Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (57 page)

3 cups oat flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

½ cup
dry sweetener

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

⅓
cup almond butter

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.

2.
In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle for a few minutes and then add the vanilla.

3.
In a medium bowl, sift together the oat flour, baking powder, dry sweetener, and salt.

4.
In a small bowl, mix together applesauce and almond butter with a fork. Use the fork to cut the applesauce mixture into the flour mixture, until crumbly. Add in the milk mixture and stir until just moistened. Do not overmix.

5.
Use a ¼-cup measuring cup (or ice cream scoop) to scoop the scones out onto the baking sheet. Mist it with a little water first so that the batter comes out easier. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

6.
Allow scones to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VARIATIONS:

FOR BERRY SCONES
:
Fold in 1 cup of fresh blueberries or raspberries just before scooping onto the baking sheet.

FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES
:
Fold in ½ cup of grain-sweetened chocolate chips just before scooping onto the baking sheet.

FOR CINNAMON SCONES
:
In a separate bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons dry sweetener and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over scones before baking.

FOR ALMOND SCONES
:
Add ½ teaspoon almond extract with the milk and fold in ½ cup slivered almonds just before scooping onto the baking sheet.

THESE CRUNCHY GRAHAM crackers have a great cinnamon-sugar topping. For a s’mores-like treat, serve them smeared with
Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
and
Vanilla Bean Whip
.

MAKES 12 CRACKERS

1½ cups spelt flour, plus additional for dusting

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon
dry sweetener

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, ¼ cup dry sweetener, baking soda, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add in the applesauce, molasses, and vanilla. Mix the ingredients together with a fork until well combined and crumbly.

3.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the plant-based milk and ground flaxseeds. Pour the mixture into the dough and stir to combine. Use your hands to knead the dough a few times until it holds together; add an extra tablespoon of milk or water if needed. You should be able to form a pliable ball of dough.

4.
Line a work surface with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Place the dough on the parchment and flatten it into a rectangle. Sprinkle the dough lightly with spelt flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a roughly 10 × 14-inch rectangle. The dough should be about
⅛
-inch thick.

5.
Using a sharp knife, trim the edges so that you have a relatively even 8 ×12-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into eight crackers. Transfer the parchment onto a large baking sheet. Gather up the remaining scraps of dough and form them into a ball. On a separate sheet of parchment paper, roll out the scraps into a 4 × 8-inch rectangle, or whatever size you can manage to make. Trim the edges and cut into four crackers. Transfer the parchment to a baking sheet.

6.
Mix together the remaining tablespoon of dry sweetener and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the crackers. Score each cracker with a fork four times in two columns. You don’t need to poke all the way through. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

7.
Remove the crackers from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

THIS IS A classic combo—you can’t go wrong with apple and cinnamon! These are the perfect on-the-go treat, but you can also smash up a bar in a cereal bowl and pour on some plant-based milk; it makes a great breakfast granola.

MAKES 8 BARS

½ cup cashew butter

¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup

¼ cup brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

1 cup finely chopped dried apples

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 × 8-inch baking pan with a 10-inch square of parchment paper.

2.
In a small saucepan or saucier, mix together the cashew butter, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Gently heat the mixture over low heat, whisking with a fork, just until it’s warm enough for the ingredients to incorporate and become smooth.

3.
Remove the mixture from the heat. Let the mixture cool a bit so that it’s still warm but not hot. Mix in the vanilla, and then add the oats, apples, salt, and cinnamon. Mix very well.

4.
Now wet your hands and press the mixture into the pan. If your hands aren’t wet, things will get kind of sticky! Firmly press the oat mixture into the pan, pressing on the top and packing the bars as tightly as you can. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the sides of the bars are lightly browned.

5.
Remove the pan from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting up the corners of the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (with the parchment underneath).

6.
Use an 8-inch knife to slice the bars into eight rectangles. It’s best to press down firmly in one motion to slice, rather than using a sawing motion, which may make the bars crumble a bit. Slice once down the middle, and then 4 times across the other way.

7.
Store bars in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

OH, THESE ARE so good and so simple! They are full of crunchy, toasty, peanut-buttery deliciousness, with just a hint of cinnamon. These granola bars are a must for your lunchbox. The recipe calls for smooth peanut butter, but feel free to use chunky peanut butter if you want an extra peanut kick in your bars.

MAKES 8 BARS

½ cup smooth peanut butter

¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup

¼ cup brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 × 8-inch baking pan with a 10-inch square of parchment paper.

2.
In a small saucepan or saucier, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Gently heat the mixture over low heat, whisking with a fork, just until it’s warm enough for the ingredients to incorporate and become smooth.

3.
Remove from heat. Let the mixture cool a bit so that it’s still warm but not hot. Mix in the vanilla, then add the oats, salt, and cinnamon and mix very well.

4.
Now wet your hands and press the oats into the pan. Firmly press the oat mixture into the pan, pressing on the top and packing the bars as tightly as you can. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the sides of the bars are lightly browned.

5.
Remove the pan from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting up by corners of the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (with the parchment underneath).

6.
Use an 8-inch knife to slice the bars into eight rectangles. It’s best to press down firmly in one motion to slice, rather than using a sawing motion, which may make the bars crumble a bit. Slice once down the middle, and then 4 times across the other way.

7.
Store bars in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

Apricot Fig Squares