Carrot Cake Muffins Paleo & Gluten free

I am always Gluten Free but when I am trying to be Paleo on top of it I am always looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth!....And although there is only honey in these to sweeten them they did the trick!...And Carrot cake is one of my favorites so I particularly like these....I also added some Flax meal to make them fiber rich, you can omit it if you like and if you are not a fan of raisins you can leave them out....If you are not restricted you could always add some cream cheese frosting to them!...These are very simple to make..Here is what I did.....Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

2 eggs

1/3 Cup Coconut oil (melted)

1/3 Cup Honey

2 teaspoons Vanilla

 

1 1/4 Cup Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour

2 Tablespoons Flax meal (optional)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Allspice

2 Carrots (grated)

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1/2 Cup Raisins

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

 

In a bowl add the eggs, oil honey and vanilla and beat with a whisk

 

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well

 

Add batter to cupcake pan with liners

 

 

I filled with my large scoop and got 12 muffins out of this recipe

 

 

Bake for 15-17 minutes

Gut Healing Bone Broth

Ok you may be thinking what is all the rage with Bone broth?.....Well after contracting a couple of auto immune diseases you start to read up a lot on your ailments. In all of my research I kept coming across how good Bone broth is for your immune system...Remember back in the day when you were sick and your Mom or Grandma would make you chicken soup?...Well it turns out they knew what they were doing!...The other benefits are....It can heal your gut (a lot of auto immune diseases come from having a leaky gut) It also can reduce inflammation in your intestines (throw away those Tums!)....It is good for Bone density (which a lot of women lose as they get older).....The collagen from the bones is good for your skin (no need for Botox!)....It is also a detoxifying agent and an immune system booster!....Why wouldn't you want to try this! Alright so how do you begin?...You start out with bones, they can be beef or chicken ...If you use beef bones you roast them in the oven first...For the chicken I used a whole Chicken carcass (I made a whole chicken for dinner and removed the meat)...it is also good to use chicken feet, gizzards and the neck (no livers)...And always use Organic or grass fed bones, this is a must....and using Apple Cider Vinegar helps to extract the nutrients from the bones...I will try to give you step by step instructions on how I make mine. I also make mine in the slow cooker which makes it super simple. I put mine in at 9:00 p.m at night and started jarring it at 11:00 a.m. the next morning so that was 14 hours, but you could brew it even longer if you want. Once I removed all of the bones and vegetables from the broth, I strained it with a cheese cloth lined colander to get a clearer broth. Once I jarred it and refrigerated it the next day I spooned off the layer of fat that collected on the top, also what you want for your broth to do is to gel up...that gel is the liquid gold that is beneficial to your broth, although it may not always gel and it is still beneficial!..I heat this up and add a little Himalayan sea salt and drink it up , but you can use it for soup or any other of your recipes...You can also add whatever herbs you may like ... Here is how I did mine....Ok let's get started!....Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1-2  Organic Chicken carcass (meat removed)  and feet and necks if desired 

4 large carrots wash and leave skin on cut in half

5 celery ribs washed with leaf tips

1 large onion quartered with skin left on

4-5 garlic cloves with skin cut in half

2 bay leaves

Parsley fresh or dried (I used dehydrated)

1 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs)

Enough filtered water  just enough to cover bones I used about 8 cups

 

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Place all ingredients in your slow cooker

 

2. Cover and cook on low for 12-17 hours

(this is what it will look like done...mine was 14 hours)

 

3. Remove vegetables and bones

 

4. Pour broth through a cheese cloth lined colander that has a pan under it

 

5. Once you have broth in your pan you can start ladling into your jars

 

 

6. Refrigerate your jars and once all the fat rises to the top (mine was overnight) you can skim it off and enjoy your broth as you like! You can also add more salt or even pepper to it if you want.

