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Pumpkin Spice Muffins

This pumpkin spice muffins recipe comes out moist and perfectly spiced! Bake up a batch to celebrate the season.

Pumpkin spice muffins

Looking for a way to use canned pumpkin puree? Try these Pumpkin Spice Muffins! These muffins are the perfect level of sweetness, moist and cozy scented with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. We made them for a crowd and everyone agreed: these are fantastic! The flavor of fall is encapsulated in each bite. This is the recipe to try if you have a load of pumpkin puree in your pantry or fridge (and we do).

Ingredients in pumpkin spice muffins

These pumpkin spice muffins are a straightforward spin on the classic muffin, using a hefty dose of pumpkin spice. They’re not overly sweetened or rich, relying on pumpkin and applesauce for much of the moistness. Here are the ingredients you’ll use:

  • All purpose flour
  • Pumpkin pie spices
  • Baking soda, baking powder and salt
  • Brown sugar
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Eggs
  • Neutral oil
  • Applesauce

There’s not much to this pumpkin spice muffins recipe: it’s made like a classic baked good. Mix the wets, mix the dries, combine, and bake! It takes just 25 minutes and these bake up like a charm: they come out moist and cozy scented.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Pumpkin pie spice: use purchased or homemade

Fall is not complete without a big bottle of pumpkin pie spice! But did you know you can also make it at home? It’s fun to do and works as a DIY gift as well. Here’s what you need for homemade pumpkin pie spice:

  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Variations and mix-ins

There are several ways to mix up these pumpkin spice muffins! Our recipe uses a bit of granulated sugar and pumpkin spice as the topping, but you can vary that or add a few mix-ins to the batter. Here are some ideas:

  • Make a crunchy streusel topping: go to Easy Pumpkin Muffins
  • Top with pepitas
  • Add dark chocolate chips to the batter
  • Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter
Pumpkin spice muffins

Pumpkin spice muffins storage

What’s the best way to store these pumpkin spice muffins? The sugar adds a little crunch to the topping, so here’s the best way for it to hold up:

  • Up to 4 days: Place a paper towel in the bottom of a sealed container, then place the muffins in and place a paper towel on top. The paper towels absorb the moisture that rises to the top of the muffins.
  • 1 week or more: These muffins store well in the refrigerator as well! Let them sit out at room temperature for a few minutes before eating.
  • 3 months: Freeze in a sealable container and store up to 3 months.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins

More pumpkin spice recipes

When you’re in the mood for pumpkin spice, here are a few more pumpkin recipes to use it:

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Pumpkin Spice Muffins

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

This pumpkin spice muffins recipe comes out moist and perfectly spiced! Bake up a batch to celebrate the season.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spices, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup neutral oil
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • Granulated sugar, for the topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 12 muffin cups to a muffin tin.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spices, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil and applesauce. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fill the muffin cups evenly, mounding the batter in the center with a spatula.
  3. In a small bowl, mix 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar with the remaining ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spices. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tops of the muffins.
  4. Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and place them on a cooling rack to fully cool. Store up to 4 days in a sealed container with a paper towel on the bottom and top, refrigerated up to 1 week or more, or frozen up to 3 months.
  • Category: Muffin
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Pumpkin spice muffins, pumpkin spice muffins recipe

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.



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- October 06, 2021
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Easy Mushroom Tacos

This mushroom tacos recipe is quick to make and bursting with savory flavor, starring meaty portobellos and creamy refried beans!

Mushroom Tacos

Here’s a quick and easy taco recipe perfect for weeknights: try these easy Mushroom Tacos! Portobello mushrooms have enormous savory flavor: throw them in a skillet with some punchy seasonings and they make plant-based magic. This recipe is for when you have just a few minutes to throw together a meal: combine those portobellos with creamy refried beans and the quickest slaw, and you’ve got dinner!

