Kale Walnut Pesto (from my Cauliflower Pizza recipe)

I decided I wanted to post some pictures of the yummy pesto for you all. I love this recipe and use it for much more than just pizza. It goes great on pasta, potatoes, veggies, and meat. You can also bake it into savory muffins or biscuits and have a yummy pesto baked treat!

Kale Walnut Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup kale (chopped and washed)
2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut, grapeseed, sunflower seed, etc.)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil, chopped and washed)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup water (or if you want to just add more oil you can do that as well, but its healthier with water :))
Directions:
Add the kale, garlic, oil, walnuts, water and spices into the food processor. Blend on high until a nice thick pesto forms. Spoon out into a bowl, container, or into a recipe. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Brown Sugar Muffins

Another fall type recipe! I just can't get enough of these lovely flavors (and hey, autumn is so short, may as well get as much out of it as I can :)).

This is also another one of my, use-whatever-I-have-left-in-my-cupboard kind of recipe. Luckily it turned out scrumptious (this is not always the case). They are nice, little, dense and filling muffins full of lots of pumpkin spice flavor. 

This weekend was super busy, but I was able to take some time and go on a refreshing morning run with my lovely friend. What started out as just a nice morning exercise unexpectedly turned out to also be a discovering the beauty in Tennessee expedition. 

Since moving here I haven't really looked for a whole lot to like about it (the landscape, weather, and city that is). However, in this little park I discovered beautiful fall images that brought me so much joy! And as I looked closer at each of these lovely, familiar, colorful things, I looked closer at my new home, and discovered it's beauty as well. Sometimes it takes awhile to appreciate the place where God has lead you to. I think if we just remember that there is a reason behind why we end up in a place (even if it is just a temporary stop on our journey), we can appreciate the beauty in life anywhere we go, and be thankful. 

Here are a few images from that run and below that is my muffin recipe :). 

Pumpkin Brown Sugar Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 F, grease a 12 cup muffin tin (you only need to grease 10 of the 12)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup organic pure buckwheat flour (which is gluten-free, so no worries)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

First in a KitchenAid or a mixing bowl, pour in the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix together on low speed for 2-3 mins or until thoroughly combined. Next, add in the flax, buckwheat, and almond flour. Mix that into the pumpkin mixture until combined. Then add in the spices and salt. Mix completely. Last, mix in the baking powder (do not over mix).  Spoon out batter into muffin tin making sure the batter comes to the top of each hole (fills 10 holes). Place the pan into the oven and bake for 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of one of the muffins). Let cool for 5 minutes before taking out of pan. Drizzle some honey on top for an extra little sweet kick. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies

Sometimes you just need a good cookie. Don't get me wrong, I love making healthy alternative cookies and sweets, but every once in awhile I just have to say, "yes", to a gooey, sugary, buttery cookie. These ones I have adapted from a Martha Stewart soft and chewy chocolate chip recipe. I just made it gluten-free and not a chocolate chip cookie....so basically I just used the ratios of flour to butter to baking soda. These are nice, soft, melty cookies that go great with tea, milk (any variety), or just all by themselves. Plus, they have the added flavor of cranberries which are an autumnal flavor (yay! fall baking obsession continued).


Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F, line baking sheets with parchment paper, makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup organic raw cane sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Directions:
First place the butter and both sugars in the mixer. Mix on low until butter and sugar creamed together. Then add in the vanilla and eggs. Blend those into the butter sugar mixture. Next add the cocoa powder and mix on low. Then pour in the flour and baking soda. Mix on low until mostly incorporated. Shut off mixer and mix by hand until all the ingredients are completely incorporated into the batter. Lastly, add in the cranberries and walnuts. Mix so that they are evenly distributed throughout.

Spoon batter onto the parchment lined cookie sheets. Make sure to use about a regular sized table spoon to drop the little dollops of cookie dough onto the baking sheets. Even spread out each little cookie. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the sides of the cookies are firm. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy with a nice cup or tea or a glass of almond milk (or whatever type of milk you prefer)!

Balsamic Eggplant Cauliflower Pizza

I love pizza. The cheese, the sauce, the toppings and the yummy crust. All those flavors combined makes for a delicious culinary experience. Unfortunately, having a gluten allergy really dampens a girls options for pizza. Yes, some of the pizza companies are making gluten-free options and you can always find a pre-made gluten-free crust mix. However, none of these really taste all that great. They come out either too doughy, too crispy, too crunchy, or too sticky, as well as being made out of things like potato starch, rice flour, tapioca, and corn (ingredients I am not too crazy about). Imagine my delight then when I came across recipes for a cauliflower pizza crust. Wait..a what? That's right a crust made from a veggie.

I tried it out and to my taste buds surprise, it was delicious! Since that first attempt I have tweaked the recipe to my own personal liking. Here is a recipe that I enjoy (and my pizza loving non-gluten-free eater husband loves too ;) ).

Balsamic Eggplant Cauliflower Pizza, with Kale Walnut Pesto

Preheat oven to 425 F , line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper , makes 2 individual pizzas or 1 large pizza.

