Gluten-Free Goddess : Recipes by Karina

A comforting sweet potato soup for the sun deprived  soul. With ginger. Winter Solstice is approaching fast. The days now are so short I've been warning Steve to hide all sharp instruments. Your intrepid gluten-free goddess, you see, has that infamous seasonal wrestle with gloom this sun deprived time of year. In a perfect world I'd be spending the month of December in Hawaii like certain lucky individuals , soaking up vitamin D with the surfer girls and feeling all mahalo instead of Get me the bleep outa here before I scream . So I've been on a sweet potato kick. I can't get enough of these ruby and golden hued tubers- perfect for winter comfort food. So tasty. And versatile. Astute readers may have noticed the trend already. I've been stuffing enchiladas with cooked sweet potatoes ( vegetarian with black beans ), roasting up Santa Fe seasoned Sweet Potato Fries , and kicking up my gluten-free cornbread to a whole new level. I am, officially, it see

When vegans come to call, serve this rich and dairy-free  Mexican chocolate cake. You'll score serious points. Serious alchemy is afoot in the humble guise of a vegan chocolate cake recipe. You know what I'm talkin' about- those of you out there with me in spirit, baking your tender little hearts out, hoping to conjure edible bites of bliss without gluten, dairy and eggs. It ain't easy. In fact, I'd venture to say that to keep at this thing- this GF/CF and allergy-free baking thing - without losing your ever fragile sanity (never mind your sense of humor) is a heroic act. Pure and simple. To perseverate in the serpentine quest for good (if not fabulous) taste for your food sensitive lover, your vegan sweetheart, your celiac or sensory sensitive angels , for trying again and again to whip up smile inducing foods of love, birthday cakes, and holiday cookies that don't taste like you're licking yesterday's pizza box, I salute you. You (a

A rich, gluten-free chocolate brownie with pecan flour. Everyone needs a rich decadent brownie treat now and then. Especially if you wake up to snow and ice and no electricity. Which means of course, no heat. No hot water. No shower. Which translates into one very bad hair day. And one prickly, cranky goddess. I'm serious. What does Mother Nature think this is, December? Oh. Wait. I've been deep in denial, I admit it. I've been distracting myself tweaking blog color schemes and rustling up pumpkin waffles and cozy soups and watching old Humphrey Bogart movies and downloading music pretending Autumn Shade is forever. But winter, I hate to tell you, is only twelve days away, inching closer every shivering second. It's a good thing we have a kiva fireplace and a stack of pinon outside the door. With nothing to do, I bundled up and settled in to read (long overdue) Temple Grandin's amazing book Animals In Translation .

Need wheat-free gluten-free baking tips? Help is Here. Here's what works- and what doesn't- in quirky Gluten-Free Baking and Substitution Land. From Karina, Gluten-Free Goddess®. Baking Substitutions for Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free and More Notes on GF Flours: Gluten-free non-wheat flours generally fall into three basic weights- light starch, all-purpose medium, or heavier whole grain. A blend of medium and heavy flours with some starch mixed in to lighten, tenderize, and help bind the batter or dough works best, and tastes best (too much starch can result in a gummy texture). Light, starchy GF flours include sweet rice flour, white rice flour, and the ubiquitous gluten-free starches- tapioca starch, cornstarch, potato starch (NOT potato flour, which is whole different animal) and arrowroot starch. Medium flours are akin to 'all purpose flour'- these include sorghum flour, certified gluten-free oat flour, and superfine brown rice flour. If you cannot find sorg

Artichokes and a creamy sauce make this pasta pure comfort food. Dairy-Free Creamy Goodness This was almost a vegan recipe. Until I added the bacon. Non-carnivores, I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. I was standing there (quite innocent!) in my humble little kitchen stirring this velvety dairy-free cream sauce (that I'd just improvised with some leftover sweet potato) listening to my pick-me-up when I'm draggin' 80's playist ( Phil Collins , The Church , Suzanne Vega , Tears For Fears , Wham! and Simple Minds ) when I remembered the smoky gluten-free and casein-free Sunday bacon Steve had cooked earlier.  And that, as they say in Guy Ritchie land, was Bob's yer uncle . And speaking of Tears For Fears - I have one quick question. Does everybody want to rule the world? Because to me, it seems like too much work. For those of you who are fans of my Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe and well acquainted with nutritional yeast - a fab source of thos

Here's a cozy autumn casserole recipe. Start with crumbled organic turkey, mushrooms, black olives and tart cranberries. Vegetarians can change out the turkey with gluten-free tempeh, cooked black beans, chick peas, or white kidney beans. From time to time I become a flexitarian goddess and cook with organic, free-range turkey, beef or buffalo. I chose organic free range turkey for the protein in this family style layered dish, but organic free-range chicken or beef, or even gluten-free tempeh would also work beautifully. The recipe is an improv, so the measurements are close approximations, but most of you readers are creative cooks who do your own thing and toss together your own improvisations, anyway, right?  You're my kind of people.  You can handle it.

Enchiladas photo courtesy Whole Foods Market © 2008 Budget Friendly Vegan + Gluten-Free ... DELICIOUSNESS I am very excited to announce that my recipe for Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas has won the Whole Foods Market Budget Recipe Challenge . A hearty thank you to all who voted for the recipe- and highlighted this gluten-free vegetarian entry. I am overwhelmed by the support. Over 1,300 of you took the time to vote! And I appreciate it with all my heart. Karina xox

Roasted vegetables. Divine. As you may have guessed from my last recipe , they are a favorite staple at our house. And beyond easy. We make them at least twice a week- a convivial ritual. Steve and I join forces in the kitchen at dinner hour and cut up heaps of vegetables and talking politics. Or religion. Human behavior. Projection. Affect and temperament. All those spiky topics your grandmother warned you not to talk about at dinner parties (or at least in mixed company). We talk, all right. And talk. After all, we're simpatico. We're on the same ethical and moral page. We share the same values ( muy importante in a marriage, let me tell you). And we're on safe ground here in our tiny desert kitchen- at least as long as the bank holding the mortgage doesn't go belly up (but money is another topic a "polite" woman doesn't discuss). Steve and I are as fearless and hopeful with another as we were on our very first date- a cup of cof

A warm and spicy pumpkin cake recipe for autumn. Fall is my favorite season- for more reasons than I can count. Clear cool mornings that reinvigorate my affection for walking- not to mention- turning on the oven to bake. The freshened sense of new beginnings- yes, I know, I'm weird this way. Rather than the greening of spring, it's the winged migration of fall that kindles my creative spirit. Fall feels like a fresh start, the smell of sharpened pencils, crisp white sheets of paper and a new box of crayons. Time to stack unread books by the bed, recycle old clothes, worn out paradigms and old ideas. Time to get the broom and make a clean sweep of things. Change. It feels urgent this year in a very visceral way. A gut level need to purge and move forward. To peel off the cataracts of denial and inertia and take on reality. A deep maternal instinct that growls with insistence and fidelity to truth, to what is nurturing, necessary and good not only for the soul,

New Mexico flavors inspire the senses.   Harvest season in New Mexico smells like roasting green chiles. Everywhere. It's true. And it's seductive. Some might even say, magical. But beyond the smoky sweetness that tugs at your suddenly empty and ravenous belly there is something else in the cool dry air, some intoxicating, invigorating whiff of the impossible, the extraordinary, the stuff of dreams. Barely there. Unless you pay attention to it. A shape shift at the corner of your eye. A rainbow over the mesa. A wing. The yelp of a coyote. The sudden purple of autumn asters in the rain carved arroyo. New Mexico enchants her visitors. It’s a feast of color and tastes spiked with the scents of juniper, chile and sage. To celebrate its flavors I have gathered my New Mexican inspired recipes for you- a reference to tempt you. Until you visit New Mexico. And find your own rainbow , waiting. My Santa Fe + Mexican Inspired Recipes Acorn Squash wit

Gluten-free corn muffins with a pumpkin twist. Pumpkin + Cornmeal Today's muffin recipe is seasonal favorite- a tender and golden pumpkin corn muffin. It's one of the most popular recipes on Gluten-Free Goddess. The coyotes were up bright and early this morning, yelping in the cool blue air as my old English tea kettle sputtered and complained. Tea for breakfast is not an efficient way to wake up. It's more of a coaxing than the throttle of a double espresso fueled Americano, but right here, right now, it will have to do. At least this week. The closest cafe is an hour's drive away. 

