Pumpkin Spice Granola

There’s nothing better than the colors and smells of the harvest. During the fall, I feel more inclined to spend time in my kitchen, cooking, and eating comforting, nutritious food. Maybe I am biased, but fall is my favorite season all around. I love the sunny days and the crisp fresh air, the colors of the leaves changing, the anticipation of the holidays, and the shift from fresh raw foods that I enjoy eating during the summer, to the warm, comforting foods of the autumn harvest.  In honor of autumn, I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Granola.  I love eating it on its own as a snack before I train capoeira, for breakfast or if i need a little pick me up in the afternoon. Honestly, its pretty addictive…..so don't say I didn't warn you!The pumpkin seeds, along with cinnamon and nutmeg are what give the granola its name.

Pumpkin Spice Granola ( vegan & gluten free )

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups gluten free rolled oats

• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• 1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract, whisking until the brown sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.
3. Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes and pecans in a large bowl.
   
4. Pour the liquid mixture into oat mixture and mix with a spatula until fully incorporated.
   
5. Spread granola mixture onto a parchment or silpat lined sheet tray so that it is about an inch thick.  Make sure that the edges are not thinner or else they will burn.
   
6. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the granola is golden.
7. Remove granola from the oven and let cool.  Break into pieced and toss with cranberries and raisins.
8. Store in an airtight container.

Let me know how you liked this recipe!
-Deniz
The Chef in the City

Autumn Cornmeal Pancakes ( dairy free & gluten free )

About a month ago, I was transferring my bag of cornmeal into mason jars. There was 2/3 cup that wouldn't fit in the jar and I was not going to let it go to waste, or use another mason jar for such a small amount of cornmeal.  So naturally, I decided I would make something with the cornmeal.  I forced myself to record my measurements (I am so bad at keeping track of my culinary experiments!) so that I could share the recipe.

I love the texture of these pancakes.  They get crispy on the outside, and kind of cakey on the inside.  They are really filling and satisfying.  When I made them a month ago, I made a maple apricot sauce, but I didn't feel that it was fitting for the fall.  For these, I used a bit of freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon and then to make them more substantial, I topped them with a few sliced bananas and maple syrup. You can use this recipe as a base and come up with many variations depending on the season or your mood.  

Autumn Cornmeal Pancakes ( dairy free & gluten free )

Serves 2 slightly hungry people

• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup almond milk* (or milk of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or maple syrup)
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil (in liquid state)**
• 2 eggs

* When using coconut oil that needs to be in its melted state for a recipe, if you are combining it with something cold, like milk, it is important to heat up the milk so that the coconut oil does not become solid again.  In this case, I heated up the almond milk slightly, so that it was at room temperature before adding the coconut oil.

** During the cooler months, coconut oil will be in its solid state.  If your recipe calls for it to be in its liquid state, you can heat it up in the microwave or on the stove for a few seconds.

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
2. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk, vanilla extract agave syrup, coconut oil and eggs.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix just until everything is incorporated.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-high and use your oil of choice to slightly coat the pan.
5. Using a 1/4 cup measure, place batter onto a heated skillet and when the edges start to bubble slightly, lower the flame to medium and flip the pancake over.  Cook until both sides are golden.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try any variations of this recipe!

-Deniz

The Chef in the City

Sweet Potato Muffins (gluten free + dairy free!)

As some of you may know, I teach cooking and baking classes for children as young as 18 months to adults.  I absolutely love my job and am amazed how much I learn every day from my students.  In my baking class for children, we made sweet potato graham muffins, and they were delicious.  I have one student who cannot eat dairy, so I modified the recipe so that he could eat them.  I was inspired by this recipe to take it one step further and to make it gluten free because I know many people who have gluten intolerance.  These muffins are nutty, moist and slightly sweet.  They are a wholesome breakfast that will hold you over, or a great snack.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!


Sweet Potato Muffins (gluten free + dairy free!)

• 1 1/4 cups gluten free oat flour (I made my own in the dry vitamix but you can buy it pre-made)
• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 1 cup almond meal (I made my own in the dry vitamix but you can buy it pre-made)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 6 ounces non-dairy yogurt (you can use coconut yogurt, almond yogurt, soy yogurt)
• 2 pasture raised eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup shredded sweet potato (1 small sweet potato)

** I have included photos below the procedure with additional comments**

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, oats, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar.
3. In a second large bowl, vigorously whisk together melted coconut oil and yogurt for 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, finally whisking in the maple syrup.
4. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and fold together until just combined.
5. Fold in the shredded sweet potato.
6. Spoon batter evenly into muffin tins and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

These are all the dry ingredients before and after I whisked them together

This is the mixture of coconut oil, yogurt, eggs and maple syrup

Here, I am adding the wet mixture to the dry mixture

After I have mixed together the wet and dry mixture, I add the shredded sweet potato

Here is the batter, ready to be scooped into the muffin tins!

This is the scoop I use, which allows me to make muffins that are uniform in size

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I did!
- Deniz
The Chef in the City