I’ll start the week with a healthy drink for a dairy-free Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Smoothie that sounds naughty but isn’t really. Toddler Yum heard the word “chocolate” and slurped it down like nobody’s business, which made me happy. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!

One note- the avocado is there for the additional healthy fats and creaminess. It does add a little flavor so the cocoa is absolutely necessary for smoothing the flavors together, in my opinion. Do be careful not to add too much banana as the flavor is quite strong. It is mostly there for the sweetness, so if you prefer another mild fruit, feel free to experiment.

As part of the Tastemaker program with Foodbuzz, I got the nifty Tervis Tumbler pictured. I thought it might be fun to participate, and we can always use another bpa free, dishwasher safe cup for Toddler Yum. Their 8 oz toddler-sized tumblers look interesting. I might have to get some cups made for Toddler Yum!

Here are some additional recipes for Pumpkin Smoothies:
Vegan
Pumpkin Smoothie with Ginger and Maple Syrup
Sugar-free Pumpkin Smoothie with Coconut Whip
Pumpkin Smoothie with Homemade Hemp Milk
Silken Tofu Pumpkin Smoothie
Pumpkin Smoothie with Flaxseed and Soy
Pumpkin Smoothie with Protein Boost
Pumpkin Smoothie with chia and almond milk
Vegetarian
Pumpkin Smoothie with Yogurt
Brown Sugar Sweetened Pumpkin Smoothie

Other Foodbuzz folks put some interesting things in their Tumblers:
Juiced tangerine limeade

Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie Breakfast  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin (canned ok) 1/2 avocado (peeled and without the pit) 1 cup homemade cashew milk* (or favorite non-dairy milk of choice) 1 tbsp agave or your favorite liquid sweetener (such as homemade simple syrup. Do NOT use honey as it has too much personality) 1 tbsp cocoa powder (NOT optional, although carob powder might be a good substitute if you are sensitive to chocolate) 1 small frozen banana 1 nutmeg for grating Directions Combine ingredients in your blender (a cheap-o blender will be just fine) and process until smooth and creamy. Pour in a glass or cup and grate nutmeg on top for serving. Enjoy! I am curious about what it would taste like frozen into a popsicle- I think it might be pretty tasty. I also considered adding 1/2 tsp of vanilla. I might do that next time. You can also add a pumpkin spice type blend of spices. I like Penzey’s Cake or Baking Spice. Notes *CASHEW MILK RECIPE: I made one big batch of cashew milk that I used in recipes for several days. I soaked 1 cup of cashews overnight with enough water to cover and then drained them, discarding the liquid. I blended them together with water up to the top of my blender (measuring 5 cups including the cashews), to make a milk which I did not strain. I stored it in the refrigerator in a glass pitcher to use as needed. For drinking or to use in hot cereal, I add a drop of vanilla and a little agave to the milk.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1572 Added:  October 24, 2011 Last Modified:  October 24, 2011

I was inspired to make these cobblers because for the first time, we are living in our own home with a proper yard that came with proper fruit trees. To be specific, we have productive avocado, apple, cherry, plum, and apricot trees, with a persimmon tree dipping in over the neighbor’s fence for good measure. Right now the apricot and plum trees are covered in fruit, and we are scrambling to find ways to eat them up before time re-claims them for the compost. I’d never had plum cobbler before, but when my Mother mentioned that she’d once had some, I was intrigued. The resulting recipe made my mouth very happy, especially paired with some vanilla ice cream. One note, though. No matter how much you want cobbler, you definitely want to wait until the fruit is fully ripe. I like a tart plum for snacking, especially in preference to a mushy, over-ripe one, but for cobbler, you really want to harness the natural sweetness of the fruit so you don’t have to dip too heavily into the sugar jar to compensate. My plums were a tad under-ripe. I’ve learned my lesson, and next time I’ll use only ripe, sweet, toothsome fruits.

Baby Yum and I recently celebrated our birthdays in a joint, gluten-free birthday party ladybug-themed feast with a ladybug pinata, butterfly and black and red polka dotted balloons and of course, more food than you would think could fit on one (ok, two) tables. It was lovely and I hope to share pictures soon. I got a new camera for said birthday (the Nikon D5000). Thanks, kisses and loves to all of you for your patience while I befriend my new camera. Who knew light could be so much fun (and so challenging!)

Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler with Pamela’s Baking Mix Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 3/4 cup white sugar* 4 cups fresh plums, pitted and sliced into wedges 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp corn starch 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, cloves, and allspice 1 1/2 C Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix 1/3 cup milk 1/4 C granulated sugar 1/4 C melted butter or margarine 1 tbsp. raw sugar Directions Take a deep pie pan or 2 Q. casserole dish and preheat oven to 350F. Combine your plums, sugar, vanilla, corn starch and spices in a large bowl. If you like you can then fill your pie pan or casserole dish and use it for your biscuit topping. Combine your Baking mix, sugar, and melted butter or margarine in a bowl and stir together. Fold your milk in gently. Use a large serving spoon to drop the dough on top of your plum mixture. Cover the surface but leave a little space around the edges. Sprinkle with your raw sugar for some pretty baking sparkle and bake at 350f for around 35 minutes or until lightly browned and firm on top. Serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream or enjoy plain. Yum! Notes *I actually used 1/2 cup sugar, but the DH said it was too tart. Our plums were a little under-ripe, so we needed the 3/4 cup. Your mileage may vary.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1562 Added:  July 14, 2011 Last Modified:  July 14, 2011

My father and mother-in-law are visiting from Colorado and so I was happy to have something to offer them as a snack. They both seemed to enjoy them. My husband, who has been away on a business trip overseas for the past two weeks, gobbled them up and told me he would buy them in a store… on purpose. High praise for a humble gluten-free muffin with home-harvested fruit.