Ingredients in mushroom tacos

This mushroom tacos recipe comes together in a flash: it should take you about 20 to 25 minutes to put together. The only part that requires cooking is sautéing the portobello mushrooms with a few spices! You’ll combine those with canned refried beans to add enough protein to keep these tacos filling. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Portobello mushrooms
  • Garlic
  • Cumin seed, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper
  • Lime
  • Refried beans
  • Cabbage
  • Avocado
  • Pico de gallo
  • Queso fresco (optional)
  • Tortillas

All you’ve got to do is sauté the mushrooms with spices, then make a quick slaw and top them with toppings. You don’t even need to make a sauce, though you can top with sour cream if you like. They’re juicy and delicious as is!

Mushroom Tacos Recipe

Refried beans are key for protein

These mushroom tacos are plant-based and vegan. But here’s the important thing to know about thsee tasty fungi: mushrooms can’t stand in for protein! The flavor of these portobellos is like a bite of steak (literally!). But it has no protein, so you’ve got to add other elements with plant based protein to make a filling meal!

Don’t like refried beans? You’ll want to make sure to add other plant based protein here:. Try Seasoned Black Beans or even Vegan Walnut Taco Meat, which has nuts for added protein. You could also try

Serving size for these mushroom tacos

This mushroom tacos recipe is so simple to make and bursting with flavor! Here’s one note to keep in mind on serving size:

  • The mushrooms shrink down in the pan. It looks like a lot at first, but as they cook off the water the mushrooms shrink in volume.
  • Add just a handful of mushrooms per taco. It will still add massive flavor. Place them on a generous helping of refried beans.
  • If you’re feeding very hungry eaters, make 1.5 times the mushrooms and double the beans. Or, you can accessorize with more hearty side dishes! See below.
Mushroom Tacos

About Portobello mushrooms (and substitutes)

The Portobello variety of mushroom makes these tacos: it’s so hearty and savory! But there are a few substitutes if you can’t find them. Here’s what you need to know bout this mighty mushroom:

  • Portobello mushrooms (aka portobella or portabella) are one of the most widely consumed varieties in the world. They taste intensely meaty and savory, with loads of umami.
  • Where to find them: You can find portobello mushrooms at most mainstream grocery stores. Often they come packaged in containers with 3 to 6 mushroom caps. If you get 6, make 1.5 times this recipe! (See below.)
  • Fun fact: the button mushroom and cremini (also known as baby bella) are the same variety of mushroom, just earlier growth stages! The portobello is the oldest stage, so it has the most meaty and savory flavor. So you can substitute the cremini or baby bella if you can’t find portobellos.

Tips on warming tortillas

One last thing about these mushroom tacos: make sure to warm tortillas! It’s impossible to make a good taco with a cold, leathery tortilla. Here’s how to warm tortillas like a pro:

  • Place them over the flame of a gas burner (preferred!). Place each tortilla directly on a gas burner for a few seconds per side, turning with tongs. This lightly chars the edges and warms the tortillas (so they’ll look like the photos). Then throw them into a tortilla warmer!
  • Warm them in the oven. If you don’t have a gas burner, you can warm them in the oven. Go to How to Warm Tortillas. You can also char them with a kitchen torch, if you’re a stickler for a charred tortilla (which is what we did here, because we cook on induction!).
Mushroom Tacos

Make it a meal: side dishes for mushroom tacos

Want to make these mushroom tacos into a filling meal? Here are a few side dishes that go with tacos:

What else would you serve with these vegan tacos? Let us know in the comments!

