Welcome back! It has been too long since my last post.  Why do the months seem to steam roll by at an accelerated rate and my to do list just gets longer and longer?! The cold weather has not made it any better, but we did escape on a trip of a lifetime to Peru for two weeks. Lima, Manchu Picchu, Cusco, llamas, Arequipa, Vicuñas, Pisac, Alpacas, pisco sours, more llamas… and an amazing tour guide who happens to be our niece. Beautiful landscapes, non stop historical facts and of course llamas, alpacas and vicunas. This trip totally took us out of our comfort zone of travelling, but we would not have changed a thing.

Since returning back to the deep freeze I’ve been staying in doors and experimenting with sweet recipes. Cupcakes are my favourite dessert. Especially mini, bite sized, swirled and sprinkled ones. Throw in chocolate and peanut butter and I’m in cupcake heaven. Now if I can make them slightly healthier, I could actually eat them for breakfast! Score! This recipe uses a gluten free flour mix, but I am going to try make them low carb on the next attempt. They are super delicious and satisfy both the rich chocolate crave and sweetness factor.

I have also been loving cauliflower and broccoli. Yes, total opposite of chocolate. Back in the day everyone was boiling and steaming these two to their peak (or death) including me. I noticed more restaurants were roasting, either in the oven or on the bbq, their vegetables. Just toss in olive oil and add herbs, salt and Parmesan cheese. Devine deliciousness and the veggies retain all the goodness of their nutritional value. You can also do Brussels sprouts this way, but I love them done with some bacon on the stove top. Maybe I’ll share that recipe with you too! 😉

Gluten free Peanut butter Pumpkin seed Chocolate Muffins

What you need:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut sugar

3/4 cup natural peanut butter – almond butter would work too

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 egg

3/4 cup gluten free flour – I used Cloud 9 from Costco

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips – I like Enjoy

1/4 cup pumpkin seed kernels – I used toasted and salted ones from Costco

6 squares, 1/2 a bar Baker’s dark chocolate – optional

How to make them:

Set your oven to 375 F. Grab a 12 sectioned muffin tin and either drop in some muffin liners or grease them well. I used liners.

Peel the bananas and drop them into a larger sized mixing bowl. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the bananas and then add the maple syrup, coconut sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, almond milk and egg. Depending on how much mixing power you have, either grab a wire whisk and use your raw strength, or take the high road and grab your mixette or mixmaster and let it do the work. I mixed for about 2 minutes in total.

Then add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Grab a wooden spoon and mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated in. Dump in the chocolate chips and give it three or four more stirs.

Using a ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup scoop fill each liner. If you have some left over divide it between the liners. Sprinkle and lightly press the pumpkin seeds into each dough mound. Bake 16 – 18 minutes.

Once done, place on a wire rack to cool. If you like an extra chocolate hit, take 6 squares dark chocolate/ half a bar, put into a small zip lock bag and microwave on high for 30 – 45 seconds. Snip off a corner and pipe some onto each muffin.

Enjoy 😊

Oven roasted Cauliflower

What you need:

1 medium head cauliflower

Generous drizzle of olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika/smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Wash and remove the leaves and core of the cauliflower head. Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces and place into a bowl. Drizzle generously with olive oil, add the paprika and the garlic and toss to coat.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet / pan. Dump the cauliflower onto the pan and spread it out. Place in a 400 F oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take out, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the cauliflower and then bake for 10 minutes longer.

Delicious 😋