Gluten Free Caramel Popcorn

I have been dying to figure out how to make caramel popcorn for the last few months, but a lot of the recipes I’ve come across while searching haven’t been gluten free. I finally found one that I could easily substitute a few ingredients in order to make it gf.This popcorn is a dream. I made it for a night when we had guests over and it was gone in a flash! I probably should have made a double batch. The key to this popcorn is to make the popcorn with an air popper or to use the Natural (no butter or oil) version. You want to make certain there aren’t any other flavors on the popcorn, because it will change the taste.You should absolutely try this recipe! It is SUPER quick and easy to make and you will instantly fall in love.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:120]Source: Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addition

Spicy Kale and Sweet Potato Salad

With this most recent Kale recipe I wanted to do something a little different than I’d done in the past. I’ve created quite a few recipes with Kale and rice or quinoa but I’ve yet to try sweet potato yet. I decided this was a combination I needed to try creating.In order to keep this dish from coming across as too sweet, I’ve paired the sweet potato with some hotter spices, onion and garlic. These flavors create a complex, not too sweet or spicy, taste. If you don’t enjoy spicy food you may want to stay away from this recipe or make a few small changes.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:119]

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

After the Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes I posted last week, Alex requested that I make pumpkin pie. Of course I had to oblige but I didn’t feel like I could quite make a Thanksgiving Style Pumpkin Pie quite yet. So after some research I found this chocolate pumpkin pie recipe that I simply had to try.This pie went SUPER quickly. In fact, this was the only slice left by the time I got around to photographing it! I was actually just happy there was a slice left for me to take photos of. This pie is full of pumpkin and chocolaty goodness. Your senses will really begin to think its fall when you have a slice of this.This is a very easy recipe to switch to gluten free. Simply replace the graham crackers with a gluten free option, either gf gingersnaps, gf vanilla wafers or gf graham crackers. The rest of the recipe is fine as is! If you are worried about gluten contamination in the pumpkin pie spice blend simply make your own. I have a fantastic recipe posted HERE that is very easy and quick to make.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:118]Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Crockpot Ranch Chicken

I love using my crockpot! It is SO handy when I have a busy day or need to have dinner ready by a certain time. I tend to use it pretty often, especially during the fall/spring season when my life seems to be the busiest.This is a quick and easy crockpot recipe. It even cooks in about 3 hours total if you put it on high. It is great for a day when you don’t really have time to make dinner, but forget about making something until the last minute. I found this recipe best over white rice, but you can serve it however you enjoy it. If you did serve it with pasta you would have a little more substance to it.While this recipe isn’t gluten free I am working on a gluten free version of this recipe. I will link it to this post once it goes up.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:117]Source: Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Homemade French Toast

Over the past few weeks, Alex and I have been experimenting with different breakfast foods when we’re home on the weekends. We decided it was time to try out French Toast. We looked at a couple different recipes and finally decided on this one that we created. It combines several different types of spices to give it an incredible flavor combination.This recipe is entirely gluten free, you simply need to make certain to use gf bread when it gets to that step. Each slice of bread will need to cook for different amounts of time based on how much of the egg mixture they’ve absorbed. Cook them until they are browned on each side and there isn’t any visible moisture. This will keep you from consuming undercooked eggs.We like serving this with butter and maple syrup. It will really give it a fantastic deep flavor. You can use whatever syrup or topping combination you like. You could even top these with some fresh whipped cream to really make it special. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did![amd-yrecipe-recipe:116]

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Alex requested that I make his work some cupcakes this week and since I’ve been on such a pumpkin kick I decided to keep with that theme. I’ve read a lot about impossible pumpkin pie, the pie where you don’t put a crust down, but one appears from the ingredients you put in. I decided I had to try this. Since it would be pretty hard for Alex to transport a whole pie to work I decided to change these into cupcakes.I received rave reviews from both Alex and coworkers who tried these. They really loved the pumpkin flavors that shone through. Alex told me that these really put him in the mood for a pumpkin pie (so keep your eyes on the blog for a pumpkin pie recipe next week!)Instead of creating a heavy icing for these cupcakes I’ve topped them with Cool Whip. Since I was prepping them ahead of time, I decided to use cool whip even though I would typically use fresh whipped cream. If you are serving them right after topping them I would suggest using fresh whipped cream, if they are going to sit for any length of time I suggest using cool whip since it won’t melt or slide anywhere. I’ve sprinkled nutmeg on top to pull out the savory flavors of the cake. If you want to showcase the sweet portion simply use cinnamon instead.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:115]Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Dark Chocolate and Pumpkin Brownies

