OK, don’t freak out, but these are gluten-free. Actually, they’re completely grain-free. Also, they have no added sugar and are pretty low in carbs.

Still with me?

OK, good.

These are made with my current baking crush, coconut flour, canned pumpkin, green jalapeño and a touch of cheddar cheese. So far, I’ve eaten one as a snack by itself and another as the bread for an egg-and-avocado sandwich. You’ll notice that they are moist, a little bit spicy and quite scrumptious—but not that they are grain-free. In fact, that will be the last thing you will be thinking about as you bite into one of these babies.

• ingredients
• 3/4 cup coconut flour $5 for 16 oz.
• 1 tsp baking powder Pantry
• 1/4 tsp salt Pantry
• 1 stick very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces $1
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, pureed canned pumpkin $1.50 for a 15-oz can
• 3 eggs $1.50 for 12
• 2 green jalapeños, 1 seeded and chopped (leave the seeds intact if you like things spicy), 1 sliced into rings $0.50
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow), shredded $3.50 for 8 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients $13

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Use 2 forks to cut in the butter (this may also be done in a food processor). Gently stir in the pumpkin, eggs and chopped jalapeños. At this point, you should have a sticky dough.

Drop the dough in 2-3 tbsp increments (a small ice cream scoop works well for this) onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, a few inches apart (you should have 10-12). Top each dough lump with a pinch of cheese. Press a jalapeño slice into the top of each (as pictured).

Bake for 20-23 minutes, until cheese has melted and the edges of the biscuits are golden-brown.

Serve warm.

Makes 10-12 biscuits.

These Mexican-inspired stuffed peppers are made even yummier with a hefty dollop of guacamole and some sour cream. Mmm. And sliced jalapeños and some chopped cilantro. Think of these as tacos in a bell pepper shell.

• ingredients
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped $0.50
• 1 green jalapeño, seeded and chopped (leave the seeds intact if you like things spicy) $0.25
• 1 lb lean ground beef $3.50
• 1/2 tsp cumin $1.50 for 1 oz.
• 1/3 tsp Ancho chili powder $1.50 for 1 oz.
• 1/8 tsp salt Pantry
• few grinds black pepper Pantry
• 2 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds and white veins removed $3
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients $13.75

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and jalapeño and cook for 1-2 minutes, until very fragrant. Add beef, spices, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange bell pepper halves, open-side up on a baking sheet. Divide the beef mixture between them (you shouldn’t have any leftovers), and top each beef-filled pepper with 1/4 of the cheese.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and peppers have softened a bit.

Serve hot or at room temperature (this works well for picnics).

Serves 2-3.

This one is not for timid tongues. (Isn’t “timid tongues” a great phrase? I got it from Didi Emmons.)

The cool, sweet peach and soothing honey meld with the jalapeño and dijon, resulting in a pleasantly hot chutney-esque sauce that I think is just amazing with spicy bratwurst. If you wanted a sweeter, mellower sauce, you could definitely use honey mustard or regular yellow mustard in place of the dijon.

• ingredients
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
• 1/2 large peach (white or yellow) $0.75 for a whole peach
• 4-5 tbsp dijon mustard $3.50 for 8 oz.
• few grinds of fresh black pepper Pantry
• 1 tsp honey Pantry
• 1 medium green jalapeño, seeded and chopped finely (leave the seeds in if you like it hot) $0.25
• salt (if needed) Pantry
• 4 bratwurst sausages, grilled or pan-fried $3.50

Total Cost of Ingredients $8.50

Directions

Heat the oil in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, allowing to caramelize.

While the onions cook, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place peach half, skin-side-down into the boiling water for 45-60 seconds, to loosen skin. Rinse peach half under cool running water, then carefully pull off the skin. Dice peach and add to the caramelized onions.

Turn the heat up to medium and cook the onions and peaches together for 4-5 minutes, until peach breaks down completely. Remove from heat, transfer to a clean bowl and refrigerate until mixture reaches room temperature.

To the peach-onion mixture, add the mustard, pepper, honey and jalapeño. Stir well, adjust seasonings to taste (I didn’t need salt, but if you do, add it now).

Pour the mustard into a small serving bowl and serve alongside the cooked bratwurst. If you’re serving this as a party appetizer, you might want to cut the cooked sausage into bite-size pieces and serve it with toothpicks.

Serves 4.

As if you need reminding, today is the ten-year anniversary of 9/11.

I don’t know about you, but I sure can use some comfort food. The sauce in this recipe is based on Marcella Hazan’s (as interpreted by Smitten Kitchen). The meatballs are a Gabi original.

You could add grated Parmesan cheese if you wanted, but the sauce and meatballs are so rich, I doubt you will.

This super-fast, uber-decadent dessert is bottom-of-the-bowl-lickingly good, ready in minutes and the perfect way to impress your date, friends, coworkers or, in my case, eleven-year-old babysitting charge, Elliot.

Elliot would like you to know that this sauce is also delicious with peaches, pears or apples. We haven’t tried berries yet, but that would probably be good too.