Gluten-Free Recipes

Gluten-free doesn’t have to mean that you really feel you’re “giving up” something. Over the years I’ve amassed many GF recipes (particularly desserts) that are delicious and easy.

What I’m focusing on here is more *purposefully* gluten-free recipe replacements rather than the many, many recipes that are incidentally gluten-free…vegetables, meat dishes, puddings, curds, jams, and more. But there are tons of those on the site!

So below you’ll find recipes for gluten-free desserts and breads in particular…whether using naturally gluten-free ingredients (my preference) or a special mix, these gluten-free dishes will wow!

Not sure where to start?? For me, it’s about desserts, and here are a few of my absolute go-to recipes:

And here are some more savory or breakfast-based options:

You can also browse through this post on a handful of my favorite gluten-free desserts, or pore through the archives below…

The Best Black Bean Brownies (Naturally Gluten-Free)

March 15, 2014

Soooooo, I have been on the hunt for the best black bean brownie recipe. Why, you ask?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I got it into my head a couple months ago after I tried out my healthy deep-dish chocolate chip cookie pie, which is also chock-full of fiber and gluten-free. Having friends who are gluten-sensitive, I’m always on the lookout for GF dessert recipes for dinner parties.

I’d seen people pin different black bean brownie recipes, but every time I checked out the ingredients I was shocked at how much sugar they called for—I guess to compensate for the lack of other unhealthy things.

So I started browsing through all sorts of recipes and trying several of them find one that was still fairly healthy without compromising on taste or texture. AND I HAVE FOUND IT.

These black bean brownies are perfect. They’re fudge-y and rich but light and not too sweet, and just as good days later as they were fresh out of the oven.

My co-workers were shocked when I told them that they were gluten-free and made of beans. You also blend all the ingredients in a food processor, so there are no bowls to clean, no stirring—just blend, pour, and bake.

FAQs (because I can hear you asking): Do these brownies taste like beans? No. Do they have a weird texture? No. Will anyone be able to tell they have beans in them? No. Will they make me toot? Possibly…that’s really between you and your intestines.

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Oven-Roasted Garlic Rosemary Salmon

March 9, 2014

It feels like spring! I think the weather is finally turning for good, and this weekend was truly glorious. I was tempted to pull out my grill, but instead went for a meal that was bright and happy—a garlic rosemary salmon and roasted okra.

If that doesn’t say “spring in the South” to you, I don’t know what does.

Bright red wild-caught sockeye salmon from Alaska is dusted with freshly-ground salt and pepper, then packed with minced fresh garlic and rosemary (from my own herb garden!) and roasted for a few minutes to bring all the flavors together.

Fast, easy, and healthy. Add a side of roasted okra, and that’s a happy Sunday night.

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Quinoa Maple Nut Granola

February 23, 2014

Granola is one of those things I really WANT to love. I do.

I have all the best intentions of loving granola, and then I pour my milk in and try to eat it, and I chew. And chew. And chew. And then my jaw and teeth hurt. But this quinoa maple nut granola is pretty special.

While it has a traditional base (oats and nuts, some coconut), it brings in a number of interesting flavors and textures.

Chia, quinoa, and sunflower seeds provide extra crunch and protein, dried cranberries and cherries substitute for raisins (which I’m not a huge fan of), and maple syrup and coconut oil hold it all together.

I threw in some flaxseed, wheat germ, and hazelnuts, for good measure, since I didn’t have the pumpkin seeds or buckwheat the recipe called for.

The result is a delicate, crunchy, cinnamon-y obsession. If you want to see the original recipe click here, but I’ve outlined my version below.READ THE POST

Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash & Dried Cranberries

January 12, 2014

Blah blah blah resolutions blah. Seems like that’s all anyone talks about this time of year. But the fact of the matter is, there’s nothing magical about January in terms of getting healthy.

In fact, it’s harder to make a drastic change mid-winter (when, let’s face it, your body is craving sleep and warm comfort food) than to make gradual changes over time that you can actually sustain.

For me, the two major things are exercising almost every day and eating healthy at home since my job often entails lots of eating out, drinking, and treats.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it’s that I’m not going to stick with a diet that I don’t enjoy. That’s why one of my big focuses in the past year has been finding super healthy recipes that I absolutely love.

Make a list of the most healthy foods and ingredients you should be eating—superfoods, whole grains, spices, etc.—and then see how you can work them into recipes. Everyone’s list is going to be different. For me, I haven’t found anything involving lentils that I enjoy, and brown rice is dry and bland when eaten as leftovers.

