Nora cooks for Fork and Beans!

For the next Fridays to come,

I wanted to do something a little different.

Because there are some seriously talented bloggers that I have grown to love so much,

I wanted to show you first hand why I adore them so…

and hope that you too, will love them as well!

This is the month of love after all, right?

I asked Nora to kickstart the first guest post.

Really guys, if you don’t know this girl, you are missing out.

{so stop it and start following her…NOW!}

What I love about Nora is that she is

genuine, talented, and probably THE sweetest girl you will ever meet.

It is also her birthday today, so along with telling her how awesome her recipe is,

give her some birthday love while you are at it…

Hello readers of Fork and Beans! I am Nora from Natural Noshing and I am truly honored and completely flattered to be guest posting today. As Cara’s loyal followers, you already know she is incredibly fun AND creative AND talented…and, I am pretty sure I have a huge crush on her.

I must admit, I am a bit nervous being featured here on Fork and Beans.  I am not vegan, and on most occasions, I am not even vegetarian, but don’t stop reading yet!  On my blog, I focus on healthy, gluten free foods without refined sugars and I dabble with vegan and vegetarian cuisine and baking. I especially love experimenting with ingredients and flavor combinations that may be a little unusual.

When Cara asked me if I wanted to write a guest post, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only is she a dear friend, I also like to challenge myself and push the boundaries in the kitchen. When preparing this post and its accompanying recipe, I aimed to create something that fits both my personality and preferences as well as Fork and Beans’. With all of that in mind, I decided to make some Savory Vegan Donuts to share with you all. I’ve had donuts on my mind these days (both sweet and savory) since finally purchasing a cute little pan and I couldn’t help myself.

I love the flavors of pizza so I thought I would combine them into a donut or bread form for an easy vegan lunch or snack. I’ve only experimented with sun-dried tomatoes and green onion with this recipe but I am sure you could add bell pepper, caramelized onions or other slightly cooked veggies to the batter (just be careful of adding an ingredient that will produce too much water while baking – ie fresh tomatoes, spinach, etc). If you do not have a donut pan, you can still make these in a 4-5 muffin tin or 6 muffin tops, however baking time will increase slightly. I am guessing a few minutes, just keep an eye on them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Savory Pizza Donuts (vegan) 

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch (or potato starch)
1/3 cup oat or buckwheat flour (millet, sorghum or brown rice could be subbed)
4 Tbsp flaxmeal (I grind my own flax seeds)
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup dairy free cheese of choice (I used Daiya mozzarella shreds)
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp agave or brown rice syrup

For topping, optional for serving

marinara sauce
more shredded dairy free cheese (I used Daiya mozzarella shreds)
Tofutti cream cheese or other non-dairy vegan cream cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease donut pan and set aside*.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add all flours and dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
3. Add in green onions, tomatoes and cheese and stir until incorporated.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (tomato paste through agave/brown rice syrup) then add into dry ingredients. Batter will be thick after sitting for about 15 seconds.
5. Divide evenly and spoon batter into greased pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Top with marinara sauce and/or shredded cheese and/or cream cheese and enjoy! To melt cheese on top, place under broiler for 1-2 minutes. Enjoy!

*If you do not have a donut pan, you can still make these in 4-5 muffin tin or 6 muffin tops, however baking time will increase slightly. I am guessing a few minutes, just keep an eye on them.

Just in case you were in the mood from something sweet, here are a few other vegan and gluten free goodies of mine you might enjoy:

Amaranth Poppyseed Cake with Raspberry-Beet Coulis

No-Bake Chocolate Pudding Mini-Tarts

Oil-Free, Fruit-Sweetened Cranberry Yum Bars

Chewy Teff Spice Cookies

Maple Almond Spice Biscotti

Thank you again Cara for letting me share on your blog today!  You are a great resource of inspiration for me both in life and in the kitchen, as well as those who are faced with food allergies and sensitivities. Your down-to-earth and friendly approach to vegan and gluten free baking is addictive and encouraging, keep rockin’ it girl!

For more about my story, my food sensitivities and why I eat what I do, feel free to check out my about me page.