Gluten Free, Grain Free Pumpkin Pie

This was a challenge… a big one. I have always had a hard time with pumpkin pie. My mom makes an AWESOME pumpkin pie. My absolute favorite pie. I’ve tried to mimic her recipes (homemade pie crust included) and always burn it or under cook it. It’s tricky. This recipe was even worse as I had no idea what I was doing when I started. I knew what the basic pumpkin filling needed to have and how I needed to modify it. The pie crust was the worse though. A typical pie crust is buttery, flakey and delicious but full of fat and gluten. I decided to go with a nut crust instead. It is still full of fat – but good fats. I added the oat topping for my husband as he is not a huge pumpkin fan. This will be our go to for Thanksgiving dessert. Go ahead – add it to your holiday menu too!

Crust

1 ½ cup finely ground nuts (I used an almond, cashew hazelnut blend)
1/3 cup date puree
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Filling
1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
¼ cup applesauce
2/3 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp honey
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Topping (optional - omit this to make it grain free)
2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup GF oats
¼ cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon

• To grind nuts, use a high power blender (I used my Magic Bullet) and blend for about 1 minute until most of the nuts are finely ground. If you blend to much you will end up with nut butter so just watch it. You don’t want them ground like flour so it should still be a little coarse.
• To puree the dates, add in about ½ cup or (10-12 small) dates and ¼ cup water. Using a high powered blender, blend the dates and water until a paste forms.
• Combine the nuts and dates into a small bowl. Stir in coconut sugar and cinnamon.
• Spread into a greased glass pie plate and press onto bottom and sides. Pre-bake the crust at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pierce crust with a fork. The crust may bubble up but piercing it should remove the extra air.
• While the crust is pre-baking, combine the filling ingredients and stir with a whisk until well combined and smooth.
• Pour filling into pie crust. Bake at 325°F for about 45-50 minutes or until sides start to brown.
• While pie is baking, combine topping ingredients until crumbly.
• Half way through baking, remove pie and sprinkle with topping mixture. Cover with foil and return to oven to finish baking. The foil will prevent the pie and topping from over browning.
• Remove from oven and let cool for about an hour.
• Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight before serving to let pie to set up.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken can sometimes be hard to bake. You have to really watch it or it can get really dry, really fast. I find that if you stuff the chicken breasts with something, they tend to stay pretty moist and also cook fairly quickly. I love chicken cordon bleu but it can be loaded with fats and other nasty things. I re-vamped my old (unhealthy) recipe and was very pleased with the results!

2 large chicken breasts

2 slices of Swiss cheese (I used a dairy free alternative)
2 slices of ham, thinly sliced (like deli style)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinaigrette
2 tsp garlic, minced

• Cut your chicken breasts almost all the way in half, butterfly style)leaving the breast together just a little.
• Place one slice of cheese and one slice of ham in the open chicken breast.
• Pour vinaigrette over the chicken. Fold chicken back together and secure with toothpicks.
• Place chicken into a 2 quart baking dish and bake at 350°F until cooked completely through, about 35-40 minutes.

Pumpkin Chai Caramel Cookies

Here’s another OMG moment. Remember my last one?? Here’s a refresher – my Pumpkin Chai Thumbprints. I actually used the same base for this cookie, but instead of putting a Hershey’s Kiss on top, I stuffed them with caramels. In our opinion, these were even better! I don’t think there’s anything else to say about them – just let the cookie do the talking J

¼ cup non-dairy butter

½ cup pumpkin
¼ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup Stevia
¼ cup strong chai tea (I steeped one bag in about ½ cup water for a few minutes)
1 Tbsp milled flaxseed
3 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup coconut flour
1 cup rice flour
½ cup white sorghum flour
½ cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp dry chai tea blend (I used one half of a tea bag – just cut it open and use!)
10 Kraft Caramels, cut in half to make 20 pieces.

