Wheat-Free Gluten-Free Anise Biscotti

Sugar-free vegan biscotti infused with anise. Start dunking.

Not Too Sweet Biscotti

Sugar is taking a beating these days. Have you noticed? Studies left and right are accusing this sweet-talking Romeo of seducing us to a life of ruin and heartache. They've applied the words toxic, and poison. Is it really as bad they say? I'm not certain (and I'm not convinced they are, either; my sugar loving grandmother lived to the ripe old age of 93). But this I do know. Super refined corn sugar (aka HFCS) scares me. Not only because it cajoles our livers to convert the fructose to belly fat, but because it doesn't agree with me. Period.

I knew this the first time I drank a margarita that made me balloon and bloat like a pregnant Demi Moore (and while I concur that Demi was superbly gorgeous in all her fecund glory, in all honesty, I do not desire to emulate such a look- or frankly, such a fertile state- at my tender age of post- let's say- fifty). So I took a gander at the label of margarita mix to be sure it was gluten-free. It was.

But the second ingredient?

High fructose corn syrup.


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Creamy Penne Pasta Bake with Zucchini

A light and creamy pasta bake recipe for Spring.

Creamy Pasta Bake for Spring

Mac and cheese gets a makeover. Just in time for swimsuit shopping (also affectionately known around here as the annual Parade of Shame). It's time to start cooking light again, and give your body a break from all that white rice pasta, butter, and double cheese. It's time to kiss bacon good-bye. Hot weather is coming, Babycakes. The beach and poolside beckon. And I am not prepared. Are you?

I've been lax with my downward facing dogs (actually, I'm forbidden to do downward facing dogs these days, but that's another story). My lumbo-pelvic complex is cranky. My core is catnapping. And my biceps need curling. Or something like that. What it basically means is I've got some flab I need to banish. Remember that roll around my middle I call Doris? She's still here. She has not skedaddled. My usual winter weight gain of five hibernation pounds is eight this year.

I could blame those Raspberry Coconut-Almond Bars my husband keeps making (he who can eat cookies and brownies and still sport flat abs). I could blame fructan and fructose, and various unfriendly members of FODMAPs who may be the bottom line bloat culprit in my ongoing emulation of my halcyon pregnancy days (those of you with IBS symptoms despite going gluten-free might want to look into this fructose and polyol thing- it appears to have some merit).

But mostly I blame how much time I spend on the iMac. Sitting. Typing. Sitting some more. Social networking. The Internet is an amazing gift. But it is damn hard on the body. I'm vowing to get up and move more frequently. Shake my booty. Feel the burn. Or at least feel some heat.

So just in case you're in the same mood, too. I've made a lighter version of the classic baked mac and cheese.

I used gluten-free brown rice penne with rice bran for the pasta. Organic soy milk and Smart Balance vegan "butter" for the cream sauce. Zucchini and garlic and chives for a flavor boost. And it was fab. Light. Creamy.

Perfect for Spring.


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Asparagus with Maple Tahini Dressing

Vegan maple-tahini dressing adorns the Queen of Spring: Asparagus.

The Queen of Spring

Spring here in BoHo infused West Hollywood means trading in your Uggs for flip-flops. And hurtling downhill on your skateboard past midnight, apparently.  For four nights in a row now I've been startled awake by the rolling wheels of wild ones zooming past our bedroom window in the wee small hours of the morning. I suspect they are taggers, or teenage paparazzi on the hunt for misbehaving Melrose prey (there have been more helicopters lately). Sleep has been edgy and restless. The season of change is afoot. Or rather on a roll.

Which in an odd and sleep-deprived way, brings me to asparagus.

It's a welcome signal of warmer days (and nights!) when those bundles of slender green stalks are back, standing tall in elegant rows at the local market. Erect, perky little beauties.

My deep and abiding craving for asparagus is surprising for someone who never tendered a single bite of fresh asparagus until my third decade here on planet Earth. Yes, you read that right. Three decades. I admit it.

I was anti-asparagus.

In my own defense, I must mention, in full transparency, that the only asparagus I was served in childhood was from a can. A CAN.

And Darling! If you've never had the non-pleasure of noshing said limp and stringy excuse for a such a brilliant vegetable, I am here to assure you, it was tinny, flaccid, and disgusting with a capital D (and in full disclosure, it ended up buried deep inside my paper napkin, doomed for the garbage pail as soon as the parental and familial accomplices to this vegetable horror were occupied elsewhere, tuning into the Lawrence Welk Show).

But now? I could eat asparagus till the grass fed cows come home. 

I could chomp, night and day. Happy as a Green Goddess in vegetable heaven. Can you overdose on asparagus? I hope not. Because I'm indulging every chance I get.

It's been a long, root vegetable-centric winter.

For my first asparagus of the season I wanted a simple, fresh recipe- nothing complicated. And nothing roasted, because I've been roasting vegetables all winter long. And although my favorite way to cook asparagus is to roast it with olive oil and and garlic- like this Sexy Spring Pasta Recipe with Roasted Asparagus- this time I craved a super easy, super simple presentation.

I just barely cooked it, simmering it briefly in a scant amount of water until it turned bright green. Tender-crisp is the goal (think mushy, canned, and go for the opposite).

