Gluten-Free Perfect Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

How could I possibly let Halloween slip by without sharing a pumpkin-inspired recipe?! Though it’s coming a little late, this fall-fantastic recipe is fitting for the season and sure to make your eyes and tummy equally happy.

Quick note: make sure that if you are making this recipe gluten-free (like I did), that you use baking flour (you’ll see other options like GF all-purpose/multipurpose flour) and have xantham gum on hand!

Now, without further adieu, my pumpkin muffin recipe with an optional sugar glaze.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
15-ounce can pumpkin purée
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a blend of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon allspice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix (again, make sure it is a baking mix, not all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
1 tablespoon xantham gum (if using gluten free flour)

How to Make Apple Crumble:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners or grease cups.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla.

3. Add the baking mix, stirring to combine.

4. Mix in the nuts, if you’re using them.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes before baking.

6. Bake 22-25 minutes, let stand in tray for 5 minutes before removing.

7. Allow muffins to cool; Add optional drizzle.

Optional Sugar Glaze/Drizzle

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
1tsp vanilla

How to Make the Sugar Glaze:

1) Mix all the above ingredients in a small-medium sized mixing bowl. Voila! You’re done!

Gluten-free Apple Crumble/ Crisp Recipe

Yesterday may have been the perfect Autumn day. The sun was peaking through fluffy clouds, the air had just the perfect chill, and the trees seemed to have reached their colorful peak of red, orange and yellow.

A friend and I ventured to the east side of Cleveland to Patterson Fruit Farms to take a walk through the ripe orchards and snag some local fruit. (Because really, what else can you do on the perfect fall afternoon?) As soon as we entered the shop, the sweet aroma of bubbling cider and tart, apple treats met our noses. From that moment, I was ready to start baking myself.

Here’s the recipe for our gluten-free apple crumble.

Ingredients:

¾ cup crushed almonds
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup brown sugar
⅔ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
8 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup granulated sugar
Optional: fresh yogurt, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

How to Make Apple Crumble:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Mix crushed almonds, gluten free oats (I used a maple flavored variety), brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Use enough butter to so the mixture holds loosely together.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, vanilla, and of cinnamon. Toss to combine.

4. Layer sliced apples in a 9 x 12-inch (or approximately the same size) baking pan. You can also use large ramekins.

5. Sprinkle crumble mixture over apples.

6. Bake 35 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and apples are tender. (Check after 20-25 minutes.)

7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Original recipe here

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Apple Cinnamon Muffin Recipe

I describe myself as a cook, not a baker. The science of baking soda is lost on me… But I’m making an attempt to break into the world of baking, one little baby step at a time….

Step 1: Buy baking supplies. (muffin tin, bread tin, mixing bowl, mixing spoon)
Step 2: Buy baking essentials. (baking sugar, baking powder and soda, flour, xanthan gum-important ingredient for gluten-free baking, vegetable oil, pam spray, etc.)
Step 3: Foster intent to bake.
Step 4: Tell other people I plan to bake, creating accountability for baking.
Step 5: Suck it up; bake something.

These muffins were insanely easy to make (thank goodness). My only complaint is that the recipe only makes about 9 muffins… Don’t get me wrong, those 9 muffins were scrumptious, but I feel like baked goods are meant to be shared in mass quantities!

Ingredients:

1 box of Hodgson Mill Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
¼ cup of sugar
¼ cup of vegetable oil
½ cup of 2% milk
1 egg

How to make gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine muffin mix and sugar into a medium size mixing bowl.

3. Blend in oil, milk and egg; Mix well.

4. Grease 9 muffin cups (or line with paper liners); Spoon batter evenly into each.

5. Bake 14-15 minutes. Serve warm.

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Spicy Crab and Corn Chowder Recipe

There’s nothing better than snuggling up and digging into a warm, savory dish like this on a chilly Autumn day! ‘Tis the season for soup, chili and chowder. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1 medium poblano chile**
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely chopped onion (about half of a large onion)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup half-and-half, (divided 3/4 and 1/4 cup)
1 (8-ounce) russet potato, peeled and chopped
2 cups water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose)
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8-ounce) container crab claw meat, shell pieces removed

**I might grab two. The pepper really adds the spice to this dish, and with poblano’s it’s hard to tell the level of heat until you cook them!

How to Make Spicy Crab and Corn Chowder:

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Place poblano on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 8 minutes on each side or until blackened. Place pepper in a small zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel off the pepper’s burnt outer skin and chop.

3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, salt, sugar and red pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes.

5. Remove 3/4 cup corn mixture from pan. Combine 3/4 cup corn mixture and 3/4 cup half-and-half in a blender; process until smooth.

6. Add potato to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Cook 4 minutes or until potato is almost tender. Reduce heat to medium.

7. Combine remaining 1/4 cup half-and-half and flour in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to pot. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

8. Return corn puree to pan, stir.

9. Stir in poblano, milk, and crab; bring to a simmer. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Buckeye Recipe

5 Things I Learned Growing up in Ohio:

1. The only way chili should be served is poured over spaghetti and smothered in cheese. (If you’re from Cinci, you know that this is the only way to start such a list…)

2. A distance should be conveyed in minutes, not miles. I suggest using a major city for reference, like Dayton!

3. Weather is never forever… You can even experience snow, sunshine and rain in one day! Woo-hoo!

4. Everyone else has an accent. EVERYONE.

and lastly…

5. What a buckeye is: a tree nut, a fanatic sports fan and, most importantly, a delectable confectionery treat.

This week, in honor of fall and football season, I decided to make a batch of my favorite peanut-butter-and-chocolate treats: buckeyes! I even enlisted the help of a true Ohio State Buckeye for authenticity.

