Gluten-Free Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

Cider roasted vegetables- pair with polenta, rice or quinoa.

We are almost packed. This week is moving week. This will be my last post from California.

If, like me, you happen to be celebrating without the bird this Thanksgiving, here's a quick round-up of my favorite vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes to inspire you. Most of these recipes are actually vegan- a dairy-free plus for those of us gluten-free and casein-free. The few recipes garnished with cheese can be easily converted to dairy-free by using your favorite vegan cheese.

Here's to a gentle Thanksgiving- next time- see you in New England!

Peace.

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Zucchini Gratin

Zucchini gratin gets a make-over. Gluten-free and dairy-free.

On the way to saving your life there are moments that stir up a thousand kinds of trouble. Denial. Anger. Grief. Desire. The last one is the trouble I hear about the most here on Gluten-Free Goddess. The slow burn of longing. Comments and letters asking, sometimes pleading, pining, always hungry for some beloved recipe one can no longer consume. Due to evil gluten. Food is an emotional issue. Charged with hot spots and invisible buttons that can be pushed and engaged by a myriad of things. A scent. A circumstance. A holiday. Food can equal love. Evoke comfort. Mom. Or lack of Mom. Food can feel like self care and nourishment. But it can also be a fence. A barrier erected to survive. A way to numb. Escape. Live three feet from yourself.

Because some days it's hard to be a human being.

Sometimes I get tired of blogging about food. Sharing recipes. Because in all transparency, I don't feel like a foodie. I don't build my day around a meal or shopping for ingredients. Food is fuel. And often (in my house) food is an after thought. As in, Sweet Tap Dancing Bodhisattva, I'm starving. It's six PM. And I have nothing in the fridge except a jar of organic peanut butter.

And lettuce.

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Grilled Vegetable Stack with Lemon Hummus

This smoky grilled vegetable stack with lemon hummus is vegan and gluten-free.

Beneath the hot sapphire skies of August, backyard grills are still smokin' as cooks keep the kitchen cool by stoking briquettes al fresco. Cooking and dining in the open air- even if your outdoorsy territory is merely a closet-sized balcony hanging off a wall of brick and mortar- is an enduring, classic, summer pleasure. The smoky heat of barbeque spices and hickory laced sauces slathered on everything from burgers to shrimp is intoxicating and hunger pang inducing. So I'm sharing one more grilling recipe.

And this one's for the gluten-free vegan crowd.

Over the weekend we grilled some of our favorite farm fresh veggies and made these rustic grilled vegetable stacks layered with a light and creamy lemon hummus.

Deliciousness ensued.


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Grilled Veggie Quinoa Salad

Everyone loves a good old fashioned barbecue. The easy conviviality of a family backyard picnic. The smoky summer scent of charred goodies grilling. Lemonade chilling. Badminton birdies sailing. The crack of croquet balls. The last pink of daylight. Punching lids on firefly jars. But if you need to be gluten-free, or if you happen to be vegan, barbecues can be less than convivial. Those mysterious sauces (so often containing wheat-laced soy sauce). Those off-limit fluffy hot dog buns. All those meaty burgers and egg-dotted salads. What's a gluten-free vegan to do? Munch on lettuce?

I've got your back.


How about a light and summery quinoa salad with grilled corn, parsley, lemon and mint, with a velvety side of smoky grilled red onion, zucchini, peppers, portobello mushrooms, asparagus and eggplant? A vegan feast.

Gluten-free.

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Spring Veggie Dip - Gluten-Free and Vegan

Karina's gluten-free vegan veggie dip with carrot sticks.

Living rootless is a mixed gift bag. There are no neighbors who know my history, or my family. Or even my name (unless they happened to glance by accident at the removable punch-label on our mailbox that sports our shared surname, one half of the story). I have no garden to weed. No leaves to rake. No fence to paint. I walk the city block unnoticed (flirting with invisible) in frayed men's Levi's and a four-year old sweatshirt. I do not mind the anonymity. I find it kind. It suits me. Like my faded Converse One Stars.


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Karina's Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Fresh summer salad ingredients: basil, red and yellow tomatoes.

We have a wedding to go to. And not just any wedding. My first born son's wedding. I am mother of the groom. For the first time. Twenty-nine summers ago I cradled this soulful, musical being with new mother innocence and awe, lost in the ocean of this newborn's eyes, starting a journey called motherhood with few tools beyond my willing heart and a deep rooted conviction that I would create for him a childhood unlike my own.

And in many ways I did. I listened with curiosity. I valued his opinion. I gave him paper and paint and books and music. I gave him the time and space and respect to create. We hung together as true companions.

He was always good company.

