Category: All About Gluten and Gluten-Free Recipes

Dozens of gluten-free recipes, many of which are also vegan. Plus articles that tell you all about gluten and its relationship to health, and how avoiding gluten in your diet can have an impact.

Whether it is as extreme as celiac disease, or you just want to keep it out of your body, knowing all about gluten lets you make knowledgable decisions about your’s and your family’s health.

And having delicious recipes that are gluten-free makes it easy to do!

Chef V’s Guacamole w/Pomegranate and Mango

December 6, 2023 Chef V

I like to make this guacamole for the holidays – so pretty and festive!

Chef V tip: save the pit and keep it in the mixture to keep the guacamole from turning brown.

creamy green smoothie

Ingredients

2 large ripe avocados
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
1/4 small white onion, finely diced
3 fresh cilantro sprigs with stems, chopped
2 Tbs. diced mango
2 Tbs. pomegranate seeds
1 tsp. Chopped jalapeno (optional)

Directions

For guacamole: Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop the flesh into a bowl. Using a fork or a potato masher, mash the avocado with the lime juice and 1/2 tsp. salt until the guacamole is smooth but still has a little texture and some chunks. Stir in the onion, mango, cilantro and jalapeño (optional). Top with pomegranate seeds. Taste and adjust the seasoning for dipping. Serves 4.

Warm Butternut Squash Salad

December 1, 2023 Chef V

Warm butternut squash: this is a delicious holiday treat for those first cold days that signal the end of fall. It’s a hit at special dinners. It’s very filling and makes you feel warm inside even though it’s a salad. It’s also very healthy and vegan. – Veronica

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warm butternut salad

TOTAL 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2-4 people

Ingredients

Warm butternut squash

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup diced sweet or yellow onion
1 small butternut squash, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup cooked quinoa
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups wild greens (arugula, spinach, or mixed herbs)
1 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

Warm butternut squash: In a large non-stick pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and butternut squash. (The smaller the squash is diced the more quickly it will cook.) Sauté the squash and onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the squash is soft. Do not burn the squash or onions.

Add the garlic, nutmeg and thyme, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the butternut squash to a bowl and stir in the cooked quinoa. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cool mixture in the refrigerator.

To serve, mix the dressing ingredients and drizzle over greens. Top with cooled butternut squash mix and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serves 2-4.

Grilled Artichokes with Two Sauces

November 30, 2023 Jean Yates

Grilled artichokes, precooked and finished at the picnic. They’ll love these on the barbecue. Serve with my two vegan sauces: Raw Horseradish Mayonnaise, and Vegan Herb Aioli.

grilled artichokes

Serving Size: 2 People

Ingredients

6 cups filtered water
1 large fresh artichoke
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 white onion
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil in a stockpot.

Trim the thorns from the artichoke leaves with scissors. Cut the artichoke in half vertically and remove the fuzzy center. To the boiling water, added the artichoke, garlic, and onion. Boil, covered, for 45 minutes – one hour, or until the leaves pull out easily. Transfer the artichoke halves to a paper towel cut side down or drain the water.

Heat a grill or grill pan. Place the artichokes cut side down on the hot grill or grill pan and char for 2 to 3 minutes, until you get good grill marks. This will add a nice smokiness. Plate the artichoke halves cut side up. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and vinegar, drizzle over the artichoke, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and serve with Vegan Herb Aioli or Raw Horseradish Mayo.

Vegan Herb Aioli

November 29, 2023 Chef V

Aioli, a traditional Mediterranean sauce, is just right for dipping veggies or drizzling over toasted baguette. It makes a delicious accompaniment to my Grilled Artichokes. – Veronica

vegan herb aioli

TOTAL 10 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Serving Size: 2 People

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews, washed and drained (pre-soaked 1 hour)
1 cup filtered water
¼ cup of lemon juice
1 tbsp. of lemon zest
½ tsp. organic sea salt to taste
1 tsp. raw coconut sugar
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic

Directions

Blend mayo ingredients together in a Vitamix or food processor.

