Going Gluten & Dairy Free: Pumpkin-Cran Muffins

Pumpkin-Cran Muffins

I would like to start by saying that I am not on a crazy-ass diet. I have had a few allergy issues and have  found that eating gluten free relieves some of my symptoms and many of the gluten free recipes are also dairy free. So there.
I've been trying out a few recipes from various sources and this one is adapted from the Practical Paleo cook book. I have made this recipe twice, once with all purpose gluten free flour and once with coconut flour. My second attempt was much better. I have tweaked the recipe from the original. I found that the original was too oily from too much coconut oil, but that could have been due to the fact that I used all purpose GF flour instead of coconut flour. This recipe says that you could use either coconut oil or butter, but I have swapped coconut oil for butter before and the result was the same - too oily. To all of you gluten free naysayers out there, I will say that the following recipe produces a muffin that does not taste like a piece of cardboard. My husband ate them and would have never known that they were gluten and dairy free. So try the recipe, I think you will be surprised!

Pumpkin-Cran Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil melted (if you use butter, use 1/2 cup melted)
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar(optional - if your going paleo totally omit this)
1 tablespoon Vanilla
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie spice + a couple of dashes of ground clove
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour (if you don't have or can't find - All Purpose GF Flour works, but I would use about 2/3 cup)
1/2 Cup Craisins(if you hate craisins - skip them!)

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Mix the first 8 ingredients together until completely combined and smooth. Sift in the baking soda, baking powder, and coconut flour and stir until combined. Last, fold in the Craisins - unless you hate them, then don't.

Coat muffin tins with coconut oil or paper muffin cups. Add batter equally amongst the 12 muffin tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Huevos Rancheros Frittata

I made this dish twice over the weekend. It is delish and very easy to make. It's a twist on the huevos rancheros/chorizo and eggs.

Huevos Rancheros Frittata

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 oz Pork Chorizo
1/2 bunch of green onions minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tomato diced
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Mince the green onions and garlic, dice the tomatoes, and chop the cilantro and set aside.

Over medium heat in a skillet, cook the chorizo for about 5 minutes. Add, all at once, the green onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Saute with chorizo, scraping the brown bits up from the bottom of the pan with the juice from the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to your liking and the cheese. Before adding eggs to the pan, push the chorizo/tomato mixture to the side of the pan and add butter and let it melt in the bottom of the pan. Once melted, mix with chorizo and tomatoes so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Next, pour eggs over the chorizo and tomatoes and let it cook for about 5 minutes shaking the pan like you are cooking an omelet. Take off heat and put it in the oven to bake for 10 minutes or until it is cooked and set throughout.

Serve with corn tortillas, avocado, and salsa... or whatever other accompaniment you would like.