Tag Archives: Autumn

Apple Maple Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze

Apple Maple Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze Paleo

I’m sitting in my kitchen this morning listening to the rain pour down outside. It is really pleasing and cheerful after such a long hot and humid spell. It feels so refreshing after the oppressive heat. The air is cooler and more invigorating. I am envisioning everything getting washed fresh to bring in the new season.

Apple Maple Cake Grain Free Moist and Delicious

Because it is September, and the apples are in season, my mind always wanders to baked apples, warm cinnamon, cloves and spices.

What better way to welcome in the cooler weather than a coffee cake filled with delicious softly baked apples.

Whole Apple Maple Coffee Cake - Whole top View

Ming always gets frisky in the cooler weather, so we will be doing more outside walks. In the heat she just plops down and refuses to budge. Fawn pugs do have a double coat, which must be terribly hot. I can only imagine if I were wearing not one, but two coats in the hot weather, what I would do. Here she is in her beautiful new collar and leash from Pack Leashes. We always get her a brand new spiffy collar after Summer, and I found this company recently that donates 4 pounds of dog food to a no kill shelter with every purchase, plus their leashes are guaranteed for life! Gotta love that! You can get 20% off your purchase from me when shopping with them by using the code MINGANDLILY at checkout.

ming

I’ve recently been busy in my sewing room making quilts. In this case they are two panda quilts, one is finished, and I am almost done with the second. I’ve been sewing since I was in middle school. I made one of my prom dresses in high school, then when my husband and I bought our first home, I made window treatments, pillows, table runners and other home decor. When we had our little girls, I sewed them dresses and Halloween costumes and stuffed animals. Then a nice women in our town introduced me to quilting, and I found a whole new avenue that I really loved. Two years ago I opened an Etsy Shop, Porcupine Craft Studio. You can visit if here: Right now I have many different bags available, and my daughter Jessica makes greeting cards using quilling art. The quilts will go in the shop in the next couple weeks. I find time to sew in the evenings, and I find it relaxing and an enjoyable creative outlet.

Here’s my latest quilt.

Apple Maple c

Back to the Apple Maple Coffee Cake! It is perfect for a rainy day or a sunny autumn day. This recipe is grain free, dairy free and nut free. I topped it with a creamy coconut butter maple frosting which is spread over the baked apple top. The cake is baked with the apples in the bottom, which makes them perfectly soft.

Apple Maple Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze

Preheat the oven to 350º degrees F.

Ingredients for the Cake:

3 Cups of Peeled, Cored and Sliced Apples

1/2 Cup of Maple Sugar

1/2 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour

6 Pastured Eggs

1/4 Cup of Organic Shortening

1/4 Cup of Coconut Butter

1 Tablespoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon of Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon of Allspice

1/8 Teaspoon of Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon of fine Sea Salt

Ingredients for the Maple Glaze:

1/2 Cup of Coconut Butter

2 Tablespoons of Real Maple Syrup

Directions:

Grease an 8″ spring form or cake pan with organic shortening. Draw a round circle on parchment paper using the bottom of the cake pan as a template. Cut out the circle and place it in the bottom of the greased pan.

Place the peeled, sliced apples in the bottom of the pan in concentric circles starting on the outside and working your way in.

apples

In a food processor, add six eggs and the maple sugar. Process until creamy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla extract, coconut butter (soften the coconut butter just slightly for ten seconds in the microwave) and palm shortening, process until creamy. Add the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and all the spices. Process for thirty seconds, then scrape down the sides of the processor, and process another minute. Scoop the cake batter over the apples and spread evenly over the apples to the sides of the pan.

*If using a spring form pan, I recommend placing it on a cookie sheet to bake in case of leakage.

Bake in your preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean when poked in the middle of the cake with just a few crumbs on it.

Remove the coffee cake from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for ten minutes. Remove the sides of the spring form pan and cool completely. If using a cake pan, run a knife around the edges of the cake pan, and invert onto a wire rack to cool. When the cake is cooled, you are ready to make the glaze.

