Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Mediterranean Diet, Gluten-Free Style 

In the spirit of celebrating a fresh, clean start as we hit the reset button and bid farewell to the crusty, ragged winter of 2012, I've been contemplating the gentle art of detox, and browsing my Mediterranean Diet friendly recipes (longtime readers may recall I lost the twenty pounds I gained after breaking my hip with a Mediterranean Diet approach to cooking). It was then I decided to gather and share all my Mediterranean inspired recipes in a single reference post. Not only for my own convenience. I hoped you, too, might discover some delicious new recipes -- and perhaps, a few tempting favorites you may have forgotten.

Time to sober up and face the fall-out of all those cookies. The pumpkin bread. That pie! (Have you looked in the mirror lately -- naked? Have you zipped up your favorite pair of skinny jeans since Christmas? Did you have to lay down on the bed to do it?)

If you are over a certain age, you might find what I found.

A little extra around the middle to grab onto. 

This doesn't make me happy. I know, I know. I'm supposed to love myself no matter what. I'm supposed to be happy with my shape -- no matter what. I should embrace my extra roll of tummy fat and make peace with it, right? But the dirty little truth is, I don't like the extra weight. Even if it's only five pounds. It makes me feel sluggish and dull. And no amount of post-feminist self esteem rationalizing is going to fire up my enthusiasm for feeling like a stuffed sausage when I yank on my jeans. I like feeling light. Trim. Fit.

So it's time to pinch Doris and tell her to skedaddle. It's time for detoxing from all the sugar. It's time to get real and shape up. Get moving.

Maybe these Mediterranean Diet recipes will inspire. Who's with me?

READ MORE and get the recipe ...

Gluten-Free Chicken Soup for Body + Soul

A gluten-free chicken soup to cure all ills...

Gluten-Free Chicken Soup for Body and Soul

We've been living on soup since Sunday. No, not turkey leftovers soup. Jewish penicillin soup. You see, Steve- that ordinarily upbeat and tenacious husband of mine- has been feeling a tad under the weather these past few days. In truth, more than a tad. He's caught a nasty cold. The kind of cold where you ache all over and do nothing but lay in bed watching a marathon of Lost on your laptop because to even zombie-walk to the sofa loveseat too-small-to-lay-on requires functional navigation skills and balance beyond your sinus-throbbing capacity.

Poor guy.

Lucky for me, I've not succumbed to the zombie-walk inducing bug.  Yet. And just in case, I've been cranking out soups. An ounce of prevention and all that. And medicine. Because when I'm not in top gluten-free goddess form conserving energy means dragging out the Crock Pot for some easy slow-cooked comfort.

This is a simple healing soup with the goodness of cabbage (so beneficial to a celiac's tummy) and lots of garlic (an all-purpose fighter of evil and undead mayhem not to mention, a natural immune booster and cold-fighter). Green chiles.

But is my chicken soup powerful enough to stave off zombies?

Ah, that is the question. And here is another. I ask you (in honor of my zombie literate son who knows from zombies).

Running zombies?

Please. Do zombies run? Discuss.

READ MORE and get the recipe ...

Gluten-Free Pasta with Homemade Ragù Sauce

Jarred sauce? Nah. Make your own ragù- it's easy.

Homemade Pasta Sauce. Si.

Before I share my new ragù pasta sauce recipe, I have a note about the blog. Gluten-Free Goddess now has a FAQ page. (Thank you, David Lebovitz for the reader-friendly blogging tip.) What took me so long? Who knows, Babycakes. I sure don't. I could blame it on my preoccupation with Mad Men. Or hot flashes. Or the simple fact that living way out here in the sand swept hills of Northern New Mexico is making me crazy. Not shooting caribou from a helicopter crazy, but. 

Crazy enough.

At any rate, now that I've come to my senses (I'm sure it's only temporary) you, Dear Reader, will find a platter of helpful links and answers to the most frequent questions asked here at the brand spankin' new Gluten-Free Goddess FAQ page. If I've overlooked anything obvious or important, I'm sure you'll let me know- won't you?

On to ragù! Up until quite recently I had never attempted a meat ragù. My red gravy of choice was always a simple vegetarian marinara sauce with plenty of garlic and basil- vegan by default (and choice). It's a recipe that I've been simmering on my stove or in my slow cooker for years. Decades, in fact. Way better than the jarred stuff. Sometimes I add ground turkey. Or free range organic beef.

Here's the recipe.

READ MORE and get the recipe ...