gluten-free

Preheat oven to 350. To make quinoa, rinse 1/3 cup of uncooked quinoa for one minute. Place in a small saucepan, add 2/3 cup water, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for an additional five minutes, keeping quinoa covered. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

To plump and soften raisins, place them in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes, then drain and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl) beat together eggs and sugar. Beat in applesauce, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low. Add carrots. Mix in quinoa a little at a time (if quinoa is still warm, this will prevent it from scrambling the eggs) until combined.

Add carrot-quinoa mixture to the flour mixture, stirring by hand until just combined. Fold in raisins. Evenly divide the batter among 12 cups in a coated baking pan or using pan liners. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan to cool.

Combine almond aioli, ground almonds, Old Bay seasoning, egg, ground flaxseed, Dijon mustard, and parsley in a medium-sized bowl and mix together until well blended. Gently fold in sliced almonds and jumbo lump crab meat. Form mixture into 16, 1 1/2 ounce cakes and sear in a sauté pan over medium high heat with canola oil for three minutes, 1 1/2 minutes per side. Finish in 375 degree oven for two minutes. Serve immediately with two on a plate garnished with two lemon wedges and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

For almond aioli, add the first six ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth. While puréeing, slowly add almond oil, alternating with water to achieve desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For almond curried aioli, combine all ingredients and stir to incorporate evenly in a clean stainless bowl. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Recipe courtesy of the Almond Board of California.

Use a large pot and add oil, carrot, onion, apple, and celery. Cook gently until tender, reducing heat as needed to prevent browning (12 to15 minutes). Add squash, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until squash is fork tender. Add milk and vinegar and simmer an additional five minutes.

Remove soup from heat and discard bay leaf. Ladle half of the soup into the blender, cover, and gradually turn up to high speed for 30 seconds or until smooth. Add more broth from the pot if mixture is too thick. Pour soup into another container and purée remaining soup. Combine both soups in the pot and reheat. Pour into serving bowls and garnish with hulled pumpkin seeds.