And still is. He inspires me daily. We connect through Facebook and Instagram and iChat. He lives his life as an artist. Creatively. He improvises and honors his intuition. He composes music. Takes killer iphone photographs.

And he cooks.

In fact, he inspired this recipe.

Because he loves to grill vegetables.

His lovely bride is a vegetarian.

So the next time I cook for them- as husband and wife- I think I'll make this vegan pasta salad with smoky grilled vegetables.


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Karina's Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

These gluten-free enchiladas won the Whole Foods Budget recipe contest.

Just in case you missed it, I'm sharing one of the all-time favorite recipes here on Gluten-Free Goddess- my sweet potato black bean enchiladas smothered in salsa verde. This budget-friendly vegetarian enchilada recipe is one of those happy accidents that spring from a burst of creative inspiration. I was craving the soft and spicy comfort of enchiladas one windy spring night back in 2003, and I had none of the usual suspects on hand (no chicken, or beef, no pinto beans).

But I had one lovely mother of a sweet potato.

I had a can of organic black beans in the pantry.

Some roasted green chiles.

One lonely lime.

And your intrepid Mamacita at large thought, Hmmm. Why not?

Deliciousness ensued.

These wrapped little gems are soft and creamy and a little bit spicy- just like a certain cook, my husband would say. It's the yams, I tell him. Er, sweet potato. I can never tell the difference. In the end, it doesn't matter. What matters is how it tastes.

And Babycakes, these are so very mucho scrumptious. Seriously. I kid you not. Make a batch for a girls' night in, or laid back Sunday brunch.


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Gluten-Free Shepherd's Pie Two Ways

Cooking light- gluten-free shepherd's pie with lovely gravy, two ways.

A spring rain is rolling through Los Angeles, interrupting a fine, damp mist with sudden bursts of stinging wet drops. The skies are steel gray, gloomy and low. It's the kind of day that calls for comfort in the form of food. Something baked in a crock. Something hot and old fashioned. Something with mashed potatoes. Creamy buttercream gold mashed potatoes.

A savory pie, I said out loud, standing at the kitchen sink, listening to the staccato of rain drumming the mail truck parked just outside the window.

Don't tease me, said my husband, looking up from his latest screenplay.

I wouldn't joke about a thing like pie, I assured him. Seriously. No chance. I'm thinking a shepherd's pie. But not the usual shepherd's pie. No beef. No onion. No peas.

Please, he said. No peas.

You know, that could get you into trouble, I told him. Your pea prejudice. The foodie police will be at our door before you know it. Demanding equal time for peas. And I'm already in enough trouble with their ilk.

Their ilk? he asked.

Yes, I said solemnly. My shepherd's pie is going to have tofu. And in some circles, that could get you killed.

Seriously, he echoed. And shook his head sadly. He shifted in his seat. Hey. Honey?

I turned toward him.

No offense, but. Can I have a chicken pie? Nothing against bean curd, but.

I know, I assured him. I know tofu doesn't float your boat.

I have a legume issue, he stated. Never been a fan.

I love you anyway, I said.

For better or for worse.

Legumes or no legumes.

This was my shepherd's pie with organic tofu - vegan and dairy-free goodness.

Gluten-Free Shepherd's Pie Recipe Two Ways

This a light and healthy version of shepherd's pie made without dairy or beef. I made two versions- one vegan (for moi) using organic non-GMO firm tofu, and one with Mary's organic free range chicken, for Steve. The gravy is golden and creamy and reminded me of the pot pies I used to love in childhood.

Ingredients:

For the mashed potato topping:

3 cups peeled, diced gold potatoes
Sea salt
Plain soy, nut, or rice milk, as needed

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained, quartered
1 cup cubed organic non-GMO firm sprouted tofu, or diced cooked chicken
2 teaspoons Italian style herbs (blend of oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, parsley)
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon rosemary, minced
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the gravy:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice flour
1 and 1/2 cups non-dairy milk, warmed
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
2 tablespoons GF nutritional yeast (or use some gluten-free bouillon if you prefer)
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

For the potato topping- boil the potatoes in a pot until fork tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Mash with a potato masher; add a splash of non-dairy milk and season with sea salt, to taste. Stir till smooth and creamy, adding a little more 'milk' until the potatoes are fluffy and smooth. Set aside.
 
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease four single serving 10-oz ramekins with vegan buttery spread (I used Earth Balance). Set aside.

First, make the mashed potatoes. I used "Buttercream" gold potatoes- so full of flavor.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the garlic. Add the carrots, zucchini, and broccoli. Stir and cook lightly until fork tender, roughly ten minutes. If you prefer your veggies crisper, cook only until tender-crisp.