This is super simple and delicious. Soften a half cup of coconut butter in the microwave. Do this in ten second increments just until it is soft. Whisk in two tablespoons of pure maple syrup with a fork. Then, spread the glaze evenly over the coffee cake. Now it is all done and ready to serve.

You can absolutely pour this glaze over the cake when it is still warm and serve it that way too! There is nothing better than a warm coffee cake!

Apple Maple Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze. This cake is moist and perfect for Autumn. Grain, Dairy and Nut Free!

Health Benefits of Pumpkin and Recipes!

What better way to celebrate the Autumn season than making recipes with pumpkin and reaping the health benefits too! Pumpkin is great for eye health, delivering a 100% RDA of Vitamin A in just half a cup. It is a healthy source of fiber, and the beta-carotene and carotenoids in orange vegetables like pumpkin may help prevent cancer and keep wrinkles at bay! (A diet rich in a large variety of fruits and vegetables will keep your skin glowing and your body at it’s best). Pumpkin is a good source of Vitamin C , Vitamin E, Potassium and trace minerals. I have some of my favorite pumpkin recipes listed below. I just love Fall!

XOXO

Sam

43580275 - 10 health benefits information of pumpkin. nutrients infographic

Delicious Ways to Eat Pumpkin – Recipes!!!

Frosted Jackolantern Pumpkin Cookies

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Pumpkin Pecan Quick Bread (Grain Free)

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin

Holiday Pumpkin Vanilla Bean Tart

References:

Medicinal and Biological Potential of Pumpkin Pub Med

8 Impressive Health Benefits of Pumpkin Huffington Post

Pumpkin Nutrition University of Illinois

What Are Pumpkins Good For? Food Facts Mercola

Pumpkin: Health Benefits and Nutritional Breakdown Medical News Today

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Hello! How’s your September going? My two girls have both started high school this year. I have been getting my gardens in shape and doing some Fall decorating.

Autumn is just around the corner, and this is a hearty, warming soup full of delicious nutrition! It is rib sticking healthy comfort food that you will want to make again and again this fall and winter!

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chicken and Vegetables - Paleo

This soup is pure goodness in a bowl and pretty enough to serve to and impress guests! I love the rich creaminess of the soup and the toppings that you can sink your teeth into…..my kind of soup in the Fall! The fresh parsley adds brightness to the flavor, and the cumin and coriander give the soup an earthy richness. The honey, djon and splash of apple cider vinegar add that extra zing or umami.

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Roasting vegetables makes them sweeter tasting and the browning adds flavor, flavor and more flavor! I am in love with this bowl of soup, and I think you will be too. 🙂

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients for Soup Base:

1 Butternut Squash (peeled, seeded and cubed)

6 Carrots (peeled and sliced)

2 Leeks (white parts, sliced)

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon of Coriander

1 Teaspoon of Ground Fennel

1 Quart of Low Sodium Chicken Broth (I used this)

1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk (I used Thrive Brand with no additives)

1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoon of Turmeric

Ingredients for the Soup Topping:

1 Whole Roasted Chicken (I like to batch roast two chickens and use one for the soup)

3 Cups of Brussels Sprouts (halved)

3 Cups of Fennel (chopped)

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Cup of Chopped Fresh Parsley (for topping)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400º degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the butternut, carrots and leeks with the olive oil, ground cumin, coriander, ground fennel and sea salt. Then, lay out your cubed Butternut, Carrots and Leeks on one, or two, parchment lined cookie sheets. The vegetables should be in a single layer. Roast the vegetables in your preheated oven for 40 minutes.

In a large stock pan, add the roasted vegetables and 1 quart of good quality low sodium chicken stock, the cider vinegar, honey, dijon, oregano and turmeric. Bring to a high simmer, and simmer for ten minutes. Cool slightly, then add the soup to a blender in two batches and puree, or use an immersion blender. Add the soup back to the pot. Salt to taste if needed.

While the soup base simmers, toss the Brussels sprouts and fennel with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and roast for 20 minutes in your 400º degree oven. While the vegetables are roasting, shred 3 cups of roasted chicken and warm it.

To serve:

Ladle the soup into a bowl, top generously with shredded chicken, the roasted Brussels sprouts and fennel, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Yum, a delicious, hot and hearty main dish soup full of nourishment and healthy comfort!

