The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

Do you love shortbread cookies as much as we do? If you’re reading this recipe, your answer is most likely a resounding “YES!”

You might have some fresh cranberries left over from your Thanksgiving feast. We still had half a bag in the refrigerator, as usual, but this year we decided to do something about our predicament.

When the temperatures plummet, there’s nothing more soothing than soup. A warm bowl is like heaven on a winter evening, when you want to nourish yourself but don’t feel much like cooking.

One thing you might miss if you’re following a vegan, gluten-free diet is the robust flavor of pulled pork. Still, you don’t want any pigs to suffer for your appetite.

Here’s a protein-rich meal you’re going to love and want to make over and over. It’s great for a cool fall evening, because your house will warm up while you’re cooking the tomato sauce.

If you’d like to whip up a simple but elegant gourmet meal with only a few vegetables, some black beans, and a couple of spices, this recipe will thrill you to pieces!

If you need to whip up a quick vegan, high-protein sandwich, you’ll be delighted by our black bean burger recipe! These patties are super easy and inexpensive to make and will fill you up for hours.

There are still a few hot days left this summer until September brings the autumnal breezes. We often find ourselves with a surplus of tomatoes, and when this situation arises, we know exactly what to do –make gazpacho!

We live in a part of the country where people love to put salsa on everything. Sure, you can spoon it onto your tacos and burritos, or use it as a dip for tortilla chips.

We recently discovered the most refreshing gazpacho imaginable — made with pineapple and cucumber! You probably have a cucumber or two lounging around your kitchen, especially if you have a garden.

Summer squash grows like crazy, and sometimes you’re stuck with more of these vegetables than you know what to do with! Quite a conundrum! What’s a savvy vegan and gluten-free chef to do?

Most of the gingerbread we ate during the holidays tended to be kind of dry and stale. This is a shame, because gingerbread cookies, cooked properly, are simply awesome.

We don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but it’s cold and gloomy here. The skies are pitch-black by 5:00 PM, and we do whatever we can to stay warm. Nothing soothes you more on a cold December evening than a bowl of creamy potato/broccoli soup. The texture is like manna for the throat, and the robust, yet delicate flavor comforts as it fills you up. Invite some friends over for a soup party! Everyone will rave about this delicious meal.

Brrrrrr! It’s getting cold outside, and we’re craving comfort food! Shepherd’s Pie is an excellent meal for these chilly nights. It’s packed full of lentils and potatoes, combined with mushrooms and spinach, and served on top of gluten-free breadcrumbs. We made this hearty offering as a main dish for our recent Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s also perfect for the December holidays. You’ll feel pleasantly full in no time, ready to brave the cold winds.

You’ve undoubtedly had the disheartening experience of going to a potluck and encountering a slew of dairy-based dips and spreads. This can be frustrating if you’re doing your best to follow a vegan, gluten-free diet. Don’t despair! Here is a delicious, creamy spread you can make from tofu that tastes just as good as the dairy-based variety! Even your non-vegan friends will love it. They may even beg you for the recipe. The spread is healthy, since it utilizes basil and Italian parsley, herbs that are rich in vitamin C. The tofu adds protein and calcium. Much healthier than your average spread, and so easy to make!

Autumn is well underway, and our desire to devour pasta dishes continues in earnest. Pasta puttanesca is a traditional Italian dish that tastes great, even without the addition of anchovies. It’s hearty, filling, delicious, and so easy to make. Though most pasta puttanesca recipes utilize thin spaghetti noodles, we had some dried, gluten-free fettucine noodles in our kitchen and decided to use those instead. We were delighted by the results. You don’t need many ingredients to make this wonderful meal. It’s super inexpensive! In fact, you probably have most of the ingredients in your cabinet or refrigerator already.

One of the things we missed the most after we decided to pursue a vegan, gluten-free diet was Italian food. The cuisine is hearty and delicious, but most restaurants serve it with huge dollops of cheese (not to mention pasta made from whole wheat flour and eggs). What’s an Italian food lover to do? Fortunately, October happens to be mushroom season where we live. Chanterelles were on sale at our local supermarket for an insanely low price, and we had a brainstorm. After some deliberation, we were able to whip up this simple, but elegant dish. It’s inexpensive, a cinch to prepare, and will fill you up on a chilly autumnal evening.

Do you still have a few leftover zucchinis from your summer garden? You may be wondering what to do with them. Most likely, you’ve given several of them away to friends, and they’ve made it clear they don’t want or need any more. Try as you might, you can’t get rid of all of them! Never fear — our sweet bread recipe will give a whole new purpose to those succulent, green vegetables. The addition of unsweetened cocoa and walnuts will send you into orbit. Good thing this recipe makes two loaves, because you won’t have any trouble devouring the first one.

Fall is coming on strong! We don’t know about you, but we’re craving some carbs! It’s best to stick to the healthy kind, like organic potatoes. Recently, we found ourselves with a small sack of red potatoes — don’t ask how THAT happened — and wanted to do something fancier than just boiling them and slathering some Earth Balance over the top. So we modified a German potato salad recipe, substituting tempeh bacon for the animal variety, and were wowed by the results! We found smoky bacon tempeh at the supermarket, and found that it imparted the delicious flavor that is so essential to German potato salad.

What happened? It’s already the end of the summer — the time when we often have a lot of vegetables left over from our numerous trips to farmer’s markets, co-ops, and supermarkets. Two vegetables that seem ubiquitous are cucumbers and wax beans. Recently, we faced a conundrum — our refrigerator’s crisper was filled to overflowing with cukes and beans. We’d rather perish than waste food, especially fresh veggies! Fortunately, with very little fuss, we were able to whip up this yummy salad. It requires few ingredients, and is cheap and easy to make. On those muggy summer nights when hot food is unappealing, this dish is a winner.