Pumpkin spice muffins

We have made these several times and they are always yummy.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (Gluten-Free)

This recipe comes to us from Dianne Steeper

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
¼ cup (½dL) Canola Oil
½ cup (~100g) Raw Honey
¼ cup (½dL) Unsweetened Applesauce
1 cup (~400g) Mashed, cooked pumpkin
1 ½ (210g) Brown Rice Flour
½ cup (70g) Soya Flour (I use garbanzo/fava, spelt or sorghum)
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Allspice
dash Salt
½ cup (~60g) Raisins (optional)
½ cup (~90g) Chopped nuts (I prefer pecans but walnuts also work well)

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Beat eggs well; add honey, oil and pumpkin. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Fill paper-lined or greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350F (180C) degrees for 20 minutes. Rotate tins once to brown evenly.

"I am blessed by God. God loves me and approves of me. I am saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, filled with God's Spirit, and on the basis of what Jesus has done for me and the Holy Spirit continues to do in me, I have favor from God. All of God's promises pertain to me. All of the talents that God has built into my life are worthy to be developed and used. God has a plan for my life that He is unfolding. God is refining me, preparing me, and molding me into the likeness of Christ Jesus. I belong to Him forever, and He is my loving Father who is continually seeking my good"
From the book "Walking Wisely" By Charles Stanly.

We are doing a Unit Study on Wisdom and this was part of our reading today. We are learning about the benefits of walking in wisdom. This part was giving a right perspective on ourselves, and why we should have good self-esteem.

Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon w/ Pineapple Chutney

Serves 4: from "1,000 Gluten free Recipes" by Carol Fenster

Salmon:
4 Salmon fillets (about 4 oz each)
1/4 C. wheat-free tamari soy sauce
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup finely snipped fresh chives, for garnish

Chutney:
1 can (14-20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained and 1/4 cup juice reserved
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp. ground cumin or chili powder

1. prepare the salmon. Place salmon in a heavy duty food storage bag and add soy sauce, vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic and cayenne. Refrigerate 2 hours.

2.While the salmon marinates, make the chutney: In a small saucepan, place all the chutney ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature.

3. Place a barbecue grill about 6 inches away from the heat source. Preheat the grill. Remove the salmon from the marinade, reserving marinade. Grill salmon, skin-side down, to the desired degree of doneness, basting occasionally with marinade, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet, or until the fish is just barely opaque when cut in the thickest part or flakes easily with fork. Transfer salmon to serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Bring remaining marinade and 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 minutes. Pour over salmon, garnish with fresh chives, and serve with pineapple chutney.

very yummy scones

Gluten-Free Scones:

Source: Recipezaar

These scones can be made with raisins, that is what the recipe called for. However, since I can't just follow a recipe as it is, I made mine using dried cranberries & orange zest. They were really good! Will definitely make these again.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups rice flour (I used brown rice)
• 3 1/2 Tbsp tapioca flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sultan raisin (optional, I did dried cranberries & the zest of one orange instead)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt OR sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Rub in the butter. Add the sultans (or canberries & zest) and gently mix together.
3. Lightly whisk the eggs and plain yogurt together.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg and yogurt mixture. Mix to soft dough, adding a little more yogurt if necessary.
5. Turn onto a rice-floured board and knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about 1-inch thick and cut out rounds using a 2 1/4" cutter (or use a pie cutter & cut into 8 wedges). Place on a rice-floured baking sheet and brush with a little egg wash.
6. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown on top. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
7. Serve split in half with butter and jam.

I made a thin glaze of powdered sugar and orange juice and brushed it on the tops while they were still hot. VERY YUMMY!