-
How-to Make Ranch Seasoning Mix – {Dairy-free}
Learn How-to Make Ranch Seasoning Mix with this easy homemade version takes less than 5 minutes using ingredients you probably already have in the pantry! No more store-bought seasoning packets.
Ranch seasoning was a classic growing up. I remember eating Hidden Value ranch dressing with carrots and celery when I was younger (my mom always bought the fat free ugh….can any of you relate?) Well, this ranch seasoning has so much flavor and is so versatile as to what you can use it on and in. It is simple ingredients that when combined packs a powerful punch of flavor. You can use it as a seasoning or use our Diary free ranch recipe to create a salad dressing or dip.
There is nothing like a fresh seasoning mix that you can easily pull together yourself. I honestly love measuring out the spices and putting them in a bowl next to each other. I think it makes for the coolest photos. It breaks down the seasoning that everyone refers to as “ranch” and shows each component that it entails. Nerding out on spices, what can I say?
-
Grain-free Spicy Cauliflower Fritters {Keto, Paleo, Whole30}
These Grain-free Spicy Cauliflower Fritters are an amazing way to embrace the cauliflower love, taking the cauli-rice trend to a whole new level. These versatile patties can be adapted to whatever flavor and spice blend you’d like and served with your favorite sauce, we like Chipotle Lime Aioli.
Veg based fritters have always been a favorite of mine, either as a quick bite appetizer or snack, or atop a large bed of greens as a main dish, I find them to be quick, simple, cheap and versatile. Since I have removed both grains and beans from my diet, due to my autoimmune conditions and my digestive issues, I haven’t really messed with too many veggie-based fritters, cakes and patties in recent years. But, after a recent exploration with cauliflower, which is one of my favorite, versatile, low carb, starch-like veggies – these fritters were born and they have quickly become a new fav.
-
Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Almonds
With the start of fall and now as we enter October, I say this means it’s officially, official that we can go all-in on the pumpkin spice everything. Sure it’s considered Basic B*tch to some, but I don’t care, call me “Basic Beth” if you wish – I want to pumpkin spice ALL the things, like these Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Almonds.
These lightly sweetened with just a hint of salt, crunchy, crispy, coated almonds are flavored with my homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend (but of course any store bought pumpkin spice blend will work) – they get coated with maple syrup and then if you allow them time to dry slowly, they harden, up, get crispy and will wow you! Otherwise you end up with sticky, stuck together, not-so-crispy nuts.
-
How-to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
It’s pumpkin spice season and before we dive head first into all the fall baking and making, let’s get down to the basics. Homemade pumpkin pie spice takes but 5 minutes to make and while buying a pre-made blend is just as time effective, I often find the pre-made blends aren’t made to my liking. It’s also more cost effective to make your own, especially considering you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry, already.
Other benefits of making your own: You can also make it in smaller batches, if you prefer, to keep it fresher, keeping it’s strong flavor, for longer. You can tweak the blend to make it to your liking. Adding even more cinnamon or nutmeg if you prefer, dropping the allspice if that’s not your thing, you can fully customize this spice blend to be your own.
-
Grain-free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
I’ve got a lot for you today. I have the first-ever pancakes on Tasty Yummies, a few life lessons, a #virtualpumpkinparty and one of my favorite healing superfoods! Here we go….
Have you ever had a day, or a stretch of days where you are overloaded with life lessons, messages and moments that stop you dead in your tracks, to smack you upside the head with a little nugget of goodness, before sending you on your way, again?
I have had a lot of those lately. Little lessons and hidden reminders, that bubble up to the surface within the most mundane of moments and oftentimes coming out in the midst of the most frustrating challenges. It could be that I have been attempting to be more aware in the present in the moment, being open to what’s around me, rather than living in my head and getting caught up in letting my mind wander (which is something I often do). Whatever the cause, these little reminders have been exactly what I need, lately, exactly when I needed them.
