{ WONDERSLIM (home-made fat replacer) }

There are a lot of posts on Greener Eating that call for wonderslim, or baby food prunes.  Wonderslim is a product that used to be sold at health food stores as a fat and egg replacer.   All that was in it was pureed prunes and water, with a little soy lecithin and citric acid (I'm assuming just to preserve it's color or make it more shelf stable).  We just puree our own prunes now, and it works great!  I always replace at least half of the oil or butter in recipes with it the first time I make something, and if it works well then the next time around I replace all the fat.  Use a 1:1 ratio. 

Here are the amounts I use and it works every time.  I either store the extra in the fridge if I think I'll be using it soon, or I freeze it in 1/4 cup containers (the same ones the baby food prunes come in) and just thaw it out when I'm ready to use it.

water
prunes (or dried plums, if that sounds better!)

• Fill blender with water up to the 3 cup mark
• Add prunes until water reaches the 4 cup mark (this is the easiest way to measure, because  you don't have to worry about how packed down they are in a measuring cup - plus it's less dishes to wash!) 
• Blend until completely smooth

  *Remember that if the thought of eating prunes makes you feel like an old lady (or man), it's actually what's going to keep you young!  Prunes are very good for you and replacing fat in recipes just makes it doubly good.  Don't be scared!

{THREE BEAN SALAD}

Salad

2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. cans cut green beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. finely chopped onions
1 c. chopped green, red, orange or yellow peppers

Dressing

1/2 c. blended white beans (or stir 2 T. white bean flour into 1/2 c. water, heat and stir until
thickened) or (3/4 cup water total w/ 2 heaping T. of white bean flour)
2/3 c. vinegar (I use 1/3 part balsamic, 2/3 part apple cider vinegar-white vinegar is ok too)
1 1/2 t. veggie chicken broth powder or (veggie broth paste-Better than Boullion)
1/4 c. water
2 T. sucanat and 1/8 t. Stevia (or a total of 1/4 c. sweetener) (I like 1/4 t. Stevia)
1/4 t. celery seed
1 t. minced garlic

*This is a double recipe that stores well in the fridge.

{CRUNCHY BANANA/APPLE MUFFINS}

2 c. mashed bananas (or applesauce)
3/4 c. applesauce
2 c. soy milk
2 T. egg substitute whisked into 1/2 c. water
1 c. honey
1 1/2 t. baking soda
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
4 c. whole wheat flour
3 c. oats

• Mix everything but the flour and oats just to blend. Don't overmix.
  
• Add flour and mix slightly.
• Add oats and mix slightly.
  
• Fill greased/sprayed muffin tins 3/4 full.
  
• Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.
• Makes 3 dozen muffins.
  

{GINGERSNAP COOKIES}

I can't believe these haven't been posted on here before. I think my brothers eat about 6 of them every day- they are seriously good!

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. ginger

1 t. cloves

1 t. cinnamon

1/4-1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1/4 c. + 2 T. baby food prunes (1 small Gerber container)

1 c. sucanat

1 1/2 T. water

1/4 c. molasses

• Mix sucanat, prunes, molasses, and water.
• Add the spices.
• Add the flour.
• Refrigerate dough for a few hours (if you can wait that long!)
• Roll into ball, dip the top in sugar (evaporated cane juice)
• Smash with your hand and put on lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

(Well, I just turned a perfectly fat-free cookie into a very not-so-fat-free one.  But, oh my!  It's delicious with this coconut cream on it!)

{BROWNIES}

I found the original recipe for these on McDougall's website, changed a few things, and this is the end result. We're always up for brownies!

Dry Ingredients:

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/3 c. cocoa powder

2 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. chopped cashews or walnuts (optional)*

Wet Ingredients:

2 c. blended prunes*

1 c. sugar (or whatever you use)

1/4-1/2 t. stevia (or 1 c. sugar...)

2 t. vanilla

4 T. Ener-g Egg Replacer mixed in 1 c. water*

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Mix blended prunes and sugar together in a separate bowl.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Mix egg replacer and water together and whisk until frothy.
• Add to sugar mixture and stir to combine.
• Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until mixed.
• Try not to eat all the batter.
  
• Spoon into a lightly greased 9x13 pan or two 8x8 square pans.
• Bake for 30 minutes

*The walnuts in this are great- I just have to chop mine up super tiny so they disappear, otherwise my family rebels.

*To make the prune mix, put 3 cups of water in the blender and add 1 to 1.5 cups of dried prunes until the water hits the 4 cup mark. Blend until smooth. Use 2 cups for the recipe, and then you can freeze the extra or just put it in the fridge to use later. It's a great fat replacer! You can also just buy baby food prunes, but when you are using 2 cups you'd have to buy 8 because they come in 1/4 c. containers.

*Ener-g egg replacer is available at most health food stores. You can also order it on Amazon. It's way cheaper than eggs and it works great! This is what you're looking for:

{DROP BISCUITS}

These are really quick and easy; they're great with soup. The original recipe is here.

2 c. whole wheat flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. applesauce

3/4 c. cold soymilk

• Mix dry ingredients.

• Add applesauce and soymilk.

• Mix to make a soft dough.

• Allow to sit for 2 minutes.

• Drop on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

• Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

*I usually make 9 biscuits.

{MINT CHOCOLATE CAKE}

I found this recipe in a save-the-animals vegan mailer (original recipe here). Saving animals is not my primary reason for being vegan, but the mailer did have some recipes with potential. I just tweaked this one slightly to make it lower fat; I also added salt to the cake, and the icing was a little bitter, so I added some sweetener.

{Chocolate Cake}

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. cocoa powder

1 c. evaporated cane juice

1 pinch stevia (I was shooting for 1/8 t., or the equivalent of 1/2 c. sugar)

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. prune baby food

1/2 T. baking soda

1 1/2 T. white vinegar

1/2 T. vanilla

1 1/2 c. cold water

• Preheat oven to 350.

• Combine and mix dry ingredients until blended well.

• Add wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

• Pour batter into a lightly-oiled 9x13 baking pan.

• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

• Let the cake cool completely before frosting with icing (below).

{Mint Chocolate Icing}

1 10-oz. bag vegan chocolate chips

1/3 c. soymilk

1 T. peppermint extract

2 T. evaporated cane juice (I added this because the grain-sweetened chips I used made the icing kind of bitter. You may not need to add it, depending on the kind of chocolate chips you use.)

• Melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat.

• Add the soymilk and peppermint extract.

• Stir continuously until smooth.

• Allow to cool slightly before icing cake. (I only used 2/3 of the icing for one cake.)

{PUMPKIN CHIP MUFFINS}

These are a great fall time treat. Pumpkins (even canned) are loaded with vitamins A, C, K, and E, they have tons of antioxidants, and are high in magnesium, potassium, and iron. I love making healthy snacks!

2 T. Ener-g egg replacer + 1/2 c. warm water, whisked (or 4 eggs)

2 c. honey (or sugar)

1 16 oz. can pumpkin

1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce (or oil)

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. rolled oats

1 T. baking powder

1 T. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

2 c. vegan chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Beat eggs, honey, pumpkin, and applesauce until smooth
• Combine dry ingredients and add to wet mixture
• Fold in chocolate chips
• Fill muffin tins 3/4 full
• Bake for 16-20 minutes

*I like using mini muffin pans for this, because then they are just bite size and perfect for after school snacks. You do have to adjust the cooking time (12-13 minutes usually works for me.)

*I don't always use honey- this last time we used 1/2 c. agave nectar, 2/3 c. sucanat, and 1/2 t. stevia and it worked great.

*These are better than the picture looks! I'm not a food photographer.

Note from Rebekah: We love these. I always make them with 1 c. honey and 1/4 t. stevia. It works great!

{PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES}

The original recipe for these cookies comes from the fatfreevegan blog, and can be found here. (Thanks for another great recipe!) I found them when I was looking for a new cookie that Loren (and the kids) could take to work to keep them from coveting other people's treats. These cookies turned out way more "normal" than other vegan cookies, and since the only fat in it comes from the peanut butter (and the chocolate chips if you add those--but who's counting?), they are nearly guilt-free, which is good, because I ate about 20 cookies just by "sampling" the dough. I made only a couple of changes to the original recipe (I don't have pastry flour or brown sugar). Here's the recipe I used:

mix together:

1/2 c peanut butter (I use the kind that has only peanut butter and salt--no added extras)

3/4 c evaporated cane juice

3/4 c mashed banana (don't be nervous)

in separate bowl combine:

1 1/2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1 pinch of salt

vegan chocolate chips to taste (I add mine after I shape the cookies--3 per cookie--I pretend it keeps the fat count down, or at least more predictable)

Add flour mixture to peanut butter mix a little at a time until blended. Do not overblend. Drop by tablespoon onto pans. (Add chocolate chips). Flatten with a fork.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are golden.

{FAT-FREE BANANA BREAD}

I found this recipe on one of my favorite websites for good vegan recipes, the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog. The original recipe has both walnuts and dried cherries added to it, which sounds delicious, but I don't always have those on hand, so I tried out the recipe without any cherries or walnuts, and it still turned out really good.

For one loaf:

3 over-ripe bananas

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup dark sugar (evaporated cane juice or brown sugar both work)

2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the lemon juice, apple sauce, and sugar. Stir well to combine.
• In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined.
• Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and bake until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes (convection oven is 45 min). Allow to cool before serving.

In the original recipe, she added this note: "Fat-free quickbreads like this really benefit from being allowed to cool completely, which is why they often taste better the next day. The crust, which is chewier than breads with oil, will gather moisture and softness over time. Ignore the tempting aroma; pleasure delayed will be pleasure multiplied."

I still eat some as soon as it gets out of the oven, but it is good the next day.
Also:
If you have lots and lots of ripe bananas, and want to make a whole batch, here are the amounts for five (or six) loaves:
15 or 7 1/2 c. (18 or 9 c.) over-ripe bananas
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. (3/4) lemon juice
1 and 1/4 (1 1/2) cups unsweetened apple sauce
2 and 1/2 (3) cups dark sugar (evaporated cane juice or sucanat)
10 (12) cups whole wheat flour
4 (4 1/2) tsp. baking powder
4 (4 1/2) tsp. baking soda
2 and 1/2 tsp. salt *you can get away with 2 t. salt for 5 or six loaves
1 1/2 t. (2) nutmeg, 2 1/2 t. (3) cinnamon [optional]

{CORNBREAD}

This is not super-sweet, so if you want a 'cake' cornbread, this is not the recipe for you!* But, it is really very good if you want something more like bread, less like cake, to go with your chili, etc. We put honey and butter spray on it and love it.

3 c. soymilk

3 T. vinegar

2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. corn meal

3/4 c. honey

1 1/2 t. salt

2 t. bkg powder

1 t. bkg soda

1/4 c. applesauce

1 T. egg replacer powder

Preheat oven to 425. Combine soymilk and vinegar and let stand. Mix dry ingredients. Add applesauce and mix. Add honey and mix. Add soymilk/vinegar and mix until just blended.

Pour into a 9x13 greased pan. Cook for 25-30 minutes. (My oven always needs 30 minutes.)

Note from Rebekah: I added 1 pinch of stevia to this recipe, and it made it quite a bit sweeter. (My husband is a corn cake fan.)

{GINGERBREAD CAKE}

1/2 c. baby food prunes (or wonderslim)*
1/2 c. applesauce*
3/4 c. honey
3/4 c. molasses
1 c. vanilla soymilk (or plain + 1 t. vanilla) + 1 T. lemon juice
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. ginger
1 t. ground cloves
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 T. egg replacer

• Combine wet ingredients.

• Add dry ingredients and mix well.

• Poor into lightly greased cookie sheet. (It also works in a cake pan, but I like it better in the cookie sheet. If you do use a cake pan, increase the cooking time to 35-40 minutes).

• Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

• Serve warm or cold, topped with applesauce and vegan whipped cream (optional).

*The original recipe calls for 1 c. oil.

{WHOLE WHEAT BREAD}

This is the recipe my mom has been using for years and years. Lots of my friends have had really good luck with it! Over time, we have changed it a bit to make it more vegan-friendly. I'll post the original recipe, with the vegan substitutes in parenthesis to the side). There is also a lower fat version that I use now that I'll post way down below, since it involves trickier substitutes. I have had good luck replacing 1/2 of the oil with applesauce or wonderslim, though, if you want to try an easy substitute. I recommend trying the original recipe first to get the hang of it before you try substituting--although the egg replacer is really straight forward and doesn't mess too much with the consistency.

Mix and soak for at least 1 hour:

3 1/2 c. water (vegan: 3 3/4 c. water--to replace liquid from egg)

1 c. oil (or 1/2 c. applesauce or *wonderslim, 1/2 c. oil)

1 c. honey

2 eggs (vegan: no eggs--you'll add egg replacer later)

8 c. whole wheat flour

Add:

1 c. hot water + 4 T yeast: put dab of honey in water to help yeast rise--let rise in cup before adding

6 c. whole wheat flour

4 t. salt

(vegan: 1 T egg substitute powder--no liquid)

Knead in Bosch for 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Let rise until double; punch down. Rise again; punch down. Split dough into 5 sections. Roll out each section and form a loaf. Put in loaf pans; rise until double. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Now for the lower-fat version: this recipe makes 6 loaves instead of 5, because that's the way I figured it out:

Mix and let sit:

4 1/2 c. water

9 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. wonderslim

just over 1 c. of honey

1/4 c. (heaping) *liquid lecithin (it works best if you pour this into the wonderslim--it's very sticky and is a mess if it touches anything)

Add:

1 1/4 c. water + 1/4 c. (heaping) yeast

1 1/2 T egg replacer powder

7 c. flour
4 3/4 t. salt

Follow the other directions above.

*liquid lecithin is still oil, but is supposed to be a healthier type, and is also more concentrated (without adding more calories or fat), so you can use less of it. You can buy it at health food stores. Someday I might post a picture of it.

*This bread stores and freezes really well.

*I've had friends do a half-recipe if they don't need 5 loaves, or if they don't have a mixer that can handle this much flour (a Bosch works the best)

*wonderslim: 3 cups water, 2 cups prunes, 3 T lecithin granules. (I've also done it without the lecithin, and it's fine). You can also use prune baby food

{NO-BAKE COOKIES}

This recipe is adapted from one I used to make all the time when I was a teenager.  They taste about the same as the original recipe--they do take a little longer to 'set'.  I figure it's worth it!  Gwyneth is actually the pro at making these--hers turn out way better than mine, so if you have questions, talk to her about them!

Combine in a bowl and set aside:

4 1/2 c. oats

1/2 c. peanut butter

1 T. vanilla

In saucepan combine:

2 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice

2 T. cocoa powder

1/2 c. soymilk

1/2 c. ground white beans (from a can--I just empty the whole can into the blender and blend it, then measure out 1/2 cup--this replaces the butter in the recipe)

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Let it boil for 1 minute (use a timer), stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and pour over the oat mixture.  Scoop onto greased cookie sheet, and let cool.  Cookies should 'set' fairly quickly.

{CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES}

These definitely take care of any chocolate needs you might have.  At least they do for me.  The original recipe can be found here , but for a very low fat version try this one:

1 T. + 1 t. whole flax seeds

1/2 c. soymilk

3/4 c. wonderslim or baby food prunes (fat replacer)

2 c. evaporated cane juice*

2 t. vanilla

2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grind the flax seeds on high in a blender until they become a powder.  Add soymilk and blend for another 30 seconds.  Set aside.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate large bowl cream together oil and evaporated can juice.  Add the flaxseed/soymilk mixture and mix well.  Add the vanilla.
• Mix wet and dry together.  Add the chocolate chips and mix again.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into disc that's about 1 1/2 inch in diameter.
• Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, set them on a wire rack.

