Gluten-Free Vegan 101 - Gluten-Free Vegan Baking 101 (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 (Malaysia)

A well-crafted gluten-free vegan diet begins with a well-stocked gluten-free vegan pantry.  This is one of the important elements of gluten-free vegan baking.  A well-stocked pantry leads to a well-prepared cook & baker who is ready to make & serve the most nutritious foods that everyone can eat & enjoy.  This is Gluten-Free Vegan 101!

If you are a novice baker eager to embark on a journey to gluten-free vegan baking, here are 5 essential ingredients your gluten-free vegan pantry should have:
-Gluten-free flours (e.g. Bob's Red Mill*, Orgran*)
-Non-dairy milk (e.g. soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, nut milks, etc.)
-Vegan butter (e.g. Nuttelex*)
-Organic sweetener (e.g. raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, rice syrup, etc.)
-Egg replacer (e.g. Orgran*)
*available in Malaysia (You can customize your own gluten-free flours by combining 2 or more flours.) 

With lack of knowledge & the baking essentials, gluten-free vegan baking can be a daunting task.  These 5 ingredients should & will make your gluten-free vegan baking endeavor much easier.  There are also a number of naturally gluten-free vegan products in the market such as coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut sugar, etc.  These naturally gluten-free vegan ingredients & the 5 basic ingredients above make all the difference in taste & texture of your gluten-free vegan baked goods like gluten-free vegan cakes, cupcakes, brownies, muffins, bread, cookies, pies, etc.  Don't forget to include them & other products to your pantry as you grow in knowledge & skills.  Try using gluten-free vegan products that are certified gluten-free vegan for the sake of your health.  There are companies that have been producing gluten-free & vegan products for decades & their work is crucial to bakers & cooks everywhere.  Their expertise reduces wastage of money, time & energy.  Start baking & experimenting with gluten-free & vegan ingredients.  You will learn a lot about how baking works & gain a better perspective about food & health.

Go out & venture into food markets & see what gluten-free vegan ingredients you can add to your own pantry.  A bountiful pantry makes preparing & enjoying healthy meals a hearty & flavorful experience.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.

Post all inquiries and comments in this blog.
For confidential matters or anything else, 

  send email to myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 - Happy Gluten-Free Vegan New Year (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 (Malaysia)

Happy Gluten-Free Vegan New Year to all gluten-free vegans in Malaysia & beyond!

2017 is over... 2018 is here!
This year is the best time to be gluten-free vegan particularly in Malaysia.
There is a growing awareness of the gluten-free vegan lifestyle that it is becoming a bit easier to find healthy products especially the gluten-free vegan variety almost everywhere.  Furthermore, there are a lot of helpful resources online for new gluten-free vegans.

Life is about to get better.
Everyone deserves to have healthier lives.
Start a new journey to better nutrition & healthier eating.
Make a change in your life & in the world.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.

Post all inquiries and comments in this blog.
For confidential matters or anything else, 

  send email to myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 - Gluten-Free Vegan Bread & Gluten-Free Vegan Ice Cream (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 (Malaysia)

Don't buy.  D.I.Y.
It's time to do-it-yourself.  It's time to make your own favorite food from scratch with a fraction of the cost and time it takes to buy it from the stores.  There are so many benefits from making your own food at home.  Homemade & handmade food costs a lot less than the commercial version & saves you time & energy from reading the food labels.  Food tastes so much better & becomes more appealing & nutritious because you are in control of the amount of ingredients you add or subtract.  Nutritious food is good food & it is indeed better.  Making your own food becomes a learning process that gives you the chance to build your knowledge of food & strengthen your own cooking skills.  You learn to appreciate the work & complexity of making food & delight in the pleasure & flavors of your own creation.  It makes you feel better about yourself & you would want to share that experience with people you love.  

Two of the commonly bought food products are bread & ice cream.  Everyone loves bread & ice cream because they're dependable & delicious food to have at anytime anywhere.  However, the bread & ice cream products sold in Malaysia are generally not gluten-free vegan.  With the right ingredients & tools, you can make your own gluten-free vegan bread & gluten-free vegan ice cream from scratch that is so much healthier & definitely more delicious.  Making your own food makes sense in every way.  It is a stepping stone to supporting your own health & well-being & a promising start to your journey to better health.  That is Gluten-Free Vegan 101!

 Gluten-Free Vegan Bread

 

Gluten-Free Vegan Ice Cream

Gluten-free vegan bread & gluten-free vegan ice cream are relatively easy & delicious to make even without a bread maker or ice cream maker.  Depending on your taste & needs, you can customize your bread & ice cream by adding different ingredients of your own choice.  Vegetables like spinach or pumpkin or fruits like banana can be added to bread to make it more savory & highly nutritious.  You can also add nuts like almonds or seeds like chia seeds which have health-promoting nutrients.  Crafting your own gluten-free vegan ice cream is also an equally creative activity.  You can add whatever seasonal fruits are available as well control the level of sweetness you desire.  Nut butters like peanut butter & fruits like banana & avocado are excellent ingredients that give structure as well as natural sweetness to ice cream.  Making your own gluten-free vegan ice cream & bread are fun do-it-yourself gluten-free vegan food projects you can do anytime & anywhere.  Homemade gluten-free vegan ice cream & bread also make great gifts to friends & families.  Everyone will benefit from your own handy work.

It's time to choose a project.
You can create anything if you put your mind & time into it!

For food ideas, healthy recipes and everything & anything else in between:

Contact the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker @ myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 - Gluten-Free Vegan Brownies, Gluten-Free Vegan Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Vegan Muffins (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 (Malaysia)

Can you imagine a world without chocolate?  Think of all the wonderful moments of your life that you spent with it, around it...  Chocolate is one of those things that just makes sense in life and yet you never know what you're gonna get!  That's what Forrest Gump said his mama told him.  It's somewhat mysterious & yet everyone loves it and it's practically everywhere.

As a food which is produced in many variations, chocolate actually comes from cocoa bean or cacao bean which is naturally gluten-free vegan.  Dark chocolate is a superfood that is loaded with health benefits like lowering of blood pressure & cholesterol levels and it's a good source of rich antioxidants.  For the bona fide gluten-free vegans of the world, there is only one way to truly enjoy this sweet pleasure and that is the gluten-free vegan way!  Chocolate has been a favorite ingredient in many traditional chocolate recipes like cupcakes, brownies & muffins which everyone loves.  With simple changes & substitutions in these classic recipes, everyone will have their moment of comfort & joy while enjoying their gluten-free vegan chocolate treats.  Gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes, brownies & muffins can be wholesomely delicious, nutritious & definitely safe to eat and enjoy.   With a bit more effort & energy invested in nutritious meal planning, gluten-free vegans & eaters of all kinds of diets & from all places including Malaysia will benefit from food that is well-planned & well-crafted.

There's a gluten-free vegan way around every food --- that is Gluten-Free Vegan 101!

 Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

 

 Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Brownies

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Muffins

Try the gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes, brownies & muffins from the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker!  All ingredients are 100% gluten-free vegan.  All food products are prepared, cooked & stored in a 100% gluten-free vegan environment.

 For food ideas, healthy recipes and everything & anything else in between:

Contact the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker @ myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.

  
 

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 - Gluten-Free Vegan Muffins & Gluten-Free Vegan Cakes (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 (Malaysia)

One of the best things about being a gluten-free vegan in a place like Malaysia is having access to a multitude of products that are naturally gluten-free vegan food and yet very affordable.  Gluten-free vegan eating becomes a hearty & flavorful experience when natural, familiar & accessible ingredients are included & incorporated into a variety of dishes.  The coconut is one food that is truly one of nature's wonder foods.  It is an all natural gluten-free vegan food and its by-products (milk, flour, oil, sugar, etc.) are valuable ingredients in gluten-free vegan cooking.  Its creamy goodness, mild flavor & delicious taste makes it an all-around versatile product that can be used in an endless array of recipes.  Furthermore, it's packed with health benefits such as fiber, vitamins, minerals & amino acids.

A nutritional powerhouse like the coconut should be part of every cook's repertoire.  Cooking with a powerhouse of an ingredient opens possibilities for culinary creativity which can be a fun, delectable & healthy experience.  That is Gluten-Free Vegan 101!

 Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Cake

Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Muffins

Try the gluten-free vegan coconut cakes & muffins from the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker!  All ingredients are 100% gluten-free vegan.  All food products are prepared, cooked & stored in a 100% gluten-free vegan environment.

