Cheesy Pumpkin Muffins (gluten free)

These muffins make a nice savoury change for breakfast when you are just getting tired of eggs. If you split them open they make great little sandwiches. I always make a double batch and freeze half so i can pull one out for a quick breakfast or snack. For the seasoning in this recipe i used a no salt garlic blend (gives the muffins a garlic bread type of taste) but you could use whatever seasonings are to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan (the powdery kind)
• 2 Tbsp garlic blend seasoning
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300
In a large bowl mix together the almond flour, parmesan, seasoning, salt and baking powder.
Stir in the pumpkin and eggs until everything is well incorporated, should have a cake batter type consistency.
Line a 6 muffin tin with wrappers (these tend to stick if you don't use liners) and evenly fill the cups.
Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours (seems like a lot but it works)
When muffins are done, let cool slightly. They are delicious cut open and spread with butter or cream cheese!

Mini White Chocolate Rasberry Cupcakes

These little cupcake/muffins are so moist and delicious, you would never think they were low carb! I brought them to a party and they were an even bigger hit than the regular non low carb cake! Quite an accomplishment i would say.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes

• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp sifted cocnut flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil or butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 5 tsp splenda granular
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp water

White Chocolate Frosting

• 1 package Jell-O sugar free white chocolate pudding mix
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 10 fresh rasberries, or any berry of your choice

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350
In a small bowl combine coconut flour, baking powder and splenda
In a medium bowl combine oil (or butter), eggs, vanilla and water. Mix dry ingredients into wet and blend together until smooth. If batter seems to dry add a tsp more water.
Grease a mini muffin pan well and portion out 10 cupcakes.
Bake for 13 - 15 minutes, a toothpick should come out clean. Let the cupcaks cool while you make the frosting.

For the frosting:
Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds (15 is plenty) so it becomes workable.
In a large bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer and slowly incorporate the Jell-O pudding mix while you are beating.
Put the cupcakes and the frosting in the frdge for a few hours so they can cool and set up.

Top each cupcake with a dollop of white chocolate frostnig and a fresh rassberry, delicious!!

Note: you will have a lot of left over frosting in this recipe, but it is a great low carb frosting for any kind of cake or muffin. You could make low carb almond cookies and put some in the middle to make a low carb Goldeb Oreos.

 Carb count for the cupcakes is 6 grams for all ten. Final count will depend on how much frosting and which kind of berries you use.

Red, white & Green Salad

This is a salad that sort of came to be out of stuff i just had in the fridge, but it looked so pretty that i had to take a picture and post it. I had it with grilled chicken but i think it would be especially nice with fish.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 an english cucumber
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• olive oil & blasamic vinegar to drizzle

Directions:
Cut the tomato and cucumber into thin slices. Peel and de-seed the avocado and also cut into thin slices
Lay the sliced vegetables on a nice serving platter, alternating between tomato, avocado and cucumber and have them overlapping slightly.
Sprinkle the crumbled feta over top of the vegetables
Right before serving drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and balsamic vibegar.

Spaghetti Squash Fritter's

I saw Michael Symon make these on The Chew the other day and they looked so good i had to try them!. He used sage and blue cheese in his, but those are not flavours i particularly enjoy so i modified it a bit.
I ate mine for dinner with a fried egg, but these would make a great side dish or appetizer as well.


Ingredients:

• half of a small spaghetti squash, cooked and de-seeded
• 2 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1.5 Tbsp cream cheese, melted
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp rice flour (you can use regular flour if not concerned about being gluten free)
• Olive Oil for pan frying
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Once the spaghetti squash is cool, fork the strands into a large mixing bowl.
Add in the parmesan, cream cheese, garlic, italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Mix well.
In a seperate small bowl mix the rice flour and beaten egg. Add this to the squash mixture and mix again.
In a deep pan over medium to high, heat olive oil
Form squash mixture into patties and pan fry in olive oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy.