Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - gluten free and vegan

My obsession with whoopie pies has taken a new turn and today I pulled out my Whoopie Pies book and tried my hand at the classic Fall flavor- Pumpkin. I made my typical conversions to gluten free but then took it one step further and went egg free as well. Why? Well, I'm intrigued by vegan baking as I'm working on cutting out dairy 100% (damn you, pizza from The Rack- why must you call to me?) and wanted to go the extra mile with egg-less baking.

Pumpkin Whoopie (gluten free and vegan)
adapted from Whoopie Pies

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees and blend flax seeds with water
Blend in a bowl:
2 and 1/4 cup Gluten free flour (Artisan Blend)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

In mixer:
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 cup brown sugar


Blend above then Add 
1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin (Libby's is gluten free)
1 egg or Flax seed *
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* mix 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 Tablespoons warm water- stir then let rest for 5 minutes- stir aging before adding


Combine Dry with Wet and mix until just stirred in 
Drop 2 tablespoon sized piles onto baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove- cool and enjoy with a cream cheese frosting but don't tell Dave that it's a cream cheese frosting- even if it's Tofutti and Earth Balance he still doesn't want to know this but will enjoy it anyhow.

baking bread at 900 feet above sea level

Moving from 9,000 feet above sea level to 900 feet above sea level has inspired me to dust the counter with flour and proof some yeast. I thought that baking bread at sea level was going to be easy... I hadn't considered the fact that I'm still experimenting with gluten free flours on "normal gluten bread" recipes.

Two very dense loaves into it and I'm ready for the third try to be the charm. However just like life there are no guarantees with baking bread. Each loaf teaches me a bit more- ahh, yes let the yeast proof in peace and kneading can be therapy but it shouldn't hurt the dough.

Any tips for a novice bread baker? I found these gluten-free bread tips and am going to test a few out.
Yes, my flour blend has been cold... and my dough hasn't been rising.

Carrot Squash Soup for chilly autumn days

Leaving Colorful Colorado, Cross Country Gluten Free Travels

On each of the major roads on the Colorado boarder stands a sign that reads

 on a cross-country road trip it's one of many signs that will be encountered. On a cross country move it bears a lot more weight. I've moved out of Colorado. Think Outside the Breadbox will now be a Maine based blog. I'll work on adding some disclaimers to some Local Love blog posts but bear with me as I'm without internet at the new dwellings.

me and mayhem

Our cross country travel was interesting as always... take one 4Runner and load in two dogs and a nervous cat then one 16' Penske Truck full of furniture, ski gear, a bouldering pad, dog beds, people beds and more then drive 2,600 miles across America.

Chaos staying chill on the cooler

Mayhem checking out Dave in the Penske truck

our first PF Chang's stop

quick stop on Colorado's I-70

Dave, Chaos & Mayhem outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Add in 3 stops to PF Chang's for a glutard's safety net, 2 stops to Whole Foods and 1 stop to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH just to mix things up. And for a side of gluten stop into Cleveland's Hard Rock Cafe and order a gluten-free cobb salad off the gluten-free menu and feel the gluten seep into your whole being as you leave the city and head back toward the moving truck. Feel justified in your obsession with PF Chang's and Whole Foods as you fight off the gluten effects along Interstate 80 in PA.
Try to eat an applesauce that you found in Target as you know it's safe and will help get the gluten out....
Roll into Mass and hit up Flatbread Pizza Company for some safe gluten free pie and a bit of greens

round it out with a "goodbad" dessert

Moondance Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Cheesecake.... yum and chocked full of dairy. Now that I'm settling into my new life I'm cleaning up my act again and breaking up with dairy.

I'm also learning to bake gluten free at sea level- wish me luck!

Best Road Snacks- the 2011 List
GoGo SqueeZ Apple Sauces
Glutino Pretzels  
Banana Chips mixed with M&M's
Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie
Surf Sweet Gummy Snacks
Mott's Medley's Fruit Snacks

A Short Road Trip and a Rudi's Bread Giveaway

This weekend I'm embarking on yet another cross country drive- but this one's different. This one involves a lot more planning and a much bigger truck. We're loading up a 16' truck and moving to Maine.

