Review: Cinnamon Bakery (They Rule)

GUYS! I've been a ridiculously busy librarian and I've slacked on blogging lately. For that, I apologize. I've been setting up all sorts of programs for my library and attending conferences and stuff like that, so food has been on the back burner.

So, with that said, I'd like to introduce you to Cinnamon! Cinnamon is a vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free bakery based out of Portland, Oregon. My friend, Geanna, has rocked out a starter business and it is booming! Her donuts are sold around Portland, at places like Food Fight (the vegan grocery store in PDX), and she even has a Treat of the Month club. Seriously, you need to check out the site.

I asked Geanna to send me some goodies to review here, and she did. And they ROCKED!!!

Here's what she sent me (and, being the nice librarian I am, I shared with my husband):

Starting at the top left and moving clockwise:

• Cinnamon Sugar Donut
• Chocolate Donut with Chocolate Sauce
• PUMPKIN SPICED MINI DONUT!!!
• Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

DUDES! They were awesome. All of them. I was sad when they were gone, which took only moments for us to scarf them all down. I seriously can't even pick a favorite. My husband, on the other hand, said that the cookies were hands-down, his favorite.

The donuts were perfection. They were sweet, without being overly sweet. They were chewy and delicious. The pumpkin mini donut was perfectly seasoned. The cookies were absolutely fabulous. They had a classic flavor that brought back memories of my childhood. I loved all of it!!

Come visit Geanna at Cinnamon and check out the goodies. You won't be disappointed. 
Here's how you can contact her:
Phone: 971-258-2995
Email: geanna@cinnamonpdx.com
Twitter: @cinnamonpdx

I Love Blueberries!

Holy crow. I so love blueberries. Possibly, I have eaten pounds of them this summer, so this post from Geanna comes at the perfect time :)

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Please welcome back Geanna!

Blueberries are currently in season but they won't be for much longer, so I thought it would be prudent to share with you these delicious gluten-free and vegan ideas before they completely disappear from the farmers' markets.

Blueberries are not only fun to pick, but they taste delicious, and they make any dish instantly beautiful and full of color.

Breakfast Oatmeal (with 1/3 c. gluten-free oats, 1 T. agave, and 1 T. almond butter)

Blueberry Pie 

Blueberry Lemon Ice Cream (from Herbivore Dinosaur)

Fresh and Raw

Blueberry Syrup on Lavender Blueberry Pancakes

Muddled Blueberry-Infused Vodka Cocktail (with Chardonnay)

Blueberry/Green Smoothie

As you can see, blueberries are a versatile fruit. They really can go with or in savory dishes just as easily as sweet. Enjoy the last of the harvest!

Guest Post - Geanna's Perfect Summer Green Smoothie!

I'm a big fan of using fresh, local, and seasonal veggies and fruits in my diet. Thus, I'm often looking for new and creative ways to try out the items I see at my local farmers' market.

Eating seasonally and locally is one of the easiest ways to eat a gluten-free and vegan diet. Not only is it great for the local economy and community, it's also good for your health and often cheaper, too.  

Plus, nothing beats something that was picked or harvested ripe this morning and sold to you this afternoon.

These pictures show one of my favorite summertime creations: the Perfect Green Smoothie. It's vegan, gluten-free, raw, soy-free, and just plain old delicious.

Kale is a very important step in the process...otherwise it can't be called a green smoothie!

I recently discovered how adding [melted] cocoa butter and unsweetened chocolate can really make the smoothie pop.

And, of course, serving it in a cute container is key. 

Perfect Green Smoothie
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1/2 apple, cubed
~10 fresh strawberries, or less if they are really big (de-stemmed)
1/2 orange, cut up
1/2 banana, cut into one-inch slices (I used one I had frozen, but fresh will work as well)
 4 leaves of kale, de-stemmed and ripped in thirds
1 T. cocoa butter with 1 oz. unsweetened cocoa, melted together in a double broiler

Prepare:

1. Add the apple, strawberries, orange and banana to a food processor and process until smooth. 
2. Add the kale, a few pieces at a time, and process until mixed. 
3. Finally, add in the cocoa and mix some more. Pour into a cute container and enjoy immediately.

Optional add-ins: fresh blueberries, almond milk, cashew cream, and spinach. 

Please Welcome Geanna and Her First Guest Post!

Hello again my lovely readers! I am staying true to my word about introducing gluten-free foods and posts by my guest bloggers a couple of times a month! I'd like to introduce to you Geanna, another vegan blogger I had the pleasure of befriending via Twitter. Here's a little more about Geanna:

Geanna writes a blog about how to live an eco-conscious life while eating gluten-free and vegan along the way, found at www.greenveganliving.com. She lives in Portland, Oregon, and in her spare time, enjoys gardening, exercising, being outdoors, baking, cooking, and entertaining friends. She is a part-time librarian and also loves to read and craft when the time allows. Talk to her on Twitter @greenvegnliving, or email her at greenveganliving [at] gmail [dot] com. 

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 So, without further ado, here is Geanna's first guest post with a yummy recipe!!

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VIVA VEGAN!!

Everyone likes a good burrito, right? Nothing beats a warm, humongous wheat tortilla wrapped around seared seitan, grilled vegetables, and melted, stringy Daiya cheese. However, for gluten-free vegans like myself, this presents a very large problem. At best, I can scrape the vegetables out of the burrito, but at worst, I, like many others, suffer from Celiac Disease, and my body will absolutely HATE me if I ingest even a smidgen of gluten. Thus, I learned early on in my gluten-free journey that I can easily and happily eat tacos (both soft and crunchy) and most anything else including corn tortillas.

I bought the lovely cookbook Viva Vegan! when it came out about a year ago, but I looked at it only once or twice before it ended up, dusty, on my cookbook shelf. I felt that I had made a mistake in purchasing it because in any quick browses, I found that recipes often called for wheat flour or seitan. It was only recently that I began discovering again just how many delicious and completely gluten-free recipes there are inside.

The book usually is the starting point for my inspirations. I look at a recipe, decide what can part of it I want and what part needs to be changed, and go from there. The other day I bought spicy tempeh from Turtle Island Foods (who also make Tofurky). There was a recipe on the back of the box [link: http://www.tofurky.com/recipes/recipe_details.asp?RecipeDataID=50] for Spicy Tempeh Tacos and I knew immediately that, combined with some inspiration from Viva Vegan!, I was going to have a really delicious dinner. 

After flipping through the cookbook, I decided to make the Homestyle Refried Beans (found on page 86) and I adapted the recipe for Corn Tortillas with ingredients I had on hand. This deliciously spicy meal was made even better with gluten-free beer from a local brewery in Portland.

Corn Tortillas [adapted from Viva Vegan!]

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

¾ c. corn flour

½ + 1/8 c. warm water

1 t. salt

Prepare:

1. Mix together the ingredients into a bowl. Scoop out 1/3 c. portions and flatten with hand before putting into a hot skillet. Flatten some more into the skillet, taking care to keep the tortilla whole.
2. Let cook a minute or so, then flip the tortilla with a stainless steel spatula. Let cook on the other side before removing from the pan and serving. Serve hot.