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, pumpkin, sugar and stevia.
• Add in liquid Chai tea, flaxseed, water and vanilla. Blend until well combined.
• Gradually add in remaining dry ingredients. Mix until dough is well blended.
• Using a cookie scoop, make cookie dough balls and add one piece of caramel to the middle. Shape dough around caramel so that it is completely covered. 
• Flatten with your palm and bake at 350°F for about 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Store in a sealed container.
• NOTE: I chose to make these egg-free so that’s where the flaxseed came in. If you’d rather use an egg, just substitute one egg for the flaxseed and water.
• Also – the Kraft Caramel is a RARE and special treat that we don’t usually have. I made a few of these without them also for myself as they are not on my diet. They still give a nice fall cookie treat for someone to enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread with Oatmeal Topping

I’m pretty sure you can’t have a food blog in the fall without a pumpkin bread recipe. I wanted to try something a little different. I try to cut out butter/or fat in my recipes to keep them light. Some just need it, others not as much. This didn’t need any. I usually substitute butter with applesauce but I decided to try an overripe banana instead. It worked perfectly! It gave the pumpkin a little extra flavor and helped keep the bread moist. The real treat is the oatmeal topping though. If you are eating gluten-free, watch your oats. Oats in general are gluten free but most are manufactured in wheat processing facilities. I learned the hard way that cross-contamination can be a BIG problem! I use oats that are processed in a dedicated gluten free facility. I used a GF all purpose flour blend that substitutes 1:1 for regular all purpose flour – so don’t think you can’t enjoy this just because you don’t want a recipe using gluten free flour! Makes 1 loaf.

2 cups GF all purpose flour

½ cup stevia or sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if using regular flour)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ cup banana, mashed (about 1 large)
1 can pure pumpkin (or 1.5 cups)
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup molasses
2 eggs
¼ cup almond milk
½ cup chopped pecans
Topping
1/3 cup GF oats
2 Tbsp butter (I used dairy free or substitute coconut oil), melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
½ tsp cinnamon

• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• Add in banana, pumpkin, syrup, molasses, eggs and almond milk. Mix on medium speed until just blended.
• Fold in pecans and pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.
• In a small bowl, combine butter, oats, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping over bread batter.
• Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until bread is cooked through.
• Cover with foil half way through baking to prevent overbrowning.

Gluten Free Brownies with Maple Peanut Butter Frosting

This was my husband’s request for his birthday cake replacement. We prefer brownies over cake anyway! I did cheat a little and use a gluten free brownie mix. I really like the Bob’s Red Mill mixes but there are so many out there that are delicious too. I saw that Betty Crocker even has a gluten-free mix. Just watch your cross contamination factor when buying mixes or any flours for that matter. I try to find mixes made a strictly gluten-free factories or make my own. However, I do know how hard it is to make everything from scratch with children and working 50 hours a week – not easy! Either way – these were great. The frosting was perfect on these and gave a little hint of fall flavors with the maple flavor. For his birthday breakfast he wanted Maple Cinnamon Rolls. For some reason I made enough maple icing for 100 cinnamon rolls but I only made 12 rolls… so obviously I had an entire bowl of icing left. This was  great way to use it up – one of those rare perfect accidents!

1 box of gluten free brownie mix

1 egg
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup peanut or almond butter
1 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ cup almond milk

• Mix together brownie mix, egg, applesauce and yogurt until well combined – batter will be thick.
• Spread batter into a greased pan (I used a 11x7 pan, but you could use a 9x9, just increase baking time).
• Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Let cool about 10 minutes.
• While brownies are baking, make frosting. Melt peanut butter in microwave for about 15 seconds.
• Whisk together warmed peanut butter, syrup and almond milk. Gradually add in powdered sugar until desired consistency.
• Remember you are making a frosting not a glaze so you want it a little thick.
• Spread frosting over brownies and serve. Cover and store in refrigerator if you have any leftovers.
• Sprinkle with some Halloween sprinkles for an extra touch!

 

Roasted Fall Vegetables

I love root vegetables and squash in the fall. I really like it all year but of course it is much easier and cheaper to like it when the vegetables are in season. One day I will figure out how to grow my own. Anyway, I threw together a variety of vegetables here and they all came together nicely. It was super easy to roast them and the house smelled great after! This is another customizable dish so if you’d rather leave out an item or add in another, feel free!