From Moving 2011

It's home for us so it's an easy move... even the dogs are excited for the change. 

From Moving 2011

As always road trips require special planning for my glutarded needs and this trip is no exception. I've mapped out Whole Foods and PF Chang's along the route and working on healthy snacks. The timing couldn't have been better as Rudi's Gluten Free Bread emailed me with some creative snack ideas. 
I browsed through the files and my eyes jumped to the hot dog bun... dressed in peanut butter and filled with a banana... this is a road trip snack I could get behind- healthy peanut butter and easily portable bananas- score!

How would you make your cross country lunches fun? Leave a comment below, be creative and tell me what kind of Rudi's Bread you'd use to make your lunch with and you can win a coupon for a free loaf of Rudi's and this snazzy container to pack your lunch in.  I'll pick a winner next Monday, October 3rd after 6pm Eastern Time as I'm cruising through Kansas with my furry entourage. 

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival from a Glutard's View

We hit up the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival this weekend. It's a beer lover's paradise- that is for GLUTEN drinking beer lovers. There's not a single gluten free beer to be found within the town park during the 3 day festival. This year I did find some great options for enjoying the festival in gluten-free style.

 I know what you're thinking... why would any gluten free person look at a Pizza booth at a beer festival? Is that just asking for trouble?

But a closer look reveals the truth... this booth is done by the local kid's ski & snowboard club and club members decided to do a gluten free offering this year.

 And just down the way was a booth offering Skinny Girl Margs- not the best Marg I've ever had but it was nice to enjoy a drink with friends on a chilly night as we listed to moe. and Big Head Todd & the Monsters in Telluride Town Park. The morning had torrent of rain and even snow which stuck to the peaks so the pristine grassy fields of town park became a muddy mess. I capped off my evening with Telluride Truffles which are locally made with Belgian chocolate and inspired by the mountains.

 

Today I went back for more gluten free goodies at the park after a hearty breakfast of french toast made with Rudi's.(More on Rudi's later this week- stay tuned...)

I hit up the pizza booth again for a slice of peperoni then swung over to the cotton candy booth for a pink bag of sugary goodness. Plus it matched my shirt... can you read it?

"Gluten Makes Me Grumpy" (You too can wear your gluten free status...) I had a few laughs from fellow festival patrons today and met some other gluten free people as well.

We even got the see Willie Nelson take the stage... how often do you get to see a legend like Willie in your town and see the alpenglow over snow capped peaks like Ajax Peak at the end of the Box Canyon. 

Are you coming to Telluride for a festival, read through my series a bit of love....Telluride for some gluten free options on your visit. Be sure to always double check... things change quickly in a small mountain town.

Think Outside Flashbacks in 7 Links

Even before I got the bottom of Marlow's post on her GHM Flashback in 7 Links post I was thinking that I'd love to do that. It's the cool nights of fall and this time of transition and changing seasons that set on the nostogia. I was honored to be tagged in the post to play.Things have been busy here so I'm just now sitting down and going over Think Outside the Breadbox to bring you this trip down memory lane?

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Do you want to play too? Leave a comment below to link you your Flashback in 7 posts. I want to read your blog too! Thanks for sharing.

cool nights and warm gluten free dinners

Fall is creeping into the mountains of Telluride, a few young aspens are starting to change from deep green to a golden yellow hue and meals are changing from summer staples to warm comfort foods.

Like this lazanga made with Tinkyada noodles and Daiya dairy free cheese...

and layers of peperoni, sausage, spinach, mushrooms and sauce. I modified this recipe for tofu lasagna that I've used for a few years by skipping all cheese and using almond milk to keep it 100% dairy free.
And Chicken Parm (sans parm)

served over a bed of Ancient Harvest Quinoa Linguine and steamed spinach. Tonight's fall fare featured quinoa served with sauted spinach and mushrooms, grilled chicken and a bit of experimental green peppers and onion (these are a bit out of my comfort zone but hit the spot tonight).

I even wore a knitted hat and insulated jacket during our evening dog walk tonight. This morning the pups really had to turn on thier cute factor to get me out of my warm down comforter...

From Droid think outside