But conversely I’ve found a lot of quinoa and barley recipes that I like and are great to take to work the next day. I love kale, brussels sprouts, all squashes, okra, and spinach, but there is no recipe or list of healthy benefits that can convince me to eat cucumbers, green peppers, or fresh ginger.

Once you find ingredients you enjoy, hunt up all sorts of different recipes using them. That’s where this recipe comes in. I’ve found that quinoa salads like this one and my sweet & savory chicken quinoa and quinoa & kale salad with feta & pecans are easy, healthy, filling, and affordable. And that’s quite the combination.READ THE POST

Gluten-Free Chocolate Financiers

October 24, 2013

As someone who loves all things gluten-ful (I did grow up on a wheat farm, after all), the whole idea of gluten-free makes me sad.

But the reality of gluten-free *baking* makes me even sadder. And it’s a reality for lots of people. I never really thought about it much until recently, when I had a friend who had realized he had a pretty decent level of gluten-intolerance and so he and his wife have gone gluten-free.

This guy used to devour all my cookies, load up on waffles, and eat my leftover pasta, so this is a majorly big deal. So I’ve tried to start playing around with alternative, gluten-free dessert recipes…and have discovered that it’s really hard!

See, the thing about most gluten-free recipes that I’ve found is that—in addition to their strange and interesting flour alternatives—they often call for some weird ingredients to use as a binding agent, since that’s normally where the gluten comes in.

But as much as I love cooking with real ingredients and whole foods, I just shrink back from recipes that include things like xantham gum that don’t sound like they’re that natural. So, other than puddings and custards, the pickings are slim.

Then I found this gem of a recipe…

I’ve since found some gluten-free faves…see them here!

I wasn’t even looking for a gluten-free recipe when I found it. I was (as I tend to do) going down a rabbit hole on Smitten Kitchen’s site and hopping from link to link. I was browsing the red wine chocolate cake when I found these.

They’re called chocolate financiers (pronounced all fancy and French like “fee-nahn-see-ay”), and they’re made with almond flour. I don’t know the full history, but they probably weren’t even meant to be gluten-free initially—just delicious. In fact, the traditional ones aren’t even chocolate as far as I know.

I whipped these suckers up in five minutes flat, and so they were done in about 15-20 minutes from start to finish. The almond flour gives them an interesting consistency, somewhere between a brownie and a cookie. Kind of fudgy. All delicious.

And the Dutch dark cocoa powder adds a super special flavor, as does the hint of almond extract in there. If you don’t have almond flour, you can get it at Trader Joe’s, probably in the health section of your grocery store, and most certainly online (Amazon Prime is your friend!). You will wow people with these, and they are a super speedy crowd pleaser to have in your dessert arsenal!READ THE POST

Healthy Deep-Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie (Gluten-Free)

September 5, 2013

I can tell what you’re thinking. That “healthy” and “deep-dish chocolate chip cookie pie” don’t belong together. It’s an oxymoron. I must be off my meds.

And to be fair, this should really be called “healthier“, not “healthy”. Because dessert will never be carrot sticks—it’s just a fact of life. Dessert CAN be made healthier, though, without giving up taste or awesomeness. And that’s what we’re doing here today.

This dish is pretty intense. Despite some major ingredient substitutions, it’s rich and sweet and soft and gooey. Plus lower in sugar and full of fiber and protein. And gluten-free.

I might go so far as to say I like it better than I’d like a regular deep-dish cookie pie (which has never been to my particular taste).

As you may have guessed, this healthy delight has a secret ingredient. No, it’s not the tears of a baby duck, or the hoof of a firstborn unicorn. What is it, then?READ THE POST

The Pinterest hit known as “Man Pleasing” Chicken (a.k.a. Maple Dijon Chicken)

February 3, 2013

I am not a mustard person, which is why I had pinned this recipe quite some time ago but have been finding reasons to put off trying it. But I had company coming over and needed a quick, easy dinner I could throw together. And thus, I decided to tackle the ever-present “man-pleasing chicken” recipe from Pinterest.

I was really worried that the three main ingredients—dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a sweeter vinegar—would just make this way too intense, all the flavors fighting each other. But I was pleasantly surprised by how the flavors actually kind of balanced each other out, making the end result sweet, tangy, and with just enough bite to keep your interested.

The other nice flavor component was the rosemary. If you don’t have it the recipe is still great, but the fresh rosemary just adds another great layer of flavor with the mustard-maple sauce.

[June 2019: This is one of my most popular recipes, so I’ve updated the images to be better…though it’s hard to make this chicken look pretty 🙂 But it IS delicious]
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Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

January 4, 2013

Guys, I was REEEEEEALLY skeptical about this one.

Unlike many people, crockpots actually scare me. I’m on board with soups and chili, but pretty much everything else I’ve ever made in a crock pot has turned out burned, dry, soggy, or otherwise not very good. It’s like I’m incapable of mastering it. But I needed a make-ahead breakfast option for my “breakfast day” at work, so the crockpot was really my only option. I turned to this crockpot breakfast casserole recipe…and guess what? It turned out surprisingly great!

The final result wasn’t *pretty*, mind you (hence no pics of it ready to serve) but it was very flavorful, not dry at all, and got a thumbs-up from my co-workers. Plus, the assembly the night before was quick and painless—cooking the bacon was the most involved piece, everything else was just layering. Slow cooker breakfast casserole for the win!READ THE POST

Quinoa Mac & Cheese With Greens

October 31, 2012

“I need to try cooking quinoa.”

I’ve probably been saying this for two years. A couple weeks ago I finally got up the courage to try it.

Why quinoa? Well, for one, it’s a bit of a superfood—high in awesome protein, rich in nutrients (such as calcium, iron, vitamin B), full of fiber and complex carbohydrates, easy to cook, hearty, versatile, and quite tasty.

For my first foray, I went with a delightful-sounding quinoa mac & cheese recipe. Spoiler alert: it was awesome, easy, and delicious!

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Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

July 22, 2012

Haha, well several years after writing this post originally, I had to re-write it because basically nothing was true anymore.

I wrote that almost none of my recipes have chicken (I literally grill chicken every night now), that knowing whether the chicken is cooked stresses me out (true, but I’ve discovered meat thermometers), and that I hate dealing with raw meat (still true, but I’ve had to man up). I’ve updated a few of the recipe details as well.

BUT, what is still true about this delish chicken recipe is that it’s super fast, easy, and healthy. And that still makes it a winner (winner, chicken dinner) in my book.

This recipe is so easy and not remotely stressful, even on a harried weeknight. It even got a super thumbs up from a guy friend, so don’t worry about the brown sugar making it too “frou frou”. I served this with a delicious cauliflower leek risotto and some sauteed kale and they went great together. We were super stuffed afterward.

Note, I’ve recently updated the photos and the recipe itself to improve the overall output.

The best part about this? Five minutes of actual hands-on time, and then it’s in the oven. Start your ovens…

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Cauliflower Leek Risotto

July 22, 2012

Risotto is one of my favorite authentic Italian dishes, and my absolute favorite to make myself when I have the time. You can’t rush risotto. It’s my “stress-relief” dish—pour a glass (or two) of wine, and stir and stir. The process of it is soothing.

One of the first recipes I pinned on Pinterest was for this cauliflower risotto with leeks. It’s a healthier version, since you get the additional vitamins, fiber, etc. from the cauliflower plus you use less rice, which is a simpler carb.

I’ll admit I was skeptical about the cauliflower. I’ve never made anything with cauliflower (I didn’t even know how to chop it!), and I was worried you’d lose the smooth awesomeness of risotto by adding the cauliflower in. I remained skeptical throughout the entire cooking process, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by the result. It was so delicious!

Look at all this healthiness you’re about to put inside you.

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The Best Healthy Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

July 7, 2012

Like much of the country, Hotlanta has been living up to its name lately, with temperatures soaring over 100 every day and like 90%+ humidity. You feel like you’re being broiled every time you walk outside (get in the car, wake up and get out of bed, etc.). The humidity is especially killer, it steals your breath and your will to do anything.

Suffice to say, I have been trying to turn on the oven as little as possible, since it makes my little 600-square-foot apartment feel like a hot yoga studio. So I was racking my brain this past weekend for something easy and cold, and then had the perfect idea: chocolate cornstarch pudding.

[Note, I’ve updated this post with new photos as of January 2022]

I have no idea where the recipe originally came from, but it’s been a staple in my family since I can remember. Look at that awesome cold, creamy, sweet awesomeness.

What’s especially great about this healthy chocolate pudding is that 1) it’s super fast and easy, 2) it uses ingredients you already have on-hand, and 3) it feels indulgent without being too sweet.