Gluten Free Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I have decided to dive into the world of gluten free baking. I have some friends who cannot eat gluten products, and I would love to be able to cook for them, or just learn more about gluten free products. Really, it's very interesting! I am finding out that people have been able to make flours out of so many things! Tapioca? Almond? Coconut? Sure, no problem! It's fascinating. 

I am already craving some fall foods, since I really really want it to be fall already. Hence, I recently made some pumpkin cranberry gluten free muffins with some gal friends of mine (25th and Skillern and Lisse Livs Life). I was really skeptical of these muffins, first because I had never made any gluten free product, and I was slightly changing a recipe that I found online, and I know the dangers of changing recipes (especially gluten free ones!). However, these turned out FANTASTIC. I cannot stop eating them! My husband loved them as well, and my friends each took a bundle home with them, too.

You can easily substitute or add in your favorite muffin ingredients! I did not add in any nuts into this recipe, but walnuts or almonds would be fantastic! Any type of berries or dried fruit would also be an amazing addition.

Enjoy!

Cherry Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

I should warn all my readers (oh, because there are so many of you) that my husband and I have decided to start eating healthy. This means that most of my recipes will be low-calorie or healthier than I would normally make. I will gladly tell you of suggestions to fatten my recipes up, so don't worry my readers who love full-fat recipes.

I recently bulked up on whole-grain spaghetti when my local grocery store was having a great sale on it. I've been trying to figure out a sauce to use for my spaghetti that won't make it too caloric, since the spaghetti is caloric enough. I also realized that I had a package of cherry tomatoes that were about to go south, so I thought I would attempt to make my own low-cal spaghetti sauce. It turned out great!

This is also a great recipe for those gardeners out there who are left with hundreds of tiny tomatoes and do not know what to do with them. You can freeze the sauce and use it later, or make it in bulk and eat it up for a couple of days. Spaghetti is one of those amazing meals that gets better the longer it sits (within reason of course).

This recipe is also amazing because it takes little time and effort. I am not even going to provide you with any how-to pictures, since it's pretty obvious and easy. I hope you make it and enjoy it!

Chocolate Raisin Biscotti

So, remember how I was telling you that my husband and I are going to eat a healthy lifestyle now? Well, today I am sharing with you my chocolate raisin biscotti recipe. Makes sense, right? Actually, we have a friend/book study get-together every Wednesday with about 10-15 of my church members, and I thought I would make biscotti as a treat for everyone.  So, although these are not the healthiest of all treats, I was only tempted to eat one. I swear! And I attempted to hold my husband off, but I'm not sure how successful I was.

These can be low-calorie by using light butter, less sugar, or also a sugar substitute. I do not like sugar substitutes, so I just eat in moderation rather than going for lower calories. If you make this recipe as-is, each biscotti runs around 100 calories. I would normally use light butter, but I had some left over full-fat butter from cookies I made for an event at work. Oh well!

Also, I add a tablespoon of strong or condensed coffee for an extra flavor element. I used a Starbucks vanilla flavor, which added a slight vanilla layer of flavor as well. You can use whatever coffee you want, or leave it out completely. A chai tea concentrate might also be delicious.

Just make this recipe, which makes about 20-24 biscotti pieces, brew a cup of joe, and enjoy the day away.

Veggie Pizza from Scratch

If you think making homemade pizza from scratch is too hard, stop thinking that way. Homemade pizza takes about an hour, but most of that time is waiting for the dough to rise. The dough really consists of four ingredients (yeast, water, flour and oil) and the toppings are all up to you. I never thought about making my own dough until my friend and attorney partner at my law firm, Emily, taught me how to make pizza from scratch. I was amazed at how easy and delicious the result was!

