My First Post from New Mexico

{photo removed when the deal fell through}

I wish I could say I've missed my computer but the truth is I've been luxuriating in the real world, drinking in the color, skies and sunlit warmth of Northern New Mexico, and tossing together simple rustic meals that I pause at [briefly!] and wistfully murmur, I should blog this; but then I sigh, and dig in with my rented fork and sip a soft Pinot Noir [half the price of what I paid for it back east] and listen to the birds in the wisteria laden courtyard outside the rented kitchen window and if I miss anything at all, I miss you all, and wish you were here with me in real time conversation [you know, that way of communicating where eyes meet eyes and smiles can be felt and laughter fills your chest with a sudden ache of sheer and simple bliss]. I don't miss my computer in the least [though I'll have to buckle down and get one once we move in to our new home].

We found a house - and not just a house - but a place to live in and paint in and cook in and wake every day in and sip coffee looking at the mountains from the kitchen sink in. I'll post more about it as time allows [and I steal time at Steve's laptop]. Pictures, too. Promise. Here's a sneak peek - we move in late June...and here's a hint - it's not in Santa Fe, but north of it.

adobe New Mexico moving

Imagining the New

 Roasted vegetables on brown rice pasta.

The house is looking bare now but for boxes stacked in corners [scribbled with colored markers: art books, cook books, fiction, Jungian]. The movers will be here May 1st. We're moving only books, paintings, music, photos, and the boys' artwork/school projects.

The next big thing is the estate sale. I’ve been piling all the odds and ends and books for sale in the downstairs studio. Clothes gathering in the spare closet wait for strange shoulders and hips - somber winter coats and velvet skirts and black designer dresses I will never wear again [not that I wear many dresses – I live in jeans; two dresses still sported TJ Maxx price tags from the fall of 2002.] We’re selling every stick of furniture.

The more I shed the more I want to shed.

Food has been simple, pure comfort food. Last night was Tinkyada brown rice pasta tossed in butter and olive oil and grated Parmesan, then smothered with balsamic roasted vegetables spiked with garlic and capers and charred just enough, so tender and sweet they melted on the tongue. The Pinot slid down easily. We held hands and conjured New Mexico and future margaritas. Kivas and nichos. Vigas and coyote fences. We imagined where we might be. What kind of space? A streamlined loft? A small casita? We are open to everything.

Three weeks to go.

Blue Chip Frittata

The easiest way to make eggs tasty and elegant- with blue corn chips.

Blue Chip Frittata Recipe

I had a frustrating day in the studio. We're in the thick of our house sale/moving process. Leftover blue corn chips from Friday's nachos were calling. So I thought I'd whip up something fun for a quick and easy bite to eat.

What you'll need:

Organic Blue or Gold Corn Chips- enough for one layer in an ovenproof omelette pan

A few organic grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

A spoonful of chopped roasted red peppers

2-3 oz. crumbled feta or goat cheese (or vegan cheese)

4 large organic free-range eggs

1/3 Greek style yogurt

Fresh chopped basil, parsley or cilantro

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil an oven proof 8-inch omelet pan.

Layer the blue corn chips into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top the chips with tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Sprinkle with crumbled feta or goat cheese.

Whisk the eggs with the yogurt and chopped herbs till fluffy and pour the mixture all over the chips. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.

Bake in a hot oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggs are set and the frittata is golden.

How easy is that?

Serves 2.

Make this dairy-free with vegan "cheese" and plain unsweetened non-dairy yogurt.

Printer-friendly recipe.

Spaghetti Squash a la Susan

The best thing about food blogging? Sharing recipes and seeing how cooks and food bloggers interpret, tweak and improve upon your recipe. My talented friend Susan at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen has just posted her version of my Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole, and darlings, it's not to be missed! It's gorgeous and inspired.

Moving Update::

Craziness ensues here. The oil tank is being drained, dismantled and replaced [with walls coming down and going back up]. Strange sweaty men are crawling around the attic and snooping in the cellar netherlands. Running hot water in the bath tubs. Leaving blackened finger prints on the ceiling. Do you imagine I'll be glad when this process is over?

What does this piece of technology cost, you ask? Darling, you don't want to know. You'll be thinking about all the wine, great meals and kitchen tools this could have bought...not to mention, air fare to Italy. Well, at least Napa Valley. Or Hawaii.

Bits & Pieces::

We're having an estate sale April 28th.
Closing May 4th.
Flying to Albuquerque May 4th.

What have we been eating?

Lots of Brown Rice & Roasted Vegetables, Balsamic Roasted Veggie Smothered Baked Potatoes, Spinach & Cheddar Quesadillas. Easy. Fast. Too tired to cook food.

I hope to post again soon. Until then, be well and eat well, and enjoy the first [longer] days of spring!

gluten free recipes vegetarian vegan roasted vegetables brown rice

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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Kicked Up 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 split pea soup. It's an easy soup to make. I kicked it up with coconut milk and jalapeños. It was lip-smacking tasty. Trust me.

You won't miss the ham hock.

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