Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup

A gorgeous vegetarian soup for the soul- gluten and dairy-free

Sweet potatoes add body and a boost of color and to one of my seasonal favorites- pumpkin soup. But before I get to the recipe, Dear Reader, I just need to kvetch a little. This won't take long.

You see, I am cooking from the left side of my brain- and I don't like it one bit. Well, truth be told, I'm actually doing more consulting in the kitchen than chopping and stirring and getting my hands all nice and sticky.

Which is exactly the point.

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Royal Icing and Icing Bags

Royal icing....it may just be the easiest icing you will ever make. It is perfect for cookie decorating. Royal icing dries hard and shiny, so cookies can be stacked and icing stays pretty when cookies are packaged.

To start, you'll need meringue powder. Ateco is my favorite...I think I've tried them all. :) It is a little hard to find, so any meringue powder will work. Follow the instructions for Royal Icing that come with your meringue powder. The most important step: sift the powdered sugar! Believe me, I've tried to shortcut this step...it doesn't work. (My favorite powdered sugars are Domino and C & H, but as you can see from the picture, any will do. Imperial is easier to find in the 1 pound boxes.)

No matter what recipe you're using, you will beat the icing until it comes to a stiff peak. When the beater is pulled from the icing, the peak should stand steady. You can also pull the beater off the mixer and hold the whisk attachment upright. The peak should stand, even if you wiggle it.

At this point, you can add a few drops of flavoring if desired. Remember to use a clear flavor as brown will tint the icing.

Pastry bags...I can't say enough about disposable decorating bags! They are great. The 100 bag box is a perfect use for the weekly 40% off Michael's coupon. :) Use the bags with the white couplers to easily change out the tips with the same bag of icing.

Once you've filled the bag with icing (I generally only fill half to 2/3 full), twist the top and stand upright in a glass. If your bag will be sitting awhile unused, place a dampened paper towel in the bottom. Just be sure to squeeze a little icing out first before going to the cookie. The tip might be too wet and you'll have a water blotch.

Christmas Wreaths

Here's an easy Christmas wreath cookie...a great cookie for beginners! This little wreath was the first Christmas cookie I ever tried. It's great on it's own or to add to a Christmas assortment.

1. Outline the bow in white icing using a #3 tip.
2. Outline the wreath using the same tip and icing meeting up with the ribbon outline.
3. Thin red icing to the consistency of syrup and fill in outlined bow using a toothpick to guide into corners. Use a squeeze bottle for easy filling. (AmeriColor Super Red)
4. Thin green icing and fill in wreath outline using technique above. (Spectrum Leaf Green)
5. Enjoy! :)

Change it up a bit by outlining the bow in red and wreath in green. Add red berries on the wreath after the green icing has dried at least one hour.

Tips on tips

There are a lot of icing tips to choose from, but for decorating cookies, you only need a few. The tips I use the most are the plain rounded tips...#1, #2 and #3 (the numbers are printed on the tips). Tips 2 and 3 are perfect for piping outlines; the #1 tip is wonderful for personalization and small detail work. It's nice to have a few larger round tips on hand for larger dots. When used with a coupler, seen in the picture, tips can easily be easily changed on the same icing bag.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Berry Muffins

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Berry Muffins

You're gonna love the taste of these winter berry studded pumpkin muffins. They taste tart and sweet and grainy-tender all at once.

Yesterday we woke up to a surprise. The mesa and distant hills were powdered in white. The first snow of the season (am I ready for this?). The Kokopelli thermometer read twenty-two degrees. Extra thick toasty socks were needed. Steve made a morning fire in the kiva to warm us. Lucky for me, we had baked some pumpkin muffins this week. Tender, comfy break apart soul food for this bone-shivery goddess to nibble with her tea.

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Dotty

When I first learned to add flat dots in my icing, I loved them so much, I wanted to add them to everything!

You can use varying shades of the same color, or different colors.

A few tips for adding dots...

• Thin both colors of icing with water to approximately the same consistency, like a syrup. One shouldn't be noticeably thinner than the other.
• Flood the cookie with the base color first and spread with a toothpick.
• While the base color is still wet, add the dots using a squeeze bottle. The dots must be added to the wet icing, but do give the base color a few minutes to set. Adding the dots right way, especially dark on light, may cause some bleeding into the main icing as it dries.
• If the bleeding does happen, don't worry...it's just a cookie! Most people won't notice and just want to eat them. :)

A Trio of Tasty Turkey Recipes

Gluten-free turkey tetrazzini- a retro classic, updated.

