Gluten-Free Vegan 'Before Noon' Crumpets

Lately, I have found I am getting hungry more often than usual. Now, I am one of those people you will see constantly snacking. By the time lunch rolls around, I have eaten three- sometimes four- rounds of food. I am all of a sudden getting very hungry, very quickly, and having some difficulty curbing it. What is the deal? Is it lack of sleep? Pregnancy? Tapeworm?

Though I'd like to be clear that the first is the most likely culprit, I am starting to chalk it up to the requirement of more protein and substance in my life. The easiest, most cheap and time-efficient gluten-free vegan alternatives to the more filling sides of life's best snacks in my life right now are:

- lettuce for wrapping
- rice cakes (otherwise known as breaths of air) for spreading
- vegetables for dipping
- more vegetables to replace pasta noodles
- ice-cream-less, crustless, shortcake-less fruits for dessert

I'm not saying these are the best or only alternatives- I know there is a lot of creativity (and sometimes pricey replacements) out there. I'm just saying when Monday to Friday comes, this creativity becomes difficult to tap into after rolling into my apartment at 5pm on my bicycle in "feels like" 40 degree weather. These were whipped up on a day off, and adapted from an egg-free crumpet recipe from The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread- a little gem found at a neighbourhood garage sale by my lovely mother. I would like to point out that although both my parents were up visiting at the time, I was the only one awake at 8:00am after a night of flowing wine and guitar-playing. Then, returning from a stroll into the market for some fresh croissants and fruit - still the only one awake. Which is where these were born. How times have changed.

Gluten-Free Vegan 'Before Noon' Crumpets 

Ingredients  

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix for baking (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp coarse-ground salt
1 1/2 tbsp raw hemp seeds
1 tbsp ground flax
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tsps dry yeast
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or other vegetable oil)

Directions 

Lightly oil a muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix flax with 1/4 warm water and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the dry yeast with the remaining cup of warm water and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Combine the remaining ingredients with the flax mixture and beat with a small mixer until frothy. Add the yeast mixture. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients in with the wet. Using a large fork or spoon, stir all ingredients together until smooth. Spoon about 1/4 cup into each muffin tin. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover and let rise for approximately 30 minutes. Bake for 23-26 minutes, until outside is golden. Remove and let cool before serving. Makes 8-10 small crumpets.