5-6 small fingerling potatoes (baby red or white potatoes would work well also)

2 medium rutabagas, quartered
2 medium beets, quartered
2 medium turnips, quartered
6-8 brussell sprouts
1 large sweet potato, cut into 2” chunks
1 parsnip, cut into 2” chunks
½ cup sliced fennel
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped (about 1 tsp)
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp olive oil

• In a large casserole dish, combine clean, cut vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and stir until vegetables are coated in oil.
• Add thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Stir again until vegetables are coated with seasonings.
• Pour water over vegetables. Bake at 350°F for about an hour or until vegetables are cooked through and have a nice little roasted crisp to them.

Maple Pecan Cookies

Sweet, soft, fluffy are great words to describe these cookies. Aside from pumpkin, maple may be my second favorite fall flavor! These little cookies are a great fall treat without the guilt and also store well so you can save some for another day! I think the best way to describe them is a mix between a fluffy maple cake donut and a pecan shortbread cookie. They have the nice pecan flavor but are very soft and moist. Makes about 2 dozen small cookies.

1 ½ cups GF all purpose flour

1 egg
¼ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
3 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ cup apple sauce
¼ cup coconut oil
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup chopped pecans

• In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, coconut oil, sugar and syrup until well blended. Add in egg, flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and pecans.
• Blend on medium speed for about 1 minute or until well combined, scraping sides if necessary.
• Using a cookie scoop, place cookie dough onto a greased baking sheet about 2” apart. Flatten cookies with palm if desired.
• Bake at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes or until cookies start to brown. Store in a sealed container for up to a week.

Butternut Pumpkin Biscuits

So I wanted to make some sweet potato biscuits one evening. I found a great recipe in a new cookbook I received as a gift. It is The Healthy Gluten-Free Life by Tammy Credicott. It is an amazing book with  simple recipes for readers new to the gluten-free diet like I was – check it out! She also has a new book out – Make Ahead Paleo that I just ordered – can’t wait to get it! Anyway, I was getting everything ready and realized I did not have sweet potatoes. Darn. However, I DID have some butternut squash. Now comes problem #2. I didn’t have enough squash. Darn. However, I DID have some leftover pumpkin.  Now comes problem #3. I was quickly running out of the flours the recipe called for. However, I did have a bunch of other flours I could use. Finally – a solution! I’m not going to say they taste exactly like Tammy’s sweet potato biscuits but I imagine they are pretty stinkin close! These are soft and flakey but still gluten free and delicious! These would be a perfect addition to your favorite fall meal! The lesson I learned from this little mishap is that you can still create great things with what you have on hand – you just have to use your noggin a little more and have a little faith J Makes roughly 18 small biscuits.

1 cup white sorghum flour

¼ cup coconut flour
½ cup potato starch
¾ cup tapioca starch
1 packet (1 ½ tsp) xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup butter, cold (or shortening) I used soy butter
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup applesauce (or ½ cup more butter or shortening)
1/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond)
1 cup butternut squash (cooked & mashed)
1 cup pumpkin (canned or fresh cooked & mashed)
¼ cup sweetener (I used a mixture of honey & maple syrup)
1 tsp cinnamon

• In a large bowl, mix together sorghum flour, coconut flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum.
• Cut in butter, coconut oil and applesauce with dry ingredients. 
• In a separate bowl, mix together mashed squash, pumpkin, milk, sweetener and cinnamon. 
• Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. You don’t want dry flour rolling around, but you don’t want to over blend either.
• Using your hands, shape dough into 2” biscuits and place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Chai Thumbprints

So I don’t say this too much but OMG – these cookies are FANTASTIC! Chai tea is one of my go-to comfort drinks and as you’ve noticed – I love pumpkin. These are a perfect blend. They are great by themselves, but throw that Hershey’s Kiss on top and you’ve got something magical. I originally got the idea for this recipe off of Pinterest. Therefore I can’t take credit for the whole idea – I think the original post I found was from www.passthesushi.com for a Chai spice cookie. There are many pins for a similar type of cookie out there but I didn’t find any gluten free. Anyway – I made my own little version here and I hope you love it as much as we do!