Ingredients:

Crust:
1/2 a head of cauliflower (blended in the food processor)
1/2 cup of fresh grated mozzarella cheese (or already grated, depending on how you like your cheese)
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt

Pesto:
1 cup kale (chopped and washed)
2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut, grapeseed, sunflower seed, etc.)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil, chopped and washed)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup water

Balsamic Eggplant:
1/2 off an eggplant (chopped, with the skin still on)
1 medium size onion (chopped into strips not chunks)
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp black pepper

Other Toppings:
1 chicken sausage (chopped, you can find good natural ones from Trader Joe's, they also have amazing flavors)
Feta cheese
1/2 of a gala apple (sliced)

Directions:

1. Place the cauliflower in the food processor and plus until little "rice" granules form. Then pour out the cauliflower into a mixing bowl and add the egg. Mix together thoroughly.
2. Add the grated cheese, basil and salt. Mix completely. Set aside.
3. Heat a fry pan on the stove turned to medium heat. Add the oil, onion and eggplant and let cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the pepper, balsamic vinegar and honey, turn heat up to high and let cook for five minutes. (stir constantly). Turn heat off once vinegar has been cooked off completely. Set aside.
4. In the food processor, place the kale, garlic cloves, oil, walnuts, water, and spices and mix together on high until a nice thick pesto forms.
5. Spoon out cauliflower dough onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make two mounds of the dough on the sheet. Flatten out dough with hands until you form a pizza shape circle (the size of a thin crust pizza). Make sure the two little pizzas have enough space between them.
6. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until the edges and top of the crust is a nice golden brown).
7. Take the crusts out of the oven and top with pesto, eggplant mixture, and any other toppings you want. I used sliced chicken sausage, apple, and feta cheese.
8. Place back in the oven and cook for another 8-10 minutes until toppings are nice and hot and the feta cheese has a little bit of a golden color to it on top.

Let sit for about 4-5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Crispy Garlic Oregano Chickpea Snacks

Making nice healthy snacks is something I need to be good at, because in my house, snacking is what my furry friend likes to do (aka my husband).

Also, being able to come up with a snack out of things that I have just lying around my kitchen is important as well, since who honestly wants to run out to the store every time they are hungry? Not me. 

Here is a recipe for a nice, flavorful (must have), healthy little snack. They go great on salads, a stir-fry, as a side dish or just by themselves. 

Crispy Garlic Oregano Chickpeas

Preheat the oven to 375 F ,  line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas (drained, washed, and rinsed, then dried with a paper towel)

1 tbsp olive oil (or coconut or grapeseed, whatever type of oil you prefer)

1/2 tsp salt (remember I do not like that much salt, feel free to add more it you like)

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

Directions:

Drain, wash and rinse the chickpeas, then towel dry. Next transfer them onto the aluminum lined baking sheet and spread out so that none are on top of each other. Then drizzle the oil over the chickpeas and roll them around on the sheet so that the oil covers all of them completely. And then all you have to do is sprinkle the different spices on top and roll them around some more so that the spices coat all the little chickpeas. Finally just pop them in the oven (on the middle rack) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until they are a nice dark golden brown color and the outside is crunchy and the inside is still chewy. 

Let stand for a few minutes to cool down before snacking. 

Enjoy! :)

  

Sweet Potato Soup and Fall Biscuits

Today my husband had to go to the dentist and ended up having to get some things done to his poor sensitive teeth. So, when he came home one side of his face and mouth was completely numb and his teeth were sore. Which leads me to tonight's creation: yummy fall-ish tasting soup and biscuits. Oh and it doesn't hurt that today was extra crisp and cool outside. Perfect soup weather combination.



Sweet Potato Coconut Soup

Ingredients:

2 medium size sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 can lite coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth (or veggie)
1 zucchini (chopped)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt (you can put more in if you want, but I don't like too much salt)
2 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp coconut oil


Directions:

In a medium size soup pot heat the stove to medium heat and add in the coconut oil, onions, and garlic. Then add the sweet potatoes and spices. Stir and sauté  the veggies and the spices together. Then add the coconut milk, broth, and a little water if the coconut milk and broth do not cover the veggies completely. Stir and cover. Let the pot simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add in the chopped cilantro and zucchini. Cover and let simmer (on low heat) for another 10 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls and let stand for a few minutes to cool down before eating :)

 

Fall Spice Biscuits 

Preheat oven to 375 F , grease or place parchment paper on 1 baking sheet, makes 10 biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup (1 stick) room temperature butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp powdered thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp almond milk
2 tbsp honey

Directions:

In a KitchenAid or mixing bowl, add in the butter and honey. Cream together. Next pour in the flour and flax seed. Mix together on low until the dough is crumbly. Then add in the spices, baking powder, salt, and almond milk. Mix together (on low) until all ingredients thoroughly incorporated into the mixture (do not over mix). Use a spatula and scrap down the sides of the bowl so all the batter/dough is in the middle of the bowl in a large pile (should be rather dough like and pretty firm). Place in fridge for 15 minutes.

Next, break off pieces of the dough and roll into large sized dough balls (about the size of a golf ball) then flatten out the balls so that they are biscuit shaped. Place on the baking sheet equal distance away from each other and bake for 15 minutes (or until the biscuits have risen slightly and are a nice golden brown color)

 

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

This past weekend also inspired me to come up with a new paleo pumpkin cookie recipe for my father-in-law. The weather was also an inspiration since it was nice and crisp outside for the most part (perfect fall baking weather). I love pumpkins. I love carving them, decorating with them, I love pumpkin flavored drinks,  I love cooking with them and I love baking with them.

 

Using what I had on hand (left over pumpkin, almond flour, some cinnamon) I decided to try creating a new pumpkin cookie recipe from my old gluten-free recipe. Since my father-in-law eats only paleo friendly food, I just had to tweak the recipe a bit, but over all it turned out pretty yummy. 

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

 Preheat oven to 350 F , grease two baking sheets (or line with parchment paper) Makes about 18 cookies

Ingredients: 

 1/2 cup of milled flax seed a

 2 cups of almond flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tbsp of honey

1/2 cup coconut oil (softend) or 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1 cup mashed pumpkin filling

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

First, in a mixing bowl or KitchenAid, mix in the oil or butter with the honey and vanilla, until all three ingredients are well incorporated and creamed together. Then add in the pumpkin and the spices. Next add in the egg, mix well. Add the flour, flax, salt, baking soda, and powder last. Mix together (make sure everything is well incorporated into the mixture, but try not to over mix). 

Spoon out the mixture onto the baking sheets in drop of similar size. I made them about the size of the palm of my hand (they do not expand outward very much while baking so form them into the desired cookie shape on the baking pan). The batter itself is very sticky and similar to sticky biscuit flour. 

Bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes or until the edges and top of the cookie are crisp and golden. 

Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack, let the cookies them cool completely on the rack before serving. 

Optional: 

Drizzle honey over the cookies before serving or you can make a glaze to drizzle on top as well.

Almond honey glaze:

1tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp almond butter

1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp coconut oil (softened not melted)

Or Banana Almond Milk Glaze:

1 banana (mashed)

1/3 cup almond milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp honey

beat all 4 ingredients together until it forms a nice smooth glaze, then drizzle over the top of each cookie. 

Enjoy!

Cranberry Walnut Apple Cinnamon Muffins

I love the fall. It is by far the best time of the year. The leaves turn pretty colors, there is a holiday for candy and dressing like your favorite super hero and one for eating turkey and cranberry sauce (best combination ever). Also, the autumn flavors that seem to seep into everything (pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, apples, caramel) are just amazing.

This weekend my husband's dad and step-mom were visiting from the west coast. It was a lovely visit and we had great fall weather for a change here in Tennessee. We also had some fantastic local food and I was inspired to try my hand at new recipes. His dad is on a paleo diet, so I had to adjust my cooking and baking to be not just gluten-free but also paleo friendly. It was a nice challenge and I came up with some yummy ideas.

These are some muffins I decided to make. We were walking around a historic town called Franklin, not to far from our city,  and came across a place called Savory Spice Shop (which was heaven for me). There were tons of different spices on all the walls, and you could smell them all and decide which one and how much you wanted.
There was this delightful looking cocoa powder called Black Onyx (smelled exactly like a sinful slice of dark chocolate cake), which I didn't end up getting, instead I found this delicious little bottle of spice called simply,"Baking Spice",  (basically just cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mase, and all spice) which the bottle said was good for apple pies and crisps. I decided to try to use it in a gluten-free/paleo muffin recipe. If you can't find it, no worries, I included the amount of individual spices you need as well.

Cranberry Walnut Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup coconut oil (softened not melted)
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp baking spice (or 1/4 tsp all spice, 1/4 tsp ginger , 1/4 tsp mase, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
add 1 extra tsp cinnamon if you like (I did)
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 medium size apples (peeled and shredded)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup almond milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F , grease a standard size muffin tin (enough for 12 muffins)

(I usually make all my batters and mixes in a KitchenAid, but if you don't have one, no worries, you can use a regular mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer as well, or just do it the old fashioned way and beat it by hand :) )

First, add the oil, honey in the mixing bowl and beat on low until the two ingredients have come together nicely. Then add in the apples, and spices, mix together thoroughly. Next, add in the flour and flax seed, and baking powder. Then add the almond milk, walnut and cranberries. Make sure you do not over mix the batter, but mix everything just until it is all well incorporated into the batter.

Spoon out the mixture into the muffin tin, filling each section to the top. Place the pan on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes or until the top and sides of the muffins are a nice golden brown. (if you stick a tooth pick in the middle of one, it should come out clean)

Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, (run a flat knife of spatula around the edges of each muffin as it is cooling, to make extra sure it doesn't stick). Then transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before serving. (these muffins are very moist but also very crumbly if moved too quickly, they need time to settle and totally solidify)

Enjoy!