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Harvest Pumpkin Butter

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Why spread boring old butter on your toast when you can have PUMPKIN butter?  Oh and by the way, it doesn’t have to just be toast…mix it in yogurt, top on oatmeal, serve over ice cream. If you need a last minute Thanksgiving side dish, toss a couple of tablespoons of this pumpkin butter with chopped sweet potatoes and bake.  Sweet potatoes made easy! Need I say more?  Probably not but I will.  Let’s just continue to take full advantage of the fact that it’s finally fall and whip up a batch, or 2 or 5. Don’t mind if I do!

Side note…it’s very confusing to me why this is called pumpkin butter when it’s dairy free.  Who names this stuff anyways?  Shouldn’t it be called pumpkin jam or spread or something that makes more sense?  Why did they have to go messing up the obvious and put this in the butter category when clearly it’s NOT a butter!  Random rant but really, let’s get with the program and call it what it really is…pumpkin jamspread.

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Stephanie Heymann Photography

How cute does it look in the little mason jar?   It makes the best hostess gift if you have any fall parties on the schedule too.  So enjoy the pumpkin butter NOT butter jamspread!

pumpkinbutter

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Harvest Pumpkin Butter
 
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Serves: 2 Cups
Ingredients
  • 1 - 15 oz can pumpkin puree - not pie filling
  • ¼ C brown sugar
  • ¼ C maple syrup
  • ½ C unsweetened applesauce
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce heat to simmer, continue cooking uncovered for 20 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Spread on everything from toast to pancakes, mixed into yogurt, oatmeal or baked on top of butternut squash.
  3. Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Cauliflower Gratin with Gruyere

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Still looking for a last minute Thanksgiving side to put on your table?  We have the perfect solution for you. Serve up this cauliflower gratin with gruyere cheese…yes, there will be a gruyere party going on in your mouth.  Who can resist that? Clearly not us!

Start by roasting up the cauliflower so it’s nice and golden brown and ready to be mixed with one of our all time favorite cheeses.  I love this cheese and always have but for some reason my mouth just won’t let me say it right.  Courtney and I had some laughs as she tried to coach me on how to pronounce it, but I really think there is no hope for me on that. At least I can still eat it, which is the only thing I really care about when it comes to gruyere.

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While the cauliflower is getting all roasty and toasty in the oven you can focus on whipping up the  cheese sauce.  We have cut out a lot of fat by using fat free milk and only a small amount of butter. So you can look at this dish the same way that I look at buying clothes when they are on sale.  I don’t really spend money on clothes, I actually save money because the clothes are on sale.  Same thing with this dish, you are actually saving fat and calories because you aren’t using full fat milk and tons of butter and cheese.  How do you like my concept??  Haha, I think it’s a good one, so basically it’s guilt free!

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When the cauliflower comes out of the oven, transfer it to a casserole dish.  Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle some panko bread crumbs on top and pop it back in the oven.  When it comes out of the oven you will have this ooey goey, gruyere filled cauliflower heaven.

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Thanksgiving side dish done, your guests will love this!

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Cauliflower Gratin with Gruyere
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower - chopped into florets
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp course ground pepper
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1¼ C nonfat milk
  • 1 C grated gruyere cheese
  • 3 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Spread cauliflower florets evenly on pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Roast for 25 minutes until golden brown.
  2. While cauliflower is roasting heat a large sautee pan over medium heat and add butter. Once butter is melted add shallots and sautee for 1 minute. Add flour and mix, it will create a thick paste. Slowly add the milk ¼ cup at a time, whisking to incorporate. Once all of the milk is added add remaining salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you want a little kick to the dish. Continue to whisk over medium heat until it thickens, do not let the milk boil. Add gyurere cheese and stir until melted, remove from heat.
  3. Remove cauliflower from oven and turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Use a 8X8 casserole dish or similar size, add roasted cauliflower and pour cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly across the top. Bake for 20 minutes until it begins to bubble around the sides. Turn the oven to broil, remove when the cheese and panko topping turns golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Apple Cider Mule

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Signature cocktail anyone?  This apple cider mule will no doubt be our signature drink this Thanksgiving.  How cute does this look garnished with the thyme sprig and apple slice too? If you want to skip the booze you can easily turn this into a virgin cocktail by using non-alcoholic ginger beer and skipping the vodka.

mule

 

Apple Cider Mule
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 2 oz good quality vodka
  • 2 oz sparkling apple cider
  • ½ C ginger beer
  • ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
Option garnishes - sliced apple, thyme sprig, cinnamon stick
Instructions
  1. Using a cocktail shaker add vodka, apple cider, ginger beer and ice (either crushed or cubed). Shake vigorously and pour over ice, use a copper mule mug if available. Garnish with sliced apple, thyme sprig or cinnamon stick.

