If, however, you don�??t live near a grocery store that supplies these ingredients, there are many suppliers whom you can order them from.  There are many different ones that you can find by searching the Internet, but I will list a few here.  I will say that it pays to shop around because the prices can vary quite a bit.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa: (whole-grain quinoa, quinoa flour, quinoa flakes and pastas).  www.quinoa.net

Authentic Foods: (baking mixes, Garfava flour, Bette�??s Four Flour Blend, brown and white rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch and flour, and other GF flours and baking ingredients).  www.authenticfoods.com or www.glutenfree-supermarket.com

Ener-G-Foods, Inc.: (ready-made GF products plus gluten-free flours for baking including Egg Replacer and dough enhancer).  www.ener-g.com

The Teff Company:  (fine-milled teff flours and whole grain).  www.teffco.com

It wasn�??t until I started baking my own gluten-free breads that I came to discover that what she says is in fact very true.  I had tried out the commercially made gluten-free products; some were okay while others turned me off completely.  I admit I was very happy when I discovered her recipes and flour combinations that create wonderful alternatives to wheat bread.

Bette gives a thorough explanation of the different gluten-free flours in her books, which I highly recommend purchasing if you are serious about making your own gluten-free breads and desserts.  However, I will list the main flours, which I use when baking and a brief explanation for each.  Most flours listed here work much better in combination with other flours.

Flours:

Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, and Quinoa Flours: Not technically grains, these plant�??s seeds are ground into flours and contains all eight essential amino acids, which make them all complete proteins.  Use them in combination with rice flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour and/or potato starch.  They add great flavor and added nutritional value to baked goods.

Arrowroot: This is fine white flour and can be exchanged measure for measure with cornstarch.  I personally use this flour in place of cornstarch mainly because it is healthier for you than cornstarch.  Also, corn is a main allergen so I don�??t use it in many recipes for this reason as well.  I use it in place of the cornstarch in Bette�??s �??Featherlight Rice Flour Mix.�??

Cornmeal: This meal is ground from corn and is used in making cornbread or other dishes.  The courser variety is called polenta and can be used in a variety of dishes.

Potato Starch Flour:  This starchy fine flour is made from potatoes and is used in �??Bette�??s Gluten-Free Mix�?? and the �??Potato Flour Mix.�??

Potato Flour: This is a heavy flour and not to be confused with potato starch.  Buy it in small quantities and store it in the refrigerator.  It is used in in Bette’s “Featherlight Rice Flour Mix”.

White Rice Flour: This is used in many gluten-free products.  It is milled from polished white rice and is very mild in taste.  This can be stored in the pantry and has a long shelf life.

Brown Rice Flour: This is made from unpolished brown rice and contains bran so it is healthier for you. You can use it in breads, muffins and cookies where a bran taste is desired.  You can use brown rice flour instead of white rice flour in most recipes.  It should be kept refrigerated.

Sorghum Flour: Ground from sorghum grain, this flour works well in combination with other flours.  It is available at most health food stores, grocery stores with a gluten-free section or suppliers you can order from.  It stores better in the refrigerator.

Tapioca Flour: Also known as tapioca starch, this fine white flour is ground from the cassava plant and gives �??chewiness�?? to baked goods.  It can be stored in the pantry for a long time.

Teff: This flour is available in ivory, red or brown varieties.  It has a wheat-like taste and is high in protein content.  Works well in combination with other flours.  You can find it in most health food stores or you can order it from gluten-free suppliers.

Other Gluten-free Baking Ingredients:

Dough Enhancers: These are powdered products that are used in gluten-free bread making and help the bread to stay fresher longer.  You can order them from companies that produce gluten-free ingredients or at some health food stores.  Make sure to read the ingredients list to make sure you aren�??t sensitive to anything.

�??Egg Replacer�??: You can find this at most health food stores or order it from gluten-free baking companies.  Bette uses it in many of her recipes for extra levening in the bread.

Xanthan Gum: This is a powder that is used to bind gluten-free products together in place of the gluten.  You can find it at most health food stores or in the gluten-free section of your grocery store.  Use about 1 tsp per cup of flour in recipes.

Guar Gum: This serves the same purpose at the xanthan gum but it is less expensive.  However, it should be avoided by anyone whose symptom of celiac disease or food allergies is diarrhea or stomach distress because it is sold as a laxative.

I usually prefer the �??bake�?? method because it is the easiest; you don�??t have to go through the process of peeling the squash.  However, it actually takes the longest because of the bake time in the oven.  One way around this is to bake the squash the night before you plan to use it while you are fixing your dinner.  It doesn�??t take that much more time and then it is cooked for you when you want to use it the next day.

