must-try pumpkin orange muffin recipe!
These pumpkin orange muffins are the real deal. They're easy to make, and they definitely please the pallet with the brightness of orange, comfort of pumpkin and warm spices reminiscent of all things autumn! But don't wait for pumpkin spice season to make these beauties. They're delicious all year round...
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup melter butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup orange juice (it still counts if it's OJ from your kid's juice box ;)
- 3/4 canned pumpkin puree
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange (or 3 drops Young Living Orange essential oil) * Note: not all essential oil brands are safe to ingest. Ensure you are using a brand like Young Living that has been approved to use for cooking/baking.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar in a large glass bowl and stir to mix ingredients.
- In a separate glass bowl, whisk egg with butter, milk, orange zest (or Orange essential oil), orange juice and pumpkin. * Note if you are using orange essential oil in this recipe, make sure you're not using plastic mixing bowls as the citrus from the essential oil can affect the plastic.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix by hand just until blended (don't overmix the batter or your muffins will be tough, and we don't want tough muffins)......
- Line 12 cup muffin tin with liners (or you can grease the tins instead of using liners, but that's a ton of work)
- Divide muffin batter evenly between 12 muffin cups (about three quarters full).
- Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until muffins are lightly golden brown and cake tester is clean when inserted into muffin.
Enjoy!!!
xo, Bonnie
By the way...if you need some relaxation in your life, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
zucchini bread - quick and delicious!
Picture late summer and loads of (dare I say overgrown) zucchinis from the garden. You can only eat so many grilled zucchini - am I right? So....what do you do with the rest? Bake zucchini bread! I've been making this recipe for years. I've adapted it from the Betty Crocker Cookbook and I make it a few times a year (when I'm literally using up giant zucchinis from the garden)!
It's easy and you can do everything by hand....no need to get out the mixer for this one. I love that it makes two loaves. So, you can keep one for yourself, and gift the second loaf.....or put it in the freezer for a later time.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of zucchini shredded - about 2-3 medium or 1 large ;)
- 1 2/3 cups of sugar
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional - can sub raisins or chopped pecans/walnuts)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Line 2 loaf pans (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches) with parchment paper (or butter and flour loaf pans if preferred).
Sift and mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add sugar, vanilla and oil and whisk until combined. Add zucchini and mix well.
Add flour mixture and mix by hand until incorporated making sure not to over mix the batter.
Add chocolate chips and combine.
Divide batter evenly amongst loaf pans and bake in centre of oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until tester inserted into centre of loaf comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Remove from pans and place top side up to cool on cooling racks. Serve warm or cool.
Enjoy!!
xo, Bonnie
By the way...if you need some relaxation in your life, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
Dairy Free "Cream" of Broccoli Soup Recipe
There's no doubt about it, I LOVE SOUP!!!! I love it so much, it was the first course at my wedding. I could eat it every-single-day! Nothing tops a warm bowl of soup at lunchtime for this girl.
There are so many reasons for my love of soup. Perhaps it's because you make it once, and can eat it for a few days. You can load it with healthy ingredients and it's easy to heat up once it's made (that's my kinda lunch). Because of all the different recipes out there, trust me, you'll never get sick of soup!
One of my favourites is cream of broccoli soup. But, my tummy isn't a fan of dairy, so I make this pot of velvety goodness with cashews instead of cream and nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Even if you're not vegan, I promise, you won't miss the cream or the cheese in this version of broccoli soup and it takes under 30 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 large carrots peeled and diced
- 4 stalks of celery diced
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 sprig of thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 6 cups of vegetable stock (store bought or homemade)
- 4-5 cups of broccoli florets chopped into bite sized pieces (about one head/bunch of broccoli you would typically buy at the grocery store)
- 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (this makes up for the cheesy flavour in most broccoli soups)
- 1 cup of raw cashews soaked in two cups of water for three hours (or I cup of cashews boiled with two cups of water for 5 minutes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Over medium heat, add coconut oil to a large pot or dutch oven
- Add diced onions, carrots and celery to the pot stirring occasionally until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes)
- Add minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds - 1 minute ensuring not to burn garlic
- Add sprig of thyme (or dried thyme) and 6 cups of vegetable broth, cover with lid and bring to a boil
- Once broth starts boiling, turn down and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until carrots and celery begin to soften
- Add broccoli florets and simmer for another 8-10 minutes
- While soup is simmering, drain and rinse soaked cashews and blend with 1 cup of water in a high speed blender until no lumps remain (NOTE: if you haven't pre-soaked the cashews, place them in a pot with 2 cups of water and boil for 5 minutes. Then drain and rinse the cashews and blend with one cup of water in a high speed blender until no lumps remain.