Cashew Chicken with Coconut Cauliflower Rice

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If there is such a thing as the cashew chicken jackpot then I think we hit it! Even better you don’t have to drive to pick it up, you can skip the take-out and actually  make this at home, from scratch, with ingredients you probably have sitting around right now.  Our kiddos even give this dish their stamp of approval, cauliflower rice and all!

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If you have yet to substitute grain rice with cauliflower rice it’s about time you try it out starting with this coconut cauliflower rice. We’re aware it’s all the rage right now and slightly weird at the same time but hey….all the more reason to give it a try.  It’s one of those trendy foods that actually tastes good and is good for you so double score! If you don’t feel like taking the extra step to pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor no worries, most grocery stores are hip enough to know that we are all busy so they actually sell cauliflower already riced and ready to go.

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What are you waiting for? You really need to add this to your meal list….sorry, we just get really excited about good food that’s also good for you.  Winner winner it’s cashew chicken for dinner!

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Cashew Chicken with Coconut Cauliflower Rice
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb organic chicken cutlets, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 C broccoli florets
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips (yellow, orange or red)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • ½ C chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ C warm water
  • 1 C unsalted, raw cashews
  • ½ C chopped water chesnuts
  • 3 C cauliflower rice (Add cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse until it's the consistency of rice. You can also purchased pre-made cauliflower rice in the produce section of most grocery stores)
  • ¼ C light coconut milk
For the Sauce:
  • ¼ C low sodium soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • ¼ C unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, season with a pinch of kosher salt. Brown each side for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and place chicken on a paper towel lined plate.
  2. In a small bowl add soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Mix with a spoon.
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, broccoli and bell pepper and sautee for 6-8 minutes. Add ½ C chicken broth and allow to cook for another minute. Add soy sauce mixture, cornstarch/water, cashews and water chesnuts. Mix together and reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens.
  4. While dish is cooking, heat another sautee pan over medium high heat. Add cauliflower rice and coconut milk and cook for 3-5 minutes.
  5. Distribute coconut cauliflower rice evenly in low bowls. Add cashew chicken over the top and serve.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn

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Growing up my mom used to make the most ridiculously amazing caramel corn that was dripping in all things bad like corn syrup and tons of brown sugar,  but oh did it taste so good! It was our mission to come up with our own version of this tasty treat that was still sweet and every bit as caramely but didn’t contain 10 billion calories! Mission accomplished!! It’s not exactly calorie free but you can feel a lot better about throwing handfuls of our GTK cinnamon caramel corn in your mouth than the old school version!   Think coconut cream, pure maple syrup, coconut oil, ground cinnamon….do we have your attention yet? Make this next time you have family movie night or as an after school treat or a fun snack to have out when you are entertaining or just make it just because it’s so darn good, we promise!
caramelcorn

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Cinnamon Caramel Corn
 
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Serves: 10 Cups
Ingredients
  • 10 C air popped popcorn
  • ½ C coconut cream - see notes
  • ½ C Pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt + more for sprinkling
  • **Notes - Use only the thick cream on the top of the can of coconut cream. Do not shake or mix the can before opening. Store remaining coconut cream (not clear liquid) in a airtight container in tbe refrigerator.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. In a saucepan add all ingredients (except for popcorn) together, whisking until incorporated. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Remove from heat and pour sauce over the popcorn, stir until coated evenly.
  4. On a parchment lined pan spread popcorn out evenly and place in oven. Stir after 15 minutes, cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.

Autumn Salad

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I’m so happy we are bringing you this bomb Autumn salad because not only is it beautiful to look at, it tastes pretty darn amazing too.  It’s like a really ridiculously good looking person that is also super nice and smart and you kinda want to hate them because they have it all going on but you just have to love them because they are awesome….same situation with this salad.  It’s also a great excuse to use one of our favorite kitchen gadgets, an immersion blender, because what is salad dressing without an immersion blender?  If you don’t have one of these bad boys you need to go get yourself one STAT….total game changer!
immersionblender

Stephanie Heymann Photography

I’m also slightly obsessed with this perfect drizzle picture…pretty impressive, right? Let me just make you swoon for a second….roasted sweet potatoes, tangy granny smith apples, toasted walnuts, fresh pomegranate seeds and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better throw in some horseradish cheddar for the touchdown.  Oh, and drizzle this creamy balsamic over the top.  Holla!

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Stephanie Heymann Photography

This can be all yours too, just follow the recipe below and you got yourself one gorgeous autumn salad, which by the way is totally acceptable to eat all year round…not just in the autumn. I bet you already knew that though!

saladtoss

Stephanie Heymann Photography

 

 

Autumn Salad
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 8 C arugula
  • ½ C sweet potatoes, chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 tsp good quality olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • ⅓ C walnuts, toasted
  • ½ C horseradish cheddar, chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • ¼ C fresh pomegranate seeds
  • ½ granny smith (green) apple, sliced thin
For the Creamy Balsamic Dressing:
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp 0% greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp good quality olive oil
Instructions
For the Salad:
  1. Preheat oven to 425. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place on a parchment lined pan and roast for 20-25 minutes, allow to cool.
  2. In a large salad bowl add arugula, walnuts, horseradish cheddar, pomegranate seeds and sliced apples. Toss with creamy balsamic dressing, see below.
For The Creamy Balsamic Dressing:
  1. Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender - add all ingredients except olive oil and process until smooth, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until incorporated. Store remaining dressing in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Maple Cinnamon Roasted Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream

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What’s better than a roasted Bosch pear?? Oh, I know!! A roasted Bosch pear with vanilla bean ice cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  It looks like a labor intensive dessert but it’s really super simple.  Prep the pears for roasting by peeling the pears and covering them with this yummy maple cinnamon mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes and the pears will turn from this…

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to this.  Soft and sweet with a bunch of syrup left over to pour in the bowl with the ice cream.

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In full disclosure I bought ice cream the day before I was prepping to roast my pears.  When I went to put my beautifully roasted pears with my ice cream I opened the container and this is all that was left.  My kids got into the ice cream and left this little sad spoonful for my pears.  Such a buzz kill, but that’s a day in the life of kids.  We were out the night before so my kids easily convinced their babysitter that it was perfectly fine to eat almost all of the ice cream.  Oh well, you get the idea with this pitiful little half scoop.  Next time I’m locking the freezer!!

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Maple Cinnamon Roasted Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 4 Bosch pears
  • ½ lemon
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ C pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • small pinch kosher salt
  • vanilla ice cream
  • ground nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler and cut in half lengthwise. Use a melon scooper to scoop out the core. Rub all sides of the pear with the half lemon and place in a large casserole dish cored side up.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt coconut oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Heat until melted and sugar is dissolved - about 3 minutes.
  3. Spoon the syrup over the pears and bake 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil for the last 1-2 minutes, careful not to burn.
  4. Serve the pears with vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of syrup and a dash of nutmeg over the top.

Zoodle Salad with Purple Cauliflower, Kale and Avocado

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This purple cauliflower was almost too pretty to cut, but too bad…we cut her up anyways! Lucky for us because this zoodle bowl was epic, and thanks to the purple cauliflower it was extra gorgeous.  We used our standby (standby because it’s so awesome we love to put it on everything) lemon vinaigrette and our favorite spiralized zoodles.  If you are new to veggie noodles or zucchini noodles check out the Spiralizer How To video under our video section, we will show you everything you need to know about spiralizing veggies.  We kept this salad uncomplicated, but there was absolutely nothing else it needed.  Crispy kale, perfectly ripe avocado, caramelized roasted purple cauliflower tossed with sautéed zoodles and our insanely good lemon vinaigrette.

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Obviously purple cauliflower isn’t a must, the taste is the same as regular white cauliflower.  The purple will just make everything prettier, so if you see the purple grab it so you can have a pretty bite just like this!

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Cold Zoodle Salad with Purple Cailiflower, Kale and Avocado with Lemon Vinagrette
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Salad:
  • 2 medium zuchinnis, spiralized into "zoodles".
  • 1 purple cauliflower, cut into florets - can substitute white caulflower or brocolli
  • 2 C packed lacinato kale (dino kale) or other kale variety, can also substitute for spinach
  • 1 avocado cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp good quality olive oil
  • S & P
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • juice of 1 large lemon
  • ¼ C olive oil
  • kosher salt to taste
Good Thyme Tip - If you want a creamier texture to the vinagrette, add 1 Tbsp of 0% plain Greek yogurt.
Instructions
For the Salad:
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Place cauliflower florets on roasting pan, drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and toss to coat. Spread florets evenly on roasting pan and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the florets begin to turn golden brown.
  2. While the cauliflower is roasting heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Add spiralized zoodles and kale and sautee for 3-5 minutes until zoodles become tender and kale begins to break down and wilt. Remove from heat and place in a bowl to cool.
For Lemon Vinaigrette:
  1. Add first 4 ingredients of the vinagrette to a blender, or use an immersion hand blender. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to blend. Season with salt to taste.
  2. Remove cauliflower from oven and let cool. Add cauliflower to bowl with the zoodles and kale. Toss with desired amount of lemon vinagrette and season with S & P to taste. Dish into bowls and top evenly with chopped avocado.
  3. Store excess lemon vinagrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Good Thyme Tip - This salad allows for a lot of substitutions. Feel free to add any of your favorite roasted vegetables or protien such as grilled chicken. Get creative and make it your own!

Vanilla Cashew Yogurt

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Looking for an alternative to yogurt or Greek yogurt?  This vanilla cashew yogurt hits the mark, it’s protein packed and low in sugar and it’s the perfect option for those of you out there that are dairy-free.

The most important thing with this recipe is to soak the cashews in water overnight, once that is done it only takes 5 minutes until you are in cashew yogurt heaven. This is as addicting and delicious as it looks, I kept going back for just one more bite and before I knew it somehow it suddenly disappeared. I hate it when that happens! It’s amazing mixed with fresh berries, topped with granola or of course on it’s own. Whether you are dairy-free or not, it’s definitely something that you need in your life. Let us know what you think!

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Vanilla Cashew Yogurt
 
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Serves: 1¼ Cups
Ingredients
  • 1 C raw, unsalted cashews - (soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight. Discard water before using in recipe)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅓ C cinnamon applesauce - can also use plain
  • ⅓ C unsweetened cashew or almond milk
  • 2 Tbsp good quality pure maple syrup
  • ½ tap vanilla
  • pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a blender. Stop and scrape down sides as you go. Blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Good Thyme Tip - This yogurt is great over fresh fruit or anything you would normally serve with yogurt. Use additional cashew milk to thin out to desired consistency.
**Adapted from Dreena Burton at Plant-Powered Kitchen

Chile Lime Chicken

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Looking for an easy but crazy flavorful grilled chicken? Look no further, we’ve got you covered!  This chile lime chicken is ridiculously simple to make but it’s packed with flavor.  Aside from the usual suspects like organic chicken breasts and olive oil, you also need fresh cilantro, limes, honey and the secret ingredient comes in this little shaker from Trader Joe’s.

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This chile lime seasoning blend is one of our go to mixed spices.  If you can’t find this at your local TJ’s, it’s just a mixture of salt, chili powders and lime juice so you can improvise with some chili, cayenne, salt and extra lime juice and you should be able to get by with that to achieve the same flavor. In a freezer bag add the chicken breasts with a few shakes of the chile lime blend and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Grill and serve, it’s that easy. Pair this with our GTK Elote as a side and you are covered. Weeknight dinner made simple, weekends too!

chilelimechicken

 

 

Chile Lime Chicken
 
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Serves: 4 - 610
Ingredients
  • 4 organic skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 C loosely packed cilantro, chopped + more for serving
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 - 4 shakes TJ's Chile Lime seasoning blend + more for serving
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
  1. In a large ziploc freezer bag add chicken, honey, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and chile lime seasoning. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat BBQ and grill chicken approx 5 minutes per side until cooked through. Plate chicken with 1-2 more shakes of chile lime seasoning, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.