ENJOY!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eggplant Rollatini over Gnocchi (gluten free)

I know eggplant isn't everybody's cup of tea...But our family happens to love it!....Especially my husband, when I want to make him his favorite dish I make him eggplant parmesan.......Recently we went to an Italian restaurant in Florida and I ordered this dish!.....They served rolled eggplant stuffed with ricotta over a bed of Gnocchi......It was so unbelievably good I knew I had to try and recreate it......and I wanted to try and make it gluten free, which I did, and you would never know!....You could also make this regular with normal gnocchi and flour, those are the 2 things I replaced for gluten free options in this recipe, I also added finely diced fresh spinach to my ricotta mixture, this can be omitted also if you like.....Here is what I did...Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 Eggplant

3 eggs

1 cup Flour

salt and pepper

 

FILLING

 

1 16 ounce container Ricotta Cheese

1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1 egg

11/2 - 2 Cups diced fresh spinach

salt and pepper

Mix all together in a bowl and set aside

 

Olive oil (for frying)

 

Pasta Sauce (I used my home made)

 

Mozzarella Cheese

 

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Prepare Eggplant by cutting off top stem and slicing with Mandolin lengthwise

 

2. Add slices to a colander and salt them, let them drain then pat dry with paper towel

 

3.In 2 shallow dishes add flour with salt and pepper to one and the 3 beaten eggs to the other

4.Take a slice of eggplant (being sure it is dry) and dredge it in flour first , then dip in egg

5. Add  2 Tablespoons olive oil to skillet and start frying eggplant slices until golden

 

6. Drain cooked slices on paper towel and set aside

 

 

7. Add filling down center of the fried eggplant and start rolling

 

8. Add rolls to a baking dish that you have ladled enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom

 

9. Finish rolling all of the slices and add to dish....Ladle more sauce over top then sprinkle with parmesan cheese

 

 

10. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes .....once cooked sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered until melted

 

Serve eggplant over Gnocchi or any other pasta with sauce that you may like

 

I used these gluten free Gnocchi

 

ENJOY!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini "Cheeseburger" Cupcakes

Ok, so when I first saw these Cheeseburger cupcakes I knew I had to give them a try!....and of course try to simplify them, which is what I try to do with every recipe on my blog. I have also seen these in full size cupcakes, but I thought that may be a bit much, so I knew I had to give them a try as mini's. I pulled out my mini muffin tin (which I happen to use for a lot of things) and got to work. I had just bought a gluten free vanilla cake mix and a gluten free brownie mix at my new favorite store ALDI so I was ready to dive in!...But you could definitely prepare these with regular mixes....I will try and give you detailed instructions on how I assembled these. I think they would be great for a Super Bowl party or a children's Birthday party, but you could serve these up for any gathering......They are so cute and make a great conversation food to serve on a  fun platter!....Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

WHAT YOU NEED

 

1 Vanilla Cake Mix

1 Brownie Mix

Shredded Coconut

Green Food Coloring

1 Can Buttercream Frosting

Red and Yellow Food Coloring

Honey

Water

Sesame Seeds

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

I started out by making the box of vanilla cake mix per directions on box and baked them in a sprayed mini muffin tin

Then prepare the brownie mix per directions on box and add batter to a 9x13 sprayed baking dish

Here are the mixes I used

 

Cupcakes after baking

 

Next prepare the "Lettuce" which is about a cup of shredded sweetened coconut mixed with green food coloring

 

Then prepare the "Cheese" which is Vanilla frosting dyed with yellow and red coloring until you achieve a orange cheese looking color. This "cheese" will keep the "lettuce" in tact.

 

 

When the brownies were done I cut them with a knife into a circle the size of the cupcake then shaped it into a patty

 

 

Cut the cupcake in half place the brownie patty on the bottom half then top with the frosting.

 

 I used my piping tool if you don't have one I am sure you could just add with a knife, use a generous amount to hold the coconut in place.

 

 

 

 

Once coconut is on the cheese, place the upper half of the cupcake on top.

