The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

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.

We still have leftover summer squash, and it remains fresh! But it doesn’t stay that way forever, and we knew we needed to come up with a new recipe, stat.

We recently acquired a large pile of red bell peppers, and wondered what we might possibly do with them (other than makes dozens of stir-fries). Fortunately, we discovered a sensational curry recipe.

If you have kids (or a spouse!) who balk at the idea of eating broccoli, feed them this simple, but rich side dish and watch them change their minds.

We still had a few tomatoes left over from our neighbor’s recent gift, as well as a small pile of fresh zucchini. These two vegetables are divine baked together.

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.

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.

Many of us have unpleasant childhood memories of being forced to eat Brussels sprouts. Such a mindset is unfortunate because, cooked properly, this cruciferous vegetable is both tasty and nutritious. Many chefs are beginning to appreciate the flavor of the oft-maligned Brussels sprout, so the tide is slowly turning in its favor. Our delicious vegan, gluten-free recipe utilizes dried cranberries, orange zest and toasted hazelnuts to create a taste sensation. You’ll be proud to showcase this offering on your Thanksgiving table. It’s crunchy yet tender, with a hint of sweetness, and packed full of vitamins. The hazelnuts add a bit of protein to our elegant side dish. Yum!

You’re faced with a dilemma: you want to eat an elegant international meal, but you don’t have much time and/or cash on hand. What’s a hungry gourmet to do? The answer is simple — whip up a platter of our Pepper, Peanut, and Potato Sabzi! Though it looks deceptively like a simple, stir-fried dish of potatoes and peppers, once you experienced your first bite, you’ll know there is something special going on. The exotic flavor comes from the addition of cumin and fennel seeds, spices that are popular staples in Indian cuisine. The peanuts add protein, and the potatoes are hearty and filling. Just perfect for these chilly autumn nights!

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.

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.

Cold soup is manna to your throat on a hot summer day. When the outdoor temperatures soar, appetites often plummet. However, you don’t want sunshine to cause you to sacrifice good eating or proper nutrition! This vegan, gluten-free recipe is incredibly easy to make (and inexpensive!), and you won’t have to spend hours slaving over a hot stove. The addition of strawberries to the traditional gazpacho recipe makes the dish sweet and extra-zesty. You can top the soup with gluten-free croutons if you’d like to get fancy.