- Once broccoli and vegetables have softened add pureed cashews, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste
- Mix all ingredients together and remove sprig of thyme
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired
- Serve warm
If soup is too thick, add more water or broth. If soup is too thin, simply continuing simmering until desired liquid evaporates.
This soup keeps well in the fridge for a few days. When reheating soup, if it's too thick, add more water or broth to desired consistency.
Now go enjoy your soup already!
xo, Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
I know, I know......it’s all about the PSL. You’re either a fan, or you’re not. Kinda like cilantro. You either love it or hate it. There is no in between..... I happen to be on the LOVE pumpkin spice latte team!
My only issue is that I really don’t care for the artificial flavours in most pumpkin spice lattes available at our usual coffee stops. They are too sweet and most actually don’t even have pumpkin....it’s usually just flavoured syrup that gives it the “pumpkin spice” flavour.
So, what’s a girl to do when she wants an authentic pumpkin spice latte made with all natural ingredients? Well, she makes it herself of course. And what is better than enjoying a PSL? Enjoying a mocha pumpkin spice latte! Who knew the humble pumpkin spice latte could climb to greater heights? I didn’t think it was possible, but with the addition of a little cocoa, this delicious pick me up gets even better.
My daughter Samantha is also a fan of pumpkin spice (because all of it’s nice).....so she asked me if we could make some lattes and enjoy them together one beautiful fall afternoon. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to indulge with my own little pumpkin (or big cause she is taller than me) so we concocted our own and the rest is history. The addition of cocoa was a test. She asked me what it would be like to make the latte with chocolate, so I said let’s find out! I must say our little experiment turned out amazingly delicious and it was super easy! I see many, many more of these in our future.
Try this for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!! And if you’re not a fan of chocolate, just omit the cocoa powder.
As for the milk in this latte, I used my homemade cashew milk. Click here for the recipe.
You can whisk all these ingredients together while the mixture is on the stove, or once the mixture comes to a boil, you can use a handheld blender to blend it all up and create some froth.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (can sub non dairy milk if desired)
- 1 cup freshly brewed espresso or very strong coffee
- 3 TBSP of pure pumpkin puree
- 1 TBSP pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Directions
- Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat
- Once mixture begins to boil, remove from heat
- Blend with hand blender to combine and create some froth
- Pour into two mugs
- Top with cinnamon
- Top with whipped cream and caramel sauce if desired
- Add extra maple syrup for more sweetness if desired
What are you waiting for? Go make some yummy mocha pumpkin spice lattes. Oh yeah and this recipe makes 2 servings, but that doesn’t mean you can‘t drink it all yourself.....just sayin’. 😉
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
If you're like me and your tummy can't tolerate cow's milk, then this recipe is a must have in your fridge! This is so easy to make and it's delicious beyond compare. Even my picky daughter Samantha won't argue with me when I'm using cashew milk for recipes. And she'll even have it with her cereal!
This milk will only last a few days in the fridge so I make it often so it's fresh. And I even make some batches on the fly if I've run out and don't have any already made. It's not a fussy recipe and if your'e in a pinch, no need to soak the cashews ahead of time.
I love this recipe because you don't have to strain it!! Whatttt?? Yep, all you nut milk lovers out there know what I'm talking about. It's great to make nut milks, but straining it can be a pain. Luckily, this recipe doesn't require any straining, so no more complaining that you can't make your own nut milk, ok???
You can use any glass bottles for the finished product. I like to use empty kombucha bottles (I may or may not have an obsession with kombucha), or mason jars can do the trick as well. If you're fancy, you can buy some glass bottles with snappy lids from IKEA or your local dollar store.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews
- 5 cups of filtered water
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 medjool date (optional) - can sub 1 TBSP maple syrup or honey
- 2-3 glass jars
Instructions
- Measure 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews into a glass bowl and cover with about two cups of water. Let sit for approximately three hours.
- Drain and rinse cashews and place in a high-speed blender with 1 cup of water and 1 medjool date. Note, if using maple syrup or honey, add at this point.
- Blend at high speed until the cashews are smooth and creamy and no lumps remain.
- Add 4 more cups of water, and pinch of sea salt.
- Blend again at high speed until the milk is perfectly smooth.
- Pour into glass jars and refrigerate.
- Will keep for about 4-6 days in fridge. Make sure to shake before using.
Healthy cooking is a passion of mine. I take pride knowing I made something that nourishes me and my family and the best part....it's loaded with high doses of love. I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as we do!
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
