Easy A (pplesauce Muffins)

There is nothing I love more than EASY recipes that seem like they are way more work than they really are. This weekend, I tried out this recipe for Applesauce Muffins via Food.com. What attracted me to this recipe? The prep time was 10 minutes and cook time was 20 minutes and they were true to their word...

In 30 minutes the kitchen was filled with the lovey smell of fresh baked goods and I was eating delicious muffins. Yes, the recipe makes 12 even though my pictures only show 9. I couldn't resist trying out a few before I realized I should take a picture for this post.

The sweetie was so appreciative that I "worked so hard" making him a healthy breakfast/snack he can take on the run (of course I didn't tell him how effortless they were.)

I even made them gluten free by swapping out the flour for Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour.

** IDEA ** They are also so pretty that if you boxed them up and threw a ribbon on top, they would make a great quick and easy gift. 

Enjoy!

New Traditions

Image from beedivinedesigns.com

It's always amazing when you get a lot of support from friends and family. It makes you feel loved and that you are on the right path. Lee and I get unbelievable support and we wanted to thank everyone who help us on our Domistyle journey.

We decided to have a thank you party to show our appreciation. It's generally tough to get everyone together on a weekend evening with a shortage of baby sitters and general life busyness. So we thought a brunch would do the trick.

We had a great turn out with about 25 people and served up Overnight Berry French Toast (recipe below) and gluten free quiche...both a big hit. We also picked up a bunch of pastries from our local bakery, lots of fruit and a mixed green salad on the side.

Everyone seemed happy and full. What a great way to get everyone together on a Sunday afternoon. We hope this will be a continuing tradition as we grow our Domistyle family.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped and supported us over the years.

Love,
Penny and Lee

Overnight Berry French Toast

1 cup brown sugar, packed (I replaced with date sugar and Sucanat)
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used Earth Bound)
1 cup berries (I used a combo of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries and had a bunch extra on the side for topping)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used rice milk)
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
12 slices bread (I used whole wheat from the bakery and did a separate gluten free one with Kinnikinnick Soft Multigrain bread
5 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix well. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mixture evenly on bottom of 9 x 13 pan.

2. Cover with 6 slices of bread. Sprinkle another 1/3 of sugar mixture over bread and scatter berries on top.

3. Place remaining bread on fruit. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.

4. Beat eggs, milk and salt together. Pour evenly over bread. Press down lightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40 - 45 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Serve warm with maple syrup and any extra berries.

Soups On!

The cooler, damp weather makes some of us want to insulate by wrapping ourselves in a cocoon. What better way to keep warm than with a big bowl of hot soup? Pumpkins are currently so abundant and good for you too. Here is an oldie but a goodie from Simply Recipes to try out. The spiciness of curry will keep you nice and warm:

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (adjust to your taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
• 5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)**
• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (optional or use less)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional or use less)

*To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.
**If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.

Method

1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.
2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.
4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.
Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Serves 8.

Happy Cocooning!
 

Breakfast of Champions

How about a little pie for breakfast?? It's true! 

A healthful way to start your day, this Raw Chocolate Avocado Pie is full of vitamins, antioxidant and protein. It's also gluten free, delicious and no baking involved :) 

**You can make it vegan by switching out the honey for agave.

 

Ingredients

Crust

·      3/4  cup raw almonds or macadamia nuts

·      ½ cup raw pecans

·      8 pitted Medjool dates

·      1/2 ripe banana (for those that like the banana chocolate combination, or omit)

Pudding Filling

·      2 ripe avocados

·      2 ½ tsp vanilla extract

·      ¼ cup raw cacao powder

·      ½ cup raw honey (more or less to taste)

·      1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

Directions

Crust

Blend crust ingredients in a food processor until they form into a sticky ball. Don’t over process. Using wet hand, press this mixture into the base of a pie pan (10", give or take). Set aside. Clean out food processor.

Pudding Filling

Seed and scoop out avocado into the food processor. Add cacao powder, honey, vanilla, coconut oil. Blend until smooth.

Spoon avocado mixture onto the crust and spread it evenly. Put into the freezer for 30 minutes before serving.  Store in the fridge.

If desired, top with fresh raspberries if not adding banana to crust or banana slices. 

Enjoy!