Pineapple Upside-Down Cake!

Posted in Holiday Meals, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

Happy Saturday! Fall has arrived and the weather is quickly changing in my neck of the woods. The air is crisp and it’s officially cozy warm sweater weather! The evening gets pretty darn chilly now too. I get inspiration this time of year and then I try creating some healthy seasonal recipe options. I’m all about trying to create healthy treats at home instead of buying store bought goods whenever possible.

I really like to try new recipes and creating healthy versions of some of our favourite meals. I still want to enjoy a sweet treat every once in a while but I still want to stay within my wellness goals.

The holiday season is upon us and Thanksgiving is around the corner. It’s my favourite time of year because it’s a time to reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives. I feel so grateful for the life I have created! I also love the warm and cozy dishes that come along with the fall/autumn season too. I will be making my Pineapple Upside-Down Cake this year for my family celebration. It’s comforting and delicious. It’s always a hit every time I make it!

Today I’m sharing my super yummy and easy to make Pineapple Upside-Down Cake recipe with you all. I love creating healthy versions of some classic recipes. I wanted to feel good about bringing this dessert to a family get together because it’s healthy and very delicious at the same time. I want my family to enjoy a sweet treat without loading them full of unhealthy and unpronounceable ingredients.

In order to sweeten the cake you can use a variety of options. I like using Date or Coconut sugar the best. If I can’t find it at the store I will buy whatever options are available to me. I sometimes have to buy cane sugar because nothing else is available. I just recommend you trying the best you can to find the healthiest options. Everything can’t always be perfect in life and we just have to accept that and not feel guilt around it. I also remind people that although we might personally enjoy treats with little or no sugar in it other people may not. If you decide to share baked goods with others then please add the recommended amount of sugar. I feel like compared to other recipes or store bought cakes I’ve already cut down on the sugar considerably. You want other people to really enjoy it fully! When spending time with friends and family I always try and restrict a little less in order for everyone to enjoy the meal to the fullest. Time together building memories and truly enjoying the food is most important.

I also wanted to create a recipe that included easy to find ingredients as always. You guys know I’m all about keeping things fuss free! I wanted everyone to be able to find everything they needed at any local grocery store or market. Things like canned pineapple is pretty cheap to buy and works perfectly! Fresh pineapple can sometimes be quite costly depending on where you live. I didn’t want the cost of the cake to be too high overall so I stuck with staple pantry ingredients. We don’t need to break the bank in order to create a homemade treat! A simple, homemade, healthy and comforting cake was my goal. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Topping Ingredients:

⁃ 1/4 cup apple sauce

⁃ 1/3 cup Brown sugar or Maple Sugar

⁃ Pineapple slices

Ingredients:

⁃ 1/2 cup Soy Milk + 2 Tbsp.

⁃ 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

⁃ 1/4 pineapple juice

⁃ 1/2 cup apple sauce

⁃ 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla extract

⁃ 1/3 – 1/2 cup sugar of choice (I use coconut or date sugar most of the time)

⁃ 1 1/2 cups flour of choice (I use brown rice or oat flour)

⁃ 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder

⁃ 1 flax egg = 1 Tbsp. Flax meal & 3 Tbsp. Water. Combine, set aside and allow to thicken.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Make the topping and add to the bottom of a 9 inch round baking pan. Arrange pineapple slices around the pan as well.

3. Next you’re going to make your flax egg. Add 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal into a small bowl and 3 tablespoons of warm water. Combine well and set aside to thicken up.

4. Next add the milk,apple cider, pure vanilla extract, sugar and applesauce. Mix well.

5. Next add the flax egg to the wet ingredients and combine it well.

6. Now in a large bowl combine all your dry ingredients be sure to mix it well.

7. Transfer all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine all the ingredients.

8. Pour over the pineapple rings in the pan evenly distribute the batter out.

9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350°F oven.

10. Once it’s baked allowed to completely cool before transferring to a plate or serving dish. Once it’s cooled you can place a plate on top of the pan and flip it over. The cake should slide out easily if you have a nonstick pan if not you may have to pre-oil your pan in order to ensure the cake can be removed easily.

Enjoy! 💚

I will include the video version of this yummy cake! If you haven’t already Subscribed to my YouTube channel then please consider doing so now. That way you don’t miss any upcoming cozy & comforting recipes upcoming! Thank you for the support and love on the channel!

29Dec2013

~ Chocolate Mousse Pie ~

Posted in Snack, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

Chocolate Mousse Pie!

This pie is so easy and fast to make so it’s now become my go to dessert. It’s made with simple ingredients that I always have on hand. To save time I usually buy a vegan already pre made graham cracker crust but a simple nut & date crust would also work really well. Depending on how sweet you like your desert you will need to adjust the agave/maple syrup to suit your taste. I’d like to try my recipe using stevia as a sugar-free alternative. When I do I’ll update you on how that turns out! It doesn’t hurt to try right? 🙂

*My apologies everyone. I posted the recipe originally without proof reading very well and I missed a crucial ingredient! THE DATES!!! Don’t forget those!*

Ingredients:

3 large avocados
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup agave
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust/shell
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 cup medjool dates

Method:

Add the dates to a bowl and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to soften up.
In a food processor add the dates (pitted), avocado, cocoa, almond milk, vanilla, agave and maple syrup and combine very well. If you are finding it a bit too dry then add a touch more milk to the mixture.
Add the mixture into your pre-made pie shell and smooth it out.
Place in the fridge to set. I find that it is best to make it the day before so the chocolate moose firms up slightly. It’s easy to slice up once set properly.

*I add Christmas sprinkles on top during the holiday season which makes the pie look really nice. My kids also like to drizzle peanut butter on top of their slices which tastes amazing!*

Enjoy!

Christmas Chocolate Mousse Pie!

27Nov2013

Chestnut Love!

Posted in Snack by Vegan Mommy Dee

Chestnuts!

I look forward to this time of year not only because I’m a Christmas-a-holic but I also LOVE Chestnuts! I grew up eating them and they bring back so many great memories. Memories that mostly contain my wonderful grandfather who was like a second father to me. He passed away 11 years ago and I still miss him terribly. I do however have these awesome memories and I truly cherish them.

As per Portuguese custom my grandmother would boil the chestnuts and my grandfather would peel them for me. Yep I had the life eh? 🙂 YUM! I now prefer to roast my chestnuts these days. They are so easy to peel once roasted too which my kids really appreciate! Chestnuts are super fast to cook up and they are a fantastic snack to have this time of year. They are low in calories, have protein, minerals, vitamins, are gluten-free and contain less fat than other types of nuts. They are rich in vitamin C and 100 g provide 43 mg of vitamin C!

Here is how to make this tasty & healthy snack …

Roasted Chestnuts

Preheat your oven to 400 F
Line a baking pan/cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper
Cut a slit into each chestnut so that the steam can escape when your roasting them. Use a small sharp knife or a chestnut cutter. Don’t skip this step or else your chestnuts will explode in your oven!
Pop them into your oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy! 🙂

* Below is a picture of the chestnut cutter if you’re not sure what it looks like. I’ve wanted one for years but never bought one. This year I finally treated myself to one! The one I’ve pictured is the one I bought but many different types are available to choose from. *

20Nov2013

Garlicky Mushroom Phyllo Triangles!

Posted in Appetizers, Lunch/Dinner, Snack by Vegan Mommy Dee

Ok these are seriously delicious!!! Mushrooms and garlic go together insanely well as we all know so I thought they would be great for this recipe. I’ve wanted to try working with phyllo for a long time but was too intimidated to. I finally tried yesterday for the 1st time and it actually went pretty darn well! I’ll be making these very often now! I’m also going to try cutting down on the amount of butter used next time I make them. Although I didn’t use an excessive amount of butter in my recipe I think I could probably cut it down even further without jeopardizing the taste.

I bet these would be great with other filling options as well. I plan on creating some other options soon. My youngest daughter is super picky with her veggies but does enjoy broccoli. I will be making a broccoli filling along with this wonderful mushroom mixture next time. There are so many possibilities and I plan on creating many different options!

This recipe would be fantastic served as an appetizer during this holiday season for those of you who are entertaining your friends & family. This will definitely be on our Christmas menu at our house. 🙂

Garlicky Mushroom Phyllo Triangles

You will need:

1 package of phyllo dough
About 2 tbsp’s. melted vegan butter
large sharp knife
parchment paper
1 baking pan/cookie sheet
1 package of mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
Himalayan pink salt and black pepper, to taste
small frying pan
1 tbsp. olive oil
small plate
Small pastry brush

Method:

Add the 1 tbsp. of olive oil to your pan and toss in the minced garlic into it. Sauté it for a minute on a medium/low heat setting.
Next add in your mushrooms and salt and pepper. Sauté them for about 5 minutes until softened at a medium heat. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F and line the cookie/baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Unroll your phyllo dough and using a sharp knife cut 2, approximately 10cm strips. Then you are going to cut each strip in half.
On the small plate your going to add 3-4 pieces of your phyllo squares and lightly brush a little bit of vegan butter on top. You only need a tiny bit of butter! Don’t over do it!
With a spoon scoop a bit of your mushroom mixture onto your phyllo piece. Then shape it into a triangle and seal it shut.
Transfer to your cookie sheet/baking pan. Continue to make more triangles using your phyllo and mushroom mixture.
Once your baking pan is full then lightly brush a tiny bit of the butter on top of each one.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes. Keep an eye on them as ovens vary in temperature.