Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins: Smart Holiday Baking with #CartonSmart #ad

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
We are really trying to be greener and more thoughtful this holiday season and one of the ways that we are doing this is trying to Become Carton Smart!  It's so easy to make the change from cans to Tetra Pak® cartons!  With 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans, and made of 70% paper that is FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council), Tetra Pak® cartons help preserve the flavor and nutrients of food without preservatives!

MMMmonday - Sesame Thai Turkey Salad

Are you looking for a light alternative to mayo-rich chicken salads?  Look no further than this yummy recipe that I got from a friend.  This recipe is also a good way to make leftover chicken or pork disappear.

Sesame Thai Turkey Salad (Serves 4 to 6)

MMMmonday - Dairy Free Coconut Pie with Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

I had the opportunity to do a review of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil and was amazed at the breadth and variety of recipes available on their website!  I had a GF pie crust in the house so I decided to try out the filling part of this recipe but I'm sure that the whole wheat crust recipe would be equally delish with this pie so I am including it.

Dairy Free Whole Wheat Crust:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon organic sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut milk*

Coconut Pie Filling:

• 1 cup organic sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk*
• 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust Directions:

Mix dry ingredients together: flours, sugar, and salt. Add coconut oil. Use a pastry cutter to cut the oil into the dry ingredients. Add coconut milk a little at a time (you may not need any at all). Turn on a floured surface and knead several times. Roll dough into a 9 inch circle and transfer to a pie plate, using fingers to shape dough as needed.

Pie Filling Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together sugar and eggs. Add oil and flour and mix well. Add coconut milk and fold in 1 cup coconut. Add vanilla and mix well. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top of the pie. Pour into your whole wheat pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes.

* For the freshest coconut milk make homemade coconut milk. (See video at this link.)

Recipe submitted to Tropical Traditions by Kelly, Charlotte, NC


My Review: 
I am definitely glad to have found Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil - it's so versatile and adds a unique flavor to the dishes I've made with it.  I also love how informative their website is - I learned so much about the health benefits and ways to use coconut oil, as well as how they produce it! Here is a little of what I learned:

Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils.Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk.  Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk.

The pie was excellent and you didn't miss the dairy at all!  It was rich and definitely satisfied my coconut craving!  


I've used the coconut oil for a stir fry and also to coat my pan when making eggs and both times it had an excellent consistency and caused me no problems at all.  I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes available on their site and experimenting with cooking with my coconut oil!  


I have also been given the opportunity to giveaway one bottle of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil - you can click here to find the giveaway post.

MMMmonday - Fresh Fruit in Honey Sauce

I love this time of the year, when I can get great fresh local fruit, so I like to take advantage of it and make simple  but yummy desserts, sides and main dishes!  I haven't done a MMMmonday theme month in a while, so I think I'm going to do a month of cooking and baking with fruit!


Fresh Fruit in Honey Sauce (from Chef Joe at wwrecipes.com)

MMMmonday - Nutty Oatmeal Blender Waffles

One of the groups that helps keep this never-stay-at-home mom sane is my MOMS Club.  I've been a member since Liam was about 6 weeks old and I have a great group of friends that I know I can rely on!  Recently, the group has started a spin-off recipe group and we regularly issue challenges to each other - this week's challenge is one that is near and dear to my heart, with a twist... one of the MOMS in the group lives in a dairy free/egg free home because her son is highly allergic!


Her challenge this week was to find Vegan recipes to share... and I thought I'd also share it with you!

MMMmonday - Detox Green Vegetable Soup from GF Goddess and a linky!

Who says that good for you can't taste fabulous?  I was looking for a yummy, easy soup recipe for those cold winter days - I know I live in SC, but it's been unusually cold here and it makes me think of home and yummy soup in a cup!


I found the perfect 'sipping soup' at The Gluten Free Goddess and had to share - plus click through to see a fabulous picture of what the soup will be!

Detox Green Soup Recipe with Broccoli, Spinach and Ginger

This easy detox soup can be thin or thick, depending upon the amount of water you add. I love that it cooks up quickly and comes together beautifully - this is one of those taste with a spoon soups that you can putter around with to get just right!  The Gluten Free Goddess makes it dairy free, gluten free and completely VEGAN, and just chock full of anti-oxidants and vitamins!  My only changes to the original recipe was to use roasted garlic, since I had some...

You'll need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cups fresh broccoli, cut up
1/2 pound of fresh spinach leaves
3 parsnips, peeled, cored, chopped
2 ribs of celery, trimmed, chopped
A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Fresh water, as needed
Sea salt and ground pepper, to tatse
Lemon or lime juice


Using a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and stir in the garlic, onion, and ginger to season the oil. Add the broccoli, spinach, parsnips, celery and parsley, and stir a bit until the spinach wilts and collapses. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Remember the spinach will cook down quite a bit, so don't add too much water at first. You can always thin the soup later, if you need to.

Bring to a high simmer, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Cook for fifteen minutes or so until the veggies are softened.

Use an immersion blender, or other blender or food processor to puree the soup.

Taste test. Does it need brightening? Add a squeeze of citrus.

Options:

To make this a creamy soup add a dash of So Delicious Coconut Milk.

Serve with a spoonful of hot cooked rice in the center of the bowl.


Mix it up a little and add some curry paste or Tabasco sauce for something with a little more bite!

And don't forget to add your favorite recipes to this month's Linky: