Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Many of us have a sweet tooth, but we’re also aware that excessive sugar isn’t healthy. I believe in a balanced approach to life where desserts are occasional indulgences, not daily sustenance. Lately, I’ve been craving a sweet treat with fall flavors. One of my favorite autumn desserts is my Norwegian Apple Cake, but I also wanted a gluten-free, low-glycemic option in my repertoire. After some experimentation, I came up with this delicious Gluten-Free Spice Cake.

Picante Pinto Bean Soup

Picante Pinto Bean Soup

A quick and easy Picante Pinto Bean Soup. It’s healthy and hearty, and can be served vegan, with cheese and sour cream, or over rice.

Chai Pancakes

Chai Pancakes

He plays his guitar in a small room in the basement, cranking out songs from many genres, but always with precision. When we first met, he would sit on a stool in my kitchen in San Antonio and play on a cheap acoustic guitar that he bought down the road, while I...

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Sitting on our deck, I’m watching a gaggle of wild turkeys in front of me scratching the dirt and pecking at dried-out grass fronds. They are a nervous bunch. Four of the twenty birds are caught in our fenced yard, and in a panic. Ric goes to open the gate and shoo...

Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup

Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup

As the light changes and fall arrives, so does my craving for a little comfort food. Something to eat while we watch a movie with the fireplace warming us. I love these cozy nights when a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese taste so yummy.   Smoky Cream of Tomato...

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

I would toil away late into the evening in the back of my little store, in the kitchen with an apartment electric oven and limited supplies. After my long day, and after all of my customers had left, I would clean up, sweep the floors and then begin preparations for...

Marinated Feta Cheese and Creamy Tzatziki

Marinated Feta Cheese and Creamy Tzatziki

We were lucky enough to have squeezed in a quick trip to Greece just before the lock-downs began. We had such a fun time and found all of the wonderful nooks and crannies of Athens that many people may miss. Besides all of the incredible ancient sites and amazing...

Creamy Zucchini and Potato Soup

Creamy Zucchini and Potato Soup

Seventy degrees one day and the next, we have two feet of snow, but it's not a problem as we have no place to go. One day seems to blend into another and I'm forgetting which day of the week it is. I'm also being super lazy about taking care of things around the...

Arugula, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Arugula, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

This is a nutrient dense salad made with spicy arugula, sweet potato, quinoa (a complete vegan protein), and dried cranberries. I like to serve it on individual plates but you can also toss all of the ingredients into a large bowl and serve it family style.

Apple and Mango Chutney Stuffing

Apple and Mango Chutney Stuffing

Since I am a vegetarian, I'm always charged with making the meat-free dishes for Thanksgiving. I love stuffing and gravy, so I make vegetarian versions of both. Here is a simple recipe for a really delicious vegetarian stuffing that I used to make when I was a...

Roasted Squash, Red Onion and Pomegranate Salad

Roasted Squash, Red Onion and Pomegranate Salad

The quiet was as soft as could be, with only the occasional sound of the kitty's paws padding along the wood floors, so it was a perfect morning to spend a little extra time curled up in bed with the fireplace and a steaming latte warming me up. Outside, the snow was...

Cranberry – Apple Chutney

Cranberry – Apple Chutney

Cranberry–Apple Chutney with its sweet, tart and slightly savory flavors, is delicious as a Thanksgiving side dish, heavenly in a cranberry-apple baked brie, tasty as a condiment served with any poultry dish, and a great addition to a turkey, chicken, or grilled cheese sandwich.

Cranberry – Apple Baked Brie

Cranberry – Apple Baked Brie

Whether you are entertaining at home or bringing a dish to share at a get-together, this Cranberry-Apple Baked Brie is a beautiful, delicious, and impressive appetizer on any table. Using a store-bought puff pastry makes this a fairly simple dish to assemble. Often...

Goat Cheese and Honey Salad

Goat Cheese and Honey Salad

On a recent trip to the wonderful seaside town of Nazaré, Portugal, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a restaurant called Tosca Gastrobar. It had a cozy vibe and absolutely scrumptious food. I was served one of the most delicious and pretty salads there which became the...

Sautéed Shiitake Mushrooms with Polenta

Sautéed Shiitake Mushrooms with Polenta

Sometimes people seem so perplexed when they find out I'm a vegetarian. "What do you eat?" I get asked all the time, and the answer seems so obvious to me - no animals. It is a personal decision I made when I was a child, and it stuck, but it has never been a...

