The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins (gluten, tree nut, soy, corn free, no sugar added, and dairy free option)

Tis the season for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin is one of my all time favorite flavors and scents.  It screams autumn to me and I long for autumn all year long.  The crisp air, and dampness.  The vibrant leaves, and the musty, earthy smells.  It all speaks to my soul.  Naturally, as autumn approaches, pumpkins pop up everywhere, along with the sugary, fake pumpkin items in the store. 

Even before we had to accommodate food allergies or my restrictions with weight loss surgery, I always spent a few weekends stock piling pumpkin, banana and zucchini bread in the freezer so I would have it on hand at a moments notice.  I have had to make a few modifications to my recipe. I use the same basic base for all of my quick bread, and it originated with banana bread which was the very first recipe I ever created 100% on my own.  Don't worry, I will be sharing that as well! This recipe yields a flavorful, moist muffin that satisfies your craving without killing your calorie count for the day.

Lets jump right in shall we??

To start, you will need 1 1/2C gf flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2teaspoon salt, 1/2C Splenda, 1/2C Splenda brown sugar blend, 1 stick butter, 2 eggs, 1 can pure pumpkin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

 How gorgeous is that pumpkin?!

In the bowl of your mixer, combine both sugars, butter, and pumpkin.  Mix until combined. 

 Then, mix in both eggs.

Finally, add in the flour, spices, soda and salt.  Mix until just combined.  You DONT want to over mix!

You will be left with a fairly thick, delectable batter.

To prevent the muffins from sticking to the papers, I spray them with a little cooking spray before filling.  Fill each paper with your batter.  Since it is thicker, you may want to wet your finger and lightly tap down any lumps and bumps. 

I add a quick oatmeal crumble topping to mine.  To make it, mix together 1/2C old fashioned oats, 2Tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Sprinkle evenly over muffins.

Bake at 350' for 25-30 mins.

Cool, and enjoy!

Little Mister couldn't wait to dig in, and grabbed some off the plate while I was photographing them!

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2C Gluten free flour ( I use Bobs Red Mill Cup for Cup) or use a regular all purpose, though this will change your nutrition stats a little
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2C Splenda
1/2C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
2 eggs
1/2C butter, softened (to make dairy free, see notes below)
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Optional Oat Topping

1/2C old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Nutrition Fact Without Topping (with topping listed in parenthesis)
Serving size 1 Muffin

187 calories (222)
9.2g fat (11.4)
22.6g carbs (26)
2.8g fiber (3.7)
10g sugar (10.1)
3g protein (3.6)

*To save extra calories, omit topping and replace butter with 1/2C unsweetened applesauce, and use 1 Cup Splenda, omitting Splenda brown sugar blend

Nutrition facts with the edits above
Serving Size-1 muffin

84 calories
1.5g fat
15.9 carbs
3.1 g fiber
2.9g sugar
2.9g protein

Orange Pineapple Chicken Drums (Gluten, Tree Nut, Peanut, Dairy, Egg Free)

When we first went gluten free with Little Miss, there was a period of time where it felt like we would never be able to enjoy a lot of our favorite foods anymore. There was a definite learning curve and a period of mourning over the foods we were going to miss out on.  Now of course, once we got our footing with the new dietary restrictions in our home, we learned of the multitude of amazing products that are available in the gluten free world.  I am going to feature one such company with this recipe.  One of our favorite take out dinners is Chinese.  Between the sauces used, the breading on things like sweet and sour chicken, noodles, and the soy sauce, there is hidden wheat everywhere when ordering Chinese in.  We have found a couple local joints that we can go safely, but I still prefer to cook at home. 

Several years ago I entered a giveaway on Facebook hosted by another gluten free family for San-J products.  I had never heard of the brand before but loved that they offer products like gluten free soy sauce, Mongolian marinades, Thai peanut sauce, and so much more.  We quickly fell in love with their line of products and use them regularly in sauces, marinades, stir fry, etc.

I received this great set from Moms Meet to try and review with my family and it was such a great fit with what I share here as well. 

For dinner last night we decided to try a new San-J product, the Orange Sauce.  It boasts a strong orange flavor with a subtle saltiness of soy sauce.  Using other items I already had, I made a flavorful chicken dinner that everyone enjoyed.


In addition to the orange sauce, you will need crushed pineapple, chopped yellow onion, black pepper, garlic powder, and ginger

Mix 1cup orange sauce, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup diced onion, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ginger in a small bowl. 

Pour over your chicken, coat evenly, and refrigerate 4-8 hours, stirring to recoat chicken occasionally.

Place chicken in large baking dish, top with a spoonful or two of your marinade and bake at 375' for 45 minutes or until thermometer reads 165'.

I served with baked sweet potatoes.