More mushroom recipes

Love mushrooms? Here are a few more tasty mushroom recipes you’ll enjoy:

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Mushroom Tacos

Easy Mushroom Tacos

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 13 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 tacos
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This mushroom tacos recipe is quick to make and bursting with savory flavor, starring meaty portobellos and creamy refried beans!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 large portobello mushrooms*, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seed
  • ½ teaspoon each ground cumin and smoked paprika
  • Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • ½ tablespoon lime juice (1/4 lime)
  • 15-ounce can refried beans
  • 1/4 medium red cabbage
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • For serving: pico de gallo (required), queso fresco or feta cheese crumbles (optional)
  • 8 tortillas

Instructions

  1. Sauté the mushrooms: Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices. Mince the garlic. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the additional 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, cumin seed, cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt and black pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, then turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice.
  2. Heat the beans: Heat the refried beans in a small saucepan until warm. Taste and add a few pinches of kosher salt if necessary.
  3. Make the quick slaw: Shred the red cabbage. Place it in a bowl and add the juice of 1 lime quarter and 2 pinches of kosher salt. Dice the avocado, if using.
  4. Warm the tortillas: Warm and char the tortillas by placing them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm. (See How to Warm Tortillas.)
  5. Assemble the tacos: Add a generous spoonful of refried beans, a small handful of mushrooms*, slaw, avocado, pico de gallo, and cheese crumbles, if using.

Notes

*The serving size makes 8 modest tacos. If serving very hungry eaters, you may want to make 1.5 times the mushrooms and double the refried beans, or add some hearty side dishes.

  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Mexican inspired

Keywords: Mushroom tacos

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.



from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/3BcNDqF
- October 05, 2021
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Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

These sweet potato black bean enchiladas are a total crowd pleaser! This tried and true vegetarian dinner is easy and full of flavor.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Here’s an incredible vegetarian recipe that’s impressive every time: these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas! This recipe is one we originally published in 2012. And guess what? It’s stood the test of time and is a favorite of ours to this day. Tender sweet potatoes are the perfect contrast to savory black beans and tangy salsa verde. Top it off with Colby cheese, it’s the best gooey comfort food around. This one will please everyone: we guarantee it. Here we’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe to make it even better than ever!

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients in sweet potato black bean enchiladas

The first reference to the modern enchilada dates back to 1885 in Mexico, but the tradition of rolling a tortilla around fillings has been around since the Aztec times. We honor the great tradition of Mexican cuisine in this recipe! Here the combination of sweet and savory makes the flavors sing. Here’s what you’ll need for this sweet potato enchiladas recipe:

  • Salsa verde (green enchilada sauce): For quick enchiladas, use a great store-bought salsa verde. Mild salsa is nice if you’re cooking for a crowd, then each eater can add hot sauce to taste. Or, we think it’s perfect with a medium heat salsa.
  • Sweet potatoes: Boil them for quickest prep: no need to roast here!
  • Red onion, green chiles and black beans: Canned beans and chiles make it fast and easy.
  • Colby jack cheese: Colby brings massive flavor versus a cheddar cheese.
  • Spices: Grab the chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder for this one.
  • Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican enchiladas; flour tortillas are American-style and tend to be more durable

You’ll boil the sweet potatoes, a non-traditional but quick way to cook them! Then add to the filling ingredients, roll them into tortillas with cheese, and douse with salsa verde (and more cheese). It takes just 15 minutes to bake: just until the cheese melts!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Flour tortillas vs corn tortillas

What are the best tortillas for sweet potato enchiladas? Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican-style enchiladas, and flour tortillas are more traditional in Tex Mex and American style. Here’s what to know about the differences:

  • Corn tortillas are gluten-free. Some brands can split when you go to roll them! To combat this, find the best quality corn tortilla brand you can. Then brush it with oil and cook it 15 seconds per side before assembling. This makes it easier to roll.
  • Flour tortillas are not gluten-free, but they are much easier to roll and more durable in general. They also get nice and gooey from the enchilada sauce.
  • What about grain free tortillas? There are are other types of grain-free tortillas available at many grocery stores: almond flour, cassava flour, or chickpea flour (try Siete brand). We haven’t tested these, so let us know in the comments below if you try them!

