The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

Last week, we were obsessed with bananas. This week, it’s pineapple. And for good reason — they’re the perfect summer fruits!

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

Some desserts are almost too good to be true! Especially when they’re vegan, gluten-free, and you can’t believe they were made without eggs or dairy!

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.

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.

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.

It might still be snowing where you live, but the weather is already hot in our area! Since the heat makes us think of cold desserts, we started having visions of pecan pie.

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!

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!

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’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!

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.

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.

Usually, when we think of millet, we envision birdseed. However, this crunchy, high-protein grain is delicious as a sandwich spread when it’s combined with spicy buffalo sauce and creamy vegan ranch dressing. The consistency is slightly cheese-like, and the flavor is out of this world! You can make the buffalo sauce as mild or spicy as your heart desires.

It’s May already, which means the official beginning of barbeque season! Some of you might be catching whiffs of your neighbor’s meat-based cuisine and wondering what on earth you can cook that didn’t come from an animal. Fear not, because we’ve got you covered with these delightful tofu/melon/pepper skewers! The marinade is light but zesty, due to the inclusion of red pepper flakes, and the heat from your grill will impart a subtle crispiness to the tofu.

If you want a delicious, vegan and gluten-free alternative to traditional barbeque fare, try these bbq tofu/chickpea sandwiches! And they’re easy to make!

Sometimes vegans get a craving for a hearty meal, and this vegan reuben will satisfy that craving, and more! It’s delicious, and so easy to make!