Bake My Day!

It appears that, as the weather gets warmer, many of us think about using the oven less while still eating healthy. Having received questions about baking in the microwave and about cooking more plant-based, we took on the challenge to write a column combining the two!

Remember that baking is closer to chemistry than any other type of cooking. This is especially true with microwave baking. When measuring dry ingredients, such as flour, dry sweetener, baking powder or baking soda, do so in a measuring cup or with measuring spoons. Be certain to level your measures, so that you are getting accurate amounts.

The same goes for margarine or solid fats; you need to level your measures to get consistent, accurate amounts. If a recipe calls for dry vegan sweetener, do not substitute liquid sweeteners, such as maple syrup or molasses. It just won’t work, due to the interplay of dry and moist ingredients. 

When measuring liquids, such as water, applesauce, milk or oil, get down to eye level with the measure. Looking down at a measuring cup does not give you an accurate view of the amount. You’ve either got to get down to its level or bring it up to your level.

 It would be wonderful to limit salt in baking, but asking recipes require salt to ensure adequate leavening. Baking powder and baking soda interact with salt. If you need to eliminate salt from baking recipes, you’ll have to experiment so you get the right amount of “rise.” Salt substitutes cannot take the place of salt in baking recipes.

 Silken tofu is used to replace eggs in many baking recipes. Two tablespoons of silken tofu corresponds roughly to one large egg. There are plant-based egg replacer on the market, such as Just Egg or Bob’s Mills Egg Replacer. These are dry products that are reconstituted with water.

Pie fillings can be made in a microwave and some pie crust can be “baked” in a microwave. Remember that crusts won’t brown in a microwave, unless the microwave has a browning element.  Graham cracker and nut crusts work well in a microwave, as the deep color is already there. If you are feeling energetic, you might “bake” in the microwave and then “brown” in the air fryer.

You may want to prepare several pie crusts at a time and refrigerate or freeze them until needed. This makes it easy to prepare a fast dessert, especially during the fresh fruit season. To make a fresh fruit pie, you can peel and slice very ripe fruit, such as peaches or apricots. Prepare a cornstarch slurry (follow the cornstarch package directions) and mix with a small amount of plant-based sweetener. Toss the fruit and cornstarch together to coat the fruit, add to a pie shell, and, voila, instant pie. This works well with ripe strawberries, blueberries, a berry and banana combo, raspberries, gooseberries, boysenberries, figs and plums.

If your microwave is too small to accommodate an entire pie shell, or if you don’t want to commit to an entire pie, you can cut recipes in half and make individual tarts. If you don’t want to bother with the pie crust, simply prepare the filling and serve it in individual dishes.

Microwave mug cakes mix up quickly, micro-bake even more quickly … and are usually gone too quickly. For a chocolate and nut microwave mug cake, combine 1/4  cup all-purpose flour, ¼ plant-based sweetener, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons plant milk (almond and coconut milk work well), 2 tablespoons of applesauce, 1 tablespoon of water and ⅛ teaspoon vanilla or orange extract. Mix well to combine all ingredients. If you like, you can top with a very small amount of chopped nuts. Microwave for three minutes, or until the center is firm (unless you’d like a miniature lava cake, in which case, let the center be a bit gooey), depending on your microwave.  To save time, mix together the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, separately, and store until ready to mix.

If you’d like to make a mug pumpkin pie, the only ingredients you’ll need are canned pumpkin pie filling (not just canned pumpkin), silken tofu and a small amount of sweetener of your choice.  Measure out the amount of pie filling that will fit in your mug. In a separate bowl, mix the measured pie filling with just enough silken tofu to moisten (think: pudding consistency) and sweeten to taste. If you would like additional ground cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cardamom or ginger, go for it!  Mix well, add back to your mug, and, if you like, top with a small amount of fresh orange zest of candied ginger.  Microwave (uncovered) for about two minutes, depending on your microwave, or until firm in the center.  That’s it! Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Microwave Gingersnap Crust

• Makes one 9-inch crust; this works well with graham crackers, too.
• 1 ½ cup ginger snap cookies
• 5 tablespoons margarine, softened ( don’t use oil)
• Smash gingersnaps to form small crumbs. Mix crumbs and margarine well in a nine-inch microwaveable pie pan. Press mixture firmly and evenly into the pan. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Cool before filling
• Fruit Pie Filling –  Apple Pie:

Makes enough to fill one nine-inch pie crust

• 4 cups baking apples, peeled and sliced
• 2/3 cup vegan dry sweetener or dry sweetener of choice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• Note: Use sliced peeled fresh pears, peaches or apricots instead of apples or fresh or frozen berries can be used in place of apples. If berries are very juicy, use three cups rather than four cups.
• Combine all ingredients and mix to combine. Pour into a baked  gingersnap or graham cracker crust. Set the pie on a piece of waxed paper and microwave on HIGH for 12-14 minutes, or until the fruit is tender. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

With numerous years in health care and education, Nancy Berkoff, RD, CCE, would love for readers to ask food and nutrition-related questions: foodprof2@gmail.com.