  Espresso laced chocolate chip cookies- gluten-free + vegan. You knew it was only a matter of time before I'd post another cookie recipe . I love baking cookies- it's painfully obvious. (What the bleep else are you going to do in the desert, stuck out in the middle of sand and pinon with no neighbors to speak of- if you don't count the coyotes and stink bugs, that is?) That's right. You start thinking about gluten-free flours and raw agave nectar and semi-sweet chocolate chips. You conjure cookie dough in your mind's eye- a richly flavored hearty dough made with buckwheat, millet and quinoa flours. You add a generous dusting of cinnamon. Some strong and hot espresso. Bourbon vanilla. You taste the dough on your fingers. This is gonna work, you say out loud. So you write it all down on a slip of paper. You slide a baking sheet into the waiting oven. The kitchen starts to smell like the bakery in Stranger Than Fiction . Warm and spicy a

Quinoa salad with fresh lime and mint. Quinoa. My new comfort food. Simple, fresh and endlessly adaptable to all kinds of creative additions and tweaks. Make it your own with your favorite garden veggies, fresh herbs and add-ins. To inspire you, here is a very easy, quick summer combo. Cheers! Karina xo Quinoa Salad Recipe with Lime + Fresh Mint Recipe posted August 2008 by Karina Allrich. This cool, refreshing salad (which just so happens to be vegan and naturally gluten-free) reminds me of tabbouleh- a Middle Eastern style pasta dish I used to love. What makes a quinoa salad taste so fabulous? Fresh mint, lime juice and good tasting extra virgin olive oil. Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa 2 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil Juice from 2 limes 2-3 fresh mint sprigs, leaves removed and chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves or parsley Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste A handful of sweet and ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered 2 tablespo

I love lettuce cups and garden wraps- so fresh and light. Too hot to cook and you're contemplating going gluten-free to boot? Try a greenwich on for size. Garden fresh lettuce wraps make for an ultra-easy lunch that is perfect for sizzling summer days. Wrap or cradle your favorite sandwich filling with tender Boston lettuce or crisp romaine. Stuff smaller cups with your favorite salad or use larger leaves to wrap and roll a layered classic. One of the first recipes I started with on my gluten-free journey years ago was the simple idea of wrapping various sandwich fillings in crisp washed lettuce leaves. The possibilities are endless. Boston lettuce (aka butter lettuce) leaves make deliciously tender wraps. Romaine is sturdier; fill it lengthwise- like a boat- and simply fold it, rib on bottom. When fillings are messy, wrap the wrap with a piece of wax paper, plastic wrap or foil. Lettuce wraps are great fun for kids. Set up a buffet style Greenwich Bar- with all the fixin's

Gluten-Free  Piñon Rice Casserole Bake Here's a favorite make-ahead rice dish recipe with Mediterranean flavors- artichokes, plum tomatoes, pine nuts and goat cheese. Entertaining made simple. And there are never any leftovers. Having someone new over for dinner always sends me into a flurry of activity fueled by nervous energy and worry. I obsess over obscure details (like an iTune playlist), change my mind about the menu (wait- enchiladas or lasagna?), forget ingredients (dagnabbit! the green beans are still in the car). So I've learned (yes, the hard way) to always make a few key dishes ahead of time. Then dinner is basically done. And I'm not stuck in the kitchen spilling olive oil on a new silk shirt. I can relax (well, sort of). And- goddess willing- I won't set the oven on fire because I'm too busy discussing politics or the lovely, silver haired Anderson Cooper. Piñon  Rice Bake Recipe with Artichokes, Pine nuts and Goat Cheese