With all the pumpkin treats I’ve been making lately I decided it was time for some pumpkin brownies. I really wanted to pair the pumpkin layer with a dark chocolate layer to give it a more complex flavor. These brownies are crazy yummy. Once you try one bite you won’t want to stop!While I chose dark chocolate for these brownies you certainly don’t have to. Using semi-sweet would temper the flavor a bit and still be incredible. I would hesitate to use milk or white chocolate since those flavors won’t really stand out against the pumpkin flavor.I had issues getting the pumpkin cream cheese layer to nicely swirl into the brownie layer. I ended up just smoothing the pumpkin layer down so my brownies had two distinct layers instead of swirls. I think next time I may try adding a little water to the brownie batter so they will swirl together a little better and look a little prettier.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:114]Source: Adapted from ABCgo.com

Easy BBQ’d Ribs

We’ve had pork ribs sitting in our freezer for several months and I decided it was high time I made them for dinner. This recipe is VERY easy to make, basically just put everything in the crockpot in the morning and come back in the evening. I find it best to put the ribs on the grill for a few minutes after they are all done cooking to really sear in the bbq flavor right before you serve it.The original recipe is very sweet in flavor. I made a couple of additions that give it a spicier more complex final product. We used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, if you prefer to  continue that spicy flavor you can use a hot BBQ to really showcase that part of it.This meal is wonderful when served with loaded baked potatoes and either my savory kale and quinoa or my spicy kale and quinoa. Depending on what flavors your family enjoys you can really amp up the spicy flavor in these ribs with your kale choice. If you don’t need to eat gluten free, something like the pretzel buns would also make a great bread choice for this meal![amd-yrecipe-recipe:113]Source: Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Easy Loaded Baked Potato

When I visited my sister in Texas I had the absolute BEST loaded baked potato. It was incredibly amazing and the first loaded baked potato I’d had in quite a while. I decided that I needed to do my best to replicate this at home. Since this recipe is entirely gluten free anyone can enjoy this too!You can make this with about any type of potato you like. Traditionally loaded baked potatoes are made with large russet potatoes but I didn’t have those on hand. You can see from the photos that I’ve made it with red potatoes this time around. I personally find there isn’t that much of a taste difference between the different types, so feel free to use whatever potato you enjoy the most!You will notice that I haven’t included specific amounts for the toppings. This is due to the fact each one of you prefers a different amount of toppings on your potato. I love to really load up my potato, but if you’re trying to cut back you might want to use slightly less toppings.  I prefer to use white pepper, since it has a slightly milder taste. However, Alex enjoys black pepper far more.  Use whatever your family prefers and you have on hand. [amd-yrecipe-recipe:112]Chopped Chives (optional)

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

I had a friend over for the weekend and we found this recipe and decided we absolutely HAD to make it. It combines to amazing things, snickerdoodles and pumpkin cake! This cake is full of pumpkiny goodness and topped with cinnamon sugar. This is definitely a must try dessert this fall. You could also divide the batter into cupcakes and adjust the baking temperature for personal servings of this great dessert.Everyone who tried these absolutely loved them. They all remarked that is was a super unique dessert that combined flavors they wouldn’t have thought to combine. The recipe just calls for cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, but I’ve toyed with the idea of sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Making this change would amp up the pumpkin flavor and really give it an extra boost.I’ve used fresh pumpkin puree in my recipe. If you use canned pumpkin it will change the moisture content. If you find the batter too think you always add some water or decrease the amount of flour used. I found the batter to be a very runny cake type batter. You will want to try and keep it at this consistency.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:111]Source: Adapted from Averie Cooks

