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Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

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This has been a family favorite in my house since my kids were little. Though the cherished original recipe came from my mom, many tweaks have been made to improve the ingredients over time and this final version is one I’ve been proud to share with friends and family over the past month or so.

I love the combination of spices, using real pumpkin (see previous post on pumpkin-flavored food things!) and toasted pecans. I also love to experiment using different flours and one of my favorites to use instead of regular all purpose flour is Einkorn flour. Einkorn is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates, is a more easily tolerated gluten to digest, and has a lovely nutty taste that I enjoy in pastry dough, muffins and scones.

The perfect fall muffin to share with your family and friends – I hope you try it!

Cheers,

Christina

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Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

Warm spices, slightly sweet and a crunchy top make this muffin a true delight. Add a cup of tea or coffee and you have the coziest morning or mid-afternoon snack.

Course brunch, Snack
Keyword muffin, pumpkin
Servings 12 muffins
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
  • ½ cup superfine almond flour
  • ½ cup Einkorn all purpose flour Jovial is the brand I use. Regular all purpose or whole wheat flour works as well
  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup apple butter I use the Eden brand which is an organic, naturally sweetened product
  • 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper liners or use a silicone muffin tray set on a sheet pan.

  2. In a large bowl combine pecans, flours, oats, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

  3. In a medium bowl combine pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and apple butter with a whisk.

  4. Add pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.

  5. Using a spring-loaded scoop, fill muffins cups. Top with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Curry-Spiced Chickpea Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

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This is one of those recipes that use pantry staples as well as fresh ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It’s adapted from an old Martha Stewart recipe from 10 years ago but my version has more flavor, easily swaps grains, and adds healthy tahini to bind it all together. To make it quicker to prepare, I often use precooked grains such as frozen rice or pre-packaged cooked quinoa and rice blend. I prefer the stronger flavor of cilantro, but I’ve also used parsley with success.

In addition to the suggested toppings, I often like to round out the meal with one of my favorite side dishes, Spiced Cauliflower with Dates and Pine Nuts, a simple recipe found on my blog. As delicious as that dish is, quickly steamed broccoli is a fantastic idea, too. Whatever you do, make sure you include the yogurt sauce and have a spicy sauce option such as Sriracha or Gochujang to drizzle.

I hope this healthy, easy to prepare recipe makes its way into your dinner rotation soon.

Cheers,

Christina

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Curry-Spiced Chickpea Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

These vegetarian burgers are delicious with the spiced yogurt sauce, a dollop of hummus and a drizzle of Sriracha sauce over a bed of arugula. These can also be a delicious portable meal by stuffing the burger and all the fixings into flatbread or a pita pocket and served at room temperature.

Course Main Course, vegetarian
Keyword curry spiced burger
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 lime zested, half of the lime juiced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Burgers

  • 1½ cup cooked rice, quinoa or blend I like to use precooked Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup chopped scallions
  • ¼ chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 1 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • kosher salt
  • olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for the yogurt sauce and set aside while you prepare the burgers.

  2. In a food processor, add garbanzo beans, scallions, cilantro, carrots, jalapeño pepper and tahini and pulse until a chunky mixture forms. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add ⅓ cup of the yogurt sauce, rice or quinoa, curry powder and 1 tsp kosher salt to the mixture and combine.

  3. Using a ⅓ cup, scoop and form burgers. If time allows, chill the burgers for 30 minutes before cooking. It's not necessary but can make it easier to flip while cooking. You can also freeze the burgers at this point. Just thaw when ready to use.

  4. To cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium and coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the burgers and cook until each side is lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve with yogurt sauce.

    Makes about 8-10 burgers

Roasted Grass-Fed Meatballs

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Meatballs are a good idea no matter the season. They are quick to make, freezer friendly, and make great leftovers. I keep several pounds of local omega-3 rich grass-fed ground beef in my garage freezer at all times. It’s a staple for weeknight meals including these meatballs as well as quick tacos, skillet meals and salads. It’s my favorite “fast food” and one that keeps my family fed and nourished.

I’ve finally landed on a meatball recipe that I have been playing with for quite awhile and I’m happy to share it with you. It’s a few different recipes and techniques put together that I think make the most flavorful, tender meatballs. A few key components to this recipe that make it work great – sauteing the onion, garlic and seasonings along with toasting the panko produces much more flavor than raw onions, garlic and soaked bread. The addition of ricotta as well as a light hand while mixing makes a light and tender meatball. The addition of an acid as well as umami rich Worcestershire sauce are unique additions that one of our local restaurants uses. Finally, a cooking technique I learned that doesn’t involve getting my stove all messy from browning meatballs in oil – cooking the meatballs in muffin tins. The rendered fat essentially bastes the meatball to keep it from drying out while the top gets nice and browned.  

