Pumpkin Maple Bread with Pecan Streusel

Pumpkin Maple Bread with Pecan Streusel

to welcome autumn!

This recipe was inspired by a Pinterest pin I'd found a while back {found here}. I just free it of its gluten and this is what I got!

-- Bread Ingredients --
1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free baking mix (or regular flour)
1.5 tsp guar gum (or ~1 tsp xantham gum) (skip this if you're using regular flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
1 cup pumpkin puree (make sure you get 100% pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters)
1/3 cup olive oil (or veggie oil, or applesauce)

-- Streusel Topping Ingredients --
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 TB flaxseed meal (or almond meal, or flour)
2 TB sugar
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/4 cup chopped pecans

* I made my own pumpkin pie spice (as per THIS recipe), as it's something I rarely use so I didn't want to buy a whole bottle of it. The below mix will make 1 TB (3 tsps) of pumpkin pie spice!
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

-- Instructions --
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, placing the rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9" loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhanging the edges (so you can later lift the loaf out easily).
(2) Whisk the first 6 (or 5, if you're using regular flour) ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined.
(3) Mix the first 3 topping ingredients together. Cut in the butter. Toss in the pecans.
(4) Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top with a knife or spatula. Evenly sprinkle on the streusel topping.
(5) Bake 30-40 minutes (mine ended up baking closer to 50 mins), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 mins, then transfer to a rack to continue cooling.
(6) After cooled, cut, serve, and enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed Cauliflower

a staple side dish in our family

prepared much the same as mashed potatoes but with loads of nutrients!

Ingredients
- 2-3 heads of cauliflower (or 2 frozen family-size bags)
- 1/8 c. half and half
- 3 TB butter
- 2 TB Adobo seasoning (or garlic powder)
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions
(1) Place cauliflower in a stockpot and cover with water. If using fresh heads, cut off florets into stockpot and cover with water.
(2) Bring pot to a boil, and cook until cauliflower is very tender and very easily pierced with a fork.
(3) Drain cauliflower and return to pot.
(4) Add remaining ingredients and mash together with a potato masher.
(5) Serve and enjoy!!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Inspired by {this recipe} that I found via Pinterest

Serves: 4 (as a side dish) or 1 1/2 (as a main dish)

Recipe is easily doubled, tripled, etc. 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 of a medium pepper finely chopped
1/2 of a medium cucumber finely chopped
2-3 stalks of green onion diced
2 small tomatoes diced

Cook quinoa according to directions. Generally it's 1 part quinoa, 2 parts water- cooked just like rice, but prewash the quinoa to remove any sediment. Let quinoa cool slightly (I usually turn off the heat and start chopping my veggies while the quinoa cools!). Chop vegetables and add to quinoa, mix, and serve warm or chilled.



Tzatziki Sauce

2/3c plain greek yogurt
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 of a medium cucumber, finely grated
1 TB olive oil
dash freshly ground pepper
dash freshly ground sea salt

Mix in a small dish. Adjust spices to taste. We like a heavy garlic influence :) Top your salad with a dollop of sauce and enjoy! This goes great on gyros, a regular lettuce salad, a dip for potato wedges... the possibilities are endless ;)

Brown Sugar Ginger Carrots

Brown sugar ginger carrots are a bit of a staple in our home! They pair well with most any other veggie or meat dish. We've also used maple syrup, sucanat, you could probably even use honey in place of the brown sugar! Feel free to experiment as you wish :)

Brown Sugar Ginger Carrots

Ingredients
1 lb. carrots
2 TB brown sugar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 TB of butter
1/2 cup of water (or more)

*NOTE: this recipe easily doubles, triples, etc. So adjust to your family size and tastes!

Directions
(1) Cut carrots into smaller pieces, peeling the carrots if you wish. I usually cut the carrots in half lengthwise and then into thirds (and we leave the peels on for extra nutrients!).
(2) Add carrots to a medium saucepan. Add enough water to generously cover the carrots. In effect you'll be steaming the carrots, so you don't want them all completely submerged. You can always add more water later in the cooking process if they're getting low on liquid!
(3) Add butter, sugar, and ginger to saucepan.
(4) Cook over medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until carrots are easily pierced with a fork. Cook less if you prefer an al dente finish and/or for even more added nutrients!

quinoa stuffed peppers

makes: 2 large servings or ~4 side servings

loosely based on the {Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes} cookbook p. 44

{ingredients}

• 2 bell peppers, tops removed, seeded & hollowed out
• 1/2 c. uncooked quinoa
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/8 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 TB butter

{directions}
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place quinoa in fine-mesh strainer and rinse well. Bring water and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil, and stir in quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer 12-14 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed (like you would with rice).

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and tomato. Cook 7-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in quinoa, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and Italian seasoning. Add butter and stir until melted.

3. Arrange peppers in baking dish. Fill peppers with quinoa mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until peppers are tender (we did ours until peppers were slightly al dente still).