 

To hold the sesame seeds on I mixed 2 Tablespoons of honey with a Tablespoon of water...Brush on the top of Cupcake and then sprinkle with the seeds(you could also use some white small nonpareils) if you can find them

 

Have fun with these!...I know I did....Everyone got a kick out of them when I served them, these would be a fun thing to make with the kids also!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach artichoke dip has always been one of my favorites....I would usually always just put it in a casserole dish and bake it....But I had this new cute little decorative Crock Pot I purchased so I decided to let it cook in there for my New Year's Eve get together, hoping it would help in keeping it hot all night...So that is how I prepared this and it worked out great!......Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

10 ounce bag Frozen chopped Spinach thawed and squeezed

14 ounce can Artichokes in water (chopped)

8 ounces Cream Cheese (I used reduced fat)

16 ounces Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

2 Cloves garlic minced

4 ounces diced Chiles (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

milk or half and half if needed

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Mix all ingredients together and add to Crock Pot

Start it out at high for 2 hours or until heated through then you can turn to low to stay warm... mixing occasionally

I added a little half and half as the night went on you can do this if you find it getting thicker

 

NOTE** This is one of those recipes that you can be creative with and do what you like....If you like more garlic then add it or another can of artichokes or more spinach or cheese....I have also made this with Mayonnaise, you could do half mayo, half sour cream....give it a taste, you have some room to play here

  and use this as a template!

 

Serve with Tostito's or Pita Crackers and Enjoy!

How cute is this little Crock Pot!!

 

Also if you need this quick...heat in microwave or oven to heat through first...then add to crock pot

 

Gluten free Stuffing

This recipe is similar to the stuffing I used in my stuffed Acorn Squash post...But this is the way I usually make it for Thanksgiving, it is a basic stuffing recipe so you could definitely make this your own by adding your favorite ingredients to it, like sausage or cranberries or chestnuts. Or even if you have a family recipe but you would like to convert it to gluten free. It is just basically using gluten free bread and toasting it instead of regular bread or stuffing mix......Here is what I did ....Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 Loaf Gluten free bread (I used Tapioca loaf)

3 Tablespoons Butter

5 Celery Ribs (diced)

3-4 Carrots (diced)

1 Small Onion (diced)

1 Leek chopped (use the bottom white part) I also soak them to remove dirt before chopping

1 teaspoon Sage

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

salt to taste

1 Knorr Bouillon Cube

1- 32 ounce box Chicken Broth

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

 

Divide bread loaf in half to make 2 stacks ...make slices both ways to make cubes

placed on baking sheet and bale for 10 to 15 minutes until toasted and set aside

 

In a Dutch oven or pan add butter and the celery, carrots, onions and leeks

cook until soft and add the spices

Add the Knorr bouillon cube to a 2 cup measuring cup and add 2 cups of the broth

microwave about 2 minutes until it dissolves (I do this for extra flavor)

 

 

Add the toasted bread cubes to the cooked vegetables and mix ...add the 2 cups of broth and continue gently mixing

 

You can add more broth from the box now until well moistened ( you may not have to use all of it)

 

After mixed now is the time to add more seasoning if you think it needs it

 

Transfer stuffing to a sprayed baking dish and then top with pieces of butter, you can also drizzle with more broth... Cover with foil and bake or refrigerate until ready to bake

Bake until heated through 30-40 minutes

 

Krispie Treat Pie

Well my husband is usually the Rice Krispie Treat maker in our house....and he did do one of these Krispie Treat Pies last year and I had forgotten about it until I needed to make a Birthday treat for a Gluten free friend and this came to mind!....So I got out my spring form pan and went to work (if you don't have a spring form pan, I am sure a cake pan would work)...I made the center of this orange to look like a pumpkin pie, but you could do other colors for different Holiday's like green for Christmas or pink for Easter...Have some fun with it even add some sprinkles if you like...Sometimes they even have flavored Marshmallows...that could be interesting!....You can even add whipped cream to these servings!....Here is what I did...Enjoy!!

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

I made 2 batches of Rice Krispie Treats according to cereal box directions

Make the first one plain then add to a non stick sprayed spring form pan

and push to the edge with a spatula that you have sprayed also (and your fingers) to form your "crust"

 

 

To one of the batches add the food coloring of your choice to the melted marshmallow and then add the cereal

 

Add the orange batch to the center of pan and press it in evenly

 

 

 

Let it set then remove the spring form and you will have your Pie!

 

Slice into wedges...You can even top with whip cream!