For food ideas, healthy recipes and everything & anything else in between:

Contact the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker @ myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 - Gluten-Free Vegan Plant-Based Food (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan 101 (Malaysia)

Gluten-Free Vegan Plant-Based Food

 Fruits & Vegetables

 

 Gluten-Free Whole Grains

Legumes

 Nuts

Seeds

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds are the lifeline of any gluten-free vegan diet.  These foods are the main & only ingredients worth incorporating in a gluten-free vegan meal.  The colors & textures are visually exciting & the flavors are truly impressive.  A dish filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds offers health-promoting power to us.  The benefits are endless such as weight loss, lowering of blood sugar levels & risk of heart disease & improvement of bodily functions.  A plate full of organic, colorful & clean plant-based food makes a whole difference & it is a great starting point for a positive change in one's life. 

A gluten-free vegan diet is full of abundance & variety.  There is variety.  There are choices!  It is the best way to eat for the sake of our health!

Food is not just nutrition.  Food is medicine --- that is Gluten-Free Vegan 101!

For food ideas, healthy recipes and everything & anything else in between:

Contact the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker @ myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.

Is Your Sugar VEGAN?

As a vegan, I have been frequently asked this question which doesn't come with an easy answer.
What you think is vegan might not be so...
"Not all sugar are created equal."

White sugar (also known as refined sugar) is a common all-around sweetener found in many food products from baked goods to beverages and is a regular kitchen staple.  Source-tistically, sugar comes from plants --- the most common is sugar cane.  Sugar from sugar cane goes through a refining process known as bone char filter to remove impurities.  This filter produces sugar that has a pristine, white crystalline appearance and texture.  Bone char, often referred to as natural carbon, is derived from cow bones.  To make bone char, animal bones are heated at incredibly high temperatures and reduced to carbon before being used in refinery.  The sugar that is filtered through bone char doesn't actually contain bone char particles but the SUGAR COMES INTO CONTACT WITH BONE CHAR.

Bone char filter has worked well in the food industry as a whitening filter and the practice has become the standard and preferred filter.  There are other whitening filters that don't use bone char, however, bone char filter is the most efficient and most economical whitening filter.  

Supermarket brands of sugar obtain their sugar from different refineries making it impossible to know whether it has been filtered with bone char.

Brown sugar and confectioner's sugar (also known as icing sugar) are processed using bone char filter.  Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals that have been combined with molasses for taste and color.  Confectioner's sugar is pulverized white sugar. 

Therefore, if you're consuming sugar from sugar cane, it MIGHT not be VEGAN.

HOWEVER, NOT ALL SUGAR ARE CREATED EQUAL.
Not all sugar is refined with bone char.
There are sweeteners that do not come from sugar cane and therefore, do not go through bone char filter.
Here is a list of the most commonly used and easy to find vegan alternatives:
-Beet sugar
-Xylitol
-Coconut palm sugar
-Agave nectar
-Stevia
-Maple syrup
-Brown rice syrup
-Fruit juice concentrates
-Date sugar
-Fructose

Any certified USDA organic cane sugar is also a good alternative.  USDA organic sugar is affordable and is not filtered through bone char.  It is only milled and never goes to refineries which use bone char filter.



If you want to avoid sugar that have been refined through bone char, look for the following words on the labels:
-USDA organic
-Unrefined
-Raw
-Evaporated cane juice



Bone char filter process is unacceptable to many vegans.  When consuming refined sugar, although you are not actually ingesting an animal product, the money you pay to the company funds the animal industry that uses bones or bone char.  Animals don't have a choice --- YOU DO!!!

Even if you're not vegan, you have reason to be concerned.  Think wisely and use your better judgment when choosing products for you and your family.

Try Country Farm Organics Unrefined Raw Cane Sugar.

Country Farm Organics Unrefined Raw Cane Sugar is of organic premium quality.  It does not contain pesticides, insecticides, preservatives, bleaching agents, artificial fertilizers and artificial colouring.  It is a vital must-have in every kitchen, whether vegan or not.  It is a great ingredient in any recipe that requires natural sweetness.  It can be used in making vegan baked goods --- vegan cakes, cupcakes, brownies, muffins, cookies, pies, even frozen desserts like vegan ice cream, etc.  Country Farm Organics Unrefined Raw Cane Sugar is available in many stores in Malaysia. 

For food ideas and everything & anything else in between:

Contact the Gluten-Free Vegan Baker @ myglutenfreeveganhaven@yahoo.com.

The Gluten-Free Vegan Baker is based in Malaysia.