White Sweet Potato Purée

November 29, 2023 Chef V

Everyone loves mashed potatoes. But regular mashed potatoes are very starchy. That means the starch quickly converts into sugar. That’s more bad news for your gut. But this healthy recipe for mashed potatoes uses the nutritiously-superior white sweet potato. Instead of regular milk, I use almond or coconut milk.

I swear to you that my white sweet potato pureé will have the same starchy mouth-feel as regular mashed potatoes. But this version contains way more minerals and is lower in calories. – Veronica

sweet potato puree

TOTAL: 1 hour

Serving Size:2

Ingredients

1 large white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cups filtered water
1/4 cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk or coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

Boil the sweet potato pieces in the 3 cups of water in a large pot for 15 minutes, or until soft. Transfer the pieces to a Vitamix and add the milk, sea salt, cayenne, and red pepper flakes, and process until smooth. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Creamy Curry Pumpkin Soup

November 12, 2023 Chef V

The only thing more comforting than a bowl of soup is a bowl of homemade soup that is both vegan and gluten-free. There’s something special about cooking comforting meals like this during the Fall that will warm you up and have your kitchen smelling festive.

Cozy up with someone you love and enjoy this delicious pumpkin soup on a cool fall night! – Veronica

vegan ambrosia salad

Serving Size:2

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
½ cup organic Crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. curry powder
1 ½ tbsp. gluten-free flour (we like Bob’s Red Mill)
3 cups organic vegetable broth
2 cups Chef V’s Organic Pumpkin Puree (see recipe HERE)
½ cup of canned coconut milk
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp organic sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper

Directions

Bring oil to medium high heat and saute onion and mushrooms for 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add garlic, curry powder and gluten-free flour to the pan to continue to cook for one more minute.

Slowly add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Cook and stir for a couple of minutes until the soup starts to thicken.

Add the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Continue to stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Blend small batches of soup in a Vitamix or blender to a get a smooth texture and serve hot.

Vegan Gravy

November 1, 2023 Jean Yates

There’s nothing better than homemade comfort food during the holiday season. Gatherings at home with friends and family sharing home cooked meals on these cold winter nights is one of our favorite things. .

Impress family and friends with my easy-to-make healthy gravy recipe as the finishing touch to your meal. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian or simply a healthy eater, holiday meals don’t need to feel stressful. Instead, enjoy delicious meals without regret and be thankful you made the right decision! – Veronica

vegan gravy

TOTAL 1 hour

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2 Person

Ingredients

2 tbsp. cold pressed olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp. gluten-free flour (I like Bob Red Mills brand)
1 tsp. salt
2 cups organic vegetable stock

Directions

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium-high. Add yellow onions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are translucent. Reduce the heat to low and mix in the gluten-free flour with the onions. Slowly add the vegetable broth and continue to stir until the gravy becomes thick. Add more flour to thicken and add more broth to thin. Serve over any of your favorite sides in place of regular gravy this year.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

November 1, 2023 Chef V

My oh my, pumpkin pie … how I love thee,
But how you seem to hate my belly.
For each sinfully delicious bite I take,
Your sweet and milky richness makes my tummy ache.
Is there a way to make you more nutritious,
All the while keeping you equally delicious?
The good news is yes there is,
And showing you how is my biz. (Mic drop)

Bon Appétit! – Veronica

My pumpkin pie recipe is better for your health because it contains low-glycemic coconut sugar and dairy-free coconut whipped cream. It is gluten-free.

Ingredients

¾ cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp. Chef V’s Pumpkin Pie Spice
½ tsp. organic sea salt
2 tbsp. Chef V’s Chia Seed Egg Substitute
1 ½ cups Chef V’s Organic Pumpkin Puree
1-cup organic unsweetened almond milk
Use my Gluten Free Crust

Directions

Mix sugar, pie spice, salt, egg substitute and pumpkin puree in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add almond milk.

Press pie crust into a 9-inch baking pie dish. Pour the pumpkin mix into the pie crust.