I hope you get a chance to make this recipe – it makes 24 meatballs and can be easily cut in half, but with them being so freezer friendly, save some for later or share some with a friend!

Cheers,

Christina

Toasting the breadcrumbs along with the onions, garlic and spices adds tons of flavor
Spring loaded scoop makes similar sized meatballs that cook evenly
Brush with olive oil to help brown the meatballs
Browned meatballs get a quick bath in warm marinara sauce – my favorite is Rao’s Marinara
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Roasted Grass-Fed Meatballs

Meatballs are a great make ahead dish and this is my go-to recipe. Taking a few minutes to saute the onions, garlic and panko makes for a flavorful, well seasoned meatball. Perfect next to a side of pasta and broccoli but equally tasty stuffed into toasted garlic bread with melted mozzarella cheese.

Servings 24 meatballs
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup red onion, minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 lbs grass-fed ground beef
  • ¾ cup whole milk ricotta
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup minced fresh basil
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • For serving: Chopped parsley, marinara sauce, grated parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.

  2. Heat the olive oil in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add red onions, salt and pepper and saute until tender. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Add panko and cook until slightly golden. Remove from heat and let cool.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, ricotta, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, parsley, basil and cheese. Using clean hands, thoroughly mix the ingredients. Add the cooled panko mixture and incorporate all the ingredients – do not overmix.

  4. To cook meatballs, use a spring loaded scoop to form a round a little larger than a golf ball, about 2 ounces. Place in a greased muffin tin and brush with olive oil and bake about 30 minutes. Meatballs are finished when they have an evenly browned surface and the internal temperature has reached about 150°.

  5. To serve: Transfer meatballs to a pan of warm marinara sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Top with parsley and grated parmigiano reggiano.

Recipe Notes

To freeze meatballs: place raw meatballs on a small sheet pan and once frozen, transfer to a zip top freezer bag.  Meatballs can be cooked from frozen but will take a little longer.  

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

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The Christmas season would not be the same without these cookies! I’ve been making them since my kids were little and it’s always a fun project to look forward to. One year, as a new teacher, (my OG kids!) I made this recipe and baked trays and trays of these holiday, winter-themed cookies. We drank hot chocolate, listened to holiday music and decorated cookies and I just knew it was something I’d love doing with my own kids one day.

Over the years I’ve perfected the easiest way to make this project FUN, and not just a big, floury, sugary, food dye mess. If you’re able to plan ahead a bit, think about your cookie project in steps, on different days, if possible.

Step 1: Make the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate both disks or put one in a ziplock bag and freeze to use at a later date. I’ve had good results using this frozen dough to make Valentine hearts 6-8 weeks later! Pull the frozen dough from the freezer about an hour before you want to use it.

Step 2: Roll out dough and cut out into desired shapes. Bake and cool. These can now be stored for a day before you want to frost them.

Step 3: Make frosting and decorate. For maximum freshness, give these away the day you frost them. They can be enjoyed for days if kept in an airtight container.

These cookies are the perfect accent to a cookie gift box. The beautiful bold colors come from gel food coloring, one I prefer to liquid. Crushed candy canes, sprinkles and colored sugars all make fun accents. If working with kiddos – a plastic table cover, disposable knives and bowls and even rimmed baking sheets to decorate in help contain the mess, I mean fun!

Cheers and happy baking!

Christina

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Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

This recipe comes from my family cookbook growing up and it's been a family tradition in my own home since my kids were little. The recipe makes two disks of dough, so if you're planning cookie plates to give away, make and bake the entire recipe. Alternatively, plan to freeze one of the disks of dough for a fun project at a later date – snowflakes in January or hearts in February.

Course Dessert
Servings 4 dozen
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Cookie dough

  • 3 ¾ cups flour
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • ⅔ cups butter room temperature
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp almond extract can use vanilla

Icing

  • 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3 tbsp butter room temperature
  • ¼-½ tsp almond extract can use vanilla
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • food coloring

Instructions

Dough:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed.

  3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

  4. Add milk and almond extract and mix until combined.

  5. With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

  6. Shape dough into two disks and wrap each in plastic wrap.

  7. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until easy to handle.

To make cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°

  2. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

  3. On floured surface, roll one of the disks till ⅛” to ¼” thick. Keep extra dough in the refrigerator until ready to use.

  4. With floured cookie cutters, cut into various shapes. Gather scraps and re-roll dough to cut out more cookies.

  5. Place them on cookie sheets, ½” apart.

  6. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until very lightly browned.

  7. Move cookies to baking rack and cool completely before frosting.

Icing

  1. Combine confectioners' sugar, butter, extract and milk, beating until creamy.

  2. If necessary, add a few more drops of milk to reach desired spreading consistency.

  3. Divide frosting into as many bowls as you want colors. Mix in food coloring as desired.

  4. Spread frosting over cooled cookies and add any additional sprinkles or decorations when frosting is still wet.