Blackberry Sorbet - Vegan, Gluten-Free

we grow an odd sort of blackberry in the bramble patch - no one's entirely sure what variety it is. The fruits are massive, nearly black and just barely sweet. This final quality makes them ideal for preparations with added sugar, such as jam or sorbet, in which the tart, rich flavor of the berries is concentrated without being overwhelmed by the sweetness.

Blackberry Sorbet
makes about three pints

1 C water
2 C sugar
pinch kosher salt
3.5 C strained blackberry puree (see note)
1 T lemon juice

in a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir til sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir into blackberry puree and add lemon juice. Chill this base at least 4 hours or overnight.

Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers instrictions. (I use a kitchenaid ice cream churn attachment on my mixer; this sorbet takes about 7-12 minutes to freeze properly.)

Moving quickly, pack finished sorbet into one large freezer-safe container for storage or several smaller 1/2pt containers for sharing. Freeze 2 hours before serving. Keeps up to 3 months in freezer.



note: to prepare blackberry puree, whiz up 4 to 4.5 C blackberries (depending on size of fruits) in a blender until mostly smooth. Pass puree through mesh sieve into a large pitcher, to remove seeds and fruit centers; a spatula is helpful to speed up the straining process.

The Only Scone Recipe You'll Need - Vegan

These scones are versatile, slightly sweet and incredibly easy to prepare; the fact that they're vegan as well makes them a mildly healthful, tasty breakfast/brunch/anytime snack for almost everyone at your table. (a gluten-free option is on the agenda, have no fear.)

the scones shown are blueberry-oat, prepared with ground toasted oats for the non-wheat flour portion of the recipe.

Scones - the only recipe you need
makes eight regular scones or sixteen mini-scones

1.5 C all-purpose flour
.5 C non-wheat meal or flour*, or additional all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
.5 t baking soda
.5 t kosher salt
1 t dried spice, as needed

2 T non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
.25 C non-hydrogenated cold-pres palm shortening

.75 C non-dairy milk of your choice
.5 t vinegar

.75 C total of additions (dried fruit, unsweetened shredded coconut,candied ginger, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

additional non-dairy milk for brushing
additional sugar for topping


On a small plate, work together the margarine and shortening with the back of a spoon until the fats are somewhat short of homogenous.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Cut in the fats with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Stir in milk mixture until the dough just comes together. Stir in mix-ins.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead once or twice to ensure mix-ins are incorporated. Pat out into a rough circle about 9 inches accross and cut into eight wedges. For mini scones, roll into a rectangle of about 4-inches by 12-inches and cut into quarters; cut each quarter into triangles.

Place scones on a lined baking sheet and brush with additonal non-dairy milk. Sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired. Bake 10-15 minutes for full-size scones, 5-10 for mini scones, until golden brown. Cool slightly on pan before serving.


*options for non-wheat meal or flour include: corn meal, coconut flour, ground toasted oats or barley flakes, white whole wheat flour, nut flours, etc.

Raspberry Swirl and Coconut-Chocolate Chip Muffins - Vegan

delicious modifications of this recipe.

Raspberry Swirl - Prepare the basic muffin recipe omitting mixed berries and portion into greased muffin cups. Dot the top of each muffin with 1 t of seeded or seedless raspberry preserves, swirl just a bit with a butterknife. Bake as directed.




Coconut-Chocolate Chip - Pepare basic muffin recipe, omitting mixed berries and using unsweetened coconut milk for the non-dairy milk measurement. Mix in 1 C dark chocolate chips and .5 C unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted. Bake as directed.

Seat of the Pants Spiced Strawberry Jam - Vegan, Gluten Free

This jam can be prepared with myriad variations - drop the puree if you don't have it on hand, play with the spices, adjust the sweetness to your liking. Provided you keep the sugar content above four cups, the preserves ought to gel just fine thanks to the pectin provided by the apple.



Seat of the Pants Spiced Strawberry Jam
fills 5 halfpint jars or 10 quarterpints

5 C strawberries, hulled and halved (from about 1.5 pounds of fruit)
4-5 C sugar
1 C strawberry puree
3 T lemon juice
1/3 tart apple, with skin, cut into several large pieces
1 large piece lemon rind - roughly 3 x 1.5-inches, including yellow zest and some white pith
5 whole cloves
1 whole cinnamon stick, about 3 inches
.5 t vanilla extract

Use a paring knife to knick 4 small cuts in the lemon rind. Insert a clove into each hole. In a large pot, mash strawberries with sugar until only a few large chunks of fruit remain. Add lemon juice, apple and spices in a large pot and let stand one hour to macerate.

