The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

If you find yourself with a surplus of apples (hey, it happens!), you might experience a desire for apple cake. You have to get rid of those apples somehow, right?

Sometimes, you just long for comfort food — something to fill you up and make you feel satisfied. But you don’t want to indulge your cravings with meat, gluten, or dairy.

Tofu is pretty bland on its own. However, marinated and cooked properly, these plain white slabs become exotic and delicious!

We love to buy Goddess dressing at the grocery store, but it’s so expensive! After eating a couple of salads, half the dressing is gone.

We had a jar of vegan mayonnaise in our refrigerator, and since we hate to see anything go to waste, we wracked our brains to determine what to do with it.

Sometimes, you crave something sweet — like right NOW — but you don’t have a lot of ingredients in your cupboard. It can be a drag to go to the store on a hot summer afternoon, especially for a few items.

We recently found ourselves with four ears of corn and no plan for their consumption. Fortunately, we discovered (and modified) a recipe for vegan, gluten-free corn fritters.

Sometimes, you’re in a rush and don’t have time to cook a sit-down breakfast. Still, you don’t want to sacrifice good nutrition for a busy lifestyle.

Recently, a neighbor bestowed a box of tomatoes upon us as a gift. We live in a warmer part of the country, so tomatoes are already ripening here. However, there may well be snow in the ground in your region. The weather is crazy and quite varied at this time of year!

If you have a couple of extra potatoes and an onion, some shallots and a bit of gluten-free flour, you can make one of the simplest, yet most delicious meals ever. We absolutely love potato pancakes! Their robust simplicity thrills our palates.

Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly how to cook butternut squash. Sure, you can bake it, but what else can a person do? We recently discovered a butternut squash-based taco recipe that is so delicious we’re still salivating over our meal, hours later. The addition of whipped vegan cream cheese with avocado and fresh jalapeno makes this dish a total winner. And it’s so easy to make! The hardest part is cutting the skins off the squash. But persevere with the task, because the end result will be worth it.

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.

You’re going to flip your lid when you bite into one of these moist, tasty apple cupcakes. They contain both applesauce and grated apples, so they’re ultra-dense and rich. Grocery stores carry a variety of different vegan cream cheese products, but our go-to favorite is Kite Hill. It’s a bit spendy compared to other brands, but worth every penny. These muffins are perfect for the holidays, since they contain cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Heavenly!

There’s no dessert quite like cheesecake. Smooth, creamy, sweet, decadent — what’s not to love? However, most of the cheesecakes you encounter in restaurants and coffee shops are made with tons of dairy and gluten. Since we love this delectable confection so much, we decided to make our own, using plant-based ingredients. The filling utilizes cashews and coconut milk, blended to perfection. Stunned by our stellar results, we decided to share the secret with you. You can thank us later.

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!

No vegetable is more synonymous with autumn than the sweet potato. We love these hardy, delicious vegetables with vegan butter and a bit of pepper, but they are so much more versatile than you might think. Our recipe looks and tastes exotic, but it’s incredibly easy to prepare. This dish is packed with protein and vitamins, and the ingredients are inexpensive. The combination of avocado, peas, chickpeas, and tahini creates a flavor explosion that will linger in your mouth after you’re done eating your meal. You just have to try our recipe, and you’ll know exactly what we mean.

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.

It’s already fall where we live, and our thoughts naturally turn to pumpkin treats. And what is more autumnal than pumpkin pie? Normally, this cool weather delicacy is made with eggs and condensed milk, but our vegan, gluten-free version calls for unsweetened almond milk and cornstarch (or arrowroot powder). The texture is more jiggly than a traditional pumpkin pie, but our version still tastes great and goes down smooth!

You’ve most likely had hummus, but have you tried its sweeter, lighter cousin, baba ghanoush? Baba ghanoush is a lot like hummus, since it has a tahini base. However, instead of adding garbanzo beans, this recipe utilizes roasted eggplant. The result is equally delicious. Our light but zesty meal is easy to make, and perfect for warm summer nights. You can serve it with gluten-free pita bread or with gluten-free toast points sprinkled with thyme, olive oil or vegan butter, and a bit of granulated garlic. We feel confident that you’ll love this dish either way.

Fourth of July is almost here, and for many folks, this day means barbeques and picnics. Quite a few of us have fond memories of chowing down slice after slice of apple pie. Even if you’re following a vegan, gluten-free diet, you don’t have to miss out on this aspect of the celebration! Our version is beyond delicious. The crust’s rich, buttery flavor comes from coconut oil. We made a lattice-style crust, because we like its visual appeal. You’ll be delighted by this scrumptious delicacy!