ALMOND MEAL PUMPKIN MUFFINS

I was chatting with a reader a few weeks ago about making swaps in one of the older pumpkin recipes on this site and I realized we have a shortage in that category. I love pumpkin things, but am a little too cynical towards how overdone it can be this time of year. I've been baking with more almond meal lately, in the name of lower carbohydrate treats, and while it doesn't yield something nearly as light and fluffy as a "regular" baked good, I like how tender and rich things turn out. Hugh actually makes this rosemary bread better than I do now and we're ordering the stuff in 4 lb. increments so it won't stop here. We may be a little short on holiday sides in the index too now that I think of it so I'll work on a few of those. Anyway, it's food season! I'm here for you.
Until then, I don't like hard selling you on the recipes here BUT if you need a super easy, one bowl, dairy free, gluten free, maple sweetened pumpkin muffin? These are them. 

ALMOND MEAL PUMPKIN MUFFINS // Makes 12 (gf, df, veg)
My kids love these. The chocolate is optional for them I suppose, but for us big kids, it is not. You could replace nuts in equal measure if you prefer. Most any muffin recipe that yields 12 can be made into a standard 9x5 loaf with more time in the oven. I actually haven't tried it yet, but I think if you went for 40 minutes, you'd be in good shape. Also note that different brands of canned pumpkin puree vs. homemade have different water content and will affect the outcome slightly. I find homemade to vary, and Libbys (what is at most conventional grocers) to be thicker than the Trader Joes stuff. So if you're using the TJ's brand, scale back to 3/4 cup.
Side note, I LOVE this muffin tin. Muffins and mini frittatas release no problem which is more than I can say for any other brand I've tried.
* Adding a note here. If coconut flour is not something you stock (and no, I don't find it tastes like coconut, and is not a very easy to use flour), King Arthur or Bobs Red Mill gluten free 1:1 flour or unbleached all purpose can be swapped in at 1/3 cup in its place. Same for the brown rice flour, I buy it online, but don’t go out of your way. Replace it with the GF all-purpose sub.

1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil or coconut oil, warmed
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips or a 3.5oz. dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped

raw pepitas/pumpkin seeds, for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 360' and grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or use liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple, oil, pumpkin pie spice and salt and whisk really well to combine. You want to get some air up in there. Add the coconut flour and mix. Let that sit a minute to absorb some moisture. Add the rice flour, almond meal, baking powder and soda and stir again to mix. Add the chocolate chips, one last stir. 

Distribute the batter between your cups. Sprinkle the pepitas on top. Bake on the middle rack for 20ish minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool before removing them from the pan and enjoy. 

• Updated edit! These were originally published with 1/2 cup maple, but I reduced the maple and made up for some sweetness with brown sugar, to get a drier muffin. Either will work! but we prefer the texture with a partial dry sweetener.

Sara Forte 2019-02-12

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

12

Gluten free pumpkin muffins made with almond meal and coconut flour.

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup olive oil or coconut oil, warmed
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• raw pepitas/pumpkin seeds, for garnish, optional

249 calories17 grams fat21 grams carbohydrate6 grams protein

Preheat the oven to 360' and grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or use liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple, oil, pumpkin pie spice and salt and whisk really well to combine. You want to get some air up in there. Add the coconut flour and mix. Let that sit a minute to absorb some moisture. Add the almond meal, baking soda and stir again to mix. Add the chocolate chips, one last stir.

Distribute the batter between your cups. Sprinkle the pepitas on top. Bake on the middle rack for 20ish minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool before removing them from the pan and enjoy.

PT15M

PT20M

PT35M

Baked Good

Breakfast

gluten free, grain free, baked good

COLD BREW WITH COCONUT CREAMER

I actually don't buy fancy drinks often but I love them. We spend a large part of our income on food and it seems like one place I can tighten things up. However, in a "treat yo'self" moment, I recently picked up the new one from Trader Joes and after spending nearly $5 on this tiny beverage, I had high expectations that were not met. Hugh makes us cold brew in the warm months so I'm putting him on explaining some of that to you. Tools, beans and such. He made the coffee, I made the coconut creamer from The First Mess and now I can make a special iced coffee on my own terms. The creamer is easy, it just requires a blender and a few staple ingredients. It does get a little firm in the fridge so I leave out before I need to use it or let it sit in a warm water bath to become a little more liquid. In the dairy free creamers you get at the store, there are a handful of funky ingredients that keep them a liquid and emulsify into your coffee, hot or cold. This creamer has more of a homemade texture to it and I like it that way. Makes me want to keep this as a fridge staple. We have two other coffee posts, Chemex and a video with the French press (in our old apartment! nostalgia!) if you fancy. 

In other summery news, I wrote a salmon taco recipe for Food52 and that avocado sauce has been a fridge staple. On eggs, veggie bowls, tacos, thinned to salad dressing, everything. Take a peek if you need a dinner idea!

COLD BREW COFFEE
Makes about 6 cups

There are all sorts of variations for this process, but we use a Toddy T2N Cold Brew System. It's simple, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use. The following brew method is adapted from their instructions, and makes about 6 cups of cold brew coffee concentrate.

12 ounces fresh roasted coffee - ground slightly finer than you would for drip. I grind at setting 10 (of 40) on a Baratza Virtuoso, for reference.
7 cups cold, filtered water

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COCONUT CREAMER
Makes about 14 ounces

Creamer adapted from The First Mess

4 pitted dates
1 14-0z. can full fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. sunflower oil (or other neutral oil that is a liquid at room temperature)

COLD BREW

Fill - First, insert the stopper into the outside bottom of the brewing container; then, dampen the filter and insert it into the inside bottom of the brewing container. 

