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.

Cooking from Recipes: Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This dinner was quite successful. So much so that Damon actually said, "This is the best chicken! I even love the brussels sprouts! Is there more?" And no, there was not more.  I made just enough for the 2 of us, but this was definitely the day that I wished I made more. It's like getting kids to eat, when you find something they like you make a lot of it often. Needless to say, this dinner will make the regular rotation.

The chicken recipe comes from the book "Practical Paleo" by Diane Sanfilippo.  Yesterday's chop recipe came from that book as well. I bought the book because I was having some digestive problems and suspected that I was gluten intolerant. I needed a little inspiration and this book definitely gives me that, but it also gives me a lot of information about diet, allergies, and intolerance to food. It is supposed to be "real food" or "primal." I don't know whether or not I totally agree with everything in the book, but the recipes, techniques, and meal plans are great.

The Brussels sprouts recipe comes from the handy dandy, October issue of Cooking Light.  I love that magazine. You can't go wrong with that magazine.  Well, you can - but not often!

Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs
1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
2 tablespoons gluten-free mustard
Black Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, mustard, black pepper, and Sage Salt. Place the chicken thigh on a baking sheet or oven-safe dish, and brush the mixture evenly over each one.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the center of one of the chicken thighs.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Preheat even to 425 degrees F. Combine 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, 2 teaspoons canola oil, 1-1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 pound halved Brussels sprouts on a jelly-roll pan.  Bake at 425 degrees for 17 minutes, stirring once.