Gluten Free Skinny Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fall is defiantly in the air here in Colorado, and there is nothing better than your whole home smelling like pumpkin.  Come to think of it, there's nothing better than pumpkin spice well....everything haha.  It just screams fall.  I am always looking for an easy breakfast to take with me to work and this week I had such a craving for some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.  My family has a recipe for some fabulous pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, but truth be told...they're full of oil and sugar.  So bad for you, but oh so delicious.  So it got me to thinking of what can I do to make some that are gluten free, and well all-in-all healthier.  After looking around on pinterest for a while I found a few recipes that I really liked, and kind of just combined and made some changes to make them what I wanted.  I also love to make mini muffins, as opposed to the normal sized ones.  I think they just end up way more connivent.
So make your self a nice cup of coffee and enjoy these wonderful muffins on a crisp fall day :-)

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 can pumpkin
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk (any variety)
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup mini semi chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (excluding the chocolate chips)  Whisk all the wet ingredients together making sure they are mixed well.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix thoroughly, but do not over do it.
Either line your mini muffin pan with liner or spray really well
Fill muffin tin about 3/4 full
Bake for 12 minutes if you are doing mini muffins, or for 15-17 mins if you are doing large muffins
Be sure to check for doneness with a toothpick.
Cool on a cooling rack, and be sure to store in an air tight container

Now the Best Part.... ENJOY

Paleo Gluten Free Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

So generally on Fridays my husband is off while I work during the day then we have the evening together.  There is nothing more I hate then having to go to work for 10 hrs, then come home and have to cook.  So I am always trying to come up with something easy for my husband to make (he's really not that great in the kitchen, but he tries :-) )  So I was craving some Chinese food, but what could I possible make that is both paleo and gluten free? Well Cashews were on sale at the store so I had picked up some of those then it came to me.... Cashew Chicken!  This couldn't be that hard in the crock pot!  And all Josh would need to do is throw it all in the crock pot and turn it on! SIMPLE!!!  One thing to keep in mind if you are gluten free is that Soy Sauce is FULL of GLUTEN!!!  But there are gluten free soy sauces out there, so just keep an eye out for it! I get mine at Sprouts, which is our local health food store.  I believe Whole Foods has it as well.
I then ran into the problem with the brown sugar needed for the sauce, this is not Paleo...now what to do... Then I stumbled across coconut sugar.  After researching all it is is processed coconut flesh to be very fine.  It's pretty delicious too, and it reminds me of brown sugar! Perfect!!  Alright enough blabbing, here we go!

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

2 chicken breasts, (leave whole)
1-2 cups frozen broccoli 
1 cup carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces 
1/2 cup cashews 
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons ketchup (try to get sugar free for paleo)
1 Tablespoon coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon garlic powder 
1 Tablespoon ginger powder 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chicken broth

Layer chicken, and vegetables in the crockpot
Combine remaining ingredients except water and cashews, and pour over chicken in crockpot
Add water or broth if necessary so that the chicken and veggies are almost completely covered
Cook for 5 hrs on low
Take the chicken out and dice into bite sized pieces, throw back in the crock pot and add the cashews and cook for another hour on low.

You can enjoy this on rice if you are not Paleo, or if you are Paleo you can do riced cauliflower (which is pretty amazing).  Best part of cooking the meal...ENJOY

Kale Chips

Kale Chips

I adore Kale!!  It's so incredibly good for you it's not even funny!  I know a lot of people out there hate it, and I just cannot understand why!!

Now it's not something that I love just eating raw, or just in a salad..then I say yuck.  But the best thing ever is when I'm craving something salty and crunchy...Yes most people would reach for the chips or popcorn...but remember we're Paleo!! Neither of those things are a go.  So my favorite thing?  Kale chips!!  What is even better is you can flavor them however you want! If you're feeling spicy add some chili powder or red pepper flakes. If you want more those fall flavors do some cinnamon and nutmeg (not sure how that would taste...)  Or you can do just plain salt and pepper!  The possibilities are ENDLESS!  Ok I'll stop rambling!

Kale chips

4 Kale leaves

1 T oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

Preheat oven to 300 degrease.  Take leafy parts off of the kale leaving the stem behind.  Break up into bite size pieces (remember when they are cooked they shrink some) Toss the kale bits with oil, and seasonings.  Lay out flat on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, careful to not let them burn!  I start checking at that 10 minute mark and 2 minutes at a time from there.  Take out of over and transfer to some paper towels to pat off excess oil.  And...ENJOY!

Paleo Burger with Egg on top

Paleo Burger with egg on top and sauted spinach

So a couple of weeks ago, before venturing into the world of Paleo, my husband and I tried a new trendy burger, one with a fried egg on top.  We were pretty reluctant to try it, but wow! Was it good!!! I got to thinking about using this with the Paleo diet, just without the bun, but wanted to incorporate some kind of veggie with it.  Then it dawned on me...spinach goes excellent with eggs!  So, here are! Hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!!

Paleo Burger with egg on top and sauteed Spinach

1/2 lb hamburger meat
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T Worcester sauce
1 bunch of spinach
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs

Take and mix the hamburger meat with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and the Worcester sauce.  Do not over work the meat and it will fall apart easier.  Shape into 2 patties.  Cook patties on a screaming hot skillet, until desired doneness.  (I like mine medium rare, which takes about 4 mins each side)  Set hamburgers to the side to rest and cover with foil.  In the same pan place the spinach and apple cider vinegar along with salt and pepper to taste.  Saute for about 3 minutes.  Remove from pan
Spray the pan with some non-stick spray and fry your eggs until done the way you like :-) I love still having the yolk runny!  Place the spinach on the plate and top with your hamburger followed by the egg.
Now ENJOY!

Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew

Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew

Ahhhh there is nothing better than on a cool fall day to have the smell of beef stew cooking away in the crock pot.  So homey, and relaxing.  That would be perfect for a day like today here in Colorado.  It's currently 52 degrees out and I'm stuck at work until 4:30 pm.  The greatest thing about beef stew is that it really cannot be over cooked haha.   You can leave it in the crock pot on low allllllllllllll day long. Going Paleo means giving up a very important part of beef stew, potatoes.  How was I ever going to come up with a stew that still tastes that amazing with out it?!?  Well lets add another favorite veggie, green beans.  Yes, yes, this will be perfect!!  And yes there is wine in the stew, is wine Paleo?  Well people argue it both ways.  All I know is I'm not ready to give up my alcohol...so yeah...I will be drinking wine and cooking with it haha. So here we go!

Wish it looked a little better haha, but trust me it tastes wonderful!

Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew

2 lbs stew beef (cubed or not cubed doesn't matter)
5 slices of bacon
1 large yellow onion (diced)
4 cloves of garlic (I love garlic)
4 large carrots (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1/2 lb green beans (trimmed)
Can of beef stock
1 cup red wine
1 bay leaf

Cook up the bacon in a pan until nice and crispy. Let cool and set aside reserving the leftover grease.  Take and brown off the stew meat, weather it's whole and you wanna shred it later or the individual cubes.  Place in crock pot.  Saute the onions in the bacon grease until tender, and add the garlic to cook for a couple of minutes.  De-glaze the pan with the onions and garlic still in it with the red wine.  Let reduce for about 5 minutes. Pour everything into the crock pot.  Add can of beef stock, veggies, bay leaf and the bacon crumbled to the crock pot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

Now the best part... ENJOY! 

Gluten Free Homemade Granola Bars

I am always looking for something easy to make for breakfast that is a good on the go.  I  work at 6:30 in the morning, having to leave my house at 5:45 am and just do not have time to make anything. Yeah sure one can make muffins, or buy the over processed to go things they sell in the stores, but those have so much such and blah!  And they're expensive for no more than you get!! So I decided I would try my hand at some homemade granola bars that are the healthier side.  I took some notes from some oat meal cookies I've made in the past with mashed bananas and took that concept to this bar recipe.

Gluten Free Homemade Granola Bars

2 Cups Oats
2 Cups Shredded Coconut (no sugar added)
2 large bananas mashed
2 t Vanilla
2 t Coconut Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk (any variety)
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips (or raisins)

Preheat your oven to 350.
Mix everything together.  (I mixed with my hands to make sure that it all comes together nicely, especially the bananas.
Place ingredients in a 11" X 7" greased pan, patting down so everything is stuck together
Bake for 30 minutes (until edges are golden brown)
Let cool for at least an hr
Cut into bars and ENJOY! Be sure to store them in an air tight container and they should last for a week.

With these you can always do some variation with the choco-chips, you can add nuts, or raisins, or cranberries, or yogurt chips, or whatever.  The possibilities are endless!! I really hope you enjoy then, and these are also wonderful for kids!

Tomato basil soup

Here in Colorado fall is defiantly upon us. Friday it is only suppose to reach a high of 50... Brrrrrr... Haha. Ever since we lived in Florida I've become such a whimp with weather! 

On the news they were talking about how the first freeze may be happening sooner than later. Made me think of all that fresh basil sitting in my mom's garden and what can be done with it. Pesto is an obvious choice, but other than that what else is out there? That's when I started thinking about the cold weather and what I love during the fall... Soup. And one of my favorites, besides butternut squash, is Safeways tomato basil bisque.  So I thought to my self, how can I make a healthy version, aka minus the heavy whipping cream. Then I thought duh... My coconut milk sitting in my fridge!! So here we go!!

Tomato basil soup (healthy)

1/2 onion (diced)

4 cloves of garic (smashed)

2 T oil

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can chicken stock

10 leaves of fresh basil

1 cup coconut milk

2 t balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in oil until onions turn translucent. Add tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add basil and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. 

Take mixture and either use an immersion blender, or a stand blender and blend well. Return back to the pot on low and stir in the cream, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!!

Now if you are big into freezer meals this is a perfect one!! Just put into a gallon sized ziplock bag (after it's cooled) and lay flat to freeze. When your ready to eat it you can take it out of the bag and out it in your slow cooker (yes from the frozen state) and cook on low while your at work and enjoy for dinner!!!

Carrot Coconut GF muffins (advocare friendly)

Recently my husband has had to move to a primarily glutten free diet. It's been tough wasp evilly when it comes down to baked goods!! But I came across a primarily healthy muffin recipe and kind if expanded upon it adding the carrot and coconut along with making it gluten free. Now you can use all purpose flower for this recipe as well!! Hope you enjoy!!

1 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour*

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar free apple sauce

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

2 T melted butter

1 egg (lightly beaten)

2/3 cup grated carrot

1/3 cup shredded coconut

*if you use all purpose flower cut the baking down to 1 tsp

Prepare a muffin tin (I used small ones) with either liners or grease. Preheat oven to 350 degreese.

Whisk together all dry ingredients (except coconut and carrot.) Make a well in the middle and add all wet ingredients. Mix all together until combined... Do not over mix. Fold in carrot and coconut. 

Spoon into muffin tin filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 13 mins for the small guys, larger ones will take prob about 18 minutes. Check with a tooth pick and if it comes out clean it's done!!

Now the hard part... Let them cool before eating! The flavors come out more and more as they cool! Enjoy!!

Roasted chicken and potatos

Chicken is always a nice priced protein to eat. I happened to find chicken quarters, which is the thigh and leg, for only $.99 a pound, really an amazing price! And the. Potatoes are always a go to as well. 

Nothing can beat the comfort of oven baked chicken. This recipe has a little spice and sweetness on the skin is just amazing!!!  Now keep in mind my recipe is for 2 servings.

2 chicken quarters

1/2 stick butter

3 large potatoes cut into 1" chunks

Old bay seasoning

2 T agave syrup (or maple syrup)

Preheat oven to 400degrees 

In a roasting dish melt 2 T butter. Toss chicken in butter. Salt and pepper both sides. Throw in potatos into fish and toss with butter. Season liberally with old bay.

Place in over and bake.

Melt the rest of the butter. 

After 15 minutes baste chicken with 1/2 of the melted butter, then again after 15 more minutes. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Then spread agave syrup on chicken and finish baking for another 20 minutes.  Be sure to check internal temp. 

And there you have it, super easy and extremely yummy!!!!