Place pot over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until sugar is fully dissolved. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and crushing berries with back of spoon.

Meanwhile, Set 8 clean half-pint canning jars in a water bath along with 8 rings and any canning equipment that has not yet been sterilised. Bring to a boil; keep at a boil 10 minutes before reducing heat to low until preserves are ready. Set dome lids in rack for dunking or have at the ready with tongs.

Attach a candy thermometer to the preserve pot, taking care that the probe be at middle-depth and neither touching the pot or sitting above the preserves. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 215ºF. It will take some time for the mixture to reduce sufficiently to reach this temperature. The preserves will foam as they cook - simply stir them down if they reach too high. Increase heat to medium-high if necessary.

Once the preserves have reached 215ºF, remove from heat and let stand in the pot 2 minutes. Skim off any foam that has accumulated and remove spices, rinds, etc. Add vanilla extract and stir preserves once to distribute fruit pieces.

Meanwhile, sterilise dome lids by dunking in water bath.

Portion preserves into hot sterilised jars, leaving .5-inch headspace. Place dome lid on lip of jar and screw on ring until finger-tight. Process in boiling water bath 5-6 minutes. Remove from bath and let cool, undisturbed for 24 hours.

Label and store up to 9 months in a cool, dark location.



Eat them on a gluten-free roll and you're set for breakfast.

Raspberry Lemonade

simple, sweet, tart, delicious.



Raspberry Lemonade
makes about 3 pints

1.5 C sugar
1.5 C water
1 C fresh or frozen raspberries
2 C lemon juice

additional water and/or ice

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepot and bring to a boil; keep over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool briefly before adding the raspberries. Crush the berries into the syrup with a fork or potato masher and let the mixture stand 2o minutes.

Strain berry syrup into a large pitcher. Add lemon juice and stir. If serving immediately, dilute with 3-4 C of ice. For later service, stir in an additional 1-2 C water and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. Serve over ice with additional frozen berries for added flavor.

Raspebrry-Blueberry Muffins - Vegan

altered only slightly from "Bakery-Style Berry Muffins" in Vegan Brunch

Oversized, sweet and full of berries, these fall somwhere between being hearty muffins and naked cupcakes. The use of whole wheat white flour makes them slightly more healthful without endangering their flavor.



Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins
makes 12 muffins

1.5 C AP flour
.5 C white whole wheat flour
.75 C sugar
1 T baking powder
.5 t kosher salt

.5 C soy yogurt
.5 C canola oil
.5 C + 2 T non-dairy milk
2 t vanilla extract

1.5 C mixed fresh or frozen berries - break up large berries

large-crystal raw sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F and grease a twelev-cup standard muffin tin.

In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the wet mix. Stir together with a spatula until just combined. Fold in berries.

Portion batter into prepared pan and lightly sprinkle the top of each muffin with raw sugar, if desired.

Bake 25-30 minutes, until tops are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed.

Waffles, 'Nuff Said - Vegan

modified slightly from Vegan Brunch.

light, crunchy, satisfying, rich and everything a waffle ought to be.




Waffles, 'Nuff Said

2 C non-dairy milk
1 t apple cider vinegar
3 T canola oil

1.25 C AP flour
.5 C whole wheat white flour (or more AP flour)
.25 C cornmeal
2 T barley malt powder
1 T cornstarch
1 T baking powder
.5 t salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl; combine wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry and stir til smooth but not beyond. Set aside to rest while preheating waffle iron.

Cook according to waffle iron directions. Work on the higher end of the toastiness settings for optimal deliciousness, and remember to spray the iron with cooking spray between each waffle.

Serve immediately or let cool and toast as needed. Freeze for future enjoyment.


Blueberry Variation

set aside 1/8 C non-dairy milk and combine with 1 C dried wild blueberries. Microwave or heat on the stovetop briefly to plump the berries slightly. Incorporate the blueberries after the wet and dry have been combined.