil in place of tons of butter, and the flour combo includes high-protein multi-grains. 

Here's how it goes...

Leftover French Fry Hash (gluten free with vegan option)

Okay, I confess that sometimes I feel a little silly asking a restaurant to package up my leftover French Fries. It's not like you're asking for leftover pizza or pasta or something expensive and not easily made at home. Especially considering that leftover fries tend to be kind of gross the next day, either soggy or too hard.

But not when you make them into a super frugal, flexible hash!! Which is, in my humble opinion, the best way to use up leftover French fries. My husband loves leftover fries for breakfast done this way, and I think you will, too : )

Surprisingly, a seemingly small amount of french fries can make a decent amount of hashbrowns, once you cut them up fine. Especially if you add other things in. The above hash served two of us, whereas the leftover fries I started with wouldn't even be one full serving in a restaurant.

Ever since I tried making potato hash out of leftover fries a few months back, it's become one of my favourite breakfast treats, and now I never turn down taking fries home. Of course, you can also have this leftover french fry hash any time of day...

Vegan, Gluten Free Sweet Bean Paste Buns

Can you imagine something being buttery, without using any butter? And at the same time, being filled with sweet (but not too sweet) goodness?

These vegan, gluten free bean paste buns are amazing, and so addictive! I've been having a hard time not gobbling them one after the other.

And they came about because, a few years ago, I used to live near a Chinese bakery that sold red bean paste buns. After twice-weekly practices with my dance company, I would go into the store and treat myself to a bun.

I've missed red bean paste buns so much since I had to give up gluten, and I've finally managed to re-create them! They're so easy, too. You can use store-bought red bean paste, or make your own according to my recipe. This time, I made mung bean paste since I had split mung beans on hand, but red adzuki beans are most common.

Vegan, Gluten Free Slow Cooker French Toast Bites (+MeatlessMonday)

Whoa Nelly! Hold the phones, stop the music... whatever you need to do so that I have your full attention here! This vegan and gluten free French toast is so easy, and so flexible. You could pop this in the crock-pot on Sunday afternoon and eat French toast for breakfast on Monday. I used several slices of my Gluten Free Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Bread, and then jazzed it up with apples and coconut flakes and cashews. But you could use any vegan and gluten free bread you like and add other things like bananas, sweet potatoes, dates, cranberries, etc.

I ate this every morning for four days straight, and didn't tire of it, it's that good!  I also added some of the chunks into a chocolate chili I made, and it was fantastic (also, stay tuned for that recipe for Chocolate Chili ;p )

For those of you without crockpots - I have yet to try and make this as a French toast casserole in the oven, but I'm pretty sure you could bake it in a casserole dish for 45min - 1 hr instead if you don't have a slow cooker.

Cheap & Easy Vegan, Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread (+MeatlessMonday)

Free of gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, soy, corn, xanthan gum
 

A couple of weeks ago I posted a recipe for a Vegan, Gluten Free Multi-grain, Multi-seed Brown Bread. It's a great bread, and super healthy. But I was so excited about having successfully converted one of my old favourite bread recipes to being vegan as well as GF that I though, why not push my luck and try for a simple cinnamon bread while I'm at it?

And it totally worked! And because I got most of my flours from the local Asian-run veggie store, it cost me about $1.50 for the gluten free flour. I'm guessing the whole loaf came in under $4, probably less if I actually did the math...

Anyway, the thing is it's a super flexible, sturdy, yet light sandwich bread that's FANTASTIC for vegan French toast (yeah, stay tuned, 'cuz that recipe is coming soon to a blog near you!!)

Gluten Free Cheddar and Herb Biscuits / Scones (Dairy-Free/Vegan Option for +Meatless Monday)

Soooo when I first whipped these together I was afraid they'd go the way of many of my rushed adaptations of normally glutinous goods - that is, I'd be able to eat one or two of them before I decide the texture is off, or the flavour is wrong, and they end up in the garbage.

But when I took my first bite of these I knew I had to try another one just to be sure it was good.

And then another one.

Three biscuits in fifteen minutes and I can confidently say that these are good. Very good.

And they take no time and only one bowl to whip together. 

Fast and Easy Cheater's Chilaquiles Recipe

Free of gluten, soy, dairy, nuts, sugar

I've been meaning to post this recipe for super fast chilaquiles for ages. Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, it seemed fitting that I share it this weekend.

Chilaquiles - for those of you who've never had the pleasure of drooling over a plate of warm salsa verde and tortillas - is a Mexican dish comprising of eggs, tortillas, salsas, and sometimes beans, and it is one of the most amazing breakfasts / brunches ever. I discovered them the first time I went to Mexico about 13 years ago, and have been getting them every chance I get since. Sadly, this is not as often as I'd like because over the years I've lived in several neighbourhoods with no Mexican restaurants nearby.