Today, I am sharing my pizza dough recipe with you. The toppings are really up to you, but I used veggies and Italian cheeses.  I also used pesto as my pizza sauce, mostly because my husband is obsessed with pesto. You can go sauce-less or use a tomato-based sauce if you prefer.  All the other ingredients in the dough, like the herbs and spices, are up to you and completely optional. I like to put a lot of stuff in my dough, because why not? Make your pizza with toppings you love and sauces and herbs you enjoy.

I also was lucky enough to feature this recipe as a guest post on a blog that I enjoy, A Girl I Know. Please check out her blog!

Lemon Mustard Pasta Salad

One of my favorite recipes to bring to get-togethers and family gatherings is my lemon mustard pasta salad. I make it often for side dishes for dinner, and its just a light and delicious pasta salad. It's citrus-y, sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy all at the same time!

You can make substitutions and additions. Some people like olives or capers in their pasta salads, some people hate onions, etc.

It's very easy to make - it probably takes about 20 minutes to finish and about an hour to chill in the fridge.

{Healthy} Zucchini & Carrot Muffins

I have been looking for a way to get more healthy snacks in my husband and I's lunches, as well as for our around the house snacking. I was looking online for recipes for zucchini muffins, and I found some good ones. However, I love carrot-cake and anything to do with carrots-in-cakes, and I usually try to have some healthy snacks around the house. So, I made my own version using healthier options and added carrots to the muffins. I think it was a success!

My recipe and picture tutorial is below, and I hope you'll make it and love them. I shared the muffins at a friend get-together, and a lot of people loved them. If you have another idea, please feel free to comment and let me know how to improve my recipe! I should also mention that I do not have any fancy kitchen appliances, like food processors or stand mixers. You can make this recipe (and any other recipe I show on this blog) using simple kitchen appliances and utensils that most cooks have around the house.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Mushroom Risotto

My husband LOVES risotto. I mean, he really, really loves my risotto. I cannot remember the first time I made it, but after he had it, he looked at me like I was a five-star chef. And you know the best thing? It is really, really easy to make. Risotto sounds really fancy and hard to make, but it is not. I am not a trained chef, and I think I make a good risotto. One of my favorites to make is my mushroom risotto. I thought I would share my recipe for you today!

One thing you should know is that risotto does take a lot of care and a decent amount of time. I would say you need to block out about 30-45 minutes of cooking time, where you are actively in the kitchen stirring the rice. This is not a "put in the oven and walk away" type of meal. But, if you take the time to make it, the payoff is worth the care.

I am a vegetarian, so I make a vegetarian version of risotto using vegetable broth. If you are not a vegetarian, and you prefer chicken or beef broth, feel free to substitute. Also, if you are not a fan of onions, garlic, or mushrooms, use another ingredient you enjoy, like asparagus.

This recipe makes about 2-4 people's portion. I cooked this exact recipe for my husband and I, and we managed to eat it all. I should mention one more time, however, how much my husband loves this recipe. I think this portion could feed four people. If your family eats like us, then I would suggest doubling the recipe.

Raspbery Apple Bread Pudding

One of my earliest food memories is making bread pudding with my mom. Now, to explain one thing, my mom is not the best cook in the world. We typically had some sort of mexican food or hamburger helper when I was young. I will say that her mexican tacos are delicious, but I cannot really remember much else. Then when I became a vegetarian when I was 16, my mother stopped making me food. Not because she was mad at me for changing my diet habit, but more because she had no idea how to really make vegetarian food. Of course by that time, I was fully capable of cooking for myself. I soon developed a real love for cooking that I continue to have.

Anyways, I remember a time when my mom gave me a bunch of bread to break apart into little pieces by hand. We made bread pudding a lot because it was cheap and easy to make. I know now another reason was because it was also delicious. So delicious.

Since I have been married, I have made bread pudding twice. I thought I would share the recipe and the how-to for my latest creation: Raspberry Apple Bread Pudding with Raisins and a Lemon Sauce. What a mouthful. I had no intention to made it so fruity, but I figured I had all these fruits. Why not?!

Here is the recipe. I did not measure exactly, but here are my estimates: