Gluten-Free Frittata with Brown Rice Penne

Gluten-free pasta frittata made with brown rice penne.

Summer is officially upon us- allegedly. And by us I mean those of us calling the Northern hemisphere our home. See? I didn't forget you lovely readers from the topsy-turvy land Down Under, strapped to snowboards or skiing the snowy slopes of Victoria in need of steaming mugs of soup and plates of comfort food. I know it's winter for you. I get it. I do. I'm chilly, too. I've got Popsicle toes. And just so you know I'm not pulling your leg, Mate, I'll let you in on a little secret.

I'm not sporting a bikini these days, either.

Well, I don't actually own a bikini, so that might not be terribly shocking news (I don't think I've even touched a bikini since 1982, and for that wise choice alone, countless thousands are grateful).

I'm still layering my long sleeved tees and thick fuzzy sweatshirts, you see. Here in Redondo Beach we have the annual weather effect (grumpily or fondly) known as June Gloom. Brushed velvet fog and low slung clouds hug the coast each morning and shower us with mist that would make Ireland proud.

It's a marine layer issue, so they say.


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Artichoke and Jalapeño Savory Pie

Gluten-free pasta pie, a savory and delicious frittata style dish.

Happy first weekend in March! Spring is in the air. To celebrate, here's an eggy, savory pie for the coming greening season, spiked with the kicked-up heat of jalapeños. It's a hybrid of traditional kugel, quiche, and pasta frittata. Kinda postmodern eggilicious. And the best part is, it's a super easy recipe. Perfect for a light brunch, a weeknight supper, or any time you crave huevos. Which is less fraught with guilt, now that the Powers That Be have decided eggs are not the enemy they once touted. Especially if you use organic eggs from humanely raised, vegetarian fed free-range chickens. Happier eggs contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamins A, D and E, it turns out. Which makes this frittata pie idea a nutritious way to use up leftover gluten-free spaghetti. 

Your mother's pasta frittata, this isn't. Your mother didn't make you pasta frittata? Babycakes! 

What are you waiting for?

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Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata Recipe with Goat Cheese

Tasty gluten-free pasta frittata.

Have I got a simple and flavorful Mediterranean inspired gluten-free pasta frittata recipe for you. It is perfect for the upcoming weekend. Throw it together for a lazy brunch, or a languid late summer picnic. But first, a logistical update. We are back from LA, safe and as sound as two people can be jetting from the oxygen saturated beach of Santa Monica to the rarefied (read- bone dry nosebleed inducing) air of Northern New Mexico. My "of a certain age" skin is not decidedly not happy. My razor textured Floyd's cut now looks like a highlighted squirrel on a tequila fueled bender. And to add insult to follicle injury, there's a technical snafu that despite daily phone calls, shameless begging and patient (I assure you) correction of our physical street address (corrected three times by three different customer service representatives eager to assist you). That's right.

No Internet.

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Vegan Pasta Pie with Mushrooms, Garlic and Tomatoes

My vegan version of a savory pasta pie- 
no eggs, dairy or tofu. Seriously.

This savory pie recipe reminds me of a roasted vegetable frittata. Or my Roasted Vegetable Noodle Kugel, even. I invented it because I was craving a simple one-dish pie for supper- something easy and light and bordering on picnic food- with guaranteed leftovers. Because- and I tell you this with all the happy feet gyrations of a gypsy heart locked inside a hot flashing nest-eschewing body- we're boxing books again- we're storing art and family pictures and files and (most of) our movie collection. We're selling our furniture, consigning everything from roomy chairs and Mexican tables to Kilim pillows and punched tin mirrors. A truck arrives today to haul the lot to Santa Fe.

Even though the house has not sold.

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What I miss? My Blue Corn Chip Frittata

Frittata- an easy, gluten-free supper.

Finding out I have an egg allergy was a serious whap upside the head. I'd been gluten-free for almost six years. And soy-free. I was so good, Dear Reader. I read my labels. I did my homework. I complied. Yet in spite of all my earnest efforts and focus and just plain stubbornness to get well, I was still dogged by weird symptoms that would play hide and seek. A sinus headache after a glass of wine (but only some wines- not every wine). Odd roving pain that was difficult to trace. Hives. You get the picture.


For a cookbook author who loves food- and eating- as much as the next person, it felt like I was dropped down a culinary rabbit hole. Nothing made sense. There was scant consistency. My head kept thinking: random contamination. But I knew in the still small voice of my private tiny girl heart hidden gluten was not the culprit. I was too careful a gluten-free cook. So I kept food diaries. I began to track every bite (are we having fun yet?). But it only teased me deeper down the ever slippery rabbit hole.

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Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata

Mediterranean style baked frittata with gluten-free pasta.

What do you make for dinner on a night when you have no fresh produce in the house (except for a few sad carrots) and you've got barely enough energy to pour yourself a glass of wine having spent the last four days doing errands and hardware store runs and keeping the house spotless and gleaming for multiple house showings?

You look at your leftovers and hope there is pasta. 

You pray you have eggs. You swoon when you discover a half a cup of goat cheese. You whip together a frittata so meltingly delectable that your husband closes his eyes in sheer bliss and says, How can something this simple be this good? Then he declares this latest frittata of yours to be his favorite. And as the warm bite of creamy egg and spinach and goat cheese melts in your mouth you sigh and meet his eyes across the table and confess,.

Darling, it's one of those happy accidents.

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Crustless Quiche with Roasted Vegetables

A slice of gluten-free quiche loaded with roasted vegetables

Crustless Quiche with Roasted Vegetables Recipe

A short and sweet post today. Last night I made more roasted vegetables than we needed- just so I could use them today in a quiche. Nestled good-for-you goodies baked in a creamy, cheesy custard. What's not to love?

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Gluten-Free Potato Frittata

Whenever I roast potatoes I make extra. That way I'm sure to have some yummy leftover morsels to play around with the following day. The night before I roasted Yukon Gold, red and blue potatoes cut into wedges and tossed in olive oil, sea salt and Old Bay Seasoning. The leftovers were perfect for a crustless quiche or baked frittata- an easy and simple way to make a savory gluten-free pie.

Roasted Potato Frittata Recipe

How relaxed and laid back easy can you get? Whisk a few eggs with a little sour cream. Grate some Jarlsberg. Chop some parsley. Whisk the custard and toss in those leftover potato wedges you roasted last night. Dinner in a New York minute.

Light olive oil or butter, as needed

About two cups cooked seasoned potato wedges

1 1/4 cups shredded Jarlsberg

5 extra large organic free-range eggs

1 heaping half cup of sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

12 grape tomatoes, halved

1-2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil or butter a nine-inch glass pie plate.

Arrange the potatoes in the bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

In a large mixing/measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the sour cream till smooth. Add almost all of the parsley [save a little to decorate the top]. Pour the egg mixture all over the potatoes.

Dot the top with the halved tomatoes and remaining parsley. Using the back of a spatula, lightly press down all over the top surface to encourage the egg custard to seep in and around the potato wedges. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan.

Bake in a hot oven for 35 minutes, until the frittata is set and golden. Cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Serves 4 to 6.

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