Buckeyes are no-bake, easy to make, gluten-free and delicious! But let me warn you, they’re addictive…. I used the recipe below. It can also be halved or (I recommend) doubled.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

How to Make Buckeyes:

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. I suggest adding the sugar last, and in small quantities at a time. The dough will look dry.
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.
Dip the frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Smoked Salmon Salad

I’ve really been embracing salad recently.

Honestly, it wasn’t too long ago that I turned my nose up at leafy greens, but now I’ve started craving them. This salad is one of my favorites. It falls very low on the effort scale, but very high on the flavor scale. Here’s my smoked salmon salad!

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh “spring mix” greens
1 serving of cherry tomatoes (around 10)
1 hard boiled egg
1 fillet of seasoned smoked salmon
Oil & Vinegar
Pepper

How to Make This Smoked Salmon Salad

Easy! Wash your spring mix, halve the cherry tomatoes, chop up the hard boiled egg and throw it all together with your salmon on top! Sprinkle some oil, vinegar and pepper to taste, and voila! You’re done!

The salad ends up at just around 300 calories, so I usually serve this will some wild rice or quinoa. Hope you enjoy!

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Cat’s Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

My friend Cathryn had me over for dinner recently. She knows about my dietary restrictions, and like the amazing hostess she is, was more than accommodating with her menu!

She made a delicious spicy black bean chili, and it was so great snagged the recipe to share! It took less than 30 minutes to prep and cook, and is packed full of flavor!

This is an incredibly easy fall/winter dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons margerine
1 sweet onion
2 15oz cans black beans
1 15oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15oz can low sodium corn kernels, undrained
1 4oz can diced green chiles, undrained
1 16oz jar salsa verde (the green kind)
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Optional

sour cream
mexican blend cheese

How to Make Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Dice onions.
Melt margerine in large pot over medium heat.
Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low.
Rinse & drain black beans
Add tomatoes, corn, green chiles, salsa, & black beans to pot; mix well.
Add red pepper flakes.
Bring just to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 6

(I would suggest using a bigger pot)

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Coffee Cup Quiche

I recently stumbled on a blog post about about coffee cup cooking and fell in love with the concept. Not only is the meal made in minutes, but it’s also automatically set up for adorable presentation. This morning I created my own gluten free coffee cup quiche, and can promise I will be making it again, and again. Hope you enjoy!

Prep time:

3 minutes

Ingredients:

(I can almost guarantee you have all these items laying around!)

1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons milk (may substitute soy or almond)
Salt
Ground black pepper
1/8 of a Shar Gluten-free baguette (you can also substitute 1/4 a bagel or a similar amount of bread)
2 teaspoons cream cheese
1 slice of ham
Cheddar Cheese

How to Make a Coffee Cup Quiche:

1. Beat the egg and milk together with a fork in a coffee cup, adding salt and pepper to taste.

2. Tear bread into dime-size pieces; stir in. Add cream cheese; stir in. Tear ham into small pieces; add to mixture.

2. Microwave on high about 1 minute 10 seconds. Sprinkle cheese on top; microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until done.

Cals per serving:

approx. 230 calories

There is no sincerer love than the love of food.

I mean, really.

Food is pretty amazing, and I’m not shy about saying that I love it, deeply and sincerely.

Food nourishes my body. It has the ability to act as my medicine. It brings me closer to those I love, whether through sharing a meal or swapping foodie tips and tricks. It provides venues to mix with diverse groups of people and an accessible way to share one’s culture. Yeah, I’m a big fan of food.

Food is wonderful in another way, that I would be remiss if I weren’t to mention: Food provides comfort, which I am often happy to accept.

Yes, I am a self-proclaimed comfort (emotional) eater, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. When I return home after a particularly challenging day, I wash my face, put on a pair of comfy sweats, and head to the kitchen to start cooking.

Like most emotional eaters (EEs), I have an arsenal of comfort foods for any given day. One of my favorite savory go-to’s is the cheesy, delicious, loaded quesadilla.

Here’s how I like to prepare mine.

What you’ll need:

Tortilla (I use a gluten-free version)
1 thawed chicken breast
seasoning (garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper)
1 can of black beans
1/2 cup of white rice
1/4 cup of Mexican blend cheese
1/3 avocado
lime
Fresh Salsa (homemade or store-bought)

How to Make My Quesadilla

After thawing my chicken breast, I usually brush on some light olive oil and sprinkle it with garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. I throw my black beans on the stove to cook and usually add some garlic, onion and jalapeno if I have it lying around.

While heating up my pan, I dice the chicken and check that there is enough seasoning. (I prefer cooking diced chicken in general because it’s so easy to gauge how quickly it’s cooking and avoid drying it out.)

As the beans simmer and the chicken cooks, I move to assemble the quesadilla.

I start by spearing on some lightly seasoned rice (I’ve been in an instant rice kick) and then sprinkle about half a serving of cheese on top. I slice my avocado, add some lime and garlic salt, and place it on top of the cheese and rice. When the chicken is ready, I put that on top, then take a helping of beans and spread it across the other side of the tortilla. This way, I can trap the “top layer” of cheese and avoid some mess!

I think you all can imagine the rest, but make sure to spray your pan and flip the quesadilla a few times until each side is a warm, golden brown and CRUNCHY!

Then, dig in and enjoy! I know I did!

Alright, I shared one of mine! What’s your favorite comfort food?!

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Alternative Eating

Alternative Eating: exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Category Archives for Recipes

Gluten-Free Perfect Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Gluten-free Apple Crumble/ Crisp Recipe

Apple Cinnamon Muffin Recipe

Spicy Crab and Corn Chowder Recipe

Buckeye Recipe

Smoked Salmon Salad

Cat’s Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Coffee Cup Quiche

There is no sincerer love than the love of food.