Quinoa Apple Bars Gluten-free and Vegan

Inspired by a recipe for Apple Oat Bars I’ve worked out this recipe for a gluten-free and vegan version which omits the eggs and oats. The original recipe is here. These bars got the thumbs up from my gluten-free son and my non-gluten-free husband as well. I thought they had a slightly bitter aftertaste due to the quinoa, so when making again I would probably increase the sugar a little, maybe to 70 g. Quinoa flakes are also quite expensive, so for a cheaper version I might try rice flakes, though I find that they come out a little crunchier than the quinoa ones when cooking. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

150 g dried apple slices

300 g quinoa flakes

50 g brown sugar

20 g psyllium husk powder (I use the Macro brand from Woollies)

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons clove powder

pinch of salt

160 g full fat coconut milk

Method

1. I used my Bellini thermocooker but you could use a food processor instead. Place the dried apple in the jug and use speed 7 for 5 seconds and repeat. (Without a processor, chop the apples finely.)
2. Add the dry ingredients and pulse to combine a couple of times (or combine well in a mixing bowl).
3. Add the coconut milk and pulse twice to bring the mixture together (or mix well in the bowl).
4. Place mixture into mini loaf silicone pans to about half a centimetre in height. Press down well.
5. Cook in a fan-forced oven at 170 C for 15 minutes or until brown. Allow to cool a little before removing from pans onto a cooling rack.

Gluten-free, Egg-free and Dairy-free Apple Crumble Cake

I was cleaning out my ‘recipes to try’ folder last weekend and came across this recipe for an Apple Crumble Cake. It wasn’t gluten-free or egg-free and was on a very yellowed piece of paper so it was obviously some time since I wrote it down. I have no recollection of where I got the recipe but it sounded so yummy that I thought I’d have a go. I made it with dairy, but a suggestion for dairy-free modification is listed also (I have now made it without dairy – the substitution is below). It’s a little time consuming to make but it’s well worth the effort.

Ingredients

300 g gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour (I used Orgran) + a tablespoon full

225 g caster sugar

pinch salt

150 g butter (use Nuttelex or another dairy-free margarine for dairy-free)

100 g walnuts, chopped (if allergic to nuts, just leave them out)

85 g brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

190 g natural yogurt or buttermilk (for dairy-free use rice milk plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice)

40 ml water + 1 teasoon of Orgran No Egg egg replacer (or use EnerG or use 1 egg if not allergic to eggs)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large or 4 small apples (I used 4 small pink lady apples)

Method

1. In a food processor mix the flour, caster sugar and salt. Add the butter and process until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Spoon 150 g of this mixture into a separate bowl and add the chopped nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Set aside.

3. To the rest of the mixture in the food processor, add the baking soda and baking powder and mix well. Add the yogurt, egg replacer and vanilla and process until it is mixed well.

4. Peel, core and chop the apples into 1 cm cubes and toss in the small spoon of flour.

5. Add the apples to the cake batter and mix.

6. Spread the cake batter into a lined 22 cm springform tin. Top with the nut crumble and press the crumble into the batter lightly.

7. Bake at 160 C (fan-forced) or 180 C/350 F (conventional) oven for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool. We ate ours a little warm with some whipped cream.