Thanksgiving will be cactus quiet here in the desert north of Santa Fe. No traveling. No fuss for us. Yet I felt inspired to thumb through my recipe file today. It's just habit. I guess it's not easy to let go of cooking for a family. Not yet, anyway. I still cook for four- even though we are down to two. I still buy too many salad greens. And big banana bunches that inevitably morph into black and reeking fruit fly magnets. It's okay. I shrug it off. I tell myself I'm on a learning curve. Not a bad place to be at fifty-three. Still learning.

Here are three yummy ways to use up leftover cruelty-free turkey. Consider this my modest Thank You to all you fabulous readers- for all your thoughtful comments, suggestions, and get well messages. You're the best!

Jazzed Up Turkey Tetrazzini

Here's my unconventional dairy-free version of a retro sixties classic. Gluten-free spaghetti makes fabulous tetrazzini.

For the filling:

A dash of olive oil, as needed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips (thin sticks)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 lb. sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

12 oz. gluten-free quinoa linguini or brown rice spaghetti cooked to al dente (still firm), rinsed, drained

3 cups hand-torn cooked free-range organic turkey pieces
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons light olive oil
4 tablespoons white rice flour
2 cups non-dairy rice milk (or milk)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
Optional- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, for flavor
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
1 teaspoon tarragon or parsley
Sea salt and ground pepper or paprika, to taste

For the crumb topping:

2 cups Crunchy Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (tossed in olive oil or melted vegan margarine)

1 teaspoon French herbs- or parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a 10x13-inch baking dish or deep casserole.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a large skillet and lightly saute the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms till tender; set aside.

Arrange the cooked spaghetti in the baking dish.

Toss the turkey pieces in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with a little sea salt and pepper.

Add the skillet veggies to the noodles in the baking dish.

Make your sauce:

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the flour; stir to make a paste; briefly stir over heat for about three minutes- to cook out the "flour" flavor. Slowly add a cup of the rice milk and continue stirring until it starts to thicken; add the second cup of rice milk, heat and stir till thickened. I like to use a whisk at this point.

If you are using the nutritional yeast, you can add it in and whisk to combine. Add the broth. Continue to heat gently for another five to seven minutes, stirring often. Add the sherry, tarragon and a dash of sea salt and pepper, to taste. In fact- taste test. If it needs a flavor boost, add a pinch more salt, a dash of herbs or sherry. You can also add a dash of nutmeg or mustard if you like.

Pour the sauce over the veggies and noodles and use a fork to shimmy the goodies so that the sauce seeps in and around- this keeps everything moist and happy.

Top with the Crunchy Golden GF Bread Crumbs. (I like to place a few of the mushroom slices on the top, too- I think it looks pretty.)

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until piping hot and bubbling.

To be totally retro, serve with green beans sprinkled with slivered almonds.

Serves 4 to 6.

Printer-friendly tetrazzini recipe

These turkey enchiladas are tasty and gluten-free.

Holiday Turkey Enchiladas

You will love these super easy enchiladas featuring torn pieces of tender free-range chicken, lime juice, chunks of sweet pineapple, and spicy salsa. Espeically after Thanksgiving, when all the traditional Pilgrim-inspired foods have shared their hand-holding moment in the fast fading sun.

3 cups of your favorite salsa- spicy or mild

4-5 cups of cooked free-range organic turkey, hand torn or shredded

Juice from one fresh lime

2-4 tablespoons sour cream- light or regular or vegan for dairy-free

Sea salt and ground pepper

Pinch of cumin

Light olive oil, as needed

12 corn tortillas

1 cup diced pineapple

2 4-oz. cans chopped green chiles, drained

2 cups shredded Jalapeño Jack cheese- or vegan Jack for non-dairy

Hot red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour about a half cup of salsa into the bottom a large lightly oiled 10x13" baking dish- or use two smaller pans, for six enchiladas each.

Place the torn turkey pieces into a bowl and squeeze lime juice all over the cooked turkey; add enough sour cream to moisten; stir; season with sea salt and pepper, and cumin; toss well to coat.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and heat one corn tortilla until softened, turning it over once to coat with oil. Place the tortilla into the sauced baking dish; fill with 1/12 of the turkey pieces, and roll up seam side down, placing it at the far end of the dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, adding more oil, if needed.

