Delicious Vegan Lemon Loaf

I can hear you now: “Amanda! Finally, something sweet that doesn’t involve strawberries or chocolate!”

Yeah, yeah.

I have always loved a good lemon loaf. Something about those tangy, sweet tones just really makes my tastebuds soar.

A strange thing happens when you change your diet. Suddenly, things that used to be delicious to you start to lose their appeal. This started happening to me with lemon loaves filled with sugar and dairy. They were too harsh on my stomach and the taste was overwhelmingly sweet. I had no choice but to set out and make a version that would suit me better.

Yes, it still has sugar in it (and on top of it if you glaze it!), but I get to control it. I also get to control how tangy I want it, and I do love me some tang!

But enough about me!

This loaf boasts ten ingredients - 11 if you choose to glaze it. You can also substitute the oil for applesauce to make it oil-free and it is still as delicious.

Oh man, I’m ready to jump offline and run to the kitchen to whip up one of these bad boys. So much yum! The only thing I can’t decide on is if this loaf is breakfast appropriate. I think I’ll vote yes.

Vegan Lemon Loaf

For the Crust:

• 2 cups flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ½ cup cane sugar

• 1 cup nondairy milk

• ½ cup vegetable oil or vegan butter or applesauce

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 tbsp lemon zest

• 1 tsp vanilla 

For the Glaze (optional, but encouraged)

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp nondairy

• 1 tsbp fresh lemon juice

• 3 tsp lemon zest (optional)

what to do:

1. Grease a loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350ºF

2. Mix your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl

3. Mix wet ingredients in a smaller bowl

4. Add wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients

5. Stir until batter is well mixed and pour into prepared loaf pan

6. Bake for 45 minutes, using the toothpick test to make sure it is baked through

7. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes

8. Move loaf to a wire rack and cool completely before adding glaze

9. Make the glaze by whisking together all ingredients

10. Pour over loaf. I like to let the glaze harden before digging in

11. Enjoy!

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What kinds of loaves are your favorite? I have so many favorites I can’t decide, but this lemon is definitely on the top of that list :) Leave your favorite in the comments.

Trying this recipe? Don’t forget to tag #MapleAlps so we can see what you’re up to! :)

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Fresh Homemade Lemonade

Whenever I envision the perfect summer break in my mind’s eye, whether I picture myself sitting somewhere peaceful like a nice deck or on the beach enjoying the sunshine, I also see myself sipping on some lemonade. It’s almost as if I can’t have summer without lemonade! Or some cold iced tea. But mostly lemonade!

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I’ve done all different types of lemonade over the years. I remember one summer I was obsessed with putting ENTIRE (yes, whole) lemons into the blender with ice and agave. I mean, it was tasty, but I think my system couldn’t handle all of the rind by the end of it. Huh, just telling you about this is making me want to retry this episode of my life story! I also used to mix some other fruit into lemonade - usually blueberries, because I loooooove blueberries!

But this recipe is super easy. All you need is some lemons (duh), water, ice, and simple syrup (find the recipe here)! The simple syrup bit, you may have to plan ahead since it requires some cooling down, but it’s worth the wait, truly!

The best part about this lemonade is that it’s quick and easy to make. That, and there are no instant lemonade granules in the bottle of your glass or jar. Seriously a pet peeve of mine! I like my lemonade natural and freshly squeezed from a lemon.

Use still water or swap it out for sparkling if you’re feeling fancy! Sip it out of your reusable straws (these are the ones that are picture that we use from Amazon!) and feel really good about what’s in your glass!

Fresh Homemade Lemonade

what you need:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/4 cup simple syrup

• 1 cup water (OR sparkling water)

• Ice

what to do:

1) Add all ingredients to a small pitcher

2) Stir well, until mixed

3) Serve immediately with ice and enjoy!

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Are you a lemonade fan or an iced tea fan? If you liked this recipe, share it with a friend or on Pinterest! Did you try it? Snap a quick photo and tag us on Instagram @maplealps!

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Lemon Maple Roasted Potatoes

Who else loves potatoes?

When I came back from my time in Europe, I could not eat potatoes for the longest time. I think I overdid it. When I finally got over, though, I remembered quite quickly why I used to love them! Potatoes are healthy, inexpensive, and tasty! Great source of vitamin C, potassium, B6, and are fat free (well, before you may choose to add any anyway)! Yay!

There are so many different ways to enjoy them too - hashed, scalloped, mashed, boiled, fried...you can have them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The possibilities are endless, really.