If you are looking for quicker ways to cook your squash for your soup, you may want to consider the following ideas:

Steam the squash: First, peel the squash with a good vegetable peeler and cut off the ends.  Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Then cut the squash into fourths, and each piece in half again.  Then begin slicing the squash into thin slices.  Steam the pieces in a pot with a couple of inches of water and a steamer basket.  This method will take about 20 min. start to finish (about 10-15 minutes of steam time.)

Find prepared raw butternut squash in your produce section: If you area stretched for time, you can try to find a package of already peeled, seeded and cut squash in the produce section of your grocery store.  You can then cut the pieces down smaller to make steaming time shorter or just steam the pieces as is.  Although this makes things faster, I don�??t prefer this method because it causes unnecessary waste.

Find frozen squash in the freezer section: Cascadian Farms makes a package of frozen butternut squash that tastes very good.  It will be in the natural or organic section of the grocery store or at a health food store.  You can defrost it over night in the fridge or in some warm water before you want to use it.  The package may say to cook the squash in the plastic bag but I prefer to take it out and just add it to the other soup ingredients.  You can even cook it from frozen.  The great thing about this is that it is already blended.

This is definitely the easiest and fastest way to cook your soup.  Also, although there is packaging, it is a recyclable cardboard box and a small plastic bag verses the Styrofoam plate that comes with the raw prepared squash.

Eat it Raw: Yes, you can even eat this vegetable raw and you will find it in some raw food cookbooks.  There is a raw butternut squash recipe in a raw cookbook (sorry, can�??t remember the name) that I�??ve made.  I remember it being good but a heck of a lot of work to blend up the butternut squash raw.  But it does bypass the cooking step!

These considerations don’t have to take long.  In fact, before you know it, you will simply be thinking about them while you’re making dinner.

These are some different aspects to think about:

Colors: Try to bring some variety to the dish so that it’s not all one color.  You can start learning a little bit about colors and how they work together simply by experimenting.

One dish I make is very beautiful simply because of the colors - pink/red salmon, green spinach, and orange peaches.  I would call this a very “complementary” colored meal.

Also, nutritionally speaking, it is better to have an array of colors on your plate.  This is because the differently colored foods tend to contain different vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Shapes and sizes: I also think about the shapes of the vegetables and how they will fit together.  Do I want shredded carrots or diagonally cut?  These are both beautiful but I think about which cut would work the best in the dish I am creating.

There are many different ways to cut vegetables and there are even tools you can buy that help you make very fancy looking cuts.  I am not suggesting that you turn into a gourmet cook overnight, but if you have a little extra time, adding some delicately cut vegetables to your salad may bring additional beauty to a meal.

Overall appearance: When you’re cooking, look at the dish as it comes together and see if it “needs” something to complete it.  Sometimes just a sprinkle of parsley or cilantro will do it.  Or maybe it just needs a nice side salad to complement it.

Have fun:  The most important part of making a beautiful meal is how much you actually enjoy yourself while you’re doing it.  In fact, if the above tips only confuse you, just stick with this one.

I feel that having fun is really the most important part of making a beautiful meal.  Because when you’re having fun, you will inevitably create a meal that is not only beautiful but also full of love!

It is usually one or two of the other ingredients needed to make a recipe that sometimes goes missing in the grocery store.  Personally, I live thirty minutes from a large store with a large selection of organic and fresh foods, so it is not very easy for me to just go back the next day when the produce guy tells me they will have fennel available.

And what about the times when you have a list in front of you but somehow when you get home, you realize that you didn�??t buy something on the list?  The probability of this happening only increases when you have babies and/or children in tow, and you are distracted several times during the shopping trip in order to take care of their needs.

So, what do you do?  Do you go back to the store?  Do you go to another store in search of that much needed ingredient?  Do you skip over that recipe?  You could do any of these things, and I have personally done all of them.

However, the choice that I usually end up taking is the one that may involve a bit of creativity and spontaneity, even changing the recipe a bit.  I basically look around my kitchen and figure out what I can use in place of that much needed ingredient.  Some things are easy �?? use summer squash instead of zucchini, oil instead of butter and so on.  Other things take a bit more creativity.

Recently I was going to try out the Jicama Apple Salad I found on the �??Eating Well�?? website. However, there was no jicama at the store I went to.  Anyway, what I came up with was to replace it with a slightly firm pear.  It actually worked great and still has a similar consistency to jicama.

So I am here to tell you that I welcome any changes you make to the recipes I create and publish in the menu planners.  In fact, I invite them!  They are inevitable anyway because only you know that you or one of your family members is allergic to mango, or that your household can eat dairy but not gluten.

Even if I end up sending out the menu planner to hundreds of people, I am inspired by the fact that no two of the dishes will end up looking or tasting exactly the same from the different households.  It is like giving crayons and paper to each of you and asking you to draw a tree and a sun.  It is impossible for them to look the same, but it is inspiring to see the differences.

So, relax, enjoy and be spontaneous in your cooking when you are missing celery or cumin.  And if you end up creating something really exciting, I would love to hear about it!

If you end up having a little extra time in the evening before you go off to bed, this is a prime time to plan ahead for tomorrow�??s recipe.  It not only gives you a head start on the recipe so that there is less to do the next day, it makes the meal that much more flavorful.

For some marinades, you can turn them into sauces, like the one in Mahi Mahi in Citrus Coconut Sauce. (This recipe is featured in the free sample Nourishing Foods Menu Planner - get it here).  The marinade is first used to infuse the fish with the flavors of citrus and ginger, but then is later made into a sauce by adding arrowroot powder to it.

As with everything in cooking, if you find yourself running out of time, you can always cut corners and marinade for less time.  It won�??t be the end of the world and I�??m sure you�??ll still have a yummy meal!

Maybe you already know how to cook but are new to cooking gluten or dairy-free meals. You may feel a little apprehension about it because it is brand new and requires some new learning on your part.  However, the only way anyone learns anything is to just jump in and try it.  And a good place to start is to follow some gluten and dairy-free recipes.

When life becomes about �??doing it right�?? or �??perfect,�?? there tends to be a standstill in creativity or even in getting things done. There may be voices in the back of your mind such as: �??I don�??t know how to do it so therefore I can�??t do it�??, or �??what if I make a mistake?�??  These voices can be small and subtle but very powerful forces in our lives.

The same voice can rule us in the kitchen, or in any creative endeavor for that matter. The trick is to notice it but follow through with your intention anyway.  For example, let�??s say your intention is to start cooking for your family more instead of eating out or buying prepackaged dinners.  But you keep putting it off and making excuses like, �??you won�??t be able to do it right.�??  It is in the moment you have this thought that you have a choice �?? to listen to it or to move forward with making dinner no matter how daunting it may be.

This week: start to notice the �??little thoughts�?? that take up your consciousness and ask yourself if they are helping you or not.  If they�??re not, strive not to listen to them, and move forward with what your heart intends.  And listen to the thoughts that feed your heart!

The benefits of coconut products:

• Provides calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iodine and many trace minerals.

• The coconut contains up to 60 percent fat and this fat is 92 percent saturated.  But this is no reason to avoid coconut products.  The principle fatty acid in coconut milk, lauric acid, is a medium-chain 12-carbon saturated fatty acid that has potent antiviral, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties.

• Protects us against viruses, yeasts, parasites and other pathogens in the gut.

• In vitro it will inactivate the HIV virus as well as the measles virus, herpes simplex virus-1, vesicular stomatitis virus, visna virus and cytomegalovirus.

• Coconut oil is our best source of lauric acid and is now being used to treat both AIDS and candida because of its antipathogenic effects in the gut.

• When absorbed, the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil give quick energy.

• Because coconut oil is so highly saturated, it is highly resistant to rancidity.

• The medium-chain fatty acids strengthen the immune system.  Perhaps this is the reason that Thailand, where coconut holds prominent place in the national cuisine, has the lowest cancer rate of the fifty countries surveyed by the National Cancer Institute.

Uses of coconut products:

Coconut oil: Use coconut oil in cookie recipes and other baked goods in replace of other oils or butter.  It can be used for sauteing as long as the temperatures are not too high. Buy only food grade coconut oil that has not been hydrogenated.  The highest quality tastes like coconut.  It is white semisolid in cool weather and creamy-colored oil in hot weather.  Use in salad dressings, on toast instead of butter, in hot cereal, or even stir it into your tea or hot drinks.

Creamed coconut: �??Artisana�?? makes a brand of coconut butter that is delicious.  Look for it is your local health food store.  Also try the refrigerated section of Asian and Indian markets.  Creamed coconut is made of finely ground coconut meat with all of its valuable oil.  Use in broth, soups, sauces, curries or just spread on toast for a treat.  Mix with raw cocoa and agave nectar to make a very yummy dessert.

Canned whole coconut milk: Look for brands with no additives and buy whole coconut milk.  Add to broth, soups, curries, sauces, smoothies, and other blended drinks or drizzle on fruit salad for a treat.  Also use part coconut milk when making rice to make coconut rice.

