grain-free pumpkin gingerbread muffins

fall is nearly upon us. okay...it's still over a month away, but school starts this week which is putting me in an autumn state of mind. leaves will begin to change colors, temperatures will begin to cool (at least for all you non-california folks), jackets and sweaters will come out of hiding...and pumpkin-everything will soon be everywhere. i am quite excited about that last bit because my love for pumpkin is a year-round affair.

muffins have been a hard sale since going paleo. my first experiments with almond meal were overly moist, muffins made with coconut flour were either too dry or too eggy, and, although we consumed every last one of anything i made, we were all left wanting my perfect, gluten-and-sugar-filled muffins of yesteryear. the following recipe is the result of playing around with a couple almost-there paleo muffin recipes and have become one of my favorite things to bake.

i have become a big fan of tapioca flour because it takes otherwise sad paleo baked goods and gives them the right amount of fluff and binder to border the edge of "normal" treats. these muffins are a nutrient packed food that is wonderful for an occasional weekend breakfast or as a grab-and-go weekday option. this makes 24 muffins if you measure out the batter well, so even if you have four children you can enjoy them for more than one sitting. ;)

grain-free pumpkin gingerbread muffins

1 C coconut flour
1 C tapioca flour
1/2 C coconut sugar
2 t baking soda
1 T cinnamon
1 T ginger
2 t ground cloves
1 t nutmeg

whisk together dry ingredients, then add:

1 can pumpkin
6 eggs
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C molasses
1/2 C coconut oil or butter, melted

whisk until everything is combined. with a large cookie scoop, divide between 20-24 cupcake holders. bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. allow to cool slightly before eating. once completely cool, these muffins release the best from cupcake liners of any paleo muffin i have made.

i just realized these are also nut-free, so should be pretty universally edible. ;)

curry nachos...with or without grains

there was a restaurant in downtown oregon city that andy and i loved. their lamb shank was fall-off-the-bone delicious and they had this unusual but great appetizer...curry nachos. long story short, we moved, they went out of business (hopefully not because we moved!), and i had to replicate the recipe. it is surprisingly easy and tastes exactly as i remember it at cypress.

curry nachos

1 lb ground turkey
1 T curry powder
salt and pepper

brown the turkey, adding the curry powder as it cooks. season to taste with salt and pepper.

here's where the grain/no-grain option comes in. on two baking sheets spread out either one bag of tortilla chips (my favorite is trader joe's organic white corn) or cut baby peppers in half (some may need to be cut in quarters, depending on the size) and remove seeds/membranes. for the size of this recipe you would need to cut most of a 2-lb bag of baby peppers.

preheat your broiler (i like mine on high). sprinkle the curried turkey on top of your "chips". shred monterey jack cheese on top and broil for 2-3 minutes, until cheese bubbles and begins to brown. remove from oven to cool for a couple minutes before topping with:

2 roma tomatoes, diced
3-4 green onions, finely sliced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, minced

serve with plain yogurt on the side (this is a condiment not to be left out...it really makes all the flavors come together). this feeds my whole family of six well. the chip version does not save (soggy chips are gross) so if you aren't making food for a small army you may want to scale back...or invite friends over! ;)

raw chocolate coconut "brownie"

one last recipe for today. i can't believe i haven't shared this before now, but i can't find it so must not have. i was probably too busy eating. and then too busy working out to counteract all the eating. i digress...

i'm a sucker for good, dark chocolate. add in just enough sea salt and you have found my kryptonite. add in coconut and i'm as good as done. these raw brownies have all that and more. i must avoid making them to save myself from eating the whole pan. the. WHOLE. pan. i could go on and on, but i'm just getting hungry so will just give you the recipe. ;)

raw chocolate coconut "brownie"

1 1/2 C almond butter

4 1/2 C unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 C raw cacao powder

3/4 C raw honey

1/4 t sea salt

1 t vanilla

mix all ingredients in a large food processor or stand mixer (i have found my 11 C kitchen aid food processor freezes up with this large an amount, so i always use my stand mixer now). press into a 9x13 pan and refrigerate. allow to come to room temperature for easier cutting. ENJOY!

flourless chocolate cake

do a google search for "flourless chocolate cake" and you will come across many options...most laden with white or powdered sugar. do a search for "grain-free brownie" or "grain-free chocolate cake" and, i'm not going to lie, you will find many results, but, perhaps like me, be disappointed by the resulting taste and texture. i love an ooey-gooey brownie as much as (possibly more than) the next person. other paleo, grain-free brownies i have tried have been a let down...too much coconut flour leaves them chalky, too much almond flour leaves them overly moist, too much tapioca starch leaves them higher on the glycemic impact than i prefer. one major thing i have learned over the last couple years is the mix of alternative flours you use is very important. this recipe, however, uses NO alternative flours...no almond flour, no coconut flour, no tapioca starch. skeptical would be a kind word to describe how i was feeling when i found and made this recipe, but i had just made almond butter and my food processor was already dirty so, why not? once i tasted the batter i was feeling more hopeful. i have, however, in the past had delicious grain-free batters that turned into disappointing baked goods, so i held my breath and final judgements until the end.