I am sharing a roasted variety today!

These tasty roasted potatoes are a great side to pretty much anything. I especially love them with marinated tofu steaks (sharing that recipe soon!) and some greenery. 

The best part is that they are so quick to bake, and are very tasty. After a long day at work, I certainly don't want to be slaving in the kitchen. These are also fantastic when you have last-minute guests. They seem fancy, but aren't!

They make the perfect holiday side - I bet gravy would be groovy on these little guys. If you go that route, you may want to double this recipe since this recipe is for a small batch.

This is just a simple, delicious way to enjoy some potatoes. I love using the mini ones and a variety so that it looks extra pretty, but you don't have to. You don't even have to slice them hasselback style if you are in a rush! Totally up to you. I used pink himalayan salt in mine, but you can use regular sea salt in yours. I kind of like the large grain texture, but you may not.

Enjoy it however you want to!

Lemon Maple Roasted Potatoes

what you need:

• 24 oz. small potatoes (I used a variety to get the different colours) 

• 1 TBSP maple syrup

• Juice from half a lemon

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ -1 tsp pink himalayan salt or sea salt

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 1 tsp fresh or dried parsley

what to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2) Wash potatoes and prepare them hasselback style - slicing the potato but leaving the bottom in tact (you don't have to, but I like to because the flavour really gets infused into them that way!)

3) Place potatoes in a medium sized bowl, and add olive oil, maple syrup, garlic, lemon juice and salt, mixing well until the potatoes are well coated.

4) Spread potatoes on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender all the way through.

5) Once potatoes are cooked, mix in the parsley and serve.

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How do you like your potatoes?

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DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

Making your own cleaning supplies is nothing new. Besides the fact that humans have done it for long enough, I've noticed that the web is filled with different DIY solutions that are supposedly easy to make, easy to use, easy on the wallet, and easy on your body. 

How could I resist? Well, I didn't even try to resist. 

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It all started when I was reminded that caulk is actually a thing. Growing up, we used distilled water in the kettle, so it was never a problem. Now, however, with filtered water going in, I noticed an ever so slight buildup. I knew vinegar was good for caulk, and to be honest, there is no way I would have felt comfortable putting any sort of cleaner in there anyway. I was reminded of my time abroad when my roommate and I would clean our shower every week with vinegar to get rid of and prevent caulk. My mind wandered, as it does, and I wondered what else I could clean with vinegar. My husband, however, hates the smell of vinegar, so I knew I needed to find a solution. Spoiler alert: I found a one.

Enter: lemons.

I had heard that adding lemons to vinegar and then letting it all sit for two weeks would make the vinegar smell less like vinegar. I thought it would be worth a try. Plus, the idea of having a jar of lemons sitting around for a while looking all pretty was very appealing to me. In went lemon skins, in went vinegar, and there it sat. I thought about using the leftover lemon juice to make a delicious lemon cake but opted to deodorize my cutting boards instead. Worked amazingly.

After two weeks (and a few days to be exact), I finally had the opportunity to strain my concoction. I may have been a little too excited, but it was worth it. While pouring, I was overwhelmed by the smell of lemons. The vinegar odour was faint, but still there.

Once strained (I had to do it a few times because I wasn't very dilligent in making sure I got rid of the pulp from my peels), I diluted it (1 part of the mixture and 2 parts water) and added it to my glass spray bottle. I took the great opportunity to clean my bathroom counters and was quite pleased with the result. I will mention that it took a bit more elbow grease than usual, but the result as a work-out as well as a clean-up. Score!

Related: The Ultimate Spring Simplifying Guide

It wasn't just that it was squeaky clean afterwards either! I was not paranoid about using chemicals and felt good about the natural ingredients I was using. There are so many chemicals hiding in household cleaning products (read about some here)

One concern I did have was whether or not it was actually cleaning. After some research, I found that vinegar really is a great disinfectant!

I have been using this cleaner for over a month now, and I have yet to have any complaints. With Spring just around the corner, I'll truly be putting it to the test  

Related: The Ultimate Spring Simplifying Guide

Recap: DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

• Put lemon skins (avoiding pulp) in large jar

• Cover with distilled vinegar

• Leave to sit for two weeks

• Strain well

• Dilute mixture in a spray bottle (1 part mixture to 2 parts water)

• Get cleaning!

Things you may need:

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What about you? Do you make your own cleaners? Excited about some Spring Cleaning?

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