4. Serve warm. A main dish for a vegetarian, or if you cut the peppers in half after cooking, it would make ~4 side servings.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

This was fabulous! It's called a "tart" in my cookbook, but I use the term quiche- if anyone knows the technical difference between the two, please do let me know! :) So here is my vegetarian tweaked recipe! Original recipe is from:: Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free recipes

.: quiche ingredients :.

1 tsp olive oil

1 c. finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained

1 c. milk

3 eggs

1/4 c. grated parmesan

1 TB minced fresh basil OR 2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

.: topping ingredients :.

2 TB grated parmesan

.: directions :.

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch glass pie plate.

(2) Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic. Stir in spinach. Spread mixture evenly into pie plate.

(3) Combine the remaining quiche ingredients in a medium bowl and gently stir until combined. Pour mixture evenly into pie plate. Bake 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with the 2 TB parmesan topping.

.: notes :.

- I used Goya's extra virgin olive oil {that's essentially what we use in everything unless otherwise indicated!}

- I used 2% milk, as that's what we have in the house. I imagine any would type would work just fine though!

- As you can see in the photo, the spices all float to the top. Don't worry! That is how mine looked, and it tasted fabulous- not over spiced or anything :)

- I placed a cookie sheet on the rack below the rack that the quiche was on, just in case there's any overflow. The mixture pretty much fills a 9-inch pie plate to the brim, but I didn't end up having any overflow in the oven.

summer pasta

This is a favorite in our household! It's perfect for summer when you're looking for a light meal on those hot days, and when the tomatoes are in season. Take this recipe and make it your own- if you want more basil, add more! If you want more tomatoes, add more! This can be served hot as a main meal or cold as a side salad.

Recipe::

1 serving of pasta

~6-10 cherry or grape tomatoes

~6-10 small mozzarella balls

3-4 medium-sized fresh basil leaves

2-4 TB extra virgin olive oil

a few dashes of Adobo (optional)

Instructions::

Boil the pasta as indicated on packaging. I like to add some Adobo to the water to add a little extra flavor. While the pasta is boiling, cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into halves and mince the basil leaves. Drain the pasta and combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. I usually put everything back in the pot that the pasta cooked in- it softens the mozzarella really nicely. Serve and enjoy!

Notes::

- the pasta shown above is gluten-free trumpets from our local farmer's market, but feel free to pick any shape you wish!

- this is for a single serving- double, triple, quadruple, etc as needed!

- you can substitute 1 medium tomato (diced) for the cherry tomatoes

- you can also substitute 3/4 cup mozzarella (cubed) if you prefer buying the larger mozzarella balls, which I usually do as it's more economical

- although I prefer fresh basil leaves, you could substitute dried crushed basil- start at 1/8 tsp increase the amount to your taste preferences

peach sorbet

My husband and I have been on an ice cream kick lately, but we wanted to have a healthier alternative for our post-dinner snack. This is what we came up with!

MAKES:: ~4 servings

Ingredients::

2 peaches (pitted and sliced)

1-1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

2-3 TB agave syrup (optional)

2-4 TB fruit juice (optional)

Directions::

Put all ingredients in blender. Mix on "pureé" setting until smooth (30 seconds - 1 min). Pour into freezer-safe containers. Let sit in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

{***notes***}

- we used peaches, but you can certainly substitute any fruit you want!

- agave syrup is an alternative to sugar. it has a low glycemic index and is naturally sweeter, so you use less than if you were to use sugar. if you don't have agave syrup on hand (or don't want to buy some just for this recipe), substitute with sugar. You'll likely have to add a bit more than the recipe calls for- just increase the amount of sugar in small increments until it reaches your preferred level of sweetness :)

- the mixture will seem pretty thin and should pour well into your freezer-safe container. that's ok!

- - experiment with texture... if it's too thin or too thick it still taste great but can sometimes be really hard to scoop!

- my husband used blueberry-cranberry juice (I did not). I used agave syrup (my husband did not). You can use both or neither, it's completely up to your taste buds!!

pear-cranberry crisp

.: Ingredients :.
4 ripe pears, sliced
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3/4 c rolled oats
1 TB cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c dried cranberries (Craisins)
2 TB chopped walnuts

.: Directions :.
(1) preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray (or lightly butter it).
(2) Spread the pear slices over the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Sprinkle the mixture over the pears.
(3) In a small bowl, cut the butter into very fine pieces with a fork and combine with the oats. Add the cranberries and walnuts. Toss to mix. Sprinkle evenly over the pears.
(4) Bake about 40 minutes or until bubbling.

*NOTES*
A few things I did or will do differently...
- I used 2 pears and 2 apples, so you can certainly change up the fruit if you want!
- I used raw sugar instead of brown sugar
- I will probably use 2 TB of butter next time to get a more even coverage, there were some dry oatmeal areas on mine, still tasted perfectly fine though, so completely your call!
- I might use more walnuts, maybe 4 TB because I really like them :)
- I used Quick Oats... the recipe didn't specify quick or old-fashioned, I imagine either would do