Spring has finally sprung in Brooklyn! En route to school this morning, we tallied all the flower buds peeping out. Despite still wearing coats, the kids are excited to at last wear shoes that are not snow boots!
Last week, however, my family clung hard to cold-weather fun by meeting up with Montreal friends in the Saint-Sauveur region of Quebec during our so-called "spring break" from school. Pregnant mama was in snowshoe paradise on mountain trails while everyone else enjoyed glorious spring skiing.
As a shortcut since we knew our daily outings would leave minimal time to cook proper dinners, we arranged advance pickups from a Montreal-based chef, Veganessa. As you can guess, she is vegan, but also gluten-free.
My family has no gluten sensitivities (yet...that we're aware of!), but it was nice to give our digestive systems a gluten break. Veganessa totally hooked us up with casseroles (such as Shepherd's Pie and Lasagna), as well as veggie burgers and muffins and power balls.
Speaking of gluten-free, these vegan macaroons from Whole New Mom seem like the perfect Easter treat. Why not make them even more "springy" by adding a dash of natural pastel? (Ideas: beet juice for pink, carrot juice for orange, blueberry juice for lavender...of course being aware that the extra liquid can change the constitution of the recipe.)
COCONUT MACAROONS
from Whole New Mom
Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup coconut milk (Rice Milk or Almond Milk would work as well, but coconut milk is thicker and will result in a better finished product)
4 Tbsp sweetener (if using granulated sweetener, you may need to add 1 Tbsp water. If using stevia extract, sweeten to taste)
2 Tbsp gluten-free flour (ex: a mix of sweet brown rice and millet noting that sweet rice adds a bit of “stickiness” to gluten-free baked goods; use almond flour if grain-free or on THM diet)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the chocolately version: cocoa or carob powder (use 4 Tbsp for the whole batch / 2 Tbsp if you split the batch in half and make half vanilla and half chocolatey)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or prepare by greasing. (Or use baking stones that require no pre-treating.)
3. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the coconut milk, sweetener, and salt.
4. Add flour and stir completely.
5. Heat the mixture to a full boil and simmer for about two minutes or until thickened (if making chocolate version, add 2 Tablespoons cocoa or carob powder to the mixture).
6. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut.
7. Drop mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet. A cookie scoop makes things quick and less messy (and it makes nicely shaped macaroons, too!).
8. Bake for about 16 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.