Serves 6

Enjoy your day!

Sandra

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Today is the first day of Autumn, and to celebrate I am baking this Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake! Enjoy this cake after a beautiful afternoon of raking leaves with someone you love! Or, sit outside on a cool sweatshirt morning with a piece of this cake and a warm cup of coffee! It is pure heaven!!!

grain-free-pumpkin-coffee-cake-for-autumn

When you hear coffee cake, don’t just think of breakfast. This is a great snack cake. I have drizzled the top while it is still warm with a glaze that soaks in and makes the cake super moist! So grab your Bundt pan!

pumpkin-coffee-cake-grain-free

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Now, lets get our ingredients out.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Canned Pumpkin (I use this brand)

3 Eggs

1/4 Cup of Honey

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil

1 1/2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour (I like this brand)

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour (I use this brand)

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon of Allspice

1/4 Teaspoon of Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 Cup of Coarsely Chopped Raw Pecans

Glaze:

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil (melted)

2 Teaspoons of Honey

1/8 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

a pinch of sea salt

Directions: Grease a Bundt pan with organic shortening or coconut oil and set it aside. In a large bowl with a hand held mixer, blend the pumpkin, eggs, honey, and coconut oil for two minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix with your hand held mixer until thoroughly incorporated. Add the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and blend again for 30 seconds.

Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with your coarsely chopped pecans. Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes to bake. The top should spring back slightly when ready. Remove the pan from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. While it is cooling, prepare the glaze above.

After five minutes, turn the Bundt pan over with a wire rack on top of it to catch the cake. When it is out of the pan it will be upside down. Turn the cake right side up by using another wire rack sandwiching the cake between the two, or carefully use your hands to turn the cake right side up with the pecans on top. Drizzle the glaze onto the cake and cool.

pumpkin-coffee-cake

Happy Autumn! Although it’s still hotter than average for September, there are signs of Fall outside. The pumpkins are ripening for one, and before you know it, it will be time for cozy sweatshirts and jeans, and leaf raking!

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Eat Your Nutrients!

Harvest Bread (Grain Free, Toastable)

I know Autumn is just around the corner when the cicadas start screaming day and night. School started today! Waaagh! I have mixed emotions about it. We had such a nice Summer, and it seems like Summer just began.

However, I am looking forward to my favorite season and cooler days where I can throw on layers. The cool weather makes me think of different smells in the kitchen like cinnamon, nutmeg and bread baking.

Harvest Bread (Grain Free, Toastable)

Living a healthy life is more than just having everything you put into your mouth be uber healthy. It is also about balance, community, listening to your body, sharing time together over food, relaxation, spirituality, exercise, and fun! These things give us a sense of well being deep in our innermost self.

It is one of the reasons I like to blog treat recipes, like this very delicious and toastable bread that is reminiscent of my days as an artisan bread baker for my local food coop. I have made this seasonal recipe in a grain free version!

It is important if you have digestive challenges, like me, or want to improve your health in other areas, that you eat plenty of cooked and fresh vegetable produce, some fruit, good quality protein and healthy fats. I typically recommend 2/3rds of the plate consist of vegetables. Then there is a place for a piece of this grain free bread. Just don’t eat the whole loaf! Now, my daughters can eat plenty of this bread, and they absolutely love it toasted! I am happy with one thick slice toasted and savored with a cup of coffee or tea.

I purchase my pantry items such as the raisins, nuts, cashew butter, almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and the apple cider vinegar at Thrive Market online (see link in upper right corner of this page) and saved $1,500.00 on my grocery bill last year. This is my second year as a member. They have thousands of quality food and home care items, and for every membership that is purchased, they give a free one to a needy family. They have a mission to make quality food affordable. Let’s bake bread! 🙂

Harvest Bread Ingredients

Harvest Bread (Grain Free, Tostable)

Preheat the oven to 300º degrees. Grease a medium to large sized loaf pan with organic shortening, then line it with parchment paper. I used a pan my children bought for me as a gift when I started eating gluten free. It is a Pullman loaf pan and works well for gluten free breads, but it just makes a nice shape. Any medium to large loaf pan will work! (I left of the lid for this pan.)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

3 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt (my favorite!)

