On a chilly winter day, prepare a pot of this filling Tuscan White Bean Soup to keep cozy and warm. To make it vegetarian, simply leave out the sausage, or try my Mediterranean White Bean Soup recipe. Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil or garlic-infused olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced (omit if using garlic-infused olive oil) 1/2 large onion, diced 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 2 celery stalks, diced   1 pound ground Italian sausage 2 te

If life has been hectic lately with all the holiday celebrations, why not relax one afternoon and cozy up with a mug of Peppermint Hot Chocolate?  Peppermint is refreshing and stimulating to the nervous system, so it’s a great pick-me-up.  It also encourages healthy digestion; and if you've been over-indulging, it's a carminative, so it can help with gas and bloating.      Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe Ingredients 2 tablespoons dried peppermint leaf 2 cups milk or milk alte

Here are a few more gluten-free holiday recipes to share with you. Gluten-free Holiday Recipes Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies The Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie recipe originated in 1957; and although there are variations of the original recipe around, I use the original recipe and simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour. Ingredients 48 Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates - wrappers removed 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup packed

Growing up my Mom would spend all of December baking Christmas cookies, breads and other desserts.  At a young age, I joined in; and over the years I’ve added my own recipes.  When I had to go gluten-free, I was determined to make some gluten-free holiday cookies.  Some recipes came out great, but others not so much.  Here are a few of my favorites.  (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour , but there are a few other choices out there to try.)   Gluten-free Holi

This creamy, coconut curry is gluten-free and vegetarian, so it's great for a meatless Monday. Or if you've been eating too much heavy, difficult-to-digest foods lately, this will give your digestive system a little break. The ingredients in this dish are very nutritious and wholesome. Chickpeas are high in fiber, and as a bean, help to reduce cholesterol, as studies have shown. Chickpeas also contain a higher amount of the amino acid, tryptophan, than other legumes, which me

“Sunshine in a bowl” – that’s what I think of when having butternut squash soup.  It’s the perfect fall/winter soup.  Roasting the squash, however, kicks it up a notch, because roasting gives the soup an earthy, caramelized sweet flavor.  Butternut squash is hearty and grounding.  It’s high in beta-carotene and alpha carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A; and vitamin A is important for the immune system, which may need a little boost right now.  The spices of cinnam

Pumpkin Bread was one of my favorite autumn foods growing up, which I still make in the fall, but now it's gluten-free. Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread Recipe Ingredients 1 can pumpkin or 15 oz. fresh pureed pumpkin 3 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 cup good quality vegetable oil or walnut oil 2/3 cups water 2 tsps. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves 3 1/3 cups gluten-free flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Flour 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cu

I was making a recipe that called for poultry seasoning, when I realized I didn’t have any, so, I decided to make my own homemade poultry seasoning. This recipe is quick and easy, and you probably have all these herbs and spices in your pantry.   Homemade Poultry Seasoning Recipe Ingredients 4 teaspoons dried sage 3 teaspoons dried thyme 2 teaspoons dried marjoram 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (it seems strange to add nutmeg to

These Gluten-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are delicious and perfect for the cool Autumn weather, as well as for Halloween!   Gluten-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe Ingredients 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup walnut oil or a good-quality vegetable oil 2 large eggs 3/4 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin 1/4 cup water 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon gro

Whether you grow summer squash or buy it from the Farmer's Market or the supermarket, there’s an abundance of it right now. In addition to yellow and crookneck squash, as well as zucchini, you may find other varieties, especially at your local Farmer's Market, such as pattypan, zephyr, and eight ball squash. Not sure what to do with all this summer squash? Then try these few summer squash recipes. They’re all vegetarian and gluten-free.  Summer Squash Recipes Skillet Summer S

This is my first year growing Japanese eggplants, aka, Chinese eggplants, so I’ve been eager to try them.  Compared to Italian eggplants they’re long and thin, sweeter, and less bitter, which means they don’t need to be salted ahead of time to release their bitterness.  Also, because their skin is thin, they will absorb the flavors of anything that’s cooked with them.   If you don't grow Japanese eggplants, you can find them at your local Farmer's Market or supermarket. Eith

Quick and easy salads are my go-to in hot weather.  Try this refreshing lemony white bean salad. White beans are a powerhouse of protein and fiber. It serves 3-4 people. Lemony White Bean Salad Recipe Ingredients 1 3/4 cups cooked white beans such as Cannellini or Great Northern, or one 15.5 oz canned white beans 1/4 cup of onion of your choice (yellow, red or scallions), finely chopped 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves or basil, finely chopped

If feeling under the weather or having digestive issues, try this recipe with basmati rice, cilantro, lime, scallions, and garlic oil.  All the ingredients aid digestion and have other benefits as well.  Basmati rice is nourishing, satisfies your stomach, and is easy-to-digest.  It also builds “ojas” - an Ayurvedic term that pertains to a person’s heartiness and vitality.  Cilantro is a strong blood cleanser, a cholagogue, and calms the immune system.  Lime is an internal det

There’s nothing like hot soup on a cold winter day.  This Mediterranean White Bean Soup is loaded with vegetables and white beans, so it’s hearty and healthy.  Cannellini beans are fat free and a great source of fiber, iron, folate, and magnesium.  If you use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth, then you'll have a nice meatless dish. Mediterranean White Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients: 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil ½ large onion, diced 2 cloves garlic 1 cup carrots, diced 1 cup

Yummy roasted butternut squash with ghee, maple syrup and cinnamon! Butternut squash is hearty, grounding and warming. Like other orange vegetables, it's high in beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for the immune system, and in Autumn our immune systems could use a little boost. Ghee is clarified butter, a process where the hard-to-digest cholesterol milk-forming solids are removed. Ghee is easy-to-digest and he

Do you have a lot of zucchini from your garden this year? If so, try this light Gluten Free Zucchini Bread. It's also dairy-free. Gluten Free Zucchini Bread Recipe Ingredients 1 3/4 cup of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free 1 to 1 Baking Flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/2 cup Walnut Oil (or a good quality vegetable oil) 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Learn how to make herbal candies for people, especially children, who don't like the taste of herbal teas or tinctures.

Herbal ice cubes are so refreshing during the hot summer months. They can add flavor to a glass of plain water or iced tea. Flowering herbs, such as lavender, chamomile, roses, or calendula, are great to use. You can add flowers to an ice cube tray, cover with water, and freeze; or you can make an infusion (a tea) with the herbs first in order to get the therapeutic benefits of the herbs. Here's how to do it. Herbal Ice Cubes Directions Add about 3 tablespoons of flowers

Baked pears with star anise are the perfect wintertime tonic. Pears are anti-inflammatory, calming to the heart, and high in vitamin C and copper. The warming spices of star anise, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg aid digestion; and star anise is also good for heart health as a cardiac stimulant. Baked Pears with Star Anise Recipe Ingredients 2 pears - peeled, halved, and cored 1 teaspoon ground star anise 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground clove 1/4 teaspoon gro

There’s nothing like raw fruits in the summertime, because they’re so refreshing and cooling. But now that we’re in fall, we need more...