Gluten Free Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

You know when you just need something fresh, fast and delicious? 

You've found it!

Gluten Free Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos.

A new favorite around here.

These tacos are fresh, fast and delicious!

They are also a whole food dinner, nothing processed.

Also, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, no added sugar, vegetarian and vegan.

So this is a meal that will keep all your guests happy and even please the pickiest eater.

Gluten Free Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

2 yams (I know that it's titled sweet potato, but the yams are so much better!), peel and cut into small cubes

1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. chili flakes 

2 T. lime juice

2 cups (about 1/4) shredded cabbage, green or purple, or both!

1/4 cup diced onion

2 T. chopped cilantro

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 t. salt

1 t. olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 t. ground cumin

1 -15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 T. lime juice

Corn tortillas

Cubed avocado

To make the sweet potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400.

Place cubed yams in resealable bag. 

Mix together olive oil, salt, chili flakes, lime juice.  Pour over the top of the yams.

Shake the bag to coat the yams.  

Drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil and rotate pan to make a light layer of oil.  Pour the yams out on top of the oil and spread out to a single layer.  

Roast for 40 minutes, tossing the yams about halfway through.  Cook until the yams are toasty, golden brown.

While the yams are in the oven, place cabbage, onion, and cilantro in a medium bowl.  Add lime juice and salt.  Toss to coat.  Set aside.  The cabbage will soften while the potatoes finish cooking.

Next, heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan.  Add onions and cook until transluscent.  Add ground cumin and stir until you can smell it.  Add beans and lime juice.  Cook until heated through.  

Heat up corn tortillas in a frying pan until bendy.  About a minute per side.

To assemble tacos:

Place roasted yams in a corn tortilla.  Top with beans and cabbage mixture.  Sprinkle on avocado chunks.  Roll up and enjoy!

Really Cool Giveaway!

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you about joining with the girls over at Oh So Delicioso?

Well, have you checked them out yet?

You should!

This week they are having a super cute giveaway!

All you have to do is become a follower, leave and comment and you are in the drawing to win these fun, spring-inspired napkin rings. 

Good luck!

Gluten Free Black Bean and Lentil Soup

Is it still cold where you live?

Here too.

I just had to whip up a pot of 

Black Bean and Lentil Soup.

Yes, it sounds healthy and looks healthy because it is.

Leave off the sour cream and you have a thick, filling vegan dinner.  The black beans and lentils are good sources of protein and fiber-rich carbs.  The body will absorb these nutrients slowly, keeping energy and hunger levels on an even keel, meaning you will eat less and have not experience the spike in energy followed by that unwanted drop.  

Besides all the health benefits, it's really tasty.  

I got both my husband and 3 year old to eat and then ask for seconds.

Yep, it's that good.

Gluten Free Black Bean and Lentil Soup

1/2 large onion

1/2 T. olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 t. chili powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. paprika

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 T. ketchup 

1/2 cup uncooked lentils

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 t. salt

2 T. lime juice

1/4 t. pepper

Sour cream

Avocado

Cilantro

Chop the onion and saute in olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat until soft.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, saute 1 min.

Add 2 cups of broth or water and ketchup, bring to a boil.  

Add lentils; cook until tender, about 25 minutes.  

Partially mash 1 cup of black beans.  Add to soup as well as the other whole beans.

Add salt, lime juice, and pepper.

Cook 5 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.

Serve with GF bread, crackers, or tortillas.

Gluten Free Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

With each bite a nice cinnamon surprise!

Gluten Free Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

These tender baked donuts have a cinnamon burst waiting to pounce.

The secret is cinnamon chips.

I found out that cinnamon baking chips only come out in the fall.

They are like chocolate chips, but have a wonderful cinnamon flavor.

Next fall, I'm stocking up...watch out grocery stores, I'm coming.

To make these donuts make sure you have a donut pan, you can pick one up for about $10 at JoAnns or any store that sells Wilton products.

Gluten Free Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

1 3/4 cups GF mix

2 t. xanthan gum

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. allspice

1/8 t. ground cloves

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup milk + 1/2 T. vinegar

1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Coating:

1/2 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

2 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease donut pan.

Mix together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and spices and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk until combined.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Stir in cinnamon chips.

Using a pastry bag, or a ziplock bag with a hole clipped in the corner, fill each donut cup with batter.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until donuts spring back when gently pressed.

Turn donuts out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for 3 minutes.

While donuts are cooling, melt butter in one bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another.  Quickly dip each donut in butter, then coat with cinnamon-sugar.  

Enjoy immediately.   

Oven Baked Apple Donuts

Perfect portion control,

perfect for the kids,

Gluten Free Oven-Baked Apple Donuts

I loved these little bite size donuts.

Bursting with little chunks of apple and a sweet cinnamon topping you can't go wrong.

Be sure to finely chop your apples!

Gluten Free Oven-Baked Apple Donuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apple, peeled and cored

1 1/2 cups GF mix

2 t. xanthan gum

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. kosher salt

1 t. nutmeg

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk + 1 t. vinegar

Coating:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Whisk flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugars, salt and nutmeg together.  Add in the cold chopped butter.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Mix in the milk/vinegar and fold in the chopped apples.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix by hand until just blended.  Place a spoonful of batter into a greased mini muffin tin.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and lightly brush with melted butter.  Roll in a bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Shake off excess sugar and enjoy immediately.  

Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts

Sometimes you just need a good old fashioned cake donut.

Sometimes you need a 

Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnut.

These little deep-fried pieces of dough are so great.

Why, because they taste like a cake donut and are covered in pumpkin-cinnamon-sugar.

Yum.

Sounds fall-ish, but they don't have a strong apple or pumpkin flavor.

They would be good now, in the middle of winter.

These do take some planning ahead, but they are worth the extra effort.

Gluten Free Apple Cider Spice Doughnuts

1/4 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups GF mix

1 T. xanthan gum

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk with 1/2 T. vinegar

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

Combine:

3/4 cup white sugar

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of your heavy-duty mixer.  Mix with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.  

Add eggs one at a time, beating completely after each addition.  Add apple juice concentrate and milk/vinegar.  Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.  Add flour mixture to liquid mixture and beat until just blended.  

The dough will be soft.

Carefully lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of a baking sheet.  Transfer dough to plastic wrap.  Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and roll out dough until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Place pan in the fridge for 1 hour.  

After 1 hour, using a round cookie cutter, or the top of a drinking glass, cut circles out of the dough.  Using your fingers create a hole in the middle by spreading apart the dough.

Heat canola or peanut oil to 325 degrees.  

Carefully place a few pieces of dough into the hot oil.  The donuts will cook fast, check the bottom after about a minute.   If golden brown, flip over and cook on the other side for 30 seconds.  

They should cook in about 1 1/2 minutes. 

Remove from hot oil and place on a plate covered in paper towel to absorb excess grease.  

Roll hot donuts in the sugar mixture.  

Gluten Free Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze

As mentioned yesterday, we had a Harvest Party.

What you do at a Harvest Party is make homemade donuts.

It's a blast.

This is me during the party:

And I occasionally sneak a hot, fresh donut...

or two, or three.

Ok, ok, eight!

The most popular donut was the glazed donuts:

I actually posted the recipe last fall durning pumpkin week.

If you need the recipe again, here is it:

Gluten Free Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze.