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For those cooking gluten-free pasta for the first time, the trick is to not over-boil it- keep it very al dente, as it continues to cook in the cheddar sauce. If you'd like to make this a one-dish supper, add broccoli florets to the pasta before you bake it. Cornbread crumbs make a tasty crunchy topping.

Roasted vegetables. As you may have guessed from my last recipe, they are a favorite staple at our house. And beyond easy. We make them at least twice a week- a convivial ritual. Steve and I join forces in the kitchen at dinner hour and cut up heaps of vegetables and talking politics. Or religion. Human behavior. Projection. Affect and temperament. All those spiky topics your grandmother warned you not to talk about at dinner parties (or at least in mixed company). We talk, all right. And talk.

After all, were simpatico.

Were on the same ethical and moral page. We share the same values (muy importante in a marriage, let me tell you). And were on safe ground here in our tiny desert kitchen- at least as long as the bank holding the mortgage doesnt go belly up (but money is another topic a "polite" woman doesnt discuss).

Steve and I are as fearless and hopeful with another as we were on our very first date- a cup of coffee (make that three) at Jacks Out Back in Yarmouthport. When he asked me where I saw myself in ten years- and told me he wasnt looking for a mother- I knew Id found the man for me.

And last night- the one year mark of the unfortunate hip incident- as we stood in the very spot of my Charlie Brown smack down, rustling up passionate discourse and tossing veggies left and right into a waiting roasting pan and punctuating Mamet style pauses with. Glugs. Of olive oil. And. Pinches of sea salt. My husband slid the pan into the hot oven. And kissed me.

Dinner is done, he said.

May this election soon be, I murmured.

And I raised my glass to the future.



While the veggies are roasting their earthy little hearts out, getting all golden and tender and sweet, put on a pot of your favorite brown rice or quinoa seasoned with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of curry, cumin, or Old Bay Seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.


Ingredients:

1 sweet or red onion, cut into wedges
Lots of garlic, several whole or minced cloves


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Serve over cooked brown rice or quinoa. Add a condiment for more protein- hummus is especially delicious with roasted vegetables. Add crumbles of goat cheese, if you like.

More Options:

Add a can of drained white beans or chick peas for added protein; stir them into the vegetables during the last 15-20 minutes of roasting, to heat through.

Leftover roasted veggies can be baked into yummy quiches and frittatas or tossed into soups.

Omnivores can add in sliced cooked sausage or pieces of cooked chicken during the last 20 minutes of roasting; heat through.

 

1 411g Tin pears in fruit juice
1 290g Tin raspberries in fruit juice
2 Tbsp rice flour
2 oz Margarine
4Tbsp Caster sugar
1 Tbsp Cornmeal flour (fine polenta)
2oz Ground almonds

Pear almond cake ingredients

3oz Margarine
4oz Caster sugar
2oz Cornmeal flour
1oz Ground almonds
3oz Rice flour
1 tsp Xanthan gum
1 -2 tsp Almond essence
1 + 1/2 tsp Baking powder
2 Tbsp Ground flax seed
130ml Pear juice (from the tin)
1 Tbsp Caster sugar
Pinch salt (optional)

Chefs note...It is a good idea to have a large spatula to help remove the cake from the tin and on to the oven tray.

Would you like to taste some of this delicious cake?

In a mixing bowl cream together 2 ounces of margarine and 4 Tbsp caster sugar.

In a new mixing bowl cream together 4 ounces of caster sugar and 3 ounces of margarine.

Add 2 ounces cornmeal flour, 1 ounce ground almonds, 3 ounces rice flour, 1 teaspoon of xanthan gun, 1 and half teaspoons of baking powder, 2 tablespoons ground flax seed, pinch salt and 2 tablespoons of corn starch.

Stir together and pour in the pear juice.

Sprinkle with a little sugar.

Place back into the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Once the pear and raspberry almond cake is cooked leave to cool completely on a wire rack.