Monday, August 21, 2006

Maui Wowee Cookie Bars with Coconut & Chocolate Chips


Gluten free coconut chocolate chip cookie bars
Gluten-free cookie bars with coconut and chocolate.

Ah. Savor this Maui Wowee goodness- a delicious coconut chocolate chip cookie bar recipe. But first, a little back story. I remember the first gluten-free cookie I ever ate. I was a week into this new gluten-free lifestyle, knowing- by my body's dramatic response to giving up gluten- I was on the right track. I was feeling hopeful, deprived, relieved, angry and curious all at once.

So, Dear Reader, I took my first bite.

The store-bought cookie tasted like dog biscuit dust. Like a thawed frozen pizza box whizzed in a Cuisinart. Like a stale corner crumble from last year's abandoned Christmas cookie tin from your aunt that can't cook and pontificates about politics over instant coffee, Sara Lee pound cake and her gently crushed pack of Virginia Slims.

My husband and sons felt sorry for me (though they masked it with humor, tossing cookies out the back door into the night like so many flying hockey pucks). The worst of it? They felt powerless to help.

That's when I knew.


Continue reading

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Mediterranean Chicken with Vinegar Roasted Peppers


Easy baked chicken and peppers makes a tasty weeknight supper.

The local markets and farm stands are stacked with peppers of every color, size and shape, ripe and gorgeous and full of vitamin C. From round, crisp and sweet to curvy-sexy and fiery, peppers are abundant now, so flavorful and fabulous. Note: New Mexico green and red chiles are a blog unto themselves; find How To Make a Roasted Green Chile sauce here.

Today I wanted to share an easy family favorite I tossed together after a tech-focused day learning the ins and outs of my spanking new iMac computer [which I confess right now, I love with all my tender geeky heart].


Continue reading

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Desert Skies


The journey here was a twisting road, leading us always north, always expectant, more than once lost, or disappointed, looking for tiny clues swept clean by the hot desert winds that teased and preceeded us and left the landscape rolling and tidal and smelling of sunlit juniper and sage. We've been told [by those who know such things] that the high desert here will draw you in with a force like a magnet, and instigate your dreams - not the angel-sugared bedtime dreams of lullabies, but the tough stuff. The unconscious Self. The Shadow. And if you falter, if you brace yourself with old defenses and cling to the familiarity of ego, she spits you out. And sends you packing. It's not for everyone.


I took the sign of four ravens, perched high in a tall juniper near the casita in the rain, as a good omen. I've always been a friend to crows and crooked beaks. A rainbow over the mesa at dusk didn't hurt my feelings, either. There have been hummingbirds visiting daily. And this morning, as Steve wrote in silence by the window at daybreak, the golden hued coyote that trotted past hunting for rabbits made us both smile in gratitude. This is a dream come true all right. But as a wise soul once said, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. In other words, be ready for it when it comes. Be awake. Be open. Shed the old. Embrace the different.


The desert is living, sacred ground with a heartstopping spirit of place. You sense life force in every direction. Presence. Vigilance. And dreaming. The desert conjures her own dreams, you soon realise; and you are only a grain in the palm of her sweeping change.

As we settle in and cook and read and walk and converse, the desert infuses us. The skies exhilarate us. The vivid moon and stars inspire us.

Next, I will post recipes, and photographs of my new kitchen, my painting studio, our kivas [we have two!]. Until then, I thought I'd share some slices of our view.

Thank you all for your messages these past weeks - I read every one - and it made me full and fat with gratitude.


Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Blogging by next week...

A quick update from a wireless cafe in Santa Fe: after several delays [closing issues], we're finally moved in! We love our new casita; and I'll be connected [via satellite] after August 14th.

I've missed you all!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

It's a go - and I'll be back

It's a go - we're moving tomorrow! [closing in a week or so]. I'll be off-line for two weeks until I get myself a computer. I thought I might leave you with two views - the first, our backyard...





...and our view down the road...


Hasta luego, when I'll be cooking in my new kitchen [and blogging new recipes]!

love & a big sigh of relief from Northern New Mexico,

Karina



Sunday, July 9, 2006

Vegan + Vegetarian Recipe Index


Note from Karina:
This is the original Gluten-Free Goddess index of vegan and vegetarian recipes. Please change your bookmarks to the new updated vegan-vegetarian index here.
Thanks!



Appetizers and Snacks

Basil Mint Parsley Pesto
Brown Rice Tortilla Chips
Crispy Potato Sticks with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Easy Guacamole with Lime
Egg-Free Olive Oil Mayo
Garlic Sesame Crackers

How To Make a Vegan Herb Pesto
Hummus Tahini with Spiced Oil
Joey's Kicked Up Rockin' Guac with Lime + Tomatillos
Lime + Jalapeño Hummus

Pecan Crackers
Potato Chips- Gold + Sweet

Roasted Eggplant Tapenade
Roasted Vegetable Salsa
Roasted Yellow Tomato Salsa
Savory Vegetable Pancakes
Winter Pesto


Main Dishes

A Veggie Lover's Shepherd's Pie
Asparagus and Leek Risotto

Baked Mac & Cheese- Dairy-Free
Best Vegan Mac & Cheese
Butternut Chili

Crock Pot Curry with Coconut Milk
Curried Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Grilled Veggie Skewers

How to Cook Quinoa- the Super Easy Way
Karina's Cheesy Uncheese Sauce
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Pasta & Veggie Toss Revisited

Quinoa + Roasted Sweet Potato Stuffed Cabbage
Quinoa Salad with Yellow Tomatoes, Kalalmata Olives and Mint
Quinoa Stir-Fry with Summer Vegetables
Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ratatouille on Polenta with Baby Greens
Roasted Acorn Squash Risotto
Roasted Brussels Sprout Medley with Butter Beans & Rice
Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasted Vegetable Chowder
Roasted Vegetables and Brown Rice
Roasted Vegetables in a Nest

Sexy Spring Pasta- with roasted asparagus
Spaghetti Squash New Mexican with Black Beans and Lime
Stir-Fry Veggie Bliss

Vegan Garden Loaf with Maple Apricot Glaze
Vegan Pasta Pie
Vegetarian Mulligatawny
Vegetarian Green Chile Recipe for Stew or Casseroles


Soups and Stew

African Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Carrot Soup
Celery Soup with Fennel with Ryeless Rye Croutons
Curried Butternut Soup
Easy Sweet Potato Soup

Kicked Up Coconut Split Pea Soup
Mexican Pumpkin Soup with Black Beans and Lime

Potato Leek Soup
Potato Soup for the Sensitive Soul
Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup
Purple Cabbage + Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasted Vegetable Chowder
Sneaky Tomato Soup
Spicy Vegetable Soup with Lime
Sunshine Butternut Soup
Sweet Potato Soup with Ginger

Two Artists Chili
Vegetarian Mulligatawny
Vegan Gluten-Free Breads

Delicious Gluten-Free Bread (rice-free, egg, bean and soy-free)


Vegan Gluten-Free Ryeless "Rye" Bread (rice-free, bean and soy-free)


Vegan Muffins, Breakfast Brownies, Scones and Tea Breads






Side Dishes




Salads + Picnic Food









Vegan + Dairy-Free Dessert Recipes













Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Recipes



All my vegetarian and vegan recipes are gluten-free and soy-free.