Add in the artichoke hearts, tofu or diced cooked chicken, and herbs, season with sea salt and ground pepper; set aside.

Make your gravy. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat; stir in the rice flour to make a paste. Stir and cook for half a minute. Slowly add in the warm non-dairy milk, and keep stirring. Add the vegan butter, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. When it begins to thicken remove from heat and taste test. It should taste mild and creamy. The herbs in the veggies will add rosemary-sage flavor.

Pour the gravy over the filling mixture and gently mix until the veggies are coated with gravy.

Spoon the filling into the ramekins. Top with a big spoonful of mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle with non-dairy shredded cheese, if you like.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet (to catch any bubbling-over drips) and bake in the center of a hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes. I tented my ramekins with foil for the first half of baking time to keep the mashed potatoes moist. Then I removed the foil and let the the topping brown a bit.

Cook time: 30 min

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you. 

Two pies. Two ways. 
Steve's had organic free-range chicken in his. Mine, tofu.

Karina's Notes:

I used plain organic soy milk as my non-dairy milk of choice. I love its creamy richness. A neutral tasting coconut, rice or nut milk will also work. And for those of you asking about using moo-derived milk, butter, and real cheese, sure. Dairy will also work in this recipe.

For those of you (for whatever reason) not into the vegan nutritional yeast thang, you could season the gravy with your favorite gluten-free chicken bouillon instead; add just enough to give the sauce some depth.

If you need a vegan pie without soy, use cooked chick peas for the protein.

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

Smooth and silky vegan butternut squash soup with coconut milk.

Halloween is creeping toward us, minute by soon-to-be-an-hour-saved minute. Soft and slow but deft on black cat paws. I wake to the dry scratch clatter of leaves spinning down the sidewalk from Santa Monica Boulevard, riding the wind downhill like a gaggle of flattened tumbleweeds. I yawn awake dreaming of soup, imagining my favorite wooden spoon stirring the humble beginnings of some jewel toned potage as the French like to call it. Or so I'm told.

I don't speak French.

I'm craving soup like a mad woman, you see. Like some Shakespearean witch in the wild woods of West Hollywood, I long to stir a little seasonal magic into a pot of silky, orange hued soul food. So this week I conjured cooked up a curried fall classic. Every October I make batches of this gorgeous, comforting soup. That just so happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.

The secret is- use ripe flavorful squash. Choose a butternut squash with firm golden-tan skin. The squash should make a hollow ring when thumped.

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Vegan Coleslaw Recipe with Peanut Dressing

Crunchy cool vegan slaw with a light peanut dressing.

It's almost the end of July. How has your summer been? Moonlit and sultry? All Popsicles and kiddie pool? Or just plain flat out busy as a bee? If it's been busy, Sugar, I can relate. Here in our tiny corner of the world we've been too crazy to cook much. We've been living on salads and smoothies. We're apartment hunting. Spending hours in the car navigating the neighborhoods of West Hollywood, searching for the perfect place. Or rather, the quasi-perfect place because perfection is unattainable. I know this. I do. But I still (naively) make a top ten priority list.

If I find a unit with a window over the kitchen sink (high on my list) there's inevitably no dishwasher. If I tour one with a dishwasher, there's no  window, and no patio (I'd love some outside access to put a small table and plant a few pots by the door). Washer and dryer? Ha. You know that saying, If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans? Well, if you want to hear the gods laugh even harder, make a wish list. For an apartment in West Hollywood. For example...

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Vegan Garden Loaf with Maple Apricot Glaze

Delicious vegan garden loaf with quinoa.

Go ahead and snicker. I'll wait. I'm fully aware that veggie loaves are the punch line for many a joke in Burger King sponsored sit-coms and pseudo-reality shows pitting sweaty cranky chefs against each other for the promise of fame and fortune. So do your thing. Snort. Sigh. Bare your teeth. I can handle it. 

Vegetarians and vegans endure more than their fair share of indiscreet eye-rolling.

I know this first hand. Because I've been a vegetarian and sometimes vegan for most of my life. Four decades. And after my medically recommended foray back into Omnivore Land (to jump start the healing of my broken hip) now that I am vertical and ambulatory without a cane I am once again whistling past the graveyard into familiar territory, leaving behind the protein I flirted with, listening to my body's need to get back to the garden, back to my first love, my culinary Eden. My natural preference, before The Fall.

I tell you this without judgment. 

I mention this without pressure of any kind. Seriously. I'm not proselytizing. Goddess knows, I understand better than most how hard it is to eat in this gluten infused world of ours without whittling down our choices even further. If you love your bacon and eggs, Babycakes, go rustle up some grub.

Gnaw on some haggis.

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Vegan Carrot Soup

A simple and elegant vegan carrot soup.

Here's a fresh and easy vegan carrot soup recipe for spring. Why soup? Because it rains in spring. It snows in spring. It even does so simultaneously, accompanied by thunder, out here in the wilds of sunny New Mexico. We experienced the gamut of meteorological events over the weekend as we were loading boxes of books into the car. Four seasons in one day. Packing and unpacking. Once again weeding out what is no longer necessary, hunched in our cramped little storage unit, out of the stinging sleet, rummaging through boxes, weeding out for the next move. The migration West. To Southern California.

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African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter, Black-Eyed Peas & Beans

A scrumptious peanut soup recipe - gluten and dairy-free.

Happy New Year, Gentle Reader. It's a new dawn. It's a new day. And it's time for a black-eyed pea recipe. One of my favorites, with African flavors. Serving black-eyed peas and beans at the start of a freshly birthed year is serious good mojo in some circles. At least that's what they tell me. Why eating a plate of legumes on New Year's Day brings luck I've no idea, but someone somewhere decided these humble little nuggets of vegan protein were a good and fortunate culinary choice. So why not?

Rather than rummage through cookbooks searching for Southern Hoppin' John recipes or Italian white bean escarole stews I turned instead to the sun drenched flavors of North Africa and reprised a stew that is spicy and hearty and peanutty. If you cannot use peanut butter try sunflower seed butter. It is no less fabulous.

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Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes and Comfort Food

Gluten-free main dishes, comfort food, and dinner ideas.

My collection of gluten-free dinner recipes- favorite main dish recipes from my humble Brown Sugar Turkey Meatloaf to slow-cooked Beef in Pomegranate Sauce. For an easy company-worthy entree, try my Agave Lime Salmon recipe.

Vegetarian or vegan? I didn't forget you, Babycakes. Vegetarian and vegan dinner recipe favorites are listed below for a green change of pace. The most popular gluten-free vegetarian recipe? My Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas.

Make tonight delicious!

Baked chicken Mediterranean with sweet peppers.

Chicken, Turkey and Pork Recipes

Alex's Favorite Baked Chicken Mediterranean
Balsamic Roasted Pepper Chicken
Brown Sugar Turkey Meatloaf

Chicken and Artichoke Enchilada Bake with Green Chiles (New Mexican Style)
Chicken and Spinach Rice Bake with Mozzarella
Chicken Tropicale with Peppers and Pineapple
Curried Apple Chicken Stir-Fry with Rice

Easy Baked Chicken Chili Rice Casserole
Garlic Chicken Lasagna
Jazzed Up Turkey Tetrazzini
Lime Chicken Tacos

Maple Apple Sausage
New Mexican Stew with Ground Turkey
Peanut Broccoli Chicken Stir-Fry
Pineapple Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

Pork Roast in Apricot Mushroom Sauce
Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken & Cilantro
Rustic Chicken Soup for the Soul

Santa Fe Chicken Chili
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Stuffed Cabbage with Roasted Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Sausage
Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey

Turkey and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Turkey Meatballs and Asian Style Stir-fry Noodles 
Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pecan Crust
Turkey Nachos

White Bean Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Lime

Mediterranean eggplant with beef, tomatoes and mint

Beef and Buffalo Recipes

A Meat Ragù You Can Mangia- Hearty Meat Sauce for Pasta
Beef and Mushroom Rice Bake with Cranberries
Beef and Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash

Beef and Potatoes au Chocolat
Beef in Pomegranate Sauce
Big Easy Soup with Beans and Andouille Sausage
Buffalo Sausage Stew

Buffalo Sausage Stuffed Peppers
Dijon Roasted Vegetables & Sausage
Irish Cottage Pie

Cranberry Buffalo Roast Stew
Good Karma Meatloaf Pie topped with Dill Mashed Potatoes
Karina's Beef Stew

Maple Meatloaf
Mediterranean Eggplant with Crumbled Beef, Tomato & Mint
Melted Peppers and Dags (yes, dags) on Rice

Roasted Hatch Chile Stew with Beef, Sweet Potatoes and Corn
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie- A Rancher's Version with Black Angus Beef

Easy agave and lime salmon

Seafood

Agave Lime Salmon
Baked Cod with Roasted Sweet and Sour Vegetables
Easy Garlic Shrimp Pizza

Garlicky Shrimp and Spinach Bake with Mozzarella
Mediterranean Fish in Foil Packets with Rice