*I actually used half evaporated can juice and half super concentrated stevia (1/4 t. = 1 c. sugar) and it worked great, but if you don't have either of those you can use sugar.

{DONUTS}

I found this recipe and changed it a bit to use whole wheat flour and evaporated cane juice. The last time I made them, I also changed the recipe to be fat free (besides the soy milk), and they worked fabulously! I hope you enjoy!

mix together in bowl:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg (scant)
1 little pinch cinnamon

mix in a separate bowl:
1/2 c soy milk (or rice milk)
1/2 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 egg (use egg replacer to equal one egg)
4 T earth balance butter (i replace all the earth balance with 4 T *wonderslim, which is fat free)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix together
Pour into a lightly greased donut pan (available at walmart, etc.--I've also used a mini muffin tin, but they're not quite as cute)
Important: only fill each donut spot about 1/3 full or the donut will rise too much and you will get a muffin, not a donut
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes (I actually cook them for about 15 minutes--I think the whole wheat flour needs a little longer)

For frosting I've used powdered sugar (from evaporated cane juice) and cinnamon and evaporated cane juice. You could also make a frosting using earth balance butter, soy milk, and powdered sugar.

*Homemade wonderslim: a fat replacer made from prunes and water (you can also use prune baby food)

{RICE MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES}

Laura adapted this recipe from one she found on the back of a rice milk box. They are the closest I've found to "real" chocolate chip cookies.

2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. grain sweetened chocolate chips
1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. nuts*
3/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. rice milk
1 T. baking powder

• Mix all ingredients together.

• Drop onto lightly greased (pam spray works great) cookie sheet.

• Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

• Makes 2 dozen medium cookies.

*The cookies in the picture do not have nuts; I didn't have any on hand when I made them. They were still delicious.

{WHITE BEAN GUACAMOLE}

This is a great tasting, lower-fat guacamole that our dad learned to make at a health clinic.

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 celery stalk*

1/2 c. onion

2 to 3 cloves garlic

1 large avocado

1 T. lemon juice

cilantro (optional)

• Blend in food processor until smooth.

Note: I confess this is not an exact recipe. I called my dad when I wanted to make it the other day, and he just gave me the list of ingredients. So . . . experiment to taste!

*I just learned that Laura makes this without the celery and likes it better. She also uses garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin . . . seasoned to taste.

{ORANGE SALAD}

This is another favorite salad. You can store the extra dressing in the freezer if you're not going to use it all soon.

1 head red leaf lettuce (or romaine if there isn't good red leaf)
1 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 tiny red/purple onion, chopped or in rings
1-2 fresh oranges, diced or 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
¼ c. to 1 c. sliced almonds, toasted or not

Dressing*:

1 ½ c. fresh or reconstituted orange juice (6 T. frozen orange juice concentrate with water to 1 ½ c.)
1 can white beans**
½ c. red wine vinegar
¼ c. dry Good Season’s Italian dressing mix (2 pkgs.)
2 t. orange zest

• Blend all ingredients in the blender till smooth.

*Made in quantity; way more than for just one salad

**White beans (also called Great Northern beans) are a wonderful substitute for oil in salad dressings.

{WHOLE WHEAT VEGAN PIZZA}

(Ignore the half of the pizza that has pepperoni and cheese on it. That's my husband's half.)

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 T. honey

1 T. yeast

1/2 t. salt

2 T. applesauce

1 c. comfortably hot water

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

• Mix first group of ingredients until just wet.

• Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

• Add 1/2 cup flour.

• Knead and roll onto pizza stone or cookie sheet.

• Add any combination of the following (or be creative and come up with your own!):

cheez sauce or garlic cheez sauce

tomato or spaghetti sauce

olives

fresh tomatoes

green, red, orange, yellow bell peppers

pineapple

almonds

mushrooms

onions

steamed brocolli

• Bake for 10 minutes at 500 degrees.