Then I whipped up a simple dressing with sesame tahini and pure maple syrup, and sprinkled some coarse sea salt over it. Vegan heaven. On a plate. And did I mention? 

Not a single Lawrence Welk bubble in sight.

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Peanut Butter Banana Cake

My gluten-free peanut butter banana cake was inspired by a sandwich.

Karina's Peanut Butter Banana Cake Recipe- Low sugar

Recipe originally posted recipe May 2007.

I decided to experiment with a recipe that would be naturally sweet. Bananas came to mind. And then peanut butter. The classic combo makes for a tender, slightly sweet cake. Perfect with tea. Or a glass of ice cold rice milk. I even eat it for breakfast. It reminds me of the peanut butter-banana sandwiches I used to love.

Ingredients:

4 ripe medium bananas, mashed 
1/2 cup organic natural peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup or honey
2 organic free-range large eggs (or Ener-G egg replacer)
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup fine almond meal
Dash of stevia powder
Dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, to taste
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt [if using salt-free peanut butter]

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 8 or 9-inch cake pan with greased parchment.

Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl: bananas through vanilla. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet mixture till smooth and sticky.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and place in the center of the pre-heated oven.

Bake until done - about 35 to 40 minutes - and a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Cook time: 35 min

Yield: 8 slices

Freezes well, pieces wrapped individually. Yummy cold.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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Notes:

Seed butters and other nut butters will work in this recipe as a sub for peanut butter.

For those of you who prefer sugar, you can sub 1/2 cup of packed golden brown sugar in place of stevia.

Ener-G brand egg-replacer is suitable for Passover; use in place of the baking soda/powder leavening.

Not only is the cake gluten-free and cane sugar free, Babycakes, it's grain-free and casein free, which makes it a suitable treat for all those autistic and Aspie angels out there.

Choose smooth peanut butter and finely ground blanched almond flour for the texture sensitive.

Artichoke and Jalapeño Savory Pie

Gluten-free pasta pie, a savory and delicious frittata style dish.

A Spring Savory Pie

Happy first weekend in March! Spring is in the air. To celebrate, here's an eggy, savory pie for the coming greening season, spiked with the kicked-up heat of jalapeños. It's a hybrid of traditional kugel, quiche, and pasta frittata. Kinda postmodern eggilicious. And the best part is, it's a super easy recipe. Perfect for a light brunch, a weeknight supper, or any time you crave huevos. Which is less fraught with guilt, now that the Powers That Be have decided eggs are not the enemy they once touted. Especially if you use organic eggs from humanely raised, vegetarian fed free-range chickens. Happier eggs contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamins A, D and E, it turns out. Which makes this frittata pie idea a nutritious way to use up leftover gluten-free spaghetti. 

Your mother's pasta frittata, this isn't. Your mother didn't make you pasta frittata?

Babycakes! 

What are you waiting for?

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Quinoa Salad with Pineapple, Broccoli, Mint

Pineapple quinoa salad with broccoli. Fresh and healthy.

Quinoa Salad Recipe for Spring


Spring is beckoning. I can feel it. And my winter-stiff body is aching to stretch and move and shed the yearly inertia that descends like a bear with the shrinking daylight. My brain is flickering awake. My taste buds are tiring of the heavy, creamy comfort foods that sustained me (thank you, lovely spuds, lasagna, and mac and cheese, I love you with all my heart).

I'm craving lighter, cleaner tastes.

Not to mention, missing my warm weather jeans. You know the ones. That stack in the back of the closet you haven't fit into since December, when you began wondering if the laundromat medium heat setting was shrinking your favorite Levi's. The jeans you have to lay down to zip, doing your best imitation of Jane Fonda's pelvic tilt, sucking in your breath and praying to the zipper gods. Your skinny jeans. You know what I'm talking about. You have two sets of jeans, right? Winter. And summer.

So here's what I'm thinking. Quinoa to the rescue.

Vegan. Versatile. Easy. Fresh. Light. This new quinoa salad with pineapple and broccoli and fresh mint is all of the above. And maybe, just maybe, it'll be the first step to fitting into those skinny jeans.


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Joey's Kicked Up Rockin' Guac with Lime + Tomatillos

Party worthy guacamole with lime and tomatillos

The Best Guac Evah. By Joey.

Treat yourself. Make this guacamole tonight. I beg you. You'll go loco over it. Trust me. It's the tomatillos and fresh lime juice that nudge this gluten-free vegan guac recipe into super favorite status-- which, by the way, is why I am excavating it from the dusty archives. In case you missed it.

Because there seems to be some partying goin' on this weekend. You already know how I feel about football. But who am I to deny that my Nachos Fabuloso, Quinoa Taco Salad, and Lime Chicken Tacos wouldn't be some seriously tasty game peeping food? Not to mention my vegan Hot Artichoke Dip,  Jalapeño Lime Hummus and Baked Grape Tomatoes with Basil Cornbread Crumbs. 

Need even more Super Bowl recipe inspiration? If you're weary of ho-hum chili, and Mexican bean dip, try these Turkey Sweet Potato Enchiladas, my Cranberry Buffalo Roast Stew, Roasted Hatch Chile Stew or this family favorite Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken and Cilantro. Break out this make-ahead Red Potato Salad Spiked with Horseradish, or my Green Chile Tortilla Bake with layered corn tortillas and cream cheese.

Party on, gluten-free guys and gals.

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