Butterscotch Pudding with Chocolate Ganache

Butterscotch Pudding with Chocolate Ganache

Butterscotch is for many a nostalgic flavor harkening back to our childhoods and small boxes of packaged puddings our parents would make. It's a flavor that has had a recent comeback, and for good reason – it's delicious! Super rich and creamy, this is not the...

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Sometimes you want something warm, creamy and comforting in your belly, don’t you? I do. Pasta shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta, topped with a tangy tomato sauce is the perfect meal for such cravings. I make a Simple Tomato Sauce, but if you want to keep things...

Apple Fennel Tart

Apple Fennel Tart

I wish I could tell you that this apple and fennel tart was my brilliant idea, but the truth is, I tasted something similar at a friend’s house last year. It was different and delicious, so I filed the idea away in my brain to reference later down the line. The...

Spiced Olive Oil and Butternut Squash Cake

Spiced Olive Oil and Butternut Squash Cake

I'm not a big cake eater. It seems that most of the cakes I've been served at restaurants or parties are dry with overly sweet frosting. While the ingredients in this cake may sound a little strange, this Olive Oil and Butternut Squash Cake is a delicious! It has a...

French Almond Pear Tart

French Almond Pear Tart

This is the season when I get to enjoy one of my favorite fruits in an almond and pear tart. The stronger flavored sweet almond filling is a little unusual for a frangipane style tart such as this - and it is delicious. The contrast between the juicy pears and the...

Roasted Tomato and Sweet Pepper Strudel {vegetarian}

Roasted Tomato and Sweet Pepper Strudel {vegetarian}

Every summer I'm on a mission to grow vegetables at our home. Living in the mountains at an altitude of 7,000 feet makes this a great challenge. For the past two years, we have ceremoniously harvested two or three tiny tomatoes and a few basil leaves to make an...

Tamales with Roasted Vegetables

Tamales with Roasted Vegetables

Every year around this time I try to come up with a new holiday recipe that can serve as a vegetarian entrée or a side dish. This year I made a Mexican Nogada sauce, which originated in my family’s hometown of Puebla, Mexico, and paired it with corn and cheese tamales...

Southwest Butternut Squash Soup

Southwest Butternut Squash Soup

November has been a historic and wild month for us Americans. The political scene has made for an emotional rollercoaster and a myriad of distractions. Now that the election is over, I hope for peace, kindness, inclusion, compassion and for love to prevail. As John...

Rustic Vegetable Pie

Rustic Vegetable Pie

We sat outside overlooking the tall pine trees as the sun was setting and the temperature dropping. A couple of candle-lit lanterns gave us just enough of a glow to see the cheese and crackers we were munching on and the red wine we were sipping. Four people, two dogs...

Provincial Tomato and Canellini Bean Bisque

Provincial Tomato and Canellini Bean Bisque

Rustic and provincial dishes are very appealing to me. I enjoy the rough edges and textures. This tomato soup has all the right elements; smooth, with bits of chunky vegetables and cheese covered croutons to soak up some of the delicious bisque. I can imagine being...

Wellness Tea

Wellness Tea

So it's true, yesterday I was in my pjs so late in the day that after I finally showered, I wasn't sure if I should just get back into my jammies or get dressed (I decided to get dressed). This morning I woke up to the beautiful sight of big fluffy snowflakes falling...

Brown-Butter Brandy Bundt Cake

Brown-Butter Brandy Bundt Cake

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by. It was a good one for sure. Ric and I are feeling so blessed for our wonderful children, family and friends, and the joyous experiences and adventures that 2015 brought us. This year has also brought me many new...

Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Onion & Sage Lasagna

Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Onion & Sage Lasagna

Evidence of cheese making dates back to 6,000 BCE, so the recent study likening a cheese addiction to that of heroin really didn’t worry me too much. I don’t smoke, rarely drink, eat a vegetarian diet and live a healthy lifestyle overall, so if cheese is my drug of...

Red Onion Tarte Tatin

Red Onion Tarte Tatin

France has always been a happy and comfortable place for me to visit. There is an approach to the day-to-day lifestyle that appeals to me. From Paris to the small mountain villages above the Cote d'Azure, I am always excited by the history, architecture, food, and ,...