Baked Macaroni and Cheese - Gluten-Free

Gluten-free baked macaroni and cheese - serious comfort food.

Mac and cheese- how I love thee. And not from a box. Give me the good stuff. The real deal. Comfort food. Something worth craving. Something creamy and comforting and crunchy on top with a hint of spicy heat.

This gluten-free macaroni and cheese recipe is based on my pre-celiac go-to cheesy mac favorite with cheddar cheese. I kicked it up with chopped jalapeños and crunchy gluten-free bread crumbs. Sweet grape tomatoes. Was it tasty, Darling.

I usually make this dish in a single casserole dish, but last night I spooned it into individual gratin dishes.

Are you GF/CF, dairy-free, or a gluten-free vegan? Don't despair. I am now, too. Find my just as yummy dairy-free recipe for dairy-free Baked Mac and Cheese here.

Or better yet, my vegan cheesy uncheese sauced mac n cheese.

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Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

Gluten-free blueberry muffins with sour cream.

As promised, here's my latest muffin recipe, using Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking and Pancake Mix. Oy vey, these are good. And so easy. I didn't even get out the mixer; I stirred the batter by hand with my favorite wooden spoon. If you're in the mood for a different berry or fruit, by all means, substitute the blueberries. Whatever makes you happy, Babycakes. Go for it. This batter would cozy up to cranberries, spiced apples, you name it.

And by the way, if you're looking for a dairy-free egg-free blueberry muffin, I've come up with a vegan Brown Sugar Blueberry Muffin recipe you might like.

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Nachos Fabuloso

Tasty, spicy gluten-free nachos? Si, por favor.

I make nachos with a combo of organic blue and yellow corn chips and lots of jalapenos. It's an unbeatable combination. Is your mouth watering yet? No? You must be made of stone. Seriously. Get thee to a blue corn tortilla chip purveyor lickity split. This easy nachos recipe rocks. I serve it to guests and it disappears faster than you can say Antonio Banderas.

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Spaghetti with White Vegetables and Pine Nuts

First snow in New Mexico.

In celebration of the first snow- here is a delectable recipe from my vegetarian cookbook, adapted to be gluten-free. Snowy cauliflower and sweet cabbage are accented with the crunch of pine nuts on creamy white rice pasta. Wonderfully delicious.

Spaghetti with White Vegetables and Pine Nuts Recipe

White on white makes an elegant and romantic pasta. The hint of lemon is lovely.

Ingredients:

1 pound Tinkyada White Rice Spaghetti
3 tablespoons light olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, peeled, diced
2 cups cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1/2 head white cabbage, cored, cut and thinly shredded
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
Juice of half a lemon
3-4 tablespoons cream or non-dairy cream
Crumbled fresh goat cheese for garnish

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of fresh salted water to a rolling boil and cook the spaghetti till al dente. Warm up a large pasta serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat and gently sauté the onion for 5 minutes until soft- don't let them brown too much. Add in the cauliflower, cabbage, garlic, pine nuts, sea salt, ground pepper, and fennel. Squeeze on the lemon juice. Sauté until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the nuts are toasted. Stir in the cream.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and pour the spaghetti into the warmed pasta bowl, and drizzle a little olive oil on the pasta to moisten it. Toss lightly to coat. Add your white vegetables/nuts mixture and stir to combine.

Serve at the table with a small bowl of fresh crumbled goat cheese, for garnish. A crisp green salad of baby greens is the perfect accent.

Serves 4.

Karina's Note:
If you don't have pine nuts on hand try slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts.

A Quiet Day Designing And a Milestone

We had a low-key, quiet Thanksgiving day here in the high desert. No traveling. No guests. No family. One son is back east, in his last year as a Senior RA at college [he is on duty for the holiday weekend] and the other son is working and living in Los Angeles. Both cooked yesterday.

