Spicy Stuffed Shrimp

If you live in Southern California, you should be very familiar with all the fantastic Farmers Markets we have. It is so wonderful to live in an area that is full of fine fresh produce year round. My favorite is the Little Italy Farmers Market. We go every single Saturday. It is a tradition to wake up and head to the market to see what is new. 

When we get there the first stop is always Joe's on the Nose. It is my husbands favorite coffee in San Diego, and it just happens to be on a food truck. If you are in San Diego, I suggest following their twitter feed to see where they are. 

While standing in line one day I looked over and there was a stand with various marinades, rubs, peppers etc... So I told Randy what I wanted and I walked on over. It was then I fell in love with Terra Verde's Maple Pepper. I did a post on it a while back for Blackened Maple Salmon. Terra Verde saw the post and asked if I wanted to try out some of their other products. So while I was provided samples from them. All thoughts and opinions on the product are my own. 

I was excited to dive into their Spicy O’s™. We love spice, so I knew these would be a hit. You can get their Spicy O’s™ on their website, or at many many farmer's markets in California and Arizona, including Little Italy. 

This recipe is perfect for an appetizer, or you can have them be part of the main event, by serving them over rice or pasta. 

Spicy Stuffed Shrimp
adapted from Terra Verde Farms
12 Jumbo Shrimp
6 Strips Bacon
2 ½ Tbs. Terra Verde Farms Spicy O’s™
4 Oz. gorgonzola cheese at room temperature
1 ounce plain greek yogurt
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tbs. fresh minced parsley

Preheat your oven to broil.

Peel and devein shrimp, butterfly by slicing down back ¾ way through shrimp, rinse and set aside in bowl with ice.

Mince garlic, cilantro and Spicy O’s, mix with gorgonzola cheese and greek yogurt in small bowl until well combined. Fill each shrimp with ½ Tbs. of cheese mixture.

Wrap each shrimp with ½ slice of bacon.

Place on a grill pan or a cookie sheet topped with a cooling rack. This is so that the bacon juice will run into the pan below.

Broil on high for 6 minutes.

You can serve with toothpicks, or on a cute serving tray. You can also serve over pasta or rice. 

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I made these for my daughters church group last year. They were devoured and no one could tell they were gluten-free. These are perfect for any Halloween or Thanksgiving get together. They taste like pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

adapted from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring

1 1/4 cups better batter gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg at room temperature, beaten
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature

Filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

In a large bowl, place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar and whisk until well-combined, making sure to work out any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the butter, shortening, vanilla, pumpkin, egg and milk, mixing well after each addition. The batter should be smooth and thick, but soft.

Fill a pastry bag or a large ziplock bag with the dough.  I find this easiest by placing the bag over a bowl. 

Cut off 1/2 inch of one corner. Pipe rounds about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. With wet fingers smooth and flatten the rounds until they are about 2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over, and the center springs back when pressed lightly, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

While the cakes are cooling, make the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter and cream cheese, and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and salt, and mix until all of the sugar is absorbed and the filling has thickened.

Once the pies are completely cool, place them in pairs of similar shape and size. Place the filling in a clean pastry bag fitted with a clean large, plain tip, or just cut off the corner and pipe filling onto the underside of one pie of each pair, stopping just short of the edge of the pie. Cover the filling with the other pie in each pair, and press down gently to force the filling to the edge of the pie. Chill until the filling is firm. Serve chilled.

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Crazy Caprese Bites

I was excited this past week to receive a copy of Bake and Destroy, which is a cool cookbook full of good food for Vegans. 

As the back cover of the book proclaims, it is filled with "vegan recipes that'll punch your taste buds in the mouth". It is written by Natalie Slater. Natalie is not the baker you’d expect. She’s been described as “Martha Stewart meets Iron Maiden”, taking vegan cooking to places it’s never been before. As a matter of fact, her self proclaimed cooking influences include TV, pro-wrestling, punk rock and heavy metal; the results are equally surprising—a refreshing take on great vegan baking with award-winning flavors.

Where to Buy:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

MightyApe

Powell’s Books

So I wanted to try out a recipe on you guys. With permission from her, I am posting a recipe from her book called Ca-razy Caprese. I love this recipe. She swapped the mozzarella cheese with avocado, and I was so shocked at how much better I liked it! I shouldn't have been shocked, considering how much I love avocado. 

Now her recipe is served on toast. Being gluten-free, I decided to try out some new artisan crackers that just came out instead. Gluten-free toast isn't always my favorite. Besides, by using these crackers, I was able to make it a cute little appetizer. 

If you are familiar with Nut Thins, then you are going to love the new Artisan Nut Thins by Blue Diamond. 

They are free of all wheat and gluten. Certified gluten-free, so you don't have to worry about cross contamination. They also have added nutrition. They come in Sesame Seed, Flax Seed, and Multi-Seed. 

While they are amazing just by themselves. They make the perfect base for your appetizers. With the holiday season coming up, be sure to pick up a few boxes of these!

Ok, now for this delicious recipe from Natalie Slater!

Ca-razy Caprese on crackers

adapted from Bake and Destroy

1 box of your favorite crackers

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

5 plum tomatoes, diced

3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, stemmed and chopped. 

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, basil, avocado, salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. 

place 1 Tablespoon of mixed caprese onto your favorite cracker. Serve!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

The countdown to Halloween continues today with these Pumpkin Pancakes. If you love pumpkin pie, and pumpkin spice latte's, then these bad boys are for you. Full of fall flavors, these will make your taste buds dance.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes 

adapted from Tastes better from scratch

Makes 1 dozen

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1 Tbs canola oil

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 cup Maninis multipurpose gluten free flour

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Cinnamon Syrup:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour

1tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup water 

For the syrup: Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, stir occasionally until boiling. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring until it thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon and salt. 

  

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. 

  

Mix the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. 

  

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

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Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

 
Happy first day of October!!!

I am so excited to pull out all my pumpkin recipes. So this month is officially pumpkin month. I will be pulling out some oldies but goodies, as well as a bunch of new recipes. 

Let me start with these soft pumpkin sugar cookies. The perfect way to throw yourself into October. If you are not gluten-free, simply use regular all purpose flour. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies 

adapted from Laurens latest 

makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup pumpkin puree {canned pumpkin}

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

3 1/2 cups better batter gluten-free flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

for the glaze-

3 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside. In a large bowl, stir butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla and eggs together until incorporated and smooth. Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until completely incorporated. Scoop onto prepared baking sheet using 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and flatten to 1/2 inch thick using the bottom of a glass. If the dough is sticking to the glass, press the bottom of the glass in granulated sugar before flattening. Bake 8-9 minutes.

While cookies bake, stir all ingredients together for glaze until smooth.

Once cookies are finished baking, cool 3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons glaze over each warm cookie. Let glaze harden 2-3 hours before serving.