Make ahead instructions / how to freeze enchiladas

One great thing about sweet potato enchiladas is that you can make a big batch and freeze some for later! Or, you can prep everything the night before, then slide it into the oven the day of serving. Here’s how to make these sweet potato black bean enchiladas in advance or prepare them for freezing:

  • Assemble the enchiladas. Fill and roll the enchiladas as you normally would, but don’t bake them yet!
  • Cover with plastic wrap. Put a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the pan of enchiladas. (This will prevent freezer burn).
  • Cover with aluminum foil. Put 1 or 2 layers of aluminum foil on top of the enchilada pan, making sure to seal the edges tightly shut.
  • Refrigerate overnight, or freeze up to 2 months. You can refrigerate the night before, then bake the next day. Otherwise, pop them in the freezer! Frozen enchiladas should last 1 to 2 months in the freezer as long as the foil doesn’t tear (if it does, the enchiladas will be more susceptible to freezer burn).
  • Bake. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic wrap and foil. Bake until fully heated through and the cheese is melted: about 20 to 30 minutes if refrigerated and about 45 minutes if frozen.
Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Sides to serve with sweet potato enchiladas

Want to make these sweet potato black bean enchiladas into a meal? Here are some of our favorite sides to go with enchiladas:

More enchilada recipes

Love enchiladas? There’s nothing more cozy and comforting than a bubbling pan. Here are a few of our favorite recipes:

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Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6
Print Recipe

Description

These sweet potato black bean enchiladas are a total crowd pleaser! This tried and true vegetarian dinner is easy and full of flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds (2 medium to large) sweet potatoes
  • 1 medium red onion (about 1 cup finely diced)
  • 15-ounce can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
  • 8 ounces canned diced green chilies (about 1 cup)
  • ½ tablespoon chili powder
  • ½ tablespoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups salsa verde
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) Colby jack cheese, shredded
  • 10 8-inch flour tortillas
  • For the topping: sour cream, chopped cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, feta or queso fresco

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Boil the sweet potatoes: Dice the sweet potatoes (you can leave the peel on, but make sure to cut off any dark or black spots). Place them in a pot and cover with water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, around 7 to 12 minutes, pricking them with a fork to assess doneness. 
  3. Prep the filling: Finely dice the onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, red onion, black beans, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Taste and add a few more pinches of kosher salt if desired. 
  4. Roll the enchiladas: Warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave, or in a pan for a few seconds per side, so that they are flexible. In a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet*, spread 1 cup of the salsa verde. Fill each tortilla with a ½ cup scoop of the filling, add 2 tablespoons of the cheese, and roll it up. Place each enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish (there will be some leftover filling). Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
  5. Top with salsa and cheese: When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining 1 cup salsa verde and the remaining cheese.
  6. Bake: Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and other garnishes as desired. 
  7. Make ahead instructions: See the section above called “Make Ahead Instructions”.

Notes

*Depending on your baking dish, you may need 2 dishes to fit all 10 tortillas. This recipe technically makes enough for 12 tortillas, if you can fit them all in a baking dish or baking sheet. 

  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Mexican Inspired

Keywords: Sweet potato black bean enchiladas, Sweet Potato Enchiladas

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.



from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/3mkLenD
- October 04, 2021
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Ube Amaretti Crinkle Cookies

These soft and chewy, cheerfully crinkly and perfectly purple ube amaretti are a delight for the senses.

Easy to make and naturally gluten free, amaretti cookies are an almond-lover’s delight. This violet variation features ube extract (purple sweet potato) for a unique color and flavor.

Silver wire baking rack with even rows of ube amaretti crinkle cookies coated in powdered sugar

Amaretti or not, here I come…

…with yet another flavor variation of my favorite soft and chewy amaretti cookies: this time featuring ube!

I know, I know. I’ve already got 10 other amaretti cookie recipes, and ube makes 11.

But truly, how many is too many amaretti? Is there such a thing?

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/3BdWTuM
- October 04, 2021
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