Pumpkin Muffins. (Gluten & Dairy - Free)

These delectable little pumpkin muffins started showing up in our kitchen a few months ago. And every time we bake a batch, they are pretty much all I eat until the next day when they're all gone. Luckily, they're pretty easy to make, so we're able to whip up some more in a hurry and my strict pumpkin-muffin-only diet can continue.

It's been rainy the last few days, which has made the mornings perfect for baking. 

Considering my attempt to show up here a little more often, I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

It suits the needs of my diet by being free of gluten and dairy, but you could modify it accordingly to use whatever flour and milk you have available to you at the time. Even as a gluten free treat, it's not dry or crumbly at all, thanks to the pumpkin! A rare gem.

I've brought these to every work breakfast/brunch that we've had so far this year and believe me, there've been a lot of them. As long as I don't label them as "DAIRY AND GLUTEN FREE" people love them. Haha it's all in your head! ;)

You should also know that doubling this recipe is totally seamless.

The following measurements will get you about 9 little muffins.

ingredients:                                                                                  directions:

1/2 c. brown rice flour                                                                   - Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

1/2 tsp baking powder                                                                    - mix together dry ingredients and set aside

1/4 tsp baking soda                                                                        - cream together pumpkin, egg, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl

1 tsp cinnamon                                                                              - add half of the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Combine.

1/4 tsp salt                                                                                    - add the milk and combine

1/2 c. pureed pumpkin                                                                   - add all remaining dry ingredients and combine 

1 egg (I just use the yolk, vegans could use egg replacer - modify it!)                                    - add oil and combine

3 T honey                                                                                     - bake for 20-25 minutes

2 T brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 T almond milk

2 T canola oil

these muffins are a modified version of this cake from The Novice Chef

Peach, Apple, Blueberry Cobbler : Gluten Free, Dairy Free.

I don't think I've ever bought a box of peaches without eventually wanting them turned into a peach cobbler.

Don't get me wrong, I love peaches on their own, but during the summertime, I crave peach cobbler like it's nobody's business. Since I eat gluten-free and I'm trying the whole dairy-free thing for a while, I decided to try to get creative and make a 'healthy' peach cobbler. I read a few recipes before starting, to get an idea of what people usually use, and tried to think of good, healthy alternatives for things like butter, flour, and sugar before concocting my own little dish.

And maybe it's because I haven't had a 'real' dessert in a while, or maybe it's because of how desperately I wanted a peach cobbler, but I thought it was pretty good! 

I wrote down the ingredients and measurements as I went, in case I wanted to make it again and I'm certain that I will. :) We all know that I'm not a chef by any sense of the word, so this is clearly a simple creation, but in case you feel inclined to try it, here it is!

Ingredients:

for the filling:                                                                                     for the topping:

- 6 peaches, sliced                                                      - 1 cup oats

- 1 apple                                                                   - 1/3 cup granola

- 1 cup blueberries                                                     - 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp cinnamon                                                        - 1 tsp agave

- 1.5 tbsp honey                                                         - a dash of cinnamon

- tsp vanilla

- a dash of nutmeg

- 1 cup applesauce

1) Combine the peeled, diced fruit in a bowl with the cinnamon, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, and applesauce. Pour the fruit mixture into an 8x11 pan.

2) Combine the oats, granola, salt, and agave in a small bowl, then spread on top of the fruit mixture.

3) Drizzle agave and/or add cinnamon to the topping.

4) Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

Only thing I might tweak next time is adding a little bit of applesauce to the topping too.

Enjoy! Even for breakfast, if you'd like.. It's practically just oatmeal and fruit. 

I mean... doesn't get much more guilt free than that, right? ;)

lemon poppyseed pancakes.

as much as i am eagerly anticipating all things 'pumpkin spice' this fall, i can't bring myself to eat/drink anything pumpkin flavored just yet. it's still been in the 90-100 degree area in southern california! isn't it blasphemy to enjoy pumpkin treats in anything other than cold and preferably gloomy weather? (and isn't it also blasphemy for it to still be this hot towards the end of september?)

regardless, due to the heat, i've been sticking with summer recipes lately. (yes, i have been cooking recently! gotta learn sometime!)  this mostly just means lots of avocado in everything.

but this morning? it meant lemon poppyseed pancakes.

i had seen the recipe on pinterest, but it initially came from here.

wes and i agreed that next time, we will add a little bit more sugar to the batter. and the strawberries were a perfect topping. i never really like a ton of sweets in the morning so i favor fruit over syrup any day!

tonight, i'm making turkey burgers for my family - last time i made them, they were delicious! hopefully i didn't just get lucky with that last batch... we'll see soon enough, i guess!

i feel so domestic, you guys.
pancakes and turkey burgers?
what is happening to me?!

bye!

apparently, i don't hate spinach after all.

we've been trying to cram as much iron as possible into my meals lately.

which means that all my efforts to give up red meat for those 5 months are kind of backfiring because now i'm supposed to eat it and i have absolutely no appetite for it, haha. but i'm trying!
my mom also revealed that she's been sneaking spinach into my salads at night, which i hadn't even noticed. i guess that means that i don't hate it as much as i thought i did. whoops...

i came across a really intriguing take on the classic grilled cheese sandwich the other day while browsing pinterest, so last night, when weston suggested that we make dinner for my family, i knew exactly what to make.

a quick stop at trader joe's and a half hour later, we were all sitting in the backyard, feasting on the delicious sandwiches and handfuls of fresh fruit. even little toby joined us outside with his own dinner! it was just one of those perfect summer evenings.

p.s. weston is the best cheese griller i've ever seen. let that go on the record somewhere amidst all the other things he's good at.

incase you're inclined to try it, we used this sandwich recipe :
(via tastespotting)

-     -     -     -     -     -

ingredients

• 2 slices bread (we used sourdough)
• 2-3 tablespoons of pesto
• mozzarella
• handful of fresh spinach
• sliced avocado
• crumbled goat cheese
• olive oil 

-     -     -     -     -     -

i told my mom that i could help her out by making dinner for the family once a week this summer and she was thrilled. i'm already thinking about what i'd like to make next week. maybe this will be the summer that i stop despising kitchen activities. we'll see.