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| These pumpkin muffins feature coconut flour and almond flour. |
We found our favorite canned organic pumpkin back on the store shelves this week. So be prepared for pumpkin recipes. I, for one, Darling, can't get enough. Pumpkin is my favorite fall ingredient. Maybe because it cozies up to gluten-free flours so well. It adds moisture and depth to g-free baked goods. It flirts with cinnamon and ginger like the sexiest, inscrutable movie star. You know what I'm talking about. It's not overt. Or blatant. It's not over the top. It is subtle. Secure. Pumpkin doesn't demand to be admired.
Because it doesn't have to prove itself.
It's not a bully flavor that crushes gentler flavors in its wake. It doesn't bark and claw to be Top Dog 24/7. It doesn't have a deep seated need to own the room, to dominate, to control the ingredients it shares a bowl with. Pumpkin goes with the flow. It likes vanilla. And it likes chocolate.
You could say, it's bi-flavorful.
Which as it so happens, is a quality I admire. Even embody and embrace. Because life is brimming with diversity. Life is rich and complicated, sticky and glorious. And for every preference I may think I cherish, there are sure to be a dazzling array of alternative preferences twinkling beyond my peripheral vision like so many bokeh jewels.
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| Pumpkin muffins are a perfect Fall pick-me-up. |
So here's the thing. If I like chocolate or vanilla or both, why would you care? Why would you focus on what I prefer? At the end of the day, you eat in your own kitchen, and I eat in mine. You get to gratify your preferences, right? I don't stop you. You can watch Jackass
. And I'll watch Mad Men
. You can paint your face the color of your favorite football team and watch some game involving a pigskin. And I'll go edit my iphoneography.Everybody wins.
Because the last time I heard, we live in the land of the free. And the home of the brave. We agree on that, right? But it's free for the majority, only. According to some. Who pine for the good old days, when men were men. And women did as they were told. By said men. And African Americans could not even vote. Or ride in the front of the bus. Remember those days?
I do.
And Honey, it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Trust me. There were maxi-pad belts. The Honeymooners
. And Perry Como
. And yeah, there were bullies back then. As there are bullies now. I know from ridicule, Babycakes, as well as physical assault. I was a target of bullies back in the day, I'm sorry to tell you. On occasion, I fought back (I have a mean left hook). But mostly I just disappeared. I learned to hide in plain sight. Cultivate invisibility. I also cultivated shame. Which nurtured depression.A potentially deadly combo-- as we found out last week when four young souls felt so much shame, desperation and hopelessness that they took their own life. Because of bullies. Because they were different. Because they preferred a different flavor than mainstream fare.
So I ask you. Who wins in this situation? The bullies? Are they less threatened now? Do they feel safer? More secure? Uber-hetero? Did they learn at home that bullying is an effective weapon? Were they fed intolerance along with their Lucky Charms? Did they learn at the family dinner table that not everyone deserves respect and the right to live an authentic life- only those that share their personal preferences?
Watch Ellen's message about bullying here. She sums it up for me.
And go talk to your kids.
One of them might prefer rainbows.
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| Warm from the oven pumpkin muffins cooling on a wire rack. |
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
These moist and tender beauties sport a lovely pecan crunch. But if you don't care for nuts in your pumpkin muffins, use chopped or dried cranberries, golden raisins, or even chocolate chips. Be happy. Choose your favorite add-ins.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup organic coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Add in:
1 and 1/3 cups packed organic light brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin is fine)
1/3 cup light olive oil
2 free range organic eggs, beaten, or Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water for vegan
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk or coconut milk
Beat the batter to incorporate the ingredients. If it needs a little more liquid, add up to 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk until it is a smooth consistency.
Stir in by hand:
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts (or raisins, or chocolate chips, as you prefer)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
Spoon the batter into twelve muffin cups, filling them close to the top. Smooth the tops using the back side of a wet teaspoon.
Add a pecan half to each muffin top, if you like.
Bake in a preheated oven till domed and golden- roughly 22 to 25 minutes. The muffins should feel firm yet springy to a light touch. If a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean- these babies are done.
Cool on a wire rack. Remove the muffins from the pan after five minutes, and allow them to continue cooling on a wire rack. This helps keep their bottoms from getting soggy.
Wrap and freeze leftover muffins in freezer bags for easy on-the-go treats.
Cook time: 23 min
Yield: One dozen muffins
Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
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