Spicy Kale and Quinoa

After my savory kale and quinoa recipe Alex decided I needed to come up with a spicier version, one that he would enjoy. Well I came up with this one and he told me it hit the spot! He said it was just the right amount of spicy and delicious. I don’t enjoy spicy so I actually didn’t try this dish, but it got the Alex stamp of approval.This is a spicy mixture over kale greens and quinoa for some added whole grains. Since neither kale nor quinoa have any major flavor on their own, they really take a hold of whatever spices are added to the dish. This makes the perfect compliment to grilled chicken or BBQ’d ribs. Since it is gluten free anyone can enjoy this dish!  This is definitely something you need to add to your dinner rotation, you will enjoy it a lot.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:110]

Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

I absolutely LOVED my other gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They are incredibly tasty and just knew I had to try a chocolate version of them. This recipe is a lighly chocolate version, but it still contains all the amazing pumpkin, spices, chocolate chips and pecans.  It is a can’t miss autumnal treat!When you make this recipe with canned pumpkin puree, you may want to consider lowering the amount of flour you add. I found the batter to be slightly dry when made with canned pumpkin resulting in more “cookie mound” type cookies. The flavor was in no way compromised, they just didn’t flatten out as much as the others did. This is due to the difference in water content of the canned vs fresh puree.The use of chocolate chips and pecans are highly suggested for this recipe. The cookies will work without, but I think they add that little extra bit to really push the cookies over the top. For a little yummy alternative using butterscotch chips would really add a unique flavor to the finished product.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:109]

Savory Kale and Quinoa

Kale was on sale again at the grocery store this week so I thought I’d try a couple new recipes! This recipe is a very savory version with plenty of kale greens and quinoa for added grains. I have a second version of this recipe going up later this week that is a spicy alternative to this.I personally love the way thyme and nutmeg work together to give a well-rounded taste. I’ve also included a little bit of white pepper and of course salt for a complex flavor combination. Alex doesn’t particularly like this combination, he says there isn’t enough spicy. So if you like spicy foods you may not enjoy this particular recipe.This recipe calls for prepared quinoa. I typically purchase organic frozen (prepared) quinoa from Trader Joe’s. I simply reheat it before adding it to this recipe. You can use reheated quinoa or you can prepare your own from the directions on the packaging.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:108]

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you’ve read the past couple weeks worth of blog posts you’ll know I’ve been on a pumpkin spice kick recently. I absolutely love the taste of pumpkin spice baked goods but since I’ve been baking so many of them I’ve run out of my premade spice mix and thought it was high time I made my own.Since spices are naturally gluten free making your own spice mix is a great way to ensure there is no gluten contamination. This blend is great for adding to any regular or gluten free baked goods. It tastes just the same as one you’d purchase at the store if not better.This recipe will make as much as you want. As you can see from the recipe I call for parts rather than a certain amount. This will allow you to make as much or as little pumpkin pie spice as you want/need. If you store the blend in an airtight container it will last as long as the spices would on their own.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:107]

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes got rave reviews from everyone who tasted them. They have a wonderful blend of fall spices and the cake itself is super moist. But in my opinion, the best part of these cupcakes has GOT to be the frosting. The frosting is super creamy and the cream cheese and cinnamon pair perfectly to give just the best possible compliment to the cupcakes.Normally I don’t much like my desserts without chocolate in or on them but these seem to be an exception.  If you really wanted to include some chocolate, this recipe would lend itself to a nice chocolate glaze over the top of the cupcakes before frosting them. I however, wouldn’t suggest doing this since you could easily overpower the fall flavors.This recipe only makes a dozen cupcakes. However, it is super easy to double or triple if you need more. When I made these, I made them with canned pumpkin so I can’t really say how they will turn out when you use fresh pumpkin puree. I would suggest having a little bit of extra flour on hand if the dough seems super wet.I’ve decorated them with nonpareils which are completely optional. You could sprinkle them with a little bit more cinnamon or even a tiny bit of nutmeg. Nonpareils were just my easiest option since I already had them on hand.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:106]Source: Cake adapted from Kiss My Bundt – Chrysta Wilson

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In honor of the first official day of Fall, here is an incredible (and gluten free) cookie recipe you will want to try! Comment below if you try these out, I’d love to hear what you think!I love these, they are amazing! Last week I made a regular version of these and I decided that I absolutely had to make a gluten free version so I could eat these to my hearts content without upsetting my tummy. These are totally worth making and you will really love the seasonal flavor. These are soft cookies yet when you add the pecans you get a fantastic bit of crunch. The whole thing is just absolutely incredible. I will definitely be making more of these as the fall goes along.For this recipe I’ve used Better Batter Gluten Free Flour. Since each type of gf flour blend is different I really can’t say how these cookies will turn out if you use a different one. If you are worried about the pumpkin pie spice and possible gluten contamination you can simply make your own blend. This will help insure you have a clean blend to use.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:105]

Gluten Free Lasagna Roll-Ups

These are great easy gluten free dinners to make. You can either make and eat them the same night or you can freeze these and bake when you need a quick dinner. This recipe is perfect for a dinner for 2-3 people and some leftovers. If you’re needing to feed a crowd it is easy enough to double or triple the recipe to come up with as much as you need.I love when lasagna has spinach in it so I’ve included it in this recipe. If you prefer plain lasagna you can simply leave it out. I have also included sausage as another optional ingredient in the filling. It is really up to you and what flavors you enjoy. You can really mix and match ingredients depending on what you enjoy, simply make certain to read the ingredients to be certain they are gluten free.Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles were a bit of a challenge for me to find, but I did end up purchasing them through Amazon. I’m sure you’ll be able to find them at stores like Whole Foods and other holistic groceries but unfortunately there aren’t any near me.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:104]

Easy Chocolate, Banana, Nut Butter Cookies

My sister found this recipe and sent it to me. I was very surprised with the deliciousness and the easy of everything. With only five ingredients it is a very quick and easy thing to make. Everyone I served these to simply loved them! Since they are gluten free it is a wonderful way to get a dessert without a huge time commitment.I found the key to making this recipe extra delicious is using a VERY ripe banana. I found this enhanced the flavor and sweetness of the cookies. Since there is no added sugar in the recipe you need to rely on the banana to really make it taste great. If you find the recipe isn’t sweet enough for your taste you can add sugar or sugar substitute into the recipe. However I found it was quite sweet enough on its own with the banana and chocolate chips.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:102]Source:  Adapted from Spoon University

Savory Baked Butternut Squash

This is a surprisingly fantastic squash recipe. I mean, I probably shouldn’t be surprised it’s so great, but I actually really loved the way all the flavors melded together to create an amazing dish. I’ve been realizing more and more that I actually love the taste of nutmeg in dishes. I’ve never really been one to use it, but recently I’ve been putting it in more dishes and have come to find that I really appreciate the flavor nuances it brings.I would say this is a must try fall squash dish. If you only make one butternut squash this fall, you need to try this recipe. This is definitely something to get you outside the plain old butter and maybe brown sugar baked squash, yet it’s not exotic like Alex’s recipe yesterday.The only things I would say you can substitute in this recipe are the extra virgin olive oil and the white pepper. The rest of the spices are very key to the resulting flavor so you can’t really change them. If you want to add more than called for, go right ahead. Just keep the ratios the same. If you decide not to use EVOO you will need to use plain Olive Oil. Because of the cook temp called for in the recipe, if you use anything else you risk it either smoking or catching fire. I would not suggest substituting coconut oil, as it will change the flavor far too much.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:101]

Simple Baked Butternut Squash

Alex and I had a butternut squash from a family member’s garden and decided we needed to try some new recipes with it. Alex created this recipe and decided I just HAD to share it with you guys. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a milder and savory version I created.If you’ve never cooked butternut squash before you should really try it. It is one seasonal vegetable that I really love cooking this time of year. You can do so much with it and it is really a great vegetable to serve for dinner.This recipe isn’t too spicy. It has just enough spice in it to really make the flavor pop, but you’re not going to have a spice explosion in your mouth. If you like a complex yet slightly spicy flavor this is definitely the recipe for you. If you are worried about the spicy level in the cayenne you can definitely tone it down either by using less or substituting chipotle pepper.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:100]