Orange Pineapple Chicken

1C San-J Orange sauce

1/2C crushed pineapple

1/2 C diced onion

1T garlic powder

1t black pepper

1/2t ground ginger

2lbs chicken drumsticks, or cut of your choice

Preheat oven to 375'. Mix first 6 ingredients together in small bowl.  Place chicken in large bowl, and pour maridade over.  Stir chicken to coat.  Cover and refrigerate 4-8 hours, stirring occasionally to re-coat chicken.  Place chicken in baking dish and top with a spoonful or two of the marinade.  Bake for 45 minutes or until thermometer reads 165'. 

Nutrtion facts for the marinade

Serving Size-2T

Number of servings-16

Calories-43

Fat-0g

Sodium-171mg

Carbs-10g

Sugar-7.7g

Protein-1g

*I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer.  As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog.  The opinions posted are my own.

#MomsMeet Olive Oil Review and recipe for Vegetable cakes with egg (dairy, gluten, sugar free, vegetarian)

I have been working with a great group called Moms Meet where you get the opportunity to try products in exchange for your honest opinion. In the past I have tested products in home with friends. Then I got the opportunity to test European Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for a recipe for my blog. How could I pass that up?? The olive oil sample kit I received is from the Flavor Your Life campaign which is supported by the European Council, Unaprol, and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. Their goal is to provide the latest news on European Extra Virgin Olive oil. They aim to educate US consumers to make the most informed decision when purchasing olive oil. You can learn more by clicking here. What is extra virgin olive oil and how does it differ from virgin olive oil? EVOO is the freshly pressed juice of olives. It is cold-pressed, meaning heat and chemicals are not used. The acidity of EVOO must be below 0.8% or virtually free of acidity. This is the percentage of oleic acid which is a fatty acid. Higher levels indicate either improper production or a rancid product. When cooking with EVOO, feel free to experiment different oils. Use more delicate oils for dressings or condiments, or paired with mild foods such as fish or veggies. Use stronger flavored oils with foods that can stand up to the stronger flavor, like steak or spicy soups. since EVOO has a high smoke point, it is suitable for cooking and can compliment any meal. You should always store your EVOO in a cool, dark pantry away from heat and light, which can cause decay. Be sure to never store next to your stove, and to use within 6 months of opening to ensure freshness. Why choose European EVOO? over thousands of years, the olive tree has been evolved into hundreds of different varieties. The result is an old bond between the people and the land. Europe offers a vast array of flavor profiles which is greatly impacted by the region it is grown and the climate, soil and time of harvest. Olives harvest at the end of the season tend to taste more mild and butter. Spanish oil is commonly golden yellow and fruity or nutty in flavor while Italian oil is dark green and has a more herbal aroma and grassy flavor. Greek oil pack a strong flavor and aroma and tends to be green in color. French oil is pale in color and has a more mild flavor. The sample kit I received had A packet of recipe cards, a sample bottle of EVOO, an olive oil dipping dish, and a flash drive with information about Farchioni, which is the olive oil company that provided my sample. The olive oil I received had a wonderfully mild flavor that paired well with the recipe I chose to make.

I had to use the olive oil in either a provided recipe or in one of my own. I of course made one of my own though you may be seeing some of the recipe from the provided cards.  I have been making these vegetable cakes for a couple months and they have become one of my staple lunches so I thought I would share.  It is one of those recipes where you can really use whatever you have on hand.  Just remember, if you are keeping track of nutrition, formulate the recipe with any substitutions you use. 

The day I decided to make these to photograph for this post, I used sweet potato, zucchini, yellow onion, and jalapeno.

You will need sweet potato, zucchini, onion, jalapeno, egg, garlic powder, pepper, EVOO, and flour.

FInely grate all veggies.  You will need 1 1/2C shredded veggies total.  Here I used 3/4C sweet potato, 1/2C zucchini and 1/4C onion, and then tossed about 1T grated jalapeno.

 It is important to remove as much excess liquid as possible.  This is done easily by putting your shredded veggies into a dish towel and twist and squeeze the liquid out.  As you can see, there was quite a lot of liquid from such a small amount of veggies!

Mix your shredded veggies with 2T gluten free flour, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Mix well and form into 3 equal size patties, making them about 1/4" thick.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium high heat.  Carefully place your veggie cakes in the hot skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes, then flip.

Cook other side for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. 

Remove to plate. While these are amazing all on their own as a side dish, I often top mine with an over easy egg for a quick bit of protein and to make it a complete meal for me.

Veggie Cakes w Fried Egg.

Recipe yield: 3 patties

Serving size: 1 patty

1 1/2C shredded veggies of choice. Be sure to include 1 starchy veggie to help as a binder.  I have used a combination of sweet potato, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, jalapeno.  Feel free to experiment to find the flavors you like best.

