Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cupcakes

These gluten free cupcakes are so good, you won't even be able to tell there's no flour in them! 

• 2 ½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour, I use Bob's Red Mill
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon Xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup boiling water

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 lb bag of powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream (or more as needed)

In the bowl of your stand up mixer whisk together your dry ingredients until well blended. Slowly add the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add hot water. Mix on low speed, just until incorporated. Careful not to over mix. Pour into prepared cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Or until tops bounce back when touched. Let cool and then frost.

To make buttercream: beat butter on high until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and heavy cream and mix until creamy. Adding more heavy cream until you get the desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Makes 30 cupcakes.

Potato Leek Soup w/ Bacon & Dill

This past week I received 3 very large leeks in my bountiful basket. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. This is one of our favorite soups. We usually top it with bacon, fried onions, and cheddar. But you can top it however you like.

• ½ pound of bacon, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 leeks, chopped thin
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• ½ cup white wine, I used a cooking sherry
• 1 (32oz) box chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil and the chopped bacon. Cook until bacon is crispy. 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate. To the bacon grease and the diced onions. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the leeks and potatoes. Add the wine and let simmer until reduced by half. About 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and salt and pepper. Let simmer on low until potatoes are soft. About 30 minutes. Add the dill and blend the soup, either with an immersion blender or in batches in your blender (carefully, it's hot!). Add heavy cream and serve hot topped with fresh dill and bacon. 

Freezer Directions: cook through and let cool before putting in freezer friendly storage containers. 

Vegetarian option: skip bacon and add extra olive oil or butter to cook onions in. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. 

Peach & Almond Baked Oatmeal

I love baked oatmeals. And this one is no exception! I love that you can just throw everything together and bake it. And you could make it the night before for an even easier breakfast treat. Plus it's healthy. So it's a win-win! 

• 2 cups old fashioned (rolled) oats
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 2 cups almond milk (I used vanilla flavored) you could also substitute regular milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter OR coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh or frozen peaches
• Peaches and almonds for the top, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 dish and set aside. Mix together your oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and almonds, set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, egg, melted butter or oil, vanilla and almond extract. In your prepared baking dish, arrange the chopped peaches evenly over the bottom. Pour your dry mixture even over the peaches then pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture, making sure the milk covers everything evenly. If desired, add some extra peaches and almonds to the top. Bake 40 minutes or until the top is golden and set. Let cool a few minutes before cutting into. Serve warm with milk or yogurt. Or as is. 

Freezer directions: Make this in a freezer safe dish. Follow all the steps until baking. Before baking place in freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to eat, thaw and bake as directed above.

Recipe from:

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/baked-peach-almond-oatmeal/