Fall as a Pizza: Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Gruyere

If you are looking for a fall pizza recipe to change things up, then look no further then this beauty.  This pizza uses homemade dough (or you can use whatever store bought you'd like), roasted butternut squash with roasted garlic and onions and gruyere cheese.  There is no sauce and it is not needed.  The roasted squash gets creamy and sweet and the gruyere balances that sweetness perfectly.  I like to use applewood smoked gruyere, because that is all I can find and it adds such enormous flavor to the pizza.  Give this pizza a try for Halloween!

Fall Pizza
1 Butternut squash diced (you can peel if you'd like, but I don't like to do that)
1 head of garlic
1 onion sliced
8 oz applewood smoked gruyere cheese
Salt to taste
Olive Oil
1 lb pizza dough (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put garlic in aluminum foil and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it.  Put the package in the oven and let it cook for about an hour, until the garlic is soft, set aside

While the garlic is in the oven, combine the diced squash and slice onions in a bowl.  Drizzle with about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and a generous amount of salt. Spread the mixture onto a foil lined pan (sprayed with cooking spray for extra insurance) and place in oven to cook for 35 minutes.

After the garlic and onions and squash are cooked and tender, turn the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the onions and squash into a large bowl.  Add the grated gruyere and squeeze out the garlic cloves and combine everything together.

Spread your pizza dough onto a well oiled pan.  Top the dough with the squash and gruyere mixture.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, let cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Another Double Chocolate Muffin Recipe

I love chocolate muffins and honestly, who doesn't?  I was inspired to make some chocolate muffins after seeing that my son's snack time had them at school and so this recipe is dedicated to him!  These muffins are moist and flavorful, but not too sweet and are perfect with a cup of black coffee for the adults, or with cottage cheese if you're a toddler.  These come together quickly and are a perfect after-school snack. Let me know what you think!

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (I used stevia)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 12 cup muffin pan

Mix together the wet ingredients

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients

Scoop into the muffin pan 

Bake for 18 minutes, let cool and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Oat Bran Muffins: 2016 Edition

Wow,  it's been exactly one year since I've written an entry! A lot has changed since then and it's been an adventure and I wouldn't change anything about it!  Except some unhealthy eating habits.  I've started a new telework position that doesn't allow me time to eat lunch.  I told myself I was going to cut back on baking this year in an attempt to be healthy, but I remembered I had made some oat bran muffins without any flour and they were tasty and healthy and it sounded like the perfect snack to have at work!  I've made these muffins again but this time I've added baking soda and baking powder for some lift and I used buttermilk instead of almond milk because that's what I had on hand.

These are surprisingly light and not dense and are like a better, portable oatmeal.  You can whip them up quickly and even with a baby attached to your leg!

Check out this recipe and let me know what you think!  Tell me what other foods you'd like to see made healthier!

Chocolate Chip Oat Bran Muffins

2 1/4 cups oat bran
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp flax seed
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup egg whites
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chocolate chip

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a muffin tin with Pam

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.

Divide the batter equally in the muffin tin.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool and Eat!

Yields 10-12 muffins