2T gluten free flour

1 large egg

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons EVOO

Shred desired veggies finely.  Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible.  The easiest way to do this is place the veggies in a dish towel and ring them out.  place veggies back into bowl and add in flour and spices.  Mix well.  Form mixture into 3 equal sized patties about 1/4" thick.  Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a skillet.  Once the oil is hot, carefully place veggies patties in pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until a nice golden brown.  Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side until golden brown.  Remove to plate.  If desired, top with a fried egg.

Nutrition Facts with fried egg

Serving size: 1 veggie cake

Calories 166

Fat: 9.8g

Carbs: 11.8

Sugars: 2.2g

Protein: 9.4g

 I received this product for free from Moms Meet (www.momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog.  The opinions posts are my own.

Not your Mommas BBQ sauce (dairy, egg, gluten, nut free, reduced sugar)

Everyone loves a good barbeque sauce.  As a bariatric patients, its hard to find a delicious, hearty sauce that isn't loaded with sugar.  I have tried a few different store bought sauces, and while good, they are lacking something. So I decided it was time to create my own sauce, and it is everything I wanted in a barbeque sauce.  It is sweet, but tangy, with a hint of spice. It is just as good on grilled chicken as it is on pulled pork.  And it is so easy! You literally throw everything in a large pot and just cook it until it is the thickness you want.  Last night I used it on some grilled chicken drumsticks, and even the kids cleaned their plates. My favorite part?! This sauce has only 16 calories per serving and only 2 sugars!

Here is what you need :

Apple cider vinegar, Truvia brown sugar blend, Worcestershire sauce, dark diet soda, liquid smoke, yellow mustard, cayenne pepper, onion powder, minced garlic, tomato paste, and reduced sugar ketchup.

Put everything in a large pot and whisk together.

Heat on medium high until it begins to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cover. Let simmer until it reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally.  I let mine cook down for about 30 minutes.

Use immediately or let cool and store in a large mason jar in the refrigerator.

Please let me know in the comments what you think!

Not Your Mommas BBQ Sauce

Serving size: 2T

2 1/2C Dark diet soda (Diet Pepsi, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Diet root beer)

1/2C Apple cider vinegar

1/2C Reduced sugar ketchup

2 6oz cans tomato paste

3t yellow mustard

2T minced garlic

2T Worcestershire sauce

2T Liquid smoke

3t onion powder

1/2t cayenne pepper

1/2C Truvia brown sugar blend

Mix all ingredients in large pot. Cook on medium high until it comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cover.  Allow to simmer until it reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Use immediately or allow to cool completely and transfer to large mason jar.  Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts:

serving size 2T

Calories:16

Fat: 0g

Sodium: 59.1mg

Carbs: 4.4g

Fiber: 0.3g

Sugar: 2.2g

Protein: 0.5g 

ReVamped Green Bean Casserole (Gluten, Nut, Sugar Free with Dairy Free Option)

Who doesn't love good old green bean casserole?  In my house it is not just a holiday favorite, but a year round staple.  Little Miss is gluten free and really missed green bean casserole.  Now I know there are gluten free cream of mushroom soups, but they are loaded with sodium and other garbage, and I have yet to find any available locally. 

I tried several gluten free recipes that called for homemade cream sauces of sorts and none of them compared to the classic. Then this past Christmas, the request for green bean casserole came, forcing my creativity for the first time since my gastric bypass surgery in Nov.  I wanted to make a meal that we could all enjoy together, while still meeting my dietary restrictions, and packing in as much protein as I could.  This is the recipe I came up with.  The calorie count for my recipe is only 20 less than the original, but has 1/3 the sodium, half the fat, and twice the protein, all while almost mimicking the flavors and texture of the original recipe we all know.

For the recipe you will need the following

Chicken stock, milk, fried onions (We were lucky to find a gluten free option at Aldi), 1 can cannelini beans, 2 cans French style green beans, pepper, and garlic powder

Begin by pureeing the can of rinsed cannellini beans with 1/4C chicken stock.  You want the mixture to be very smooth. 

Then mix the green beans, the cannellini bean mixture, 1/4cup skim milk, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 can fried onions.

 Pour into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Top with remaining onions, and bake for another 10 minutes, until golden brown.

And then enjoy!

Revamped Green Bean Casserole

Number of servings: 9

2 cans French style green beans

1 can cannelini beans, rinsed

1/4C low sodium chicken stock

1/4C skim milk (or milk alternative for dairy free)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 Can fried onions, divided (or make your own crispy onions for the top)

Preheat oven to 350*.  Place cannellini beans and chicken stock in food processor and blend until smooth.  Mix together bean mixture with green beans, milk, garlic powder, pepper and 1/4can fried onions.  Pour into 9" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 mins; top with remaining portion of fried onions and bake for another 10 mins.

Nutrition Facts

serving size 1/9

Calories: 146

Fat: 7.2g

Sodium: 297.9

Carbohydrates: 17.1g

Fiber: 3.1g

Sugars: 1g

Protein: 3g

Chocolate Applesauce Cake (Egg, gluten and nut free, no sugar added, with dairy free option)

I had a request from a friend for a healthy dessert for a family function," a low carb, no sugar cake that will blow the socks off of family and so good they wont complain that they had to eat health food." Challenge accepted. I initially thought of the Chocolate Banana Cake, but since it has a stronger banana flavor and my friends husband isn't a fan of banana, I needed to come up with something else.   And so this recipe was born.


I debated whether this should be separate entry or an edit on the chocolate banana cake. Ultimately, I decided to make it a new entry because I did tweak some measurements and the nutritional content is quite a bit different.

This recipe mimics the rich chocolate flavor of a traditional chocolate cupcake, yet has just a fraction of the calories (less than 100!!), even with frosting!!



For this recipe you will need the following:

Truvia Brown sugar blend

Unsweetened applesauce

Plain Greek yogurt

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Splenda

Gluten Free Flour (I use Bobs Red Mill Cup for Cup)

Salt

Baking Soda

Milled Flax Seed

Warm Water

Begin by mixing 1 cup apple sauce and  1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt together.

Add in 3 tablespoons Trivia brown sugar blend, 3 tablespoons Splenda, and your flax seed mixture (1 tablespoon milled flax seed soaked in 3 tablespoons warm water)

Finally, add in 1 cup gluten free flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Mix just  until incorporated.

The batter looks loos amazing, so light and airy!!

Now, either pour batter into a prepared 9' square baking pan, or divide into 12 cupcakes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

I top mine with 1 teaspoon sugar free chocolate frosting.  They are soft, moist, and so light!

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

Number of servings: 12

1Cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2C plus 1T plain Greek yogurt (to make dairy free, use dairy free yogurt of choice)

1T milled flax seed

3T Truvia sugar blend

3T Spenda

3T warm water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2C unsweetened cocoa powder

1C gluten free flour

 Preheat oven to 350* Begin by soaking your flax seed and warm water. Let sit 5 mins.  While that is soaking, mix applesauce and yogurt in the bowl of your mixer.  Add in Truvia and Splenda, then flax mixture; mix. Next add in flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.  Mix just until incorporated. Divide batter into 12 cupcakes or pour into prepared 9" square baking dish.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Nutrition facts per cupcake (before frosting)

Calories: 66

Fat: 0.7g

Sodium: 158.7mg

Carbohydrates: 16.3g

Fiber: 2g

Sugar: 4g

Protein: 1.5g

Chocolate Banana Cake (No Sugar added, Gluten Free, Egg Free, Nut Free)

Last week I had a friend send me a recipe for a banana chocolate cake and asked what I thought of it nutritionally. At first glance, it looked pretty good. Then I entered the recipe into myfitness pal to see the nutritional facts and was shocked. 1 serving (1/9th) of the cake had almost 300 calories, 9g fat,  and a whopping 56 carbs and 36g sugar!

.

I had most of the ingredients on hand, but decided to make several changes to it in hopes of improving the nutrition content.  This is what I came up with, and it is so flavorful, moist, and light.

**Quick tip** as you can see here, my bananas have a frost over them.  They weren't quite ripe enough. When that is the case, I put them in the freezer overnight, then thaw just before using. Freezing them activates the natural sugars, but it also adds a little moisture to your recipe.

Start by creaming together 3 bananas with 6 Tablespoons Trivia Brown Sugar blend.

Next, add in a small container (5.30z) Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. I used Banana Cream flavor, but vanilla or chocolate would be great as well.  For a Dairy free version, use the same amount of dairy free yogurt such as SoDelicious. Mix until well incorporated.

To make this recipe egg free, I used milled flax seed as a replacer. Add 1 tablespoon milled flax seed to 3 tablespoons warm water; let sit for a couple minutes.  Add to your banana mixture. 

Finally, add in 1/2Cup cocoa powder, 1teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 Cup gluten free flour. Mix just until combined, careful to not overmix. 

How amazing does this look?!?!  Pour batter into a greased 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 350' for 30minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

A little fresh whipped cream on top is the perfect accompaniment.

I hope that you all enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  If you make it, please let me know what you think.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Number of servings: 9

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas

6T Truvia Brown Sugar Blend

1 5.3oz container Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt (or use a dairy free alternative)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1T milled flax seed with 3T warm water

1/2C unsweetened cocoa powder

1C gluten free Cup for Cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350'

Start by creaming together bananas and brown sugar blend.  Add in yogurt and vanilla extract; mix well.  Next, add in flax seed mixture. Finally add cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until incorporated.

Pour batter into a greased 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Nutrition facts

Calories-125

Fat-1g

Sodium-210mg

Carbs-33g

Sugar-11g

Protein 2.3g