1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon of Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. In a second bowl with a hand held mixer, blend together:

4 Eggs

1/4 Cup of Cashew Butter

3 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

After blending the eggs, cashew butter, honey and cider vinegar until well combined, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Then fold in:

1/2 Cup of Raisins

1/2 Cup of Chopped Walnuts

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and then place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until golden brown on the top and hollow sounding when you tap on the bread.

Remove from the oven. Cool for ten minutes in the pan. Then use the overhanging sides of the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan. Cool on a wire rack for one hour before slicing.

Baked Harvest Loaf Ready to Remove and Cool

Delicious Harvest Bread (Grain Free)

Eat Your Nutrients!

How to Make a Quick, Grain Free, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin

It is a perfect time to enjoy this mug muffin! Find the full recipe here. That is Ming, Ming snorteling in the background of this video. If you look closely in the beginning, she is in the left hand corner!

Enjoy your day!

Sandra

Go Beyond the Salad

Hello! I hope you are having a peaceful Autumn! What’s new?

When you think about healthy eating, salads and green vegetables usually come to mind. But how about adding a little more variety to your plan?

Roots like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them.

Why Eat More Root Vegetables?

Long roots – carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish – are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body. Round roots – turnips, radishes, beets, and rutabagas – nourish the stomach, spleen, pancreas, and reproductive organs.

Which root vegetables do you eat most?

If you’re like most of the world, it’s carrots and potatoes. Here are a few others to explore:

Beets contain an abundance of antioxidants and are highly detoxifying. They contain dietary fiber, magnesium, iron, glycine, carotenoids, lutein, flavonoids and trace minerals.
Kohlrabi also referred to as a German Turnip is a good source of Vitamin C, B6, Folate and Thiamine, as well as trace minerals. It is a member of the Brassica family.
Celeriac, also known as celery root, is rich in fiber and has a respectable amount of antioxidants. (I like it mashed like potatoes, or a mixture of steamed carrots and celeriac mashed together.)
Jicama is crunchy and refreshing and contains a generous amount of vitamin C. It’s a favorite in its native Mexico and South America.
Onions are rich in antioxidants and other phytonutrients, making them prized for their ability to strengthen the immune system.
Parsnips, which look like giant white carrots, boast a sweet, earthy taste. They also contain plenty of fiber, as well as vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, thiamine, magnesium, and potassium.
Radish is an excellent source of vitamin C. It’s also contains calcium, molybdenum, folic acid, and is beneficial for digestion.
Sweet Potatoes contain unsurpassed levels of beta-carotene and are also rich in vitamin A. They also provide potassium, phytonutrients, protein, and fiber.

Excited to add more roots to your diet? Here’s a fun, easy recipe:

Easy Roasted Root Vegetables

Easy Roasted Root Vegetables

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 – 50 minutes
Serves 4 – 6Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato
2 Parsnips
2 Large Carrots
2 Turnips or Kohlrabi
1 Daikon Radish (or substitute/add in other favorites like squash or beets)
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
Optional herbs: rosemary, thyme or sage (fresh or dried to taste)Preheat your oven 375 degrees. Peel, wash and slice all the vegetables into long spears or bite sized cubes.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease. Place prepared vegetables onto the baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs of choice.Roast uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and golden brown. Stir after the first 20 minutes, then continue roasting.Tip: Any combination of vegetable will work. Roasting only one kind of vegetable also makes a nice side dish!

Oven Roasted Root Vegetable Fries

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes!

Mug muffins are scrumptious, convenient, individual and fast! Just mix and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds and you have a warm muffin in a mug!

Since Fall is in the air, I have been craving pumpkin. I was in the kitchen this weekend creating a pumpkin flavored mug muffin with a touch of chocolate that really evokes thoughts of cooler weather, sweaters, autumn crafts and warm hugs. My youngest daughters are 12 and 14 now and like to choose and make their own breakfasts. They love mug muffins and can whip them up quickly on a school morning!