Pumpkin Cupcakes!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!! I thought I would share a little piece of Thanksgiving with you. Im sure you will be eating LOTS of delicious dishes tomorrow, so why not top it off with something sweet? Okay, this isn't my healthiest recipe, but lets be real, it's Thanksgiving!! Do what you want! :)

Hope y'all have a wonderful day tomorrow with your friends and family! God Bless you all! Be thankful for all the wonderful things in your life.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/8 t all spice

1/8 t ground gloves
1/2 t salt

1 can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

helpful hint: if you want to make this recipe egg free, replace the two eggs with 1/2 cup applesauce. You may have to increase your cooking time slightly 

If we are going to bake these things we will need to preheat the oven to 350°, so lets start there.

Now get your muffin pan ready. Add one baking cup liner to each slot and set aside. 

Now lets get the cupcakes together. In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda,  cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, cloves, and salt. Whisk it all together.

Grab a separate large bowl and combine your pumpkin, both sugars, canola oil, and eggs. 

Add your dry ingredient mixture into the larger bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Don't over mix it here. You just want to stir until it is combined.

If you have an ice cream scoop, now would be the time to grab it. It helps with this step tremendously! You want to scoop the batter into the lines muffin tin but only filling up about 3/4 of the way up. The cupcakes will rise, well thats what we hope anyway :). 

Pop your pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Go ahead and remove the cupcakes from your pan so they will cool faster. Set them on a cooling rack, or a baking sheet if you don't have one. It is very important to allow the cupcakes to cool completely before you try and ice them. The icing will simply melt all over the place if you don't! 

While the cupcakes are cooling, lets move on to getting the icing ready!

Icing Ingredients:

12 T dairy free butter, room temperature 

1 8 oz carton of dairy free, gluten free "cream cheese" room temperature

3 cups confectioners sugar (make sure it is made with cornstarch)

1/2 t vanilla extract

1/2 t cinnamon

What to do:

If you have a stand mixer, that is the easiest way to make this icing. Because mine is already packed up to move to our new house, FINALLY, I am using my hand mixer. 

Beat your butter and cream cheese at medium speed for about 2minutes until the mixture becomes fluffy.

Lower the speed on your mixer and SLOWLY add in your confectioners sugar. Confectioners sugar has a tendency to go all over the place if you are beating to hard or add too much at one time. Beat just until combined.

Add in your vanilla and cinnamon. 

Turn your speed back up to medium and beat for an additional minute until it is smooth.

To frost your cupcakes, you can use an icing bag with a tip if you have one, or just add your frosting into a ziplock bag and cut a corner off of the sealed side. Or if all else fails, just ice them with a butter knife :)

Click here for printable recipe!

Now share with your family and friends!

Thanks Y'all!
-Wise Wife 

Tomato Spinach Pasta!

With it being a few days before Thanksgiving, I am trying to stay away from all of the non-healthy options I will indulge in on Thursday! I do not in any way deprive myself during Thanksgiving. Eating whatever I want one day will not ruin my life :) Yes I still eat all dairy free because I don't want to spend my evening sick, but I eat as much turkey, and all dairy free yummies that are available as I want and don't feel guilty about it at all! Neither should you!! 

I have added a link on the right side of my blog that will take you to a separate page where all of my recipes are, or will be soon, listed in a printable form. I know some people don't like to cook directly from a blog, so that is for you!! 

Chicken Tomato Spinach Pasta 

Printable Recipe Here!! 

Ingredients:

1 8 oz box gluten free penne pasta

1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 pound chicken breast

1 small white onion

3 cloves garlic

3 small tomatoes
1 can quartered artichoke hearts 

1/2 t dried oregano

1/2 t dried basil

1/4 t red pepper flakes

dash of salt and pepper

1/2 cup tomato juice 

2 T tomato paste

5 oz dairy free, gluten free "cream cheese"

1/4 cup dairy free parmesan cheese

2 cups fresh spinach

What to do:

Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While your pasta is cooking start your sauce. Finely dice your onion, chop your tomatoes, and finely chop your garlic and drain your artichoke hearts.

I cheated on the garlic and used my amazing garlic chopper :) I am quite a sucker for gadgets!

Cut your chicken into bite size pieces.

In a large skillet, add your olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and toss in your chicken, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, add in your onions and garlic and sauté until slightly translucent. About 3 minutes.

Add in your tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir it all together. You can adjust the amount of red pepper flakes on your desired spice level. 

Add in your tomato paste, tomato juice, and a 1/2 cup cold water and lower your heat to medium low. Stir until your tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.

Add in your cream cheese and whisk until it is melted, about 5 minutes.

Now add in your parmesan cheese and continue to whisk for an additional minute.

Add in your artichoke hearts and spinach and stir gently, allowing the spinach to wilt for a few minutes

Finally, add in your cooked pasta and chicken and stir to completely combine. 

Hope you love it!

-Wise Wife 

Gluten Free Pot Roast!

The weather has ACTUALLY stayed cold for about a week now! Way to go Alabama! I have been wanting to cook a roast for a few weeks now but there is just something about lighting a fire, or flipping a switch depending on your fire place, and sitting down with a delicious roast and digging in. So we waited until it was finally cold enough to build a fire. 

The great thing about this recipe is your can add or remove any veggies of your choice. I just add in what my husband and I like and even change it up sometimes. Love a healthy slow cooker recipe where you can set it and forget it for those long working days!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

gluten free, dairy free

Ingredients: 

1, 2-3 pound chuck roast, excess fat trimmed

2 T olive oil

2 large carrots

4 celery stalks 

1 pound new potatoes

1 1/2 cup pear onions

1 cup apple juice

1 T worcestershire 

 t Italian seasoning

1/2 t herbs de provence

1/2 t salt
2 bay leaves

Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Sprinkle your roast with salt and pepper

Brown your meat on all sides.

Transfer the meat to your slow cooker, including the leftover olive oil.

Slice your carrots and celery into 1/4 inch pieces.

Slice your potatoes in half.

If using fresh pearl onions, trim both ends and remove outer flaky layer.

helpful hint: if you do not have a garlic/pearl onion peeler, INVEST! It is $9 here at Williams Sonoma and it is SUCH a time saver! Place the onion inside the device and press down slightly on the outside. Using the palm of your hand, roll back and forth for a few seconds and the outer layer comes right off!

Okay enough of my lithe gadget ran. Back to the pot roast. Add all your veggies into the slow cooker.

Add in your apple juice, Worchestshire, Italian seasoning, herbs de provence, salt, and top with bay leaves.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6, depending on how large your roast is. With about 15 minute to go, I like to make some rice to serve the roast over per my husbands request! Remove your bay leaves before serving.

Now take a spoon or fork, whichever you prefer, and dig in!!

Click Here for Printable Recipe