Planning to go Gluten-free &/or Vegan? Read on...

Initially published in 2021

Re-published April 2024

Necessity – is what brought me to look for gluten free recipes.

Few months ago, I took a test for food allergies and intolerances and it turned out I’m intolerant towards gluten (among other things 😊). And gluten, my dear neighbours, can be found in so many food products. I love bread, pastries, pastas, pizzas. All of that was to be avoided. And gluten can be also present in less obvious sources like soy sauce, meat and dairy products.

So that, I shifted my diet into naturally gluten free products. But definitely the worst difficulty I found in altering sweets likes cakes and cookies. I started looking for some gluten free recipes online and trying them in my kitchen. Since I am also intolerant to eggs and milk (OMG, right? 😊), I needed to find some recipes that are totally vegan. Thus, I selected for you 3 recipes that I find particularly good and yummy and - which is super important in gluten free baking – they are always a success. You can try them out even if you are not allergic or intolerant to gluten because they are just so delicious. All recipes have been approved by my 2,5-year-old daughter 😊Enjoy baking!

The first one is my personal favourite, I am actually eating it while writing this article. 😊 It requires no flour; it is full of good protein and no white sugar. It takes around 30 minutes to have it ready to eat! And don’t be discouraged about beans, this cake tastes like a real deal brownie! 😊

Red/Black beans gluten-free brownie (both beans work fine)

Ingredients

1 can red or black beans (drain them)

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup quick oats (pick those pure ones)

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup

1/4 cup coconut or other vegetable oil (I would stick to coconut though)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chocolate chips (don’t omit this part haha), plus more chips, for presentation (optional)

Optional: 2 tsp of chia seeds, 2 tsp of grounded almonds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips (chia and almonds if you use them) in a food processor or a blender, and blend it for quite a while until it’s completely smooth. Stir in the chips and then pour into a baking pan (I use a silicone one).

Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. You can place the cake in the fridge overnight, it will firm up and more coconut flavours will be distinct.

Simple vegan chocolate cake

Ingredients

2 smalls mashed ripe bananas

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, or sunflower butter)

3/4 cup maple/agave syrup

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

1 ¼ cup dairy-free milk (almond milk, oat milk, rice milk)

1 cup sifted cocoa powder

1 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)

2 cups almond flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Basically, whisk to combine all ingredients in one large bowl, keep the order from the ingredients list. It shouldn’t be thick like brownie batter and it shouldn’t be too watery. If too thin, continue adding almond flour. If too thick, thin with a little dairy-free milk. Pour into a baking pan (I use a silicone one) and bake for 28-38 minutes.

You can also make cupcakes, then bake time should be 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the centre comes out free of crumbs (a little brown colour is fine) and the edges appear dry. Be careful not to over-bake, then the cake will be dry and crumbly. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before cutting.

This third recipe actually doesn’t require baking. I use it for some special occasions because it tastes really special 😊 it is a cheesecake and again you wouldn’t tell that it is not made of cheese. Millet is super healthy and gluten free so it’s a win-win situation.

Gluten free Vegan Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 cup millet (cooked with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of dairy-free milk)

1 can coconut milk (400ml)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 whole lemon squeezed, plus lemon peel

8 Tbsp xylitol

6 tsp agar agar

pinch of salt

Icing:

2 cups frozen raspberries

2 Tbsp xylitol

2 tsp agar agar

Instructions

Defrost raspberries. Rinse the millet few times to remove the bitter taste. Cook 1 cup of millet with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of dairy-free milk (can be almond milk and oat milk) until it’s super soft. Squeeze the lemon and peel the skin. Lemon juice is very important because it gives this particular cheesecaky flavour. Add coconut milk, vanilla, xylitol, pinch of salt, lemon juice and lemon peel and 6 tsp of agar agar. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Blend in a food processor or a blender until it’s completely smooth. Pour into a greased round baking pan (I use 21cm diameter). After it cools down, put to the fridge.

Now icing 😊: Put defrosted raspberries with 2 Tbsp of xylitol and 2 tsp of agar agar into a food processