Before I share one more recipe I thought it was important to tell you why I bake gluten free and mostly vegan.

If you aren’t familiar with vegan baking, it means to bake without the use of animal products.  For example, for me, this means without the use of milk and eggs.

But my family is not vegan! We eat chicken, beef and seafood regularly. I bake vegan for one simple reason, I was forced into it.

Why gluten free AND mostly vegan?

You see, when I went gluten free in my mid 20’s, I worked full time and really never had time to bake. I also had no idea that my love for cheddar and mozzarella cheese was the contributing factor to my migraines. As long as I had cheese and chocolate, I was all set.

In wasn’t until I became a mom and I had to get my oldest son tested for food allergies that I found out he was gluten sensitive and allergic to eggs, nuts, dairy and corn.

Having no actual “food allergy” experience that would require an epi pen, I began to refer to these as the magic 5. When someone would ask me about his food allergies I would literally hold up my hand and list them one per finger. Sometimes, I still do. It can be a little overwhelming.

So I was completely forced into not only coming up with gluten free kids food, but also almost completely allergy free food as well. At the time I thought I had been faced with the impossible. What in the world was I going to use for baking?

I will never forget the first cookbook I bought, Erin McKenna’s BabyCakes. It was recommended by a friend and it really saved my life. It was truly my introduction into the world of gluten free and vegan baking.

Are you a baker or a cook?

I have really never been a huge baker, I have just always loved to cook. Did you know there is a difference? Yes! I read a foreword in “Bunner’s Simple and Delicious Gluten-Free and Vegan Treats” that defined the difference between a baker and a cook so perfectly. I will never forget the feeling I had when I first read it. It really resonated with me.

In a nutshell, it said, that you are naturally born one or the other. Cooks are known for mixing it all up, for adding a pinch of this and a dash of that and coming up with a masterpiece. Bakers take their time, measure things precisely, and love to follow recipes to the letter.  Taking into consideration that I do not like reading directions when it comes to the assembly of things. I would say that I am definitely a cook!

Why do I say MOSTLY vegan?

I say mostly vegan because I am hopeful. I am hopeful that my son will out grow his egg and dairy allergies and that I will be able to bake with these ingredients again.

This summer he passed a baked egg challenge at the allergists office, but still tends to get an itchy throat and tongue when I bake with eggs at home. Not to mention the doctor’s instructions for using eggs to bake right now, means baking everything at 350 for 35 minutes. This makes for some very well done cupcakes and muffins.

Now that I have been baking vegan for over 6 years, I have become used to the results I get when I do bake. Using eggs again will definitely be interesting for this allergy mom.

But I say mostly because I am hopeful.

In fact, when choosing the name for this blog, I thought long and hard about it. I didn’t want to make a lifelong commitment to being allergy free. I wanted to be able to give it a name that would reflect the diet and lifestyle that would lead us into the future.

So for now, when you do see a dairy free alternative in my recipes, and you are not dairy free, try using regular milk. In addition, if you are wanting to replace flax eggs for real eggs, give a try. I can’t guarantee you will get the same results, but I have had friends that have done this successfully with my muffins before.

If I could make my recipes both ways for you and post them, I would, but let’s be real? I am the mom of a 6.5 year old and a 19 month old and somedays it’s all about survival.

Do you have an vegan baking tips or tricks? Leave a comment below.