Alex cooked himself up some penne pasta with organic chicken sausage and balsamic peppers. Colin made roasted garlic mashed potatoes to bring to a friend’s [boiling the spuds in his wok because he didn't have a pot]. I instant-messaged with both of them yesterday morning. I missed them, but I also know, Dear Reader, they are where they are supposed to be.

And so I designed instead of cooked. We had a leftover improv last night I can only describe as a humble Mexican inspired enchilada bake. And it hit the spot. We watched our favorite Thanksgiving film, Home for the Holidays, with a fire in the kiva fireplace. We went to bed early.

Yesterday was also a quiet milestone here at [Gluten Free] Goddess. I’ve been blogging for a year.

And so I offer a hearty, delicious goddess thanks to you, fabulous Reader. You are the reason I am here.

gluten free holiday Cafe Press coping with celiac

Almost Sausalito Cookie Bars

The nubby chocolate chip landscape of a favorite gluten-free cookie bar.

I ask you. What beats coconut and chocolate in a cookie recipe- especially if they happen to be gluten-free? Coconut and chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Okay, I confess. My all-time favorite cookies in those innocent pre-gluten-free days were not some hoity-toity gourmet bakery confection but those bagged big and bumpy Pepperidge Farm chocolate chunk cookies you could get in any East Coast grocery store. Yup. If memory serves me well, my go-to favorite featured coconut and chocolate. They might have been called Sausalito. Or some such California-evoking moniker.

In our quest to tweak one of our favorite dessert bar recipes this week my cookie-making husband and I came up with a chocolate chip coconut cookie bar that tastes an awful lot like those beloved crunchy-chewy Pepperidge Farm gems. We didn't happen to have any macadamia nuts on hand- but if we did I would have added some to the recipe.

And for those of you who loved dunking those Pepperidge Farm Nantucket Cookies into a glass of ice cold milk- Babycakes, these are dunk worthy.

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'Tis [Almost!] the [Gluten Free] Holiday Season

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

Getting through the holidays gluten-free can be tough. But then, the holidays were always a challenge for me because I was mostly vegetarian for decades (and some of those years were vegan), so, in truth, Gentle Reader, my holiday foods have forever tended to be a tad different from mainstream holiday fare. I learned early on how to tweak traditional recipes and reinvent old favorites- like using coconut milk as a delicious non-dairy sub in whipped sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin pie, and creamy butternut soups. I used broth and roasted garlic in smashed potatoes instead of cream and butter. I have always enjoyed thinking outside the box. And in my vegan years- not once- did I make a turkey out of tofu.

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Gluten-Free Garlic Chicken Lasagna Recipe

Tonight's quintessential New Mexican sky.

After a laid back kick off your boots and chill kind of day we had friends for dinner. Our Santa Fe buddies Joey and Will drove north to our little casita  tucked into the pinon dotted hills near Ojo Caliente. I made a recipe that's an old family favorite- since they've become like family, after all. Sometimes the best family is the family we choose with our heart.

And after all, what family doesn't love a good lasagna?

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Kudos for Karina's Kitchen

...the best praise

Featured in Newsweek magazine 2007: Waiter, Please Hold the Wheat

Winner Whole Foods Budget Recipe Challenge 2008
Finalist Food Blogger Awards 2006, 2008 Well Fed Network
Epicurious: Go Gluten Free by Amy Sherman
A-List Allergies at BBC Slink
Gluten Free Glut at Washington Post
Gluten Free Adventuring Washington Post
Blogs Can Help with Gluten-Free Baking at BlogHer
Foodie View: Beyond Lettuce
Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease
Foodie View: Homemade Breads for the Holidays
Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight: Thanksgiving Transformation- Festive Ideas for Special Diets
Martha Stewart: Dinner Tonight Slow-Cooker Week: Entertaining
Foodie View: Gluten-Free Baking Round-Up for Celiac Awareness 
"Best of the Food Blogs" on Delish.comFood Blog Spotlight: Gluten-Free at Simply Recipes