Turkey Meatballs with Asian Noodles

Light and tempting turkey meatballs with fresh herbs, ginger and lime.

Okay, I confess. I admit it. When it comes to this recipe? I was totally inspired by Jamie Oliver and his Jamie's Food Revolution show. The flash mob stir-fry dance at Marshall University in episode four is one of my favorite pieces of video in a long, long time (view the entire clip here at WabiSabi, one of the participants). The energy, spirit and creativity of the students, the killer combo of cooking and dance with a generous dash of self expression and celebration got this gluten-free goddess' booty up off the couch and shakin', Baby.

Not to mention, craving a pan tossed noodle stir-fry.

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Gluten-Free Turkey Soup Recipe

An easy, homemade turkey soup simmered in a Crock Pot. 

A certain soup slurping and prickly individual (we won't name names, to protect the innocent) has been feeling under the weather for so long now the sensation is in danger of becoming a habit. Yes, the tree pollen onslaught continues. Blessed by a wet winter, Southern California trees are celebrating with copious amounts of pollen, and who can blame them? 

Hence, your intrepid gluten-free goddess has been up to no good, stumbling and mumbling around her freshly painted apartment in a Snuffleupagus stupor, thick-nosed and unable to string two coherent sentences together, never mind invent a new recipe for her lovely and devoted readers (that would be, You). Ears and sinuses filled with unspeakable things do not a creative, exhuberant cook make.

This is when a Slow Cooker can save your life.

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New Mexican Stew with Ground Turkey + Green Chiles

Slurp worthy green chile stew with turkey.

Looking for a simple but truly fabulous slow cooker recipe to warm you up? Here is one my favorites. A New Mexican style stew with budget-friendly ground turkey spiked with roasted green chiles, lime, and cilantro. Make it as mild or as spicy as your taste buds prefer. It's perfect comfort food for any time of year.

Need more slow cooker inspiration? Check out the tasty gluten-free cookbook Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by fellow food blogger Stephanie O'Dea.


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Turkey & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Gluten-free turkey and sweet potato enchiladas.

This Friday is just like any other out here in the New Mexico hinterland. There were big-eared rabbits eating breakfast (nibbling spare tufts of grass). A chickadee or two in the junipers. Pink light on the distant mesas. And as far as I know, no scary crush of shoppers at the Espanola Walmart. At least I haven't heard any sirens off in the distance. Truth be told I haven't budged from my casita (and I have no plans to). Nope. It's just another day here, call it what you want. Black Friday is quiet as an empty nest. So I thought I'd share a recipe for leftover turkey and sweet potatoes- a surprisingly tasty combo.

As always, make it as mild or as spicy as your little heart desires.

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Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey

Ground turkey stuffed peppers with roasted corn and goat cheese.

How to stuff a pepper? Let me count the ways. Tonight's recipe is easy on the gluten-free budget- with a ground turkey filling. Spice it up with chipotle or make it Italian style with basil and oregano. It's all good.

This week has been sunny, cloudy, wet and windy here in the desert. All mixed up. Spring is definitely in the air. Flocks of cranes and geese echo their cocktail party conversation off the walls of Black Mesa, flying north. I hear them as I type. They are a noisy gaggle.

We're still lighting fires in the kiva at night. And still craving comfort food. I had three gorgeous bell peppers on hand- yellow, orange and green. I knew what had to be done. I poured myself a glass of red.

It was time to stuff a vegetable.

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A Trio of Tasty Turkey Recipes

Stones in my garden.

The holidays aren't easy for me.

I tried to write about it. Yesterday. I sat here for an hour rummaging through drawers of words that refused to fit together. I picked out and tossed back. I mulled in silence (this is becoming a habit). I stared at the pale desert through the window frame above my beat up blue desk.

For the first time in five weeks I limped to the studio and stopped by the Buddha garden, tilting on crutches to place a pink rock on top of a dove gray stone. If I was religious, I wondered, would this be easier? If I had faith- if I believed in an invisible father figure who would somehow comfort me with broken bread promises of purpose and protection? Or an ancient mother goddess opening her earthy arms to cradle me in her seasonal wisdom? Would I be better able to cope with the stirrings of loss and anger and self loathing that the gloss and glitz of the annual Christmas energy inevitably evokes if I simply surrendered to the collective agreement that god is in charge and every small and deep and widespread bit of suffering happens "for a reason"?


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