Pour the remaining salsa over the rolled tortillas. Top with the diced pineapple, then the green chiles. Sprinkle with cheese and red pepper flakes.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven until the enchiladas are bubbling and heated through, about 30 minutes.

For a homemade authentic green chile sauce recipe, try here.

Serves 6

Printer-friendly enchilada recipe

Gluten-free nachos, Baby.

Turkey Nachos

Here's a non-conventional way to use up cruelty-free turkey leftovers Santa Fe style. Use a combo of organic blue and yellow corn chips and scatter on lots of sliced pickled jalapeños. It's an unbeatable combination.

3 heaping cups organic blue corn tortilla chips

3 heaping cups organic yellow corn tortilla chips

Extra virgin olive oil

2 cups hand torn cooked free-range organic turkey pieces

4 oz. Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded- use vegan cheese for dairy-free

A big handful of organic sweet grape tomatoes, halved

3-4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos- or use chopped mild green chiles

A sprinkle of good chili powder or chipotle powder, to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper.

Layer the blue and yellow corn tortilla chips in the bottom of the lined pan; drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and hand toss to coat evenly.

Scatter the turkey pieces on top of the corn chips. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Layer the tomatoes, jalapeños, and the remaining shredded cheese. Believe it or not, drizzle a little more olive oil all over the the nachos. Add a dusting of spices, to taste, and chopped cilantro, if desired.

Bake in a hot oven for about seven to ten minutes, or so, until the cheese has melted and the nachos are happy and sizzling.

Crack open some crisp and cold gluten-free beer. You can even be post-holiday decadent and serve these nachos right from the roasting pan. Okay, I admit it. We're casual here. We eat nachos right out of the pan- with our fingers.

Serves 4.

Gobble, Gobble

To make these turkey cookies:

1. Outline the turkey body in brown using a #2 tip. (Spectrum Chocolate Brown)
2. Thin royal icing in brown, red, orange and yellow to the consistency of thick syrup. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for several minutes. Run a rubber spatula through the icing to pop any bubbles that formed on the top. Pour into 4 separate squeeze bottles. (Red: AmeriColor Super Red, Orange: AmeriColor Orange mixed with a few drops of Super Red, Yellow: AmeriColor Gold mixed with Americolor Egg Yellow)
3. Fill in (flood) the turkey shape with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to spread to corners.
4. FOR DOTS: While the icing is still wet, drop dots of red, orange and yellow onto the brown icing.
   FOR FEATHERS: While the icing is still wet, squeeze a curved line in each color. Immediately run a toothpick through the icing at intervals going toward the middle to make feathers.
5. While the flood icing is drying, use a #1 tip and un-thinned orange icing to pipe the feet and beak.
6. Make the "wattle" from un-thinned red icing using a #1 tip.
7. After the brown icing has dried at least one hour, use a #1 or #2 tip to pipe an eye in black. (Spectrum Super Black)

I can't live without...

PARCHMENT PAPER!!!

This stuff is the best! Cookies don't stick and don't over brown. I like parchment paper more so than baking mats because it can be cut to any size cookie sheet.

Give Thanks

It's that time of year to really be thankful for our blessings. Here's how to make these sweet little pilgrim boys and girls: (All icing is royal icing)

1. Using a #2 tip, outline ears and bottom of the faces onto cookie with fleshtone colored icing. (AmeriColor Copper/Fleshtone)
2. Using a #2 tip, outline hair with yellow icing, meeting up with flesh outline. Use the same icing to outline cookie edge. (Spectrum Lemon Yellow mixed with AmeriColor Egg Yellow)
3. Outline pilgrim hat with a #3 tip, meeting with pilgrim hair. (Spectrum Super Black)
4. Thin fleshtone icing to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit several minutes. Stir gently to pop bubbles that have formed on top. Pour into a squeeze bottle and fill in the pilgrim faces. Use a toothpick to coax the icing into all corners and to edges.
5. Using the same method as above, fill in yellow hair and black hat.
6. Thin white royal icing and fill in remainder of the cookie.
7. Let dry for 1 hour.
8. Using a #1 tip, dot eyes on the faces.
9. Using a #1 tip, add a buckle to the hat and detail to hair.
10. Let dry overnight. (This is a must for the next step.)
11. With food coloring pens, add a mouth and "give thanks", or personalization would be nice here for place cards. (AmeriColor Gourmet Writer pens)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Holiday Tips

Getting through the holidays gluten and dairy free can be tough. Let me tell ya. But then, the holidays were always a challenge for me because I was mostly vegetarian for decades (meaning ovo-lacto vegetarian and sometimes vegan). In truth, Gentle Reader, my holiday foods have often tended, shall we say, to be a tad different from mainstream holiday fare.