That is, until I hit upon a quick fix to satisfy my chilaquiles cravings in about 5 minutes - about the time it takes to fry an egg. 

Gluten Free Brunch Ideas (New Year's Day)

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas holiday! 

This year I'm having some friends over for a New Year's Day Brunch. The theme is all about finding inner satisfaction and happiness. I find that in today's world, we're constantly bombarded online and in magazines with images and products that are all geared towards making us feel inadequate. 

The other day I was in the waiting room of an orthopedic surgeon's office and saw three flyers for facial injections to get rid of wrinkles. And I didn't even look at the magazines on the coffee table, which I'm sure were filled with photoshopped women who don't even, apparently, have pores. 

I'm still working on the ideas for achieving inner satisfaction and I intend to share those in a slightly later post. But today, I'm working on menu planning for the brunch and I've put together a list of some of the items I'll be laying out for my Gluten Free New Year's Brunch. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with a dairy free / vegan option for #Meatless Monday

Free of gluten, eggs, nuts, soy, corn, with dairy free / vegan options

The season of pumpkin is upon us. I had half a large can of pumpkin puree leftover from making my Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie for Canadian Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago. So I modified my old recipe for Gluten Free Herb Rolls to use up leftover pumpkin puree, and added some cinnamon spice mix. (I have also made a similar version in the past using sweet potato puree instead of pumpkin, so you could use sweet potato instead if you like)

These rolls are simple, tasty, pretty healthy, and versatile. I've had them for breakfast, served them with dinner to guests, and drizzled them with a bit of icing sugar mixed with milk as cinnamon rolls for dessert. 

They also freeze well, so make up a batch and sock them away for later! 

Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Breakfast Bowl (GF, Vegan)

Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, corn, soy

I don't know about you, but I find it hard to get a good, hot, gluten free breakfast that doesn't take forever. I mean pancakes are great and all, but they're not exactly quick.

And the other morning I woke up and it was chilly and raining and I had a cold. Which is funny, because right now it feels something like 30C! It's totally summer weather!

So being sick and it being cold and rainy, I was craving something warm and comforting. I wanted a hot, easy, gluten free breakfast. I'm allergic to oats so oatmeal wasn't an option. I did, however, have a large bag of quinoa in the cupboard. The rest is quinoa breakfast bowl history...

Vegan, Gluten Free Matcha Mug Cake (#Meatless Monday) & a Review of Kiss Me Organic's Matcha Green Tea Powder

Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, corn

Ok, can I brag for a minute? I mean I really do try to be humble. I even share my failures with you - like my epic no-oats granola bar fail or the sugar-free lemon meringue pie that looked so wonderful but tasted so yucky.

But I have to say that I'm quite pleased with my latest experiment.

This vegan, gluten free mug cake is light, has a distinct green tea flavour, is quite healthy, and takes about 5 minutes to make.

Best Gluten Free Multiseed Multigrain Sandwich Bread (GF Breadmaker Bread)

Free of gluten, nuts, soy

My mom used to always make bread by hand. As a kid there was nothing better than waking up in the morning to the smell of fresh baked brown molasses bread, and slicing up a piece of still-warm bread and slathering it with homemade jam. Like me, mom tends to be a bit of an insomniac and while I get up and write in the middle of the night, my mom usually bakes! 

Although I learned to knead bread at a young age, when I had to go gluten free I thought I would have to give up the lovely thick slabs of bread I had gotten used to. 5 years ago a lot of GF breads were small, flat, gummy, or cardboard like. 

Then my mom kindly bought me a breadmaker! Personally I find that the best gluten free loaves of bread are those made in a breadmaker. Nowadays I don't often pull my breadmaker off the shelf. The reason for that is when I do, I end up gobbling up a whole bunch of this bread at once! It's definitely the very best GF bread I've ever made.

Gluten Free Breakfasts

Spiced Butternut Squash Scones

In an effort to clean up and organize the Poor and Gluten Free recipe page, I've decided to put all my breakfast recipes on one page.  From Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Pancakes to  Steamed Greens and Poached Eggs there's a little something for everyone. All of the recipes here are wheat and gluten free.  Most are also vegetarian, free of eggs, soy, nuts, sugar and with dairy free alternatives. 

I have tried, whenever possible and to the best of my ability, to include information on Oral Allergy Syndrome related ingredients.  However, it's always a good idea to check with your doctor before trying something you might be allergic to. 

 Updated October 17, 2013