An Cooking

Wake up with a warm and lovely carrot muffin.

Happy First Friday of the New Year. Like any first of any season this auspicious occasion makes yours truly want to bake. And with snow on the ground, it has to be muffins- like these tender little bundles of gluten-free joy. So cute and sunny. I love the carroty color. The subtly fragrant texture of coconut flour and quinoa flakes. A hint of cinnamon and ginger. A bite of raisin.

Seriously chai worthy.

And more fiber rich than say, a powdered donut. Or your average gluten-free bagel which is nothing but starch (not that I have anything against starch these days; I am embracing my personal Doris since the news about weight and a longer life). This a treat you can eat without a heavy helping of self-imposed guilt.

Truth is I don't count calories or worry about dieting.

At my age (or any age?) I think worrying can make you gain weight.

Focusing on all the food you can't have. Thinking about how many bites is too much. Cutting back so drastically on caloric intake or carbs that your blood sugar plunges faster than a carnival ride. You don't want to be around me if I'm on a diet- or a low-carb regimen. I am one wildly cranky be-atch. I lose brain cells. I see flashing lights. I tip over. I claw through the refrigerator overwhelmed with the sensation of deprivation.

Until I find the long lost bag of gluten-free pretzels.

Then I'm done.

And done in.

So I don't bother with the details when I need to lose make friends with my yearly winter weight gain. And I may as well confess- ! I don't go sugar-free any more. I eat a cookie. There I said it. Or a muffin. Yup.

Then I go for a walk (if it isn't zero degrees). I try to keep moving. Because the reason I gain a pie roll this time of year has less to do with carbs and fat grams than you think. It's not the morning muffin that gives me my muffin top. It's the hibernation. The paucity of exercise. The bump on the log that I become once the sun sets- at 4:42 PM.

It's hard to burn calories watching reruns of Downton Abbey.

Unless you're on a treadmill.

Which, like cousin Violet, I am most decidedly not.


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Gluten-free dessert is solved. A luscious cherry clafoutis, no sugar.

My cherry clafoutis has a little secret. Well. Two secrets. Wait. Actually, three. At least. It's a clafoutis bursting with secrets. But first, I must mention something.

Are you listening, darling?

Put down your iPhone for a moment, will you? You can text later. When you're not driving. Or brushing your teeth- hazardous especially if one attempts texting while scrubbing one's used-to-be-pearly-enough whites (before the advent of dental bleaching) with a vibrating rechargeable toothbrush. Vanilla mint toothpaste can spatter in shockingly wide and impressive arcs, inflicting remarkable damage upon various household goods and personal items including tidy, stacked baskets of freshly folded jeans and t-shirts still cozy-warm from the dryer in the basement, I am sorry to tell you.

But I digress. Back to dessert.


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Fresh baked zucchini scones with lime.

As the old Zen koan advises, row row row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily... summer is but a dream. Dear (beautiful and appreciated) reader, forgive my clumsy extra syllable as I squeeze summer in for life and stumble up the rhythm for the sake of my wandering focus today, which is how mind-bogglingly fast time goes by. In spite of the airless, oven-style heat. In spite of the sticky sleepless nights (thank goddess for iPhones).

Summer is careening into Fall faster than you can say Lady GaGa is gluten-free.

And zucchini is taking over the universe.

But I've got your back.

First up on the Z List is this moist and tender Gluten-Free Goddess Zucchini Bread that even GaGa herself might be tempted to bake (if she baked instead of practicing her waggle and ingesting only lettuce). There are these little gems- my Maple Sweetened Almond Zucchini Mini-Muffins (to die for). And this Zucchini Quinoa Breakfast Cake. Not to mention, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies.

If savory zucchini recipes are calling to you, I've got some hot zuke favorites, too. Remember those crispy Fried Zucchini Chips with Lime-Mint Dipping Sauce? So good. And in the comfort food category, Creamy Penne Pasta Bake with Zucchini hits the spot. As does my old school Italian Mama inspired favorite- Zucchini Gratin. For a new wave no-cook vegan pasta, turn your gaze no further than this Raw Zucchini Pasta with Curry Cream Sauce.

And if that isn't enough to satiate your zucchini lust, I've got one more recipe. A new recipe we baked this morning. Perfectly light and golden, lovely for a Sunday brunch. Or any day you feel like visiting with a friend over a pot of tea.

Because life is all about flow, baby. Don't let it pass you by.

Row gently.

Bake some scones.

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