I know I should be posting about pumpkin pie and vegetarian stuffing- but right now apples and persimmons are the hot news in my yard. In case you have relatives to feed for brunch and your own persimmon stash lying around- I hope this recipe comes in handy. And if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go and have myself a seasonal… and delicious… gluten-free persimmon muffin.

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Amaranth Persimmon Muffins with Streusel Topping Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients Streusel: 1/3 cup brown sugar 3 tbsp whole grain gluten-free flour like sorghum 2 tbsp amaranth flour 3 tbsp dairy free margarine (I used Earth Balance) Dry Ingredients: 1 cup your favorite gluten-free flour blend OR 3/4 cup sorghum flour and 1/4 cup arrowroot starch 1 cup amaranth flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cardamom 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup raisins Liquid ingredients: 1 1/2 cup dairy-free milk such as soy with 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice added 2 extra-large eggs or your favorite egg substitute 1/4 cup grapeseed oil 1 large persimmon, peeled and diced (can substitute pear, apple, or asian pear if you prefer) margarine, shortening, cooking spray or paper muffin cup liners Directions Prepare 2 regular muffin tins by lining with paper liners, spraying with cooking spray, or greasing with shortening or dairy-free margarine. Preheat oven to 375. Combine streusel ingredients in a small bowl and mix with pastry blender, fork, or your fingers until you have pastry clumps. Put dry ingredients in a large bowl and blend together with a large spoon or spatula. Whisk liquid ingredients through the grapeseed oil together in a medium bowl. When they are combined, add the diced persimmon or other fruit and gently stir to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients including the persimmon in with the dry ingredients and fold together. Combine as efficiently as possible without over-mixing. Carefully fill each muffin cup halfway full, or up to 2/3 full if you have enough batter. I ended up leaving two muffin cups empty because I filled one muffin tin 2/3 full and the other more like 1/2 full. Sprinkle streusel on top of each unbaked muffin. Put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Modified like crazy from a gluten, dairy recipe from Veggie Life Recipe ID:  1526 Added:  November 20, 2010 Last Modified:  November 21, 2010

Picture a little round seed that looks like it belongs in a bird feeder or could be the start of a Chia pet. Imagine this seed surrounded by a million of its friends in a plastic clear bag from Bob’s Red Mill labeled “Amaranth Grain.” On my allergy rotation diet, this seed has become a staple, but not one that particularly thrills me. In the morning I’ve been having it boiled into a porridge with lemon olive oil, honey, nutmeg and raisins. I add all these things to mask the earthy, savory nature of the seed. Boiling it creates this gel-like stuff that seems only appropriate for an astronaut meal.

After eating this gloppy porridge one too many times, I started daydreaming about things I could do to give it a better texture. Somehow I came up with the idea of spreading it out like a pizza on parchment paper and baking it into a tasty flatbread that could be used as a pizza base or crackers. And- miracle of miracles, this technique worked and transformed my martian-gel porridge into this amazing cracker bread that rivals flax crackers for crunch and has amazing flavor too! So lately, I eat my morning glop but leave half of the stuff plain, chill it and bake it later. When I enjoy this gluten-free crunchy, salty cracker flatbread with tasty veggies, it’s hard to remember that it is the same stuff that I eat for breakfast, transformed thanks to the magic of the kitchen.

The baked seed pops in your mouth a little and the high protein count means you don’t even miss t he missing dairy, egg or soy in the recipe- it is simply fabulous, and fabulously easy. I hope the next time you find yourself facing a big bowl of amaranth gruel that you will consider transforming it into some lovely salty flatbread.

And, if like me you need to avoid nuts and dairy, you may enjoy topping it with a lovely pumpkin seed basil pesto and roasted red peppers and calling it pizza. I’ve been experimenting with both pumpkin seed and sunflower seeds… as rare allergens they seemed like a good bet, and they don’t seem to bother Baby Yum. To my delight, pumpkin seed pesto is just as tasty as I could have hoped- and I don’t miss the dairy or nuts in the slightest! What are your favorite ways to cook with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds? Share in the comments and you just might inspire my dinner!

Gluten-free Amaranth cracker recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1/2 cup whole amaranth grain (not flour)- i use Bob’s Red Mill brand 1 1/2 cup water salt to taste flavored olive oil (lemon or basil) fresh basil, torn into pieces to garnish (optional) Directions Boil amaranth with water for 20-30 minutes, or until you have a thick porridge like consistency. Cool and place in refrigerator and thoroughly chill. Preheat oven to 425F. Line pizza pan with parchment paper and baste with olive oil. Remove chilled amaranth and spoon onto your parchment paper into a thin, round disk, much like a pizza. Baste top with olive oil (flavored olive oil is ideal) and sprinkle with plenty of salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until bottom of crust dries out and edges start to get crisp like a cracker. Carefully peel off parchment paper and turn crust over, basting with olive oil if desired. Bake until you get desired crispiness on both sides of cracker. Remove from oven, slice into pizza shapes and use as flatbread, cut into crackers (if you get it really crispy), or top and bake a little more in oven.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1471 Added:  December 7, 2009 Last Modified:  December 19, 2009

Vegan Dairy-free Pumpkin Seed Basil Pesto Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas) olive oil (start with 1 tbsp. and add more as needed to form paste) 1 small bunch fresh basil (or more, to taste) salt Directions Lightly toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan on low heat, turning as needed. Combine pumpkin seed with olive oil and basil in a small food processor and blend. Stir as needed and add more olive oil as necessary until you get a nice texture. Add salt to taste and enjoy! Notes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepita

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1473 Added:  December 20, 2009 Last Modified:  December 20, 2009