Next, add 1 cup of water into the bottom of the Toddy brewing container and 6 ounces of ground coffee. Slowly pour 3 more cups of water over the grounds, in a circular motion. Then, add the remaining 6 ounces of ground coffee. Finally, wait 5 minutes and slowly add the last 3 cups of water. DO NOT STIR (stirring the bed of grounds can result in a clogged filter). 

Lightly press down on the topmost grounds with the back of a spoon to ensure all grounds get wet. 

Cover - lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the grounds with as few air bubbles as reasonably possible. The idea here is to minimize the amount of oxygen interacting with the steeping slurry. 

Brew - Steep your coffee grounds at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours to create a smooth, rich flavor. 

Filter - Remove the plastic wrap and the stopper and let your coffee concentrate flow into the glass decanter - stays fresh for 1-2 weeks in your refrigerator.

Serve - Into a glass full of ice, we went with a ratio of 2 parts coffee (which is a concentrate) to 1 part water to 1 part creamer. Not super sweet or decadent, so you can adjust that based on your own mood. 

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COCONUT CREAMER

If your dates are soft, move forward with the recipe. If they are a little dry or tough, soak them in boiling water to soften then drain completely. 

In a high powered blender, run the dates, coconut milk, vanilla and oil until you have a smooth, thick liquid with minimal chunks of dates. Strain the creamer with a fine mesh strainer. 

Into a glass full of ice, we went with a ratio of 2 parts coffee (which is a concentrate) to 1 part water to 1 part creamer. Not super sweet or decadent, so you can adjust that based on your own mood. 

SWEET + SAVORY CORNMEAL WAFFLES

I'm reading Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist very slowly. Slowly because I honestly don't read for pleasure that often, and I like to savor the self-help/spiritual sort of books instead of plow through them. I know it's not new, but a friend lent it to me and I can't really think of a better time to read it than the beginning of summer. I'm just shy of halfway through and while I am not exactly Shauna as she describes herself (busy, extroverted, over booked), a lot of what she writes feel familiar to what goes on in my own head. I get overwhelmed easily, so I'm learning how to respect my own pace. I'm trying to ask my mom for help and book baby sitters a week in advance so I can work, I need at least a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood for my sanity but more time to exercise is ideal. I know that one play date in a day is usually enough for my introverted self, that I don't like taking both kids to a grocery store, and NO ONE accompanies me to a mall. I am quieter in groups and feel most connected relationally in a more vulnerable, one on one conversation. I have learned most of these things by not having them and missing them. It sounds high maintenance written out, but I'd like to think of it as figuring out who I am and what I need and just owning it. She describes it as learning when to say "no." She has these few paragraphs that made all those feelings feel permissible: 

"What's changing everything for me is a new understanding that we get to decide how we want to live. We get to shape our days and our weeks, and if we don't, they'll get shaped by the wide catch-all of "normal" and "typical," and who wants that?
"You can live on a farm or out of a backpack. You can work from your kitchen or in a high-rise. You can worship in your living room or a cathedral. Isn't that beautiful? And exciting? And so full of freedom? ...You get to make your life. In fact, you have to. And not only can you make it, you can remake it."

And then a few chapters later she says, "and I know that should is one of my warning signs - that frequently I pay more attention to how I should feel about something than how I actually do feel about it." That all seems related and familiar to me. Anyway. Perhaps I'll have more nuggets for you when I get to finishing it, but I like sharing things I need reminding of myself in the meantime.  

I book marked these waffles from Nicole's new book that focuses on poetry inspired by food and cooking and eating and all things involved with that. She shares poems, her notes and a collection of recipes that are tied to the writing for her. This house is an easy sell on waffles of all kinds. The kids prefer sweet and I insist that an egg in the morning helps me stay full so I made a savory version for myself and Hugh. You don't have to complicate anything, they are perfectly fine with butter and maple or plain yogurt. To wake up to them halfway done, I'll make the strawberry sauce the night before and then mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl so all I have to do in the morning is mix in the wet ingredients. Spoken from someone who gets the request for waffles often.

SWEET + SAVORY CORNMEAL WAFFLES // Serves 4
Waffle recipe adapted from Eat this Poem by Nicole Gulotta

You could keep these gluten free by using a gluten free all purpose flour. To make them dairy free, you could replace the buttermilk with a dairy free version - generally 1 cup plant based milk with 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice. The waffles' texture is sort of dry, as cornmeal sucks up moisture, making them perfect for a generous amount of toppings. To get ahead, make the waffles and keep them warm in a 250' oven while you cook the rest. The strawberry sauce can be made in advance and rewarmed in a small pot. 

3/4 cup cornmeal, medium or fine ground
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. melted butter or neutral oil, plus more for the waffle iron

*If you are making the strawberry sauce, start there, as that is hands off once you get them in the oven.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. In a glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, maple, eggs and butter or oil together. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Let the mixture hydrate for 5 minutes or so while your waffle iron heats up. 
Once hot, grease your waffle iron with butter or coconut oil. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into the center and cook according to the waffle irons instructions. 
Top your waffle with strawberry sauce, or dress it up savory with arugula, vinaigrette, a fried egg and a generous sprinkle of feta cheese. 

/roasted strawberry sauce/

2 cups halved strawberries
1 tsp. olive oil or other oil
2 tbsp. maple syrup
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350'. On a parchment lined baking sheet, toss the strawberries with the oil, maple and salt and spread in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes until the strawberries breakdown. Remove to cool slightly. Transfer the strawberries and all their juices to a bowl for serving. 

/ savory waffle /

arugula
jalapeno vinaigrette
fried egg
feta cheese

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