Being the wild and free goddess-in-training I was back in those golden zen-kissed crunchy pre-celiac days, I learned early on how to tweak traditional recipes and reinvent old favorites- like using coconut milk as a vegan (non-dairy) sub in whipped sweet potatoes (everyone loved this!) and subbing butter and cream with vegetable broth and crushed roasted garlic in fluffy smashed potatoes. No one missed the animal fat (unless they were just being polite).

My stuffing back then (baked as a casserole) was naturally gluten-free. I used cubes of toasted cornbread tossed with a skillet of softened onions, celery, chopped apple and cranberries seasoned with a touch of curry- then moistened with broth and baked till golden- sometimes with pine nuts or pecans on top.

Instead of serving green beans swimming in canned mushroom soup (because I never- and I mean, never- got the appeal of that goopy combination) I roasted fresh green beans in sea salt and balsamic vinegar- just until tender-crisp. Or did this simple but elegant recipe with pomegranate glaze.

Lucky for me, I enjoyed thinking "outside the box". And in my vegan years- not once- did I make a turkey out of tofu.

Who needs tofurky when you have Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas?

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Acorn Squash with Green Chiles and Equal Love

My kinda squash. Kicked up with green chiles.

I deeply (if not profoundly) doubt the ever expanding food blog galaxy needs yet another squash recipe, but.

I can't help myself.

Right before the Charlie Brown style tile floor smack down (aka hip incident), I threw together a flavor combo I am crazy about. Nutty for. Head over heals smack your lips and toss aside your chaste maple syrup Pilgrim traditions for. That's right. I got radical.

I added chopped roasted New Mexican green chiles to my roasted acorn squash. And a sexy pinch of cumin. A golden drizzle of fruity olive oil. Impudent changes to the way we do things around here that would have sent a certain lanky, curly-haired ex-boyfriend of mine scurrying for his cream of mushroom soup casserole. In other words, Gentle Reader, home to Mommy.

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Gluten-Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Gluten-free banana chocolate chip bread. Yum.

Score one for banana bread lovers. After more than a few banana-induced mishaps (who knew baking egg-free gluten-free casein-free banana breads would prove so harrowing and unappealingly gummy and well, just plain spirit crushing?) Steve and I produced a sweet and tender banana loaf worthy of a mention.

A shout of big thanks goes out to my buddy Clare from Massachusetts (you remember Clare- she generously shared her brownie recipe with me back in the day). Clare posted her banana bread recipe on the Celiac Listserv last week. I veganized Clare's ingredients to make this recipe egg-free and dairy-free. And then, well, I simply had to add chocolate chips. After all, chocolate is goddess food.

And what's a banana without a little chocolate?

Just another naked banana.

And when you have a partner/husband like Steve (who, by the way, as you would expect, has been a champ through my hip healing process- hefting laundry, dusting (yes, that's right, dusting), bringing me mugs of hot apple cider (with a cinnamon stick!) and just plain cooking up a storm on my famished behalf)- who sweetly asks, Would you like me to grill your slice of Banana Chocolate Chip Bread?--- you blush, Dear Reader, and realize (once again) you've married the right man.

The man who knows you like your chocolate dark and melty and warm on your tongue. For breakfast.

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Gluten-Free Grains: Quinoa, Rice + Side Dishes

Sorry! This recipe idex has moved to:

Quinoa, Rice and Side Dishes

Contact Info

Hey there, cookie! 

My very favorite part of blogging, I mean besides the SUGAR, is the connection and friendship with other bloggers and bakers and readers.  Since starting the blog, I've tried to be diligent about answering emails.  Unfortunately, balancing baking, blogging, picture editing, volunteering and playing Uno with my boys doesn't leave much time for email (or cleaning the baseboards).  I've thought of making my kiddo my "email assistant," but really, a reply from a tween-age boy might be scary.

