Thanksgiving is coming next week!  Try a new soup or side-dish from the list below for your family and friends. These Thanksgiving side dishes are all gluten free, soy free, and dairy free.   7 Thanksgiving Side Dishes Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Ginger Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread Roasted Butternut Squash with Ghee & Maple Syrup Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Oil Baked Acorn Squash with Cranberries Homemade Cranberry Sauce   Have a happy

For a nourishing meal to help combat the symptoms of a cold, flu, or allergies, there's nothing like good old-fashioned chicken soup. This soup has the added benefit of roasted green chili, which is a staple here in New Mexico. Green chili is hot, pungent and will help thin the mucus congestion. I like to make a big pot of this Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Roasted Green Chili and freeze any leftovers for when I’m sick and want something light and hot. Also, when I’m sick,

The combination of butternut squash, apples, and ginger makes this soup warming and gratifying. Butternut squash has been absorbing the sun's energy all summer long in the garden. This stored "sun" energy gives squashes a warm heartiness that can comfort you through cold, blustery days. Adding apples to this soup is an extra bonus, because cooked apples are warming and easy to digest. Lastly, the addition of ginger warms you up and helps relieve mucus congestion. So make

As the days get shorter and colder, and sometimes windy, stay inside and cozy up with a mug of Pumpkin Spice Latte.     Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Ingredients 1 cup milk or milk alternative such as almond milk 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter) 1 teaspoon of Pumpkin Spice (or make your own with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Sweetener of your ch

Fruit crisps are a tasty combination of juicy, sweet fruit with a crispy topping; but many crisp recipes call for too much sugar. This crisp has less sugar than most, and you can cut down on the sugar even more if you'd like. Both blueberries and peaches are in season now, and together they make the perfect summertime dessert combination in this Gluten Free Blueberry-Peach Crisp. Gluten Free Blueberry-Peach Crisp Recipe Topping Ingredients 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend, su

This simple and quick Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with a Lemon Dijon Dressing is high in fiber and tastes great too. Serve it on top of salad greens, as a side dish, or as a light lunch with pita bread, pita chips, or crackers. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing Recipe Ingredients for Lemon Dijon Dressing: 2.5 tablespoons olive oil (can use Garlic Oil ) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard 1/4 teaspoon honey Salt and pepper to tast

Memorial Day is this weekend, which signifies the beginning of summer. So, for any of your summer parties and activities, try this quick and easy loaded hummus platter that is half dip and half salad. Loaded Hummus Platter Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups of hummus, homemade or store-bought 1/4 cup olives, pitted and chopped, (I like to use a mix of green and black olives) 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved 1 cup diced cucumber 1/3 cup of diced red onion 1 half sweet pepper, diced (or tr

Sheet pan salmon with spring vegetables is a tasty spring meal. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and the seasonal vegetables are a good source of fiber. The fish and vegetables are seasoned with Baharat, a savory and sweet Middle Eastern spice blend. Baharat means "spice" in Arabic, and it is one of many Eastern Mediterranean spice blends. If you can't find Baharat in your supermarket, it's easy to make. Sheet Pan Salmon with Spring Vegetables Recipe Ingredients 1 tables

Spinach with Chickpeas and Yogurt is a tasty spring-time dish or side dish - perfect for Easter or another spring holiday. Spinach with Chickpeas and Yogurt Recipe Ingredients: 1 large yellow onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 cups of fresh baby spinach (or use a 10-oz box of frozen spinach, thawed, and squeezed-dry) 1 3/4 cup of chickpeas or a 15-oz can chickpeas, drained 1 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Salt and p

For a quick meal, make these gluten-free chicken tenders. They're crispy on the outside but moist in the middle. Gluten-free Crispy Chicken Tenders Recipe Ingredients:  1/2 pound boneless chicken tenders, skinless (or cut a chicken breast into strips) 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons Olive oil 4 tablespoons Gluten-free Italian breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil. Combine

My grandmother was a housewife in the 1930s through the 1950s. Sometime during this period, she found a recipe for Irish bread in the Boston Globe ; but I’m not sure in which year she found it. However, her Irish bread was a favorite in our family. Since having to go gluten-free, I’ve tried to make it by substituting the flour with gluten-free flour, but it just doesn’t come out right. This is a heavy, dense bread to begin with, but it was much too heavy. This year, I decide

Kale is a healthy and nutritious plant food. It’s low in calories but high in vitamins, so it’s among the most nutrient dense foods. A cup of kale contains Vitamins A, B6, C, and K, manganese, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium and more. Kale with raisins and toasted pine nuts is my favorite kale recipe. Kale with Raisins and Pine Nuts Recipe Ingredients: 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 2 cups water 3/4 pounds (6 cups) chopped kale 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons extra-virgi

Sweet potatoes are considered a superfood.  They’re one of the most nutritious vegetables with lots of vitamins and minerals.  Sweet potatoes are loaded with antioxidants, which protect your body from free radicals, promoting gut health and brain health.  They’re high in fiber and complex carbs, so they may be an ideal food for those with blood sugar issues.  Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support your immune system and eye health

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

Use up your grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) with these two delicious recipes.

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

In November, we no longer fluctuate between warm and cold days - the cold has arrived. So we now need more warming, cooked foods that nourish the body, especially our digestion. Sweet Potatoes, pumpkin and squashes have been absorbing the sun's energy all summer long in the garden. This stored "sun" energy gives them a warm heartiness that can comfort you through cold, blustery days. These orange vegetables are high in beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which your body con

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