Bake 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with my Coconut Whip Cream Recipe or refrigerate.

sourdough bread

“Let’s talk about bread, baby, let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be…”

With apologies to Salt ‘N’ Pepa (I’m starting to show my age!), bread isn’t as sexy as a topic as, well, sex. But actually in a way it is, because the conventional logic in natural health circles is that if you want to be slimmer and feel sexier, you’ve got to abstain from bread.

Personally, I don’t have bread every day or even close to every day. On the rare occasion I do eat bread, I’ll choose a gluten-free variety or organic sourdough cracked bread from Trader Joe’s.

And what about you? How often do you eat bread and other foods that contain gluten? If you’re eating gluten everyday, is this a ticking time bomb? Are you setting yourself up for an autoimmune disease or other serious health condition later on in life if you continue on your gluttonous gluten-filled path?

Here’s what I think about whether or not it’s necessary to go gluten-free…

ancient breads

Today’s Gluten: A Different Breed

When wild wheat was first collected some 20,000 years ago, it was much different than the wheat that’s harvested today. Through selective hybridization, wheat has been modified thousands of times.

Wheat, which contains gluten, the glue-like protein structures, is one of the most complicated species in terms of gene variation. You and I have about 25,000 genes that contribute to our individual traits. Wheat can contain as many as … get this … over 330,000 genes!!!

That’s right, wheat is more genetically complex than human DNA. But it wasn’t always like that. During the last 50-60 years or so, as the industrialization of food became the norm, wheat has become so bastardized that it would hardly be recognizable to the first agrarians who started cultivating it.

And as wheat has changed, so has gluten. The gluten molecules over the years have become larger. And modern wheat products contain more gluten than their ancient counterparts—gluten has become bigger and badder!

What does this mean for your health? If you’re eating lots of processed wheat and other foods that contain gluten, your blood sugar levels are going to suffer. That’s because modern wheat elevates blood sugar levels higher than ancient wheat varieties.

In fact, Dr. William Davis, author of the best-selling book from a decade ago, Wheat Belly, compared his blood sugar levels after consuming processed wheat bread compared to an ancient variety of wheat. With his baseline, fasting blood sugar at 84, Davis’ blood sugar spiked to 167 mg/dl after eating modern wheat bread. But after eating a variety of ancient wheat, his blood sugar rose to a far more moderate 110 mg/dl.

So you see, like most things in life, not everything is black and white. The devil is often in the details as they say.

The same is true with gluten. Gluten has a bad reputation, and for good reason; 99% of supermarket products contain highly-hybridized wheat gluten.

And with bigger gluten molecules and more of them, it’s no wonder that many people have bad reactions after eating gluten.

But not all gluten is bad…

Organic Sourdough Bread: Good Gluten?

Sourdough bread contains gluten. But there’s less gluten in sourdough than in wheat bread. Another benefit of sourdough is that it acts like a prebiotic fiber. Prebiotic fiber is what the good bacteria in your gut feed on in order to survive and thrive.

When I do eat sourdough bread, I always opt for organic. That’s because organic foods in general have less glyphosate. That’s the potentially-cancer causing herbicide and pesticide in Roundup weed killer that was developed by Monsanto, and the focus of over 125,000 lawsuits and counting.

Organic sourdough bread is fermented and contains more antioxidants than other varieties of bread. Plus, it’s easier on your belly to digest than wheat bread.

ancient grains

Gluten: The Older The Better

Besides sourdough bread, what other foods with gluten may actually be good for you? Try eating ancient varieties of wheat that have not been hybridized to the extent that modern wheat has, and that won’t spike your blood sugar as high.

Einkorn and emmer wheat are a couple examples. There’s also spelt, kamut, farro and teff.

Considering how used to modern wheat your taste buds are, it may take some getting used to ancient heirloom wheat varieties.

But if you don’t want to give up gluten and want to take charge of your blood sugar levels and your overall health, give ancient wheat a try. Unless you have a true allergy to gluten such as Celiac Disease, you’ll probably find ancient wheat is easy to digest and won’t cause wheat belly.

Chef V and kale