Vegan raspberry doughnuts

Vegan raspberry doughnuts | Me & The Moose. We’ve lightened up traditional Hannukah jelly doughnuts by baking instead of frying, and using freeze-dried raspberries instead of a sugary jelly filling. #Hannukah #sufganiyot #doughnuts #donuts #raspberries #healthybaking #healthyrecipes

Want to switch up the traditional sufganiyot this year? Or want to add something baked, but not heavy to your breakfast rotation? Try these vegan baked raspberry doughnuts that feature whole wheat flour, flax seed meal, coconut sugar, and applesauce for a baked treat that tastes great, but doesn’t spike your blood sugar or weigh you down like a traditional doughnut.

Take me to the recipe!

Vegan raspberry doughnuts | Me & The Moose. We’ve lightened up traditional Hannukah jelly doughnuts by baking instead of frying, and using freeze-dried raspberries instead of a sugary jelly filling. #Hannukah #sufganiyot #doughnuts #donuts #raspberries #healthybaking #healthyrecipes

Okay, so I’m a fan of eating traditional foods in the traditional way, so I was a little apprehensive about “healthifying” a fried jelly doughnut. HOWEVER! I feel like these stray so far from the original that they aren’t really a “healthified” dessert as much as an entirely different thing that you could also eat at Hannukah that would taste delicious.

This baked doughnut journey started with Ina’s Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts and they were delicious, but very very sweet, especially with the icing and sprinkles I used.

I reduced the sugar in the batter, which definitely helped, but they weren't really a healthy alternative to traditional fried sufganiyot. The mountain of powdered sugar in the icing totally undid any of the benefits of baking. So, I decided to start a recipe from scratch and also make them safe for kids with allergies. These beauties are egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and don't use any processed sugar. They're also super tasty! I'm actually fighting the urge to eat one right now.

Vegan raspberry doughnuts | Me & The Moose. We’ve lightened up traditional Hannukah jelly doughnuts by baking instead of frying, and using freeze-dried raspberries instead of a sugary jelly filling. #Hannukah #sufganiyot #doughnuts #donuts #raspberries #healthybaking #healthyrecipes

A couple of notes:

• Flax eggs: In my recent vegan baking adventures, I've tried a few different combinations of flax seed, water, and baking powder. I like Joy the Baker's best. She combines 1 Tbsp of flax seed meal with 3 Tbsp of water and lets this goop sit for 30 minutes. At the end, she stirs in a generous pinch of baking powder and uses the flax egg immediately. I used 1/8 tsp of baking powder and it worked quite well.

• Coconut milk: I called for reduced fat or light coconut milk in this recipe because too much fat can weight things down and since we’re using an egg replacer, the doughnuts get too dense with too much fat. If you can only find regular, use the liquid in the can and leave the hard, coconut cream at the top. Also, replace the olive oil with another Tbsp of applesauce.

• Olive oil: I like to add a little extra olive oil in the doughnut pans to mimic the “fried” taste of traditional doughnuts. But I really mean A LITTLE (about 1/8th of a tsp works just fine.) If you do this, heat the oil and the pan for about 3 minutes in the oven before carefully adding the batter and baking.

Vegan raspberry doughnuts | Me & The Moose. We’ve lightened up traditional Hannukah jelly doughnuts by baking instead of frying, and using freeze-dried raspberries instead of a sugary jelly filling. #Hannukah #sufganiyot #doughnuts #donuts #raspberries #healthybaking #healthyrecipes

Vegan raspberry doughnuts

Time: 30 minutes, half active, half baking
Yield: 9 donuts

1 Flax egg (1 Tbsp flax seed meal, 3 Tbsp water, and 1/8 tsp baking powder)
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup light coconut milk *(see notes above about using regular coconut milk)
1 Tbsp apple sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup freeze-dried raspberries

Preheat oven to 375.

Make flax egg. In a small bowl, combine flax seed meal and water and stir well. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Prep your doughnut pan by spraying with olive oil (see notes about about adding a little extra olive oil to the pan).

In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the coconut milk, olive oil, and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients and the raspberries to the batter and stir to combine. When the flax egg is ready, add 1/8th of a tsp of baking powder to the flax and water goop and stir well. Add to the batter and stir gently to combine.

Spoon mixture into greased doughnut molds until ¾ full.

Bake for 17 minutes, flipping the pans halfway through to ensure even baking. Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Classic Caesar Dressing

This Classic Caesar dressing ticks all of the boxes: fast, easy, dairy-free, Whole30, and most importantly, delicious.

Take me to the dressing!

Quick content warning: I’m about to talk about body image and weight and dieting. I promise not to talk about it ad nauseam on this blog, but as a human with a body who eats and looks in the mirror, it’s hard not to fall prey to the diet culture and wellness madness that swirls around us.

So, I just finished doing a Whole 30 and nary a crumb or drop of wheat, grain, dairy, soy, legume, alcohol, or added sugar crossed these lips the entire time. It was, by far, my most successful run of disciplined eating. And I lost 10 lbs.

But then I went back to "real" eating. For the first few days, I felt scared of anything that wasn't Whole 30-approved. Like, eating a grain of quinoa was going to wreak havoc. So I kept up the regimen. Then I had some wine and remembered how much I loooooove wine. So, I decided to rejoin Weight Watchers (guys, Oprah eats bread on Weight Watchers EVERY DAY). But, then I quit Weight Watchers. Then I tried eating Whole 30-approved foods while also recording everything on My Fitness Pal, which then turned into: Eating Whole 30-approved foods but adding back just grains and beans. Then I convinced myself that I should just work out daily to keep the weight off while eating everything in moderation. And then I had a meltdown and ate an entire chocolate babka. Bear in mind that my Whole 30 ended just two short weeks ago. That's a lot of dieting in 14 days. And a lot of babka.

During the Whole 30 I abstained from some of my FAVORITE things without much difficulty and really did feel great. I mentioned in an earlier post that one upside to the plan's rigidity was that I stopped obsessing about my food choices. Welp, that came back full force once I didn't have to follow the Whole 30 rules. I also feel much more obsessed with weight loss than I did before and more discouraged about my ability to stick to a regimen even though I JUST DID IT.

Also, this article came out.

There is hella conflicting information about health and nutrition out there, which I already knew, but is maddening nonetheless. Do I worry more about the content of my food or the volume? Is exercise or eating more central to wellness and weight loss? If I do manage to lose weight, am I one of the teeny percentage of people who can actually keep it off? So, I've been toying with the radical notion of just stopping. Just shutting down the voice in my head that says my worth is inversely proportional to my size. Or that my worth is bound to how I look at all. Or that there's something wrong with how I look. Or that "healthy" has a rigid and universal definition. And just when I think I'm good with that, I feel a clenching in my chest imagining the weigh-in at my next doctor's appointment...

No matter how frustrated with food I might feel, this Caesar dressing is insanely good and will remain in the repertoire. 

*Update: It’s been four years and I could have written this four days ago, so…yeah, still struggling with weight and body image! But I still make this dressing all the time, so something good came out of doing Whole30.

Kale Caesar salad

2 Tbsp Primal Kitchen avocado mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2-3 anchovy filets (look for ones packed in olive oil)*
2 cloves garlic (medium)
3-4 dashes Cholula hot sauce
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups raw kale

*I've recently realized that some anchovies, particularly the ones that come in a can with a peel-back lid, are what I would call a half filet. If your anchovies aren't double sided or look like they've been butterflied, then double the amount to 4-6 of these half filets.

Combine first six ingredients in a food processor and pulse to chop. Set the food processor to puree and slowly add olive oil in a stream. Add salt and pepper to taste and puree until all ingredients are combined. Remove tough stems from kale, clean, and chop. Toss dressing and greens together and serve.

Romesco sauce

Romesco is a quick and easy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that has a little smokiness thanks to paprika and a tiny kick from cayenne. It’s also the easiest way to spice up any meal—Whole 30 or otherwise. #meandthemoose #sauce #romescosauce #redpeppersauce #whole30sauces #easyrecipes

Romesco is a quick and easy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that has a little smokiness thanks to paprika and a tiny kick from cayenne. It’s also the easiest way to spice up virtually any meal.

Take me to the sauce!

Romesco is a quick and easy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that has a little smokiness thanks to paprika and a tiny kick from cayenne. It’s also the easiest way to spice up any meal—Whole 30 or otherwise. #meandthemoose #sauce #romescosauce #redpeppersauce #whole30sauces #easyrecipes

I truly believe that there is nothing better or more versatile than a great sauce. You can put it on eggs, roasted veggies, any kind of protein, on toast (avocado or otherwise), use it as a dip, stir it into soup, or combine it with hot pasta and a little pasta water for an instant sauce.

I’m allergic to meal prepping, but sauce prepping is something I can get behind. It can uplift any boring chicken or pasta that you might whip up at the last minute. And truly, it takes minutes to prep this bad boy, so you’re not spending an entire Sunday filling the fridge.

Romesco is a quick and easy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that has a little smokiness thanks to paprika and a tiny kick from cayenne. It’s also the easiest way to spice up any meal—Whole 30 or otherwise. #meandthemoose #sauce #romescosauce #redpeppersauce #whole30sauces #easyrecipes

Romesco is a quick and easy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that has a little smokiness thanks to paprika and a tiny kick from cayenne. It’s also the easiest way to spice up any meal—Whole 30 or otherwise. #meandthemoose #sauce #romescosauce #redpeppersauce #whole30sauces #easyrecipes

This is basically Bon Appetit's recipe with a few small tweaks. I never have sherry vinegar, so I sub in red wine vinegar. I also left out the parsley because I don't like it.

Romesco is a quick and easy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that has a little smokiness thanks to paprika and a tiny kick from cayenne. It’s also the easiest way to spice up any meal—Whole 30 or otherwise. #meandthemoose #sauce #romescosauce #redpeppersauce #whole30sauces #easyrecipes

Romesco

Yield: 1.5 cups
Time: about 8 minutes

1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
3/4 cup fire roasted red peppers
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
6 Tbsp olive oil
1/2-1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350. Spread the almonds out over a piece of parchment paper or tin foil. Toast until lightly golden brown.

Add the peppers, garlic, toasted almonds, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, paprika, and cayenne to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times. Add the oil in a stream (or dump it all in) and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Old bay egg salad!

This egg salad gets a makeover with chopped pickles, dijon mustard, and old bay seasoning. #meandthemoose #lunch #eggsalad #oldbay #lunchrecipes

This isn’t regular egg salad, it’s cool egg salad. This sometimes-boring deli staple gets a makeover with pickles, dijon mustard, and old bay seasoning.

Take me to the eggs!

This egg salad gets a makeover with chopped pickles, dijon mustard, and old bay seasoning. #meandthemoose #lunch #eggsalad #oldbay #lunchrecipes

I used to HATE egg salad, which doesn’t really make sense. I like hard boiled eggs. I’m not anti-mayo. I love tuna and other salad-y spreads. So why did I hate egg salad? It’s boring. It sometimes smells sulfur-y. It can have a weird texture with the cooked egg whites and the chalky yolks.

So we solved some of those problems. Adding in lots of flavorful ingredients like pickles and Dijon and Old Bay are the way to get around both the smelliness, the boringness, and the weird texture. Eureka!

This egg salad gets a makeover with chopped pickles, dijon mustard, and old bay seasoning. #meandthemoose #lunch #eggsalad #oldbay #lunchrecipes

Old Bay Egg Salad

Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 sandwiches

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
2 dill pickle spears, chopped
2 Tbsp mayo
1/2-1 tsp old bay seasoning, depending on taste
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard, depending on taste
1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Gently add the eggs to the water and bring back to a boil. Turn the flame to low and let the eggs boil gently (we want some little bubbles right around the eggs; if the boiling stops completely, turn the flame back up slightly). Cook for 10 minutes and then place the eggs in an ice bath. Let cool for 10 minutes and peel under cold water.

Chop the eggs and the pickles and place in a large bowl. Add the mayo, 1/2 tsp of old bay, 1 tsp of mustard, and salt. Taste for seasoning and add more old bay, salt, and/or mustard to taste.