Pineapple Salmon Brown Rice Bake with Sour Cream and Green Chiles
Salmon and Spinach Goat Cheese Strata
Shrimp Fried Rice and Veggies

Tequilla Lime Salmon
Tuna and Artichoke Pasta with Pine Nuts

Vegetarian enchiladas, Greek style with spinach, feta and chick peas

Vegetarian Comfort Food (ovo lacto vegetarian, and vegan)

A Veggie Lover's Shepherd's Pie
African Coconut and Chick Pea Soup
An Easy Savory Winter Vegetable Ragout
Artichoke and Jalapeño Savory Pie with Jalapenos

Baked Brown Rice Risotto
Baked Frittata with Gold Potatoes and Sour Cream
Baked Mac & Cheese - Dairy-Free
Balsamic Roasted Veggie Smothered Baked Potato

Cider Roasted Vegetables
Crock Pot Curry
Enchiladas Griegos for Two with Spinach and Feta

Gluten-Free Pizza!
Green Chile Egg Bake

Kicked Up Baked Mac n Cheese
Karina's Kicked Up Colcannon
Karina's Latkes with Homemade Applesauce

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cornbread Curried Apple Stuffing
Mediterranean Pasta Frittata with Goat Cheese

Pasta Frittata with Kale
Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin
Purple Potato Quiche
Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Cranberries
Roasted Acorn Squash Risotto
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Medley with Butter Beans and Rice
Roasted Corn Chowder with Cilantro

Roasted Green Chile Bake with Cream Cheese

Roasted Vegetable Cheddar Quiche
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Roasted Vegetable Noodle Kugel
Roasted Vegetables and Brown Rice
Roasted Vegetables in a Nest
Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta

Savory Vegetable Kugel
Savory Vegetable Pancakes
Scalloped Potatoes- Dairy-Free
Sexy Spring Pasta- with roasted asparagus
Spaghetti Squash New Mexican with Black Beans and Lime
Spinach and Cheddar Quesadilla

Stuffed Cabbage with Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Sweet Potato Latkes with Ruby Applesauce

Two Artists Chili
Vegetarian Puttanesca
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Calabasitas Recipe with Summer Corn, Zucchini, Green Chiles and Lime

Zucchini, corn and lime- perfect for a picnic.

Calabasitas Recipe with Summer Corn, Zucchini, Green Chiles and Lime

This recipe makes enough for a generous side dish, perfect for picnics and backyard grilled suppers; but if you'd prefer to make this a one-dish meal, add in two generous cups of cooked chicken or drained canned black beans, pour into a casserole, cover and bake in a moderate 350ºF oven for 20 to 25 minutes or so, until heated through.

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Gluten-Free Vegetarian Lasagna

Gluten-free vegetarian lasagna - Italian comfort food.

This a hearty vegetarian lasagna recipe spiked with a touch of hot pepper heat and unexpected dots of sweetness from the golden raisins. And the best part? It tastes even better the next day. So plan ahead.

It is wild and windy here by the mesa. Spring has sprung. The skies are thick with sheets of rain, gray and pitted with bursts of hail that hammer our flat casita roof then disappear beyond the mesa as quickly as it came. Low churning clouds obscure the distant peaks of the Jemez. The young jack rabbits are hiding. Even the ravens are tucked away from sight today.

We have been kindling fires in the kiva to warm us. And I have been conjuring comfort. In the form of vegetarian lasagna.

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Vegetarian Enchiladas Griegos with Spinach + Feta

Rain clouds above the mesa, toward Abiquiu.

Today is our anniversary. It is raining here in the high desert. Cloud cover blankets the mesa in a soft dove gray that is flirting with lavender. We married in this weather twelve years ago, sprinting through Cape Cod wind and mist to reach the antique door of our local Justice of the Peace without getting wet, the four of us stepping over the threshold to become a family.

Me and my three men- my love and my two sons.

I look at the photographs taken by the Justice's husband, our single witness. We are so young, all of us. Arms linking. There is palpable tenderness.

The boys are now men. They stand taller than my five-foot-eight. My husband and I, well. We are wiser. And weathered. And we remain expectant. This has been a year of enormous change.

We have sold most of our belongings (except books and paintings) and moved west. From the eastern shore to the high desert. From what was predictable and safe to what is unknown. What is possible. What might be.

After thirteen years together we are still exploring, still traveling, still on our way to somewhere. We are painting less and writing more. We are listening to each other with deeper affection, having shed many old expectations. We have come through a lot this year, on many levels. And so have our sons. Their own lives have not stood still. They too have faced changes and embraced risk.

I look out the window of my studio and exhale. I say a silent prayer for twelve more years. And twelve more years.

And twelve more years.

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