Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata

Mediterranean style baked frittata with gluten-free pasta.

What do you make for dinner on a night when you have no fresh produce in the house (except for a few sad carrots) and you've got barely enough energy to pour yourself a glass of wine having spent the last four days doing errands and hardware store runs and keeping the house spotless and gleaming for multiple house showings?

You look at your leftovers and hope there is pasta. 

You pray you have eggs. You swoon when you discover a half a cup of goat cheese. You whip together a frittata so meltingly delectable that your husband closes his eyes in sheer bliss and says, How can something this simple be this good? Then he declares this latest frittata of yours to be his favorite. And as the warm bite of creamy egg and spinach and goat cheese melts in your mouth you sigh and meet his eyes across the table and confess,.

Darling, it's one of those happy accidents.

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Sweet Potato and Purple Cabbage Soup

Gorgeous soup that's souper good- and good for you.

Antioxidants. So good for you. Gotta love 'em. An easy approach to getting more antioxidants into your daily menu [without studying nutritional science] is simply, think color.

Choose a variety of eye popping colors as you shop for vegetables and fruits. The brighter the better. Each vivid hue gives you a unique nutritional boost. Pick orange sweet potatoes over white potatoes, and purple cabbage over pale green. Throw in some ruby red grape tomatoes and blueberries, and well, you get the idea.

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Coconut Split Pea Soup

A silky vegan soup recipe for a rainy spring day.

I've been so busy spring cleaning and sorting for the move to New Mexico I haven't had much time at all to play in the kitchen. I made a rainy weather comfort food favorite this week, though. A vegan, dairy-free split pea soup. And best of all it's a super easy soup to make. I kicked it up with coconut milk and spicy jalapeños. It was lip-smacking tasty. 

Trust me.

You won't miss the ham hock.

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Zucchini Tomato Mozzarella Pie

Fresh ingredients make this Mediterranean vegetarian pie recipe one of our favorites. A lovely dish for spring.

This week’s rain softened the gardens. The air smells more like spring. We are in the thick of small repairs. Cleaning and weeding through old clothes and books. Donating what no longer seems necessary. The need to downsize and travel light is gaining momentum.

We both craved something fresh yesterday. Something not stewed, or heavy or made from root vegetables. Something more sexy than soup. So, Darling, it had to be Italian.

And yes, it had to be a pie.

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Egg & Pesto on Grilled Toast

We're getting our Cape Cod house ready to sell. In the midst of weeding out and recycling, I stumbled upon this ancient menu- circa age nine. Apparently I was big on toast. Not to mention, canned peaches. And glasses of milk. A dozen yellowed pages stapled together as my very first cookbook. All comfort food (no big surprise).

Since going gluten-free, we don't eat much toast. But once in a blue moon I make a pretty tasty gluten-free Italian-style loaf and freeze the slices for grilled sandwiches and brunch.

After a morning of cleaning and packing we decided to finish up the last few slices from a Gluten-Free Pantry Country French Bread Mix I baked last week. Slathered with Our Favorite Basil Pesto and topped with an egg fried sunny side up, it was a dish my nine-year-old self would have appreciated. Simple. And fast.


And did I mention, on toast?

Egg + Pesto on Grilled Toast Recipe

Grilling gluten-free bread in a little olive oil covers a multitude of sins. No kidding. Add a bit of chopped fresh garlic and basil pesto and you'll have a serious treat. No deprivation in sight.

4 slices of your favorite gluten-free bread-
new bread recipe here
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed
Prepared Basil Pesto
4 fresh large organic free-range eggs
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
Shredded Parmesan, as needed

Lightly toast then grill the bread in a large skillet with enough olive oil to coat both sides of the toast. Grill till sizzling and golden.

In the meantime, in a separate skillet, fry the eggs to your liking- over easy or sunny side up. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Spread a generous slather of pesto on each grilled toast. Top with an egg and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Serves two.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

This a super easy chicken enchilada recipe for a family weeknight supper.

Alex was home from college late this week to help weed out the books, clothes, and gear he no longer needs (in anticipation of our big move). We recycled a van full. (Where does all this stuff come from?) The fun part was looking through his drawings and art projects. We saved those, of course. I have bins full of the boys' work, from their very first crayon drawings to their high school video projects.

It's been a bittersweet week. This process stirs up plenty of old ghosts- but I'll save those thoughts, Dear Reader, for another day. I'll share a recipe with you instead. It's not exactly foodie territory.

But there is never a scrap left over.

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Gluten-Free Cheddar Pasta Bake Recipe

A retro classic gets a g-free makeover

Gluten-Free Cheddar Pasta Bake Recipe

For those cooking gluten-free pasta for the first time, the trick is to not over-boil it- keep it very al dente, as it continues to cook in the cheddar sauce. If you'd like to make this a one-dish supper, add broccoli florets to the pasta before you bake it. Cornbread crumbs make a tasty crunchy topping.

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Jalapeño and Lime Hummus

Kick up your hummus. Why be boring?

I love weekends. Not because they provide a significantly different routine for us. We work at home. Translation: we work every day. But the energy is somehow more relaxed on the weekend. I don't feel guilty blogging in my pajamas on a Saturday (past noon, that is). And we do at least tryto knock off work earlier than usual, reconnoitering at the fridge in late afternoon to assess the food situation.

We typically begin our rummaging in the kitchen pantry, looking for a snack. Some tasty tidbit to tide us over until dinner. We might make guacamole, or pesto, or hummus. We sit and nosh. And talk. Make plans. Lately it's been all about the big move to New Mexico. Which is why I flavored my hummus with jalapeños and lime, of course.

And, Babycakes, was it ever good. Me gusto!


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