¼ cup non-dairy butter

½ cup pumpkin
¼ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup Stevia
¼ cup strong chai tea (I steeped one bag in about ½ cup water for a few minutes)
1 Tbsp milled flaxseed
3 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup coconut flour
1 cup rice flour
½ cup white sorghum flour
½ cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp dry chai tea blend (I used one half of a tea bag – just cut it open and use!)
20 Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, pumpkin, sugar and stevia. Add in liquid Chai tea, flaxseed, water and vanilla. Blend until well combined.
• Gradually add in remaining dry ingredients. Mix until dough is well blended.
• Using a cookie scoop, make cookie dough balls and place onto greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Flatten with your palm and bake at 350°F for about 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove cookies from oven and immediately place one Hershey’s Kiss in the middle of each cookie.
• Let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Store in a sealed container.
• NOTE: I chose to make these egg-free so that’s where the flaxseed came in. If you’d rather use an egg, just substitute one egg for the flaxseed and water.
• Also – the Hershey’s Kiss is a RARE and special treat that we don’t usually have. I made a few of these without the Kiss for myself as they are not on my diet. Once again – they are still great without them!

Sante Fe Chicken Chowder

My husband loves Mexican food and it is obviously fall so I decided to make one of our favorite soup/chowder recipes. I’ve taken this dish to other functions and have received great reviews. There’s typically not many leftovers which is a good sign. This chowder is perfect for game days also – nothing like football and a spicy, chunky soup on a cold day! The combination of veggies and sauce for this chowder go perfect together. This makes quite a bit but it freezes well for a quick lunch another day.

1 large chicken breast, cooked however you like & chopped

1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 cup (or one can) corn
1 large bell pepper, diced
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup carrot, diced
1 cup chicken broth, or water
1 tsp chili powder (more for spicier version)
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
8 oz cream cheese (dairy free works great in this!)
½ cup milk
avocado, finely diced
fresh tomato, finely diced
tortilla strips
shredded cheese

• In a large stockpot, combine chicken, beans, corn, peppers, onion, carrot and broth. Bring to a slow boil.
• Add in cream cheese, cut into chunks and chili powder, salt, paprika, cumin, and black pepper.
• Return to  a slow boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until cream cheese is melted.
• Add in milk and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
• Ladle chowder into bowls and top with desired toppings. We like avocado, tomatoes, cheese and tortilla strips.

Apple Cider Chai Latte

How about another warm fall drink to start your Sunday?? Last week I made a Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte and it was great – apparently you all thought so as well! I need a warm drink this morning and had some freshly juiced apples so I thought we’d give it a try! Grab a mug, pour some of this delicious latte and have a quiet moment to yourself (or do like I did and try to tune out your kids for a couple seconds!).

½ cup almond milk

½ cup strong brewed chai tea
¼ cup fresh apple juice (not from concentrate!)
1 tsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon
Whipped topping, if desired
Apple pie spice, if desired

• In a saucepan, combine milk, tea, juice, honey and cinnamon and bring to boiling.
• Cook for a couple minutes and let cool.
• Once tea has cooled slightly, pour into a mug.
• Top with whipped topping and a sprinkle of apple pie spice if desired. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte

How about a recipe for a great fall morning drink? I woke up this morning to a cool 50°F and rain. We also have soccer games today that were not cancelled. I’m sure glad I decided to whip this drink up this morning as I needed a warm start to the day! I don’t drink a lot of coffee but I get tired of plain tea all of the time. This turned out perfect! Enjoy! This makes about two small servings or one  big one!

1 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla)

½ cup chai tea concentrate (Store bought or homemade-see below)
1 tsp pumpkin puree
½ tsp honey
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
whipped topping, if desired

• In a small blender (I used my Magic Bullet), blend together milk, tea, pumpkin, honey and cinnamon. Blend for about 45 seconds or until drink is smooth.
• Warm the drink mixture either on the stove or in the microwave to desired temperature.
• Pour into a coffee mug, add whipped topping and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice if desired.

 

CHAI TEA CONCENTRATE

½ cup water

1 Chai tea bag

• Heat water in a small saucepan, add tea bag and steep for about 10 minutes or until tea is very strong.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - Easy!

You can’t go the first week into October without a pumpkin recipe – so here is mine!  These were so easy. I cut out a step by using a GF sugar cookie mix and it turned out great. I don’t like using mixes all of the time but I have found some of them to be really good (with ingredients I can actually pronounce). I cut out some of the fat by using pumpkin and also boosting some extra flavor. A perfect twist on the traditional snicker doodle. These are great in the afternoon with a cup of hot tea!