So, please know that I still LOVE to hear from you and see your cookie pictures.  It pains me to say that I can't respond to every email.  Hopefully the answers you need are on the blog (see links below).

COOKIE QUESTIONS?
{...also try the search bar in the upper right corner of the blog}

• troubleshooting
• f.a.q's
• royal icing 102 (lots of q & a on this post, too)
  
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• cookie design inspiration: check the cookie index
  
• and, my favorite cookie recipe for decorating? It's in the Recipe Index. 

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Cookie Index

♥ Under Construction!♥

Recipe Index

Bread

• cranberry-pecan rye bread
• pumpkin bread
• poppy seed bread
  

Breakfast

• lemon blueberry pancakes
• homemade, whole-grain pancake mix
• cream cheese triangles (diet killers)
• english muffins (link)
• meyer lemon-vanilla scones
• banana cinnamon chip muffins
• pumpkin cream cheese
• chocolate pumpkin mini-muffins
• chocolate banana spa muffins
• vanilla pumpkin muffins
• pumpkin cheddar muffins 

Brownies & Blondies

• caramel brownies
• toffee blondies
• chocolate chip cookie dough brownies
• sweet & salty brownies
• peanut butter chocolate chip bars
• pretzel m&m blondies
  

Cake

• can't beet it cake (link)
• coconut cake
• vanilla bean pound cake
• pumpkin whoopie pies
• pink lemon angel cake
• vanilla bean buttermilk cake with amaretto buttercream
• almond-crusted butter cake
• chocolate mint icebox cake
  

Cake Truffles (how-to's and ideas)

• red velvet
• mint chocolate chip
• chocolate gingerbread
• chai spice
• pumpkin spice
• pink velvet

Cheesecake

• no-bake freezer cheesecake
• Julia's triple-decker cheesecake
• candy bar cheesecake 
• light(ish) chocolate cheesecake squares

Cookies

• my favorite sugar cookie (cut-outs) for decorating
• brown sugar & spice cut-out cookies
• lemon cut-out cookies
• gingerbread cut-out cookies
• chocolate cut-out cookies
  
• kick {cancer's} butt cookies
• key lime pie bars
• chocolate chip cookies (link)
• luscious lime cookies (link)
• crisp chocolate chip shortbread
• 1-2-3-4 peanut butter cookies
• caramel apple bars
• candy-corn cookies
• oatmeal cookies
• soft oatmeal cookies
• witchy wormy cookies
• homemade Oreos
• homemade chocolate-filled Nutter Butters
• peanut butter blossoms
• pecan snowballs
  

Cupcakes

• 4th of July cupcakes
• April Fool's cupcakes (meatloaf & mashed potato)
• homemade Hostess cupcakes
• Mother's Day "faux-stess" Cupcakes
• German chocolate cupcakes
• zucchini spice cupcakes
• chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes
• coconut cupcakes
  

Ice Cream

• ice cream sandwich dessert
• chocolate sorbet
• key lime pie ice cream
• turtle ice cream pie, revisited
• turtle ice cream pie
• vanilla-cinnamon ice cream
• oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwiches
• brownie batter ice cream
• dastardly mash ice cream
• mocha-toffee terrine
• coconut almond ice cream drumsticks
  

Icing & Frosting

• royal icing
  
• homemade fondant
• brown sugar cookie dough frosting
  

Muffins

• banana cinnamon chip muffins
• chocolate pumpkin mini-muffins
• chocolate banana spa muffins
• pumpkin cheddar muffins
• vanilla pumpkin muffins 

Pies & Tarts

• Texas peach pie
• turtle ice cream pie
• honeyed yogurt blueberry tart (link)
• pumpkin whoopie pies
• milk chocolate pretzel tart
• cranberry apple pie
• mini pecan pies
• not-so-Key Lime Pie
• graham cracker crust
• caramel pecan pie
  

Scones

• meyer lemon-vanilla scones
• peanut butter-banana scones

Other sweet stuff

• chocolate quesadillas
• pretty in pink krispies
• caramel apple salad 
• alien juice smoothies 
• valentine conversation heart bark
• peppermint chocolate bark

Savory stuff

• goat cheese & leek tart
• gouda biscotti
• dijon potato salad