oh. my. goodness. JOY. when this rich, chocolate pan cooled off i found myself in cake heaven. light and airy, not eggy, not overly sweet. a near mary poppins of baked confections. extra bonus? the ingredients aren't hard to find/make. i made this recipe three times while visiting friends in oregon over spring break. that's three times in ONE week. when you find a good thing you must share it, right?! ;)

this recipe is originally from the healthy home economist and is called a brownie. the picture they posted is most likely cut from the middle of the pan. i have found if you want more of a brownie texture, cook it less. for a lighter, less gooey cake texture, mix the liquid ingredients more and bake longer. for my oven this means 24 minutes leaves a gooey center (will have a little wiggle in the middle when you take it out) and by 28 minutes the whole pan raises to cake stature (still a little give, but more solid). do NOT over bake. the recipe also works wonderfully baked in individual ramekins (baking time 15-20 minutes, depending on the size you use). i have changed very little...i use less maple syrup than the original recipe, found honey works fine as a substitute, and omit the chocolate chips, but otherwise have stuck to the above linked recipe.

flourless chocolate cake

1 C almond butter
6 eggs
2/3 C grade B maple syrup or honey
1 T vanilla
1 C raw cacao powder (organic cocoa powder is also fine)
1/4 t sea salt (originally called for 1/2 t salt, but my almond butter is already salted)
1 t baking soda

blend almond butter, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla in your food processor. add cacao powder, salt, and baking soda and blend again, scraping sides down to be sure everything incorporates well. spray or oil a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 24-28 minutes. allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

this is delicious on its own, served with a scoop of your preferred ice cream, or with fresh fruit (think raspberries or strawberries). it is also very tasty with dark chocolate chips/chunks and walnut pieces scattered on top before baking...sprinkle with a little sea salt after removing from the oven (oh man, that last one was gooOd).

lamb gyro burgers

i love a good gyro. it was one of the first things i consumed when i traveled to NYC with my two youngest sisters a few christmases back. after 11pm, food cart in midtown...i could have inhaled two or three.

nowadays, i haven't had a real gyro in what seems like forever. the wonderfully soft, delicious, wheat-laden flatbread has kept me away. a couple months ago, i found ground lamb for a really good price and decided to experiment. i could capture all the flavors i love in a burger, i was just sure of it. the result was wonderful...so wonderful that i have made it two weeks in a row. the second time *could* have been because we inhaled the first batch so quickly i never got a picture... ;)

when lamb is raised properly and cooked right, the taste and health benefits can't be beat. look for grass-fed lamb. this high protein and vitamin B-12, omega-3 rich meat option should be making a regular round in your menu.

lamb gyro burger

burger

2 lbs ground lamb
1 red onion, diced
2-3 oz feta cheese, crumbled (avoid the extra chemicals and always buy the block, crumbling what you need)
2 eggs
1 1/2 t dried oregano
salt and pepper

mix all ingredients, form into patties, fry in a large skillet with olive oil. allow to rest at least 5-7 minutes before serving with tzatziki and fresh tomato slices.


tzatziki sauce

1 C plain yogurt
1/2 english cucumber, diced
4 sprigs fresh dill, minced
salt and pepper

stir all ingredients together. chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.


can't have dairy? you can get by with leaving out the feta in the burger and use a coconut or almond milk yogurt or non-dairy sour cream substitute for the tzatziki (though i never suggest using a soy alternative).

new costume projects

being in a new place has taken way more adjustment than i anticipated. this fall we passed on doing the first show with kirby's new ballet studio, academy of classical ballet. after some begging in january, we agreed to do the spring show...kirby dancing and me costuming.

with my kids in school for the first time this year (there's a whole 'nother post about that one of these days...) and my brain finally settling down from the move, i have been working on a more elaborate form of costume than i was doing in oregon. hand-painting on satin and organza, applying swarovski crystals, burning and layering scores of petals, creating a glitter layer (from extra fine glitter and mod podge) to paint on a purchased costume, and lots of trimmings. it was a fun, but time-consuming project which leaves me excited to see them all on stage in a couple of weeks.

butterfly queen

tulip princess

water lily and thumbelina

swanhilda fabric (guess i didn't take a picture of the finished costume) and the aftermath of painting feathers

indian chicken salad

i love curry. LOVE. over easter we were back in portland and had a picnic with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece. my sister-in-law picked out a very yummy looking indian chicken salad from the whole foods deli. we were excited about it...until we got to the cashier and realized the one pound she had gotten was going to cost almost $15. ouch! my recipe rivals the inspiration and i made around three pounds of this deliciousness for under $10. score.

indian chicken salad

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (i used one bag of frozen, thawed from trader joe's)
1 T curry powder
1-2 t kosher salt
1/4 t pepper

i picked up the ingredients for this dish the same day i wanted to eat it. because i didn't have time to let the chicken thaw on its own (and no longer use the microwave for thawing), i placed the bag in my large stock pot, opened the bag, and filled the bag and stock pot with hot water. after the chicken was thawed (10-15 minutes) i held a small part of the resealable top closed while pouring off all of the water. then i dumped all the spices into the bag and massaged everything around until the chicken was coated. then i lit my grill (or you could heat a pan on the stove, but the taste from the grill was so much better). after the grill was fully heated i grilled the chicken breasts, roughly 5-7 minutes per side. once finished, i let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before dicing. this is a good amount of time to prep the rest of the ingredients for the chicken salad.

5-6 green onions, sliced, all white and green parts (you can dice the larger white rounds, if desired)
2 large carrots, shredded on a box grater (or food processor large shredding disk)
1/2 C currants (raisins would work here, but i liked the smaller size of the currant)
1 C plain yogurt (you could use mayo, but i had run out and didn't have time to make more)
1 T curry powder
salt and pepper, to taste (probably 1-2 t kosher salt and 1/8-1/4 t of fresh ground pepper)

dice chicken and stir all ingredients together. taste, adjust seasonings if necessary, and ENJOY!