The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

These are not your mother’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! (sorry, Mom). Our vegan, gluten-free treat is scrumptious, sweet, and nourishing, without the use of butter or other animal products.

Has this ever happened to you? You check your cupboards for pancake mix, only to discover that you’ve run out. You’re still in your pajamas, so you don’t want to go to the store. There’s no reason to despair, however, because you can easily make your own vegan, gluten-free pancakes with surprisingly few ingredients. No need for store-bought mix!

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.

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.

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!

Thanksgiving is barely behind us, and we’re already thinking about all the cookies we’re going to eat in December. Really, is it even the holiday season without cookies? It’s the time of year when you’re most tempted to stray from a vegan, gluten-free diet, because most of the offered desserts are packed with dairy and wheat. Still, there is no reason why you should miss out on the fun, just because you’re trying hard to be healthy. These cookies aren’t exactly a diet food, but they are vegan, gluten-free, and delicious!

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.

It already feels like autumn where we live, and we’re craving warmer, heartier foods. Of course, sweet desserts are delicious any time of the year. We recently modified a traditional rhubarb/pear/almond crumble recipe by substituting Earth Balance for butter, and gluten-free flour for the whole wheat kind. Our results were stellar. You’ll keep going back to the pan for this dessert — again, and again and again. Try your hardest not to devour the entire thing!

Is it even summer without peach cobbler? We don’t think so! When temperatures are hot and peaches are ripe, what’s an enterprising chef to do? The traditional recipe calls for large amounts of butter and white sugar, but you won’t miss the rich taste when you bite into our more subtle, but equally delicious version. This cobbler is inexpensive and incredibly easy to make. You can either peel the peaches or leave the peels on. We made our recipe with peels because that’s the way we roll. The peels become soft and pliable during the baking process. Also, they’re packed with vitamins, so it seems a shame to just toss them out. You’re going to love this recipe. We guarantee it!

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!

Morning glory muffins have been a favorite of ours for many years. This recipe utilizes your favorite vegan and gluten-free ingredients!

It’s almost summer, and for many of us this means pie. Not just any pie, mind you, but the kind that will stimulate your senses and cool your tongue at the same time. What pie is more summer-y than key lime? The traditional variety utilizes condensed milk and eggs, but there’s no need for those ingredients when you have coconut milk and cornstarch!