Butternut Squash Soup

I've been perusing butternut squash soup recipes and couldn't settle on one that I liked, so I took a bit of this and a bit of that and came up with this recipe. It has a nice spiced flavor to it without being overwhelming.

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peel, remove seeds and chop into large pieces
3 apples, cubed
3 celery sticks + leafy greens, finely chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP parsely
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
7-8 cups vegetable broth or water (depends how thick you like your soup)

Directions:

1) In a large slow cooker combine all ingredients
2) Stir it up
3) Cook on high for 3-4hrs or until vegetables are soft
4) Using immersion blender blend until smooth
5) Eat and enjoy!

Variation: 
For a spicy version with a bit of kick, add 2-3 chopped carrots, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 clove garlic

Note: I'm sure you can make this in a pot on the stove as well. Cooking time will decrease if you chop things up a bit more. Be sure to stir regularly.

Gluten Free Cranberry Apple Muffins

** updated January 2, 2014**

A hearty and tasty muffin, good for a snack, or as an on-the-go breakfast bite.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
**1/4 cup honey
**1 TBSP cider vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1 TBSP lemon juice (fresh squeezed, not from a bottle)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP ground flax seed (optional, but definitely adds a healthy punch!)
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
**1 TBSP tapioca flour
**2 tsp baking soda
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup cranberries
**1 banana 

Instructions:

Blend wet ingredients together well, then slowly fold in dry ingredients. When a smooth batter is formed, add in the apple and cranberries and give it a quick mix. Pour batter evenly into muffin tray. Makes 12 muffins. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Be careful to not over bake! My limited experience with a rice and almond flour mix is that it can dry out or burn easily. Because of this I check the muffins after 15 minutes and then add a couple minutes at a time. Err on the side of sightly under baking, when a toothpick comes out not perfectly clean remove them from the oven.

This recipe might undergo some changes yet as I am still trialing them with a few variations. This is my favorite so far. Enjoy, and if you try it out and find something that works better, let me know!