Desiccated coconut meat: Buy unsweetened desiccated coconut meat instead of sweetened shredded coconut which is loaded with sugar and not good for you.  Use to make cookies, desserts or top on fruit or cereal.

Resource:  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

You will see that I have jars of ginger and garlic on the list �?? these are two of my short cuts that make my life easier in the kitchen.  I still enjoy using fresh garlic and ginger, but when I don�??t have much time to grate or crush (or am just feeling lazy), these �??pantry essentials�?? come in very handy.

1. Olive oil, coconut oil
2. Organic butter, unsalted
3. Jar of grated ginger (try to avoid buying it with added sugar or corn syrup) and fresh ginger root
4. Jar of minced garlic and fresh garlic cloves
5. Vinegar �?? Bragg�??s apple cider vinegar, balsamic, red wine vinegar
6. Lemons and limes and a juicer or lemon juice and lime juice in a jar.  Try to find only 100% juice if buying in a jar.
7. sea  salt and pepper
8. Onions
9. An array of herbs and spices:  basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaf, curry powder, paprika, cayenne, coriander, ground cumin, cinnamon, cardamon, allspice, nutmeg
10. Boxes of organic or free-range chicken and vegetable stocks. However it easy it is to make your own if you have a little extra time.  Avoid buying bouillon cubes as they are high in salt and have other additives.
11. Canned diced tomatoes
12. Cans of coconut milk
13. Nuts - walnuts, cashews, almonds
14. Unsweetened original almond milk, rice milk, goat milk and/or raw milk
15. Dates and other dried fruit
16. Gluten-free flours and gluten-free baking ingredients

The following is an excerpt from an essay I wrote about the Earth element, which has everything to do with food, the stomach and digestive system, late summer and the harvest, and feeling nourished and nurtured which goes beyond the physical level into the emotional and spiritual.

The field of plenty of Mother Earth gives forth prosperity and abundance during the Harvest of Late Summer, producing and offering nourishment to all of the bodies, minds and souls of all children and creatures of this world.  As John Robbins expresses, �??Eating is essentially an act of communion with the living forces of nature�?? (p. 21).  Every bite we eat of the food that is produced from the commingling of the Elements connects us to the source that created it.

As Thich Nhat Hanh expresses, “This food reveals our connection with the Earth.  Each bite contains the life of the sun and the Earth.  The extent to which our food reveals itself depends on us.  We can see and taste the whole universe in a piece of bread!  Contemplating our food for a few seconds before eating, and eating in mindfulness, can bring us much happiness” (Robbins 28).

Practicing this sense of communion connects us to the sacredness that food brings into our lives.  To be fed is to be blessed; yet it is so easy to eat absentmindedly with no connection to how the food is enlivening not only our bodies, but our minds and souls as well.  I might add the phrase, �??You are how you eat�?? to the old saying, �??You are what you eat.�?? To be able to receive the full benefit that food has to offer us, we need to be able to see what a blessing it is.

MFK Fisher suggests, �??Anytime we eat, its holy.  We should have ritual and ceremony, not just gobbling down food to keep alive.�??  And Mahatma Gandhi said, �??To a man with an empty stomach, food is God.�??  The foods that grow from the Earth are the gifts from the Divine to Her children, forever taking care of our needs.  This beautiful relationship between Mother and Child is expressed in the bonds between a mother and her baby in the following passage:

The composition of human mothers�?? milk is not static, nor is it dead.  It changes from day to day in response to the needs of the baby.  It is a living process of communication at the deepest biological level between mother and baby.  It is an expression of the mother�??s love and caring and a reflection of the deep symbiotic cooperation of the mother-child bond (Robbins 125).

Since writing this essay, I have had the honor to experience this mother-child relationship with my son, Elijah who is now nine and a half months old.  Although I had some challenges as a new mom breastfeeding for the first time, I am still on awe of how amazingly perfect the nourishment is that comes from me for him.  Furthermore, it continues to show me the deeper meanings of “being fed” and how being truly hungry is actually a hunger for love, acceptance and nourishment in our deep heart.

John Robbins sums this up beautifully in the following passage:

There are many forms of hunger.  There is the hunger for food, and there is the hunger for love, for purpose, for truth.  There is a hunger for health, for happiness.  There is the hunger for companionship, for inner peace, for the sense that we belong.  There is the hunger for laughter, and there is the hunger for God.  The hunger that lives in the human heart is part of the kinship that threads us all together.  We are interdependent beings with a profound need both to give and to receive from each other.

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