These beautiful and delicious, Grain-free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, they were the culmination of so many reminders for me this past week. The first attempt at making these, I found myself swearing and angry. I had wanted to make waffles but they just weren’t working out, so I attempted to just make pancakes instead, as long as I had the batter. Pancakes weren’t what I had wanted and it wasn’t part of the plan – so, at first I really let it bother me. After a few deep breaths and in realizing that I had inadvertently created really delicious pancakes, I found myself really grateful for the mistake. On the second creation, I was super happy with how the pancakes came out again, but in editing the photos I realized that I should have chosen a smaller plate, the pancakes were getting lost in a sea of pattern from the large plate. I nearly scrapped the entire recipe and I found myself in tears, at my computer! In hindsight and in writing this out, I realize just how silly and insignificant this all seems and how ridiculous I may sound, but, as usual I am finding, in the simplest of moments, the biggest lessons are learned, so I wanted to share some of these sweet lessons that were brought to me this week.
1) Be OK with the Imperfections in Life.
I have to admit something to those that may not know me personally, I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times. Part of why you have never seen a pancake recipe here on Tasty Yummies, is my need for certain things to be perfect (in my own mind, that is). I worried that my pancakes wouldn’t be perfectly round and that people wouldn’t make them if they weren’t big and fluffy. I feared if I didn’t have the perfect shot of the perfect stack of pancakes, the syrup ever so delicately dripping over the edge, they would be a failure. So, although I make pancakes at home all the time, I had opted, in over 5 years of sharing recipes here on TY, to not share any of my pancake recipes, for not wanting to have to photograph them, worried that they would be wonky and imperfect.
As I was asking my food blogger friends for tips on making perfectly round, pristine pancakes, I was reminded by my dear friend Sherrie, to just ’embrace the imperfections!’ I recalled in her beautiful reminder, that I myself am drawn to the social media feeds and the blogs where life isn’t illustrated as “perfect”. To me, the authenticity of the creator shines through in the imperfections and those are most often where I find myself relating and connecting with someone vs. the perfection so often carefully crafted and curated for viewing in the public light.
I decided that like me, no one else reading this blog is “perfect”. You probably have lumpy, not-so-round, imperfectly perfect pancakes all the time at your house. I’d be willing to bet, however, even in their imperfections, like my homemade pancakes, that yours still taste incredible, and everyone that you serve them to are happy to eat them, just the same.
2) Less Really Can Be More.
It doesn’t always have to be about the big stuff in life. Bigger and more, they aren’t always better. Take these tiny, cute little pancakes – they may be dwarfed by the pretty patterned plate, they may be smaller than a traditional pancake, but these orange-hued, subtley-spiced, seasonal pancakes, they pack a punch, both in flavor and nutrition.
The Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, like these pancakes, it too packs a punch. With just one ingredient, in my mind, it beats out all other “superfood protein blends” you’ll find at most stores, often loaded with synthetic ingredients, unnatural “flavors” and colors and who knows what else. Collagen Peptides are not only a great source of clean protein and essential amino acids, they are also great for your skin, hair, nails, immune system, digestion and since I have added to my daily diet, they have played an integral role in healing my gut and my overall health, this year. This powerful, healing superfood doesn’t need anything added to it to boost it, it is tasteless and can be added to smoothies, baked goods, or simply to a glass of water.
3) It is Not Happiness That Makes Us Grateful. It is Gratefulness That Makes Us Happy.
Finding gratitude in the challenging moments of life, this can be hard at times. Next time you are in the midst of a challenge, stop to recognize that every moment is a given moment and that moment in itself, is a gift. We can’t buy moments, no one gives them to us, they are there for us and within each and every moment we have an opportunity to be grateful.
In the car three days ago, in a moment of stressful errand-running after the failed waffle debacle, I flipped the radio to local NPR affiliate and I caught the end of the TED Radio Hour, this past week’s theme was “Simply Happy”. I heard the end of this beautiful speech from David Steindl-Rast, that I have heard so many times before and the feelings of gratitude for the timing of this story, immediately flooded over me. Suddenly where I was struggling with feelings of failure and feeling stressed about the imperfections, my focus shifted to being so grateful and so happy that I get to do what I love every day, even in the moments of stress and challenge. When I left the house I was agitated and frustrated and by the time I returned home, my face was filled with a smile and my heart nearly exploding out of my chest.
-
Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Coconut Flour Donuts
OK guys, so I didn’t want to make this the world’s longest post title, but check it out: these donuts are not only gluten-free, but they are also totally grain-free and even nut-free! Bonus round – they are also dairy-free and refined sugar-free. Best part is, even in being the most “free-friendly” donut recipe I have made yet, I finally impressed my donut-obsessed hubby with a homemade gluten-free donut!! This has been a many year long odyssey, so I feel like I should get a medal or an award or something.
To be fair, this is the first time I have ever actually fried donuts at home, so I am certain that has a lot to do with Mark’s adoration. None the less, these puppies are healthier than the white flour containing crap he has an affinity for, so a win is a win!
Whenever I make my usual baked donuts at home, Mark and I argue over the fact that they just aren’t real donuts. He always claims they are basically just a circular muffin when they are baked and not fried in any way. I now kinda have to agree with him there!
-
Pumpkin Spice Latte {Dairy-free}
It will forever irritate me how many “pumpkin spice” flavored foods do not contain even the smallest amount of pumpkin. I don’t get it. If it’s just cinnamon and other spices, why not call it “spiced BLANK” instead. Most irritating is the fact that Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes are always fixing to suck me in. From time to time, I find myself in a weakened state, tempted and really thinking about ordering one! Ultimately, I simply remind myself how much sugar (a Grande contains over 50 grams of sugar) it contains. Then I think about the fake coloring (Class IV Caramel Coloring), the creepy “natural” and artificial flavors and the hidden dairy in the syrup by way of sweetened condensed milk (so vegans, you are getting hit with dairy, even if you order it with non-dairy soy milk). The list of reasons not to order one just goes on and on. I myself haven’t had one of these drinks in well over 5 years, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t think about it from time to time.
So, what’s a fall-loving, pumpkin-craving girl to do about all this scary Starbuck stuff? Well, she has to make one for herself. (OK, I will stop talking about myself in the third person now! Sorry.) I opted to first make a tasty homemade Pumpkin Spice Almond Milk, using my tried and true method of making delicious nut milks at home. Though this delicious, seasonally-inspired treat is super amazing on it’s own, in smoothies or as a creamer, it’s even better served warm and added to a steamy latte, like this.
-
Spiced Orange Chocolate Chip Waffles {Gluten-free + Dairy-free} with Orange Spice Maple Syrup
It’s rare that I have a morning with enough time to make a big breakfast. Most days I start with my warm lemon water, a home yoga practice, then I make a quick smoothie and get right into my work for the day.
On the rare occasion where I don’t have to rush to my desk or to some sort of commitment, I love making a scramble or frittata of some sort, or on the extra special days, a delicious and comforting waffle.
I have been playing around with a different waffle recipe from the ones I have used in the past. I was looking for a lighter waffle, that wasn’t dense and heavy in the center, but would also get a nice crispy outside to it, which is my favorite part. I have made several variations to this waffle recipe and they always come out amazing.
I happened on this recipe from Aretha Frankenstein a while back and I adapted it to make it gluten-free. Since I had picked the last of the beautiful oranges from our tree, I also updated the recipe with a fun new flavor combination. The orange spice flavor is subtle in the actual waffles, but it is brought out and complimented nicely by the little bits of dark chocolate chips. Two things that go so perfectly together, if you ask me.
The specially made Orange Spice Maple Syrup I created to compliment these waffles is a very simple-to-make addition, that shouldn’t be overlooked if you have an extra few minutes to spare. To me, that delicious unique maple syrup really sets this recipe over the top!
My waffle iron makes two massive waffles with this recipe and usually hubby and I share one and save the other for the next day.
