Photo courtesy of Lee, Fit Foodie Finds
Tomorrow, April 25, is National Zucchini Bread Day – and we’re personally pretty excited to celebrate with one (or more than one!) of these 20 Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipes, courtesy of My Natural Family. The sweetly seasonal treat is a great way to use up leftover zucchini – but that’s not the only veggie that works well in baked goods. Baking with vegetables creates a moist, rich texture – and offers a wonderful way to pump up the plant-based nutrition.
Here are some ideas to kick-start your culinary creativity this weekend:
Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake, Gimme Some Oven
Okay, sure – there’s nothing inherently “new” about baking a carrot cake. But this vegan, gluten-free variation is packed with warming spices and plant-based alternatives to classic baking staples like butter, milk and eggs – making it a springtime dessert that everyone can enjoy. And what’s not to love about that?
Carrot Banana Breakfast Bakes, Southern in Law
Looking for something a little more morning-appropriate? These tasty, nutritious breakfast bakes can be made entirely gluten-free (just use the recommended buckwheat flour) and vegan as well. They’re just the right amount of sweet, and can easily be customized by adding toppings like maple syrup, chopped nuts, and spices.
Sneaky Beet Brownies, Fit Foodie Finds (pictured)
One of our Ancient Harvest blogger ambassadors, Lee of Fit Foodie Finds, has come up with a way to make sweet beets even more delicious. By mixing a simple puree into brownie batter, she quickly amps up the nutritional content of a favorite dessert while also creating depth of flavor and a rich, deep color. We bet no one can ever tell that these brownies have a vegetable in them.
Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, Fork & Beans
Brought to you by another of our super-talented blogger ambassadors, these vegan and gluten-free muffins are loaded with plant-based, nutritious deliciousness. Cara of Fork & Beans has certainly mastered the art of gluten-free baking – and while pumpkin anything might sound more suitable for fall, we recommend trying these sweetly spiced muffins ASAP.
Ready to taking your baking-with-veggies skills to the next level? Check out this list of 11 Crazy Delicious Desserts with Hidden Healthy Foods by Shape Magazine. Recipes range from the moderately surprising (Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies, Sweet Summer Squash Crumble) to the truly outrageous (a “rice” pudding made of cauliflower, Eggplant Brownies, a Purple Cake packed with red cabbage.) We can’t wait to try them all.
Remember, you can always find even more gluten-free culinary inspiration on the recipes page at AncientHarvest.com.