 

1 package GF sugar cookie mix

½ cup pumpkin
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
1 Tbsp cinnamon
¼ cup coconut sugar

• In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie mix, pumpkin, eggs and oil until well blended.
• In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and coconut sugar.
• Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll into sugar mixture until coated.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten with palm.
• Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool about 10 minutes. Store in a sealed container.

Semi-Homemade Savory Cornbread

What goes better with chili than cornbread? I’m not real sure so I couldn’t really post a chili recipe without posting a cornbread recipe to go with it. This cornbread is so easy. It starts with a pre-made gluten free mix which takes away a lot of the work of making the bread base. Add in a few extra special touches and you’ve got a perfect cornbread recipe. The Swiss cheese and leeks really complement each other well. Of course, if you don’t have a diary or gluten allergy, you can always replace with regular cheese and regular cornbread mix.

1 package of GF cornbread mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

2 eggs
1 ½ cup milk (I used almond but soy or dairy would work)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup grated Swiss cheese (I found a diary-free almond cheese!)
¼ cup leeks, finely chopped
1 tsp ground sage

• In a large mixing bowl, blend together cornbread mix, eggs, milk and olive oil – batter will be thick. Blend for about 45 seconds.
• Slowly fold in cheese, leeks and sage – stir with spoon until just combined.
• Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until top is lightly browned and knife inserted comes out clean.
• NOTE: The cornbread mix said to use a 9x9 pan, which I did. However, the bread came out really thick and the serving sizes were very large. I prefer a thinner cornbread so I will use a larger pan next time. If you use a different pan size, just adjust your cooking time slightly.
• Spread a little butter on top for some extra flavor!

Turkey Veggie Chili

So today I was going to post a recipe for something grilled. However, it is rainy and cold here and we’ve been a bit under the weather. We opted for chili instead! This chili recipe is very mild. You can easily increase the spices to better fit your taste buds! I know exactly what is going into this chili which makes me feel even better about eating it. This is perfect for a cool day and goes great with this homemade cornbread (surprise – two posts in one day!).

1 lb of ground turkey (lean, organic is best – switch out for ground beef if you must)

2 cans of beans (I used organic, white cannellini beans)
2 medium bell peppers, diced (about 1 cup diced)
½ cup mushrooms, diced
½ cup eggplant, diced
½ cup onion, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (or 3-4 cans, just omit water)
1 cup water
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Shredded cheese (for topping if desired)

• In a large skillet, brown turkey. Season turkey with sea salt and pepper. Add in garlic, onions and 1 tablespoon olive oil while turkey is cooking.
• In a large stockpot, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. Saute bell peppers, mushrooms and eggplant in stockpot. Add in tomatoes to veggie mixture. Add in water to stockpot with tomatoes and veggies.
• Once the turkey is cooked through, add that mixture into stockpot. Next, add in your spices and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Pour into bowls and top with shredded cheese if desired.
• NOTE: Add more or less water, depending on your desired thickness of chili.
•  If you add in some tomato paste (1 tbsp at a time), you can thicken up your chili.

PUMPKIN PIE OATMEAL

I haven’t quite figured out what is better on a cool fall or winter day than a big bowl of warm oatmeal. There’s something about a warm breakfast that just starts your day off right. In addition, oatmeal provides several important nutrients that can help keep you full on a busy day. Of course, one way to make oatmeal better is to combine it with pumpkin. This oatmeal mirrors a delicious slice of pumpkin pie. It’s pretty fantastic – go ahead, give it a try! This makes about 2 servings.

½ cup steel cut GF oats

1 cup water
½ tsp sea salt
2 tsp coconut oil
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
½ cup almond milk

• Bring oats and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add in sea salt and coconut oil. Boil oats for about 10 minutes or until most of water is absorbed.
• Add in pumpkin, spices, and syrup. Mix well and cook for an addition 3-5 minutes.
• Slowly add in almond milk as desired.
• You can replace the water with milk for a creamier oatmeal.
• I like to cook the oats with water and then thin the oats out when I’m ready to eat with the almond milk. I like more milk in mine than my husband so I usually divide out the oatmeal into separate bowls and we modify how we like it.