Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (59 page)

THIS FROSTING GOES great on
Double Chocolate Cupcakes
, but once you get a taste of how delicious it is, you’ll find lots of places to use it.

MAKES 1 CUP

1 cup boiling water

⅓
cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ cups dried, pitted dates, tough ends removed

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

Pinch salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.
Put the boiling water and cocoa powder in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture is relatively smooth. Scrape down the sides of blender. Be careful not to let steam build up.

2.
Add the dates, brown rice syrup, and salt to the blender. Blend until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Add the vanilla and blend until combined.

3.
Transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Let chill completely, for at least 3 hours, until it becomes firm and spreadable.

TIP
Spread the frosting onto cooled cupcakes with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. You can also pipe the frosting with a pastry bag fitted with a wide metal tip.

Ginger Peach Muffins

THERE’S SOMETHING PERFECT about the ginger-peach marriage and there’s no better way to enjoy it than in a muffin. This batter is thick, so you can fill each muffin cup all the way up; that way, you’ll get nice, big muffin domes.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2¼ cups spelt flour

¾ cup
dry sweetener

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 medium peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, and cut into ¼-inch slices (about 2 cups)

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners or have ready a nonstick or silicone muffin pan (see
recommendations
).

2.
In a large measuring cup, use a fork to vigorously mix together the plant-based milk, flaxseeds, and vinegar. Mix for about a minute, or until it appears foamy. Set aside.

3.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, dry sweetener, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Add the applesauce and vanilla, and stir together with the milk mixture in the well. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the well just until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the peaches.

4.
Fill each muffin cup all the way to the top. Bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

5.
Remove the pan from the oven. Let the muffins cool completely, about 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of each muffin to remove.

THIS IS ANOTHER great muffiny option! This recipe uses oat flour, so it’s gluten-free if your oats are. Soy yogurt lends this muffin a wonderful pillowy texture.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

2¼ cups oat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup
dry sweetener

⅔
cup unsweetened plant-based milk

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup unsweetened plain soy yogurt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1¼ cup berries (such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries), halved

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners or have ready a nonstick or silicone muffin pan (see
recommendations
).

2.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and dry sweetener. Make a well in the center and pour in the plant-based milk, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir together the wet ingredients in the well. Then mix the wet and dry ingredients together just until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the berries.

3.
Fill each muffin cup ¾ of the way and bake for 22 to 26 minutes. A knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

4.
Let the muffins cool completely, about 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of each muffin to remove.

Whole Wheat Berry Muffins

THESE ARE A perfectly delicious breakfast muffin with loads of berry goodness and a tasty, wheaty backdrop. If you can find wild blueberries, use them—they are perfect for muffins because they’re tiny and distribute beautifully without making the muffin soggy. If you use larger berries, like blackberries, slice them in half; otherwise they’ll be too large. If you use frozen berries, bake the muffins for 26 minutes. If you use fresh, then 22 minutes should do it. Either way, check after 22 minutes to make sure you don’t overbake.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

⅔
cup unsweetened plant-based milk

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup 100% pure maple syrup

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup berries

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners or have ready a nonstick or silicone muffin pan (see
recommendations
).

2.
In a large measuring cup, use a fork to vigorously mix together the plant-based milk, flaxseeds, and vinegar. Mix for about a minute, until it appears foamy. Set aside.

3.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Add the applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla, and stir together the wet ingredients in the well. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the berries.

4.
Fill each muffin cup three-quarters of the way to the top and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center of a muffin comes out clean.

5.
Let the muffins cool completely, about 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of each muffin to remove.

QUINOA ADDS A fun texture to banana muffins, and it also adds lots of protein, making this the perfect wholesome breakfast muffin that will also satisfy your morning sweet tooth.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

2 cups spelt flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup dry sweetener

1 cup mashed banana (from about 2 large bananas, peeled)

¼ cup plant-based milk

⅓
cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup cooked
quinoa
, drained and rinsed until cool

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners or have ready a nonstick or silicone muffin pan (see
recommendations
).

2.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and dry sweetener. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the mashed banana, plant-based milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir together the wet ingredients in the well. Then incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the quinoa.

3.
Fill each muffin cup all the way to the top. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center of a muffin comes out clean.

4.
Let the muffins cool completely, about 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of each muffin to remove.

MAYBE YOUR MOM’S banana bread has 2 sticks of butter and 7 eggs. Well, give her this recipe and tell her there’s a new banana bread in town! This is just pure, unadulterated banana goodness. Such simple ingredients but such satisfying bread! I know most recipes list a specific number of bananas to use, but instead measure them out to keep the results consistent. It will be about 2 to 3 bananas, depending on their size. You can add all the usual suspects to this bread if you’re the type who likes banana bread with “stuff”; a cup of walnuts or pecans, half a cup of grain-sweetened chocolate chips, or a cup of berries would be mighty fine.

MAKES ONE 8 X 4-INCH LOAF

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed banana

½ cup 100% pure maple syrup

⅓
cup unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have ready an 8 × 4-inch nonstick or silicone baking pan (see
recommendations
).

2.
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana, maple syrup, applesauce, plant-based milk, and vanilla.

4.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients, mixing just until everything is evenly moistened.

5.
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Distribute the batter evenly along the length of the pan but don’t spread the batter to the edges; the batter will spread as it bakes. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. It’s hard to test for doneness with a knife because the banana tends to stay moist, so judge by the edges of bread. They should be golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan.