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Pumpkin Spiced Muffins

In cooking up come fresh pumpkin for my son, my step daughter and I decided to creative in the kitchen! Who doesn’t love a beautifully spiced pumpkin recipe?

So this is what we came up with! And man oh man did they turn out awesome! Gluten, dairy, and nut-free 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1  1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups coconut sugar
  • 3 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree
  • 1  3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup arrow root flour
  • 3 tbsp ground flax
  • 5 tbsp hemp hearts
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • dairy-free chocolate chips (*Optional)
  • chopped Pecans (*Optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375F. Whisk together eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and coconut sugar in a large mixing bowl. Once combined, stir in the pureed pumpkin.

Mix remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir well. Allow batter to sit for approximately 10 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the liquid. Scoop into greased muffin liners to about 3/4 full. Top with chocolate chips or chopped pecans (optional). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Tips & Ideas:

These freeze excellent!




Spiced Zucchini Muffins

The perfect fall muffin. Full of zucchini and all the spices of fall! This is based on the chocolate zucchini muffin recipe, with some changes!!

This recipe is nut-free (yay! the kids can take it to school), gluten-free, and the best part? You’ve never guess they’re not full of gluten!

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1  1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1  3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp arrow root flour
  • 3 tbsp ground flax
  • 5 tbsp hemp hearts
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 4  1/2 cups grated zucchini (not drained or dried if using fresh – you want some moisture for your muffins)
  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon (optional for topping)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375F. Whisk together eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and coconut sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir well. Mix in zucchini. Allow batter to sit for approximately 10 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the liquid. Scoop into greased muffin liners to about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with coconut sugar and cinnamon if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Tips & Ideas:

These freeze excellent! And this recipe is very easy to double if you’re wanting to use up that garden zucchini!

 




Lemon Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Who doesn’t love having a good muffin to grab on the go? These muffins are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and taste AMAZING!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1   1/4 cup canned coconut milk
  • 4 tbsp chia seeds
  • 6 large eggs (beaten)
  • 1/2 cup raw honey (very soft or melted)
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
  • 1 lemon zest
  • 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1   1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix coconut milk with chia seeds and set aside for at least 10 minutes to thicken (whisking every few minutes to ensure even thickening).

In a separate small bowl, sift dry ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients (except for the blueberries). Add coconut milk mixture to wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Gently add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add in blueberries and gently fold. Batter will quickly thicken and be on the thicker side.

Pour batter into greased or lined muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are golden brown. Immediately remove from tins and cool on wired rack.

Store on the counter for 3-4 days. Freeze excellent!




Butter Chicken with Naan Bread

Who doesn’t love an amazing Indian dish? This dish rivals what you’d order in a traditional indian restaurant… and the best part? It’s dairy and gluten free!

Ingredients:

Naan Bread (makes about 6 small paddies)

  • 1 cup of full fat coconut milk (canned)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour (or starch)
  • Coconut Oil or Ghee (Optional* for greasing your pan)

Chicken & Marinade

  • 2.2 lbs (1kg) boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1″ – 2″ cubes
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp sea salt

For the Sauce

  • 1/4  cup coconut oil
  • 2 medium/large onions chopped
  • 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
  • 1 inch knob of ginger (grated)
  • 1 tbsp garam masala (add up to 2 tbsp depending on how much spice you prefer)
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes (diced, no salt added)
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp of butter
  • chopped cliantro (for garnish – optional)

Directions:

Combine all marinade ingredients with chopped chicken in a zip-lock bag or shallow baking dish. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Let stand at room temp while you prepare the sauce, or simply put in the fridge to marinade overnight.

Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions, reduce heat, and cook until onions are golden brown (about for 20 minutes). Note this is one of the keys to good butter chicken… don’t rush this process. If onions are browning too fast, reduce heat and continue to cook.

Add garlic and allow to cook for about a minute. Add in all your spices (ginger, garam masala, paprika, cinnamon and sea salt). Cook spices for another minute or so.

Add tomatoes. Allow to cook for couple minutes before adding can of coconut milk. Remove pot from stove and puree using an immersion blender (I leave a few chunks). You can use a regular blender, just be careful of steam.

Return sauce to stove top and bring to a good simmer. Add in chicken. Cover and allow to simmer over medium-low heat until chicken is throughly cooked (about 12 minutes). Ensure this is a light simmer as you don’t want to cook your chicken too fast as it will be tough.

Once butter chicken is simmering, start making your naan bread. (It takes longer to cook than you think).

Mix all naan bread ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a small or medium non-stick pan over medium heat. Put in a small amount of ghee once pan is heated up. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into your frying pan. Once the batter fluffs up and looks brown and cooked (make sure it’s almost just under burnt, because if you undercook the middle of your naan will be gooey). Flip over and cook the other side (and be patient… this takes a little time). Remove once done, and make your next one! Continue until your batter is gone.

Now your chicken should be done. Add in your butter to your pot, stir until melted. Remove from heat, plate and serve with freshly chopped cilantro and your naan bread. **Optional to serve with rice

Enjoy!

 




Gluten-Free Ginger Cookie

Everyone loves a good soft, chewy ginger cookie. The challenge is making them taste good when you don’t eat gluten. This recipe has become a family favorite as even friends who eat “normal” would choose these over any gluten, re-fined sugar filled cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
  • 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted organic butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 2/3 cup + 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In the medium mixing bowl, combine all the flours, spices, salt and making soda a set aside.

In the large mixing bowl, mix the melted butter, molasses, and 2/3 cup of the coconut sugar. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture (from the medium mixing bowl) and mix vigorously until very well combined.

Cover the dough and put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).

When you want to bake the cookies, preheat the over to 350ºF. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/3 cup of the coconut sugar in a small bowl. Roll the cookies into 1″ balls and roll in the sugar. Place the sugar coated balls on cookie sheet (about 2″ apart). Press each cookie down slightly with fork or spoon.

Bake the cookies until they are puffed and cracked (about 7-10 minutes). Let cool slightly on cookie sheets before moving to a wire rack to completely cool

Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Freezing the cookie dough is a great idea to ensure you don’t eat the entire batch at once. Freeze individual cookies once they have been pressed down on a cookie sheet. Once they have froze solid, they can be transferred to a freezer safe container for later baking.