 

Stir Fried Baby Scallop Vermicelli

My wonderful husband got me an amazing cook book for Christmas, and I'm just now getting around to reading through it... Such a bad wife haha.  I am not big into reading cook books, or recipes because I like coming up with my own, and using what I have on hand.  It always seems like when I find a recipe I want to try there are like 20 billion different things that I have to buy for that one recipe, and I just do not work that way.  Anyways I was reading through, Christine Ha's "Recipes from My Home Kitchen" I came across a scallop recipe that sounded amazing, but reading through it there were several ingredients that I did not have on hand, and honestly I couldn't see myself buying for other recipes for the week.  I sat around thinking about it for a long time, and finally came up with a way that I could use inspiration from that recipe, and it just so happened, while looking through my weekly ads, that baby scallops were on sale!  The only other ingredient to make the main dish that I did not have on hand was vermicelli, which I thought, that cant really cost that much right? It's only rice noodles! And for 4 servings I found it for only $2.  NOT BAD!

Ok ok ok, I know enough babbling, let us get to the recipe.  So here you are, inspired from Christine Ha's cook book, Stir Fried Baby Scallop Vermicelli.

1 lb baby scollops (if frozen thaw out)
1 package vermicelli
1 large carrot (jullianed)
2 green onions (diced)
2 T chicken broth
3 T fish sauce
3 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 T lime juice
1/4 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 T fresh grated ginger
3 T canola oil
1/2 t chili flakes

For the Vermicelli
Fill a bowl with cool water and soak noodles for 30 minutes. Bring a large bot of salted water to a full boil.  Drain noodles and place in boiling water for only about 10-15 seconds.  Take out noodles and place in an ice bath and let them cool down completely.

For the Sauce
Mix fish sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and lime juice all together until sugar is dissolved.  Set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in large skillet.  Cook down onion, garlic, and ginger all together until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add carrot and green onion and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add sauce to pan and let simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Salt and pepper baby scallops, and in a separate pan heat 2 T oil and chili flakes.  Add baby scallops and cook for 3 minutes ( this is all the time needed for these, other wise they will end up rubbery and gross). Drain grease and let set.

Add the Vermicelli to the pan with the sauce and toss together to incorporate the sauce throughout the noodles.

Place down the noodles and carrots on the plate and top with scallops.  Add some cilantro on top for color and a pop of flavor.

And don't forget the most important step....ENJOY!!!

This recipe make about 4 servings, so my husband and I were able to enjoy this for left over as well the next day.  It headed up really nice in the microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes!

And for Christine's cook book please go here to buy it, it really truly is an amazing book!!!

http://amzn.com/1623360943

I also got the wontons from a fellow blogger here: http://triedandtasty.com/2010/08/baked-cream-cheese-wontons/

Roasted butternut squash cauliflower soup

So I know it's been quite a while since I last posted here, but a lot has been going on. I was t originally going to make a recipe for this one, but I had several requests after posting about it on Facebook. I loving making big batches like this so that way I have lunch ready to go for the next week, makes life incredibly easier!! 

Ok so enough blabbing, here's the recipe... And sorry for the non professional pics, at least you know these are how the recipes really turn out and they're not all glommed up haha!

Roasted butternut squash soup

1 butternut squash (cut up into 1" cubes)

1/2 head cauliflower (roughly chopped)

3 T canola oil (or olive oil)

1/2 onion (diced)

1 stalk celery

2 cloves garlic (diced)

1 T sage

1 T thyme

2 cans chicken broth

2 cups water (aprox)

1/2 C coconut milk (soy or almond works too)

Heat oven to 400*. Toss butternut squash with 1 T oil and place in baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

Heat other 2 T of oil in large pot, add onion, garlic, and celery. Sweat veggies for about 5 mins. Add cauliflower and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Stir in roasted squash, chicken broth, spices, and water. With the water you want just enough to come about an inch above the veggies. Bring to a boil then turn down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes purée soup in blender or with immersion blender. I had to do mine in batches in the blender. Stir in milk and add salt and pepper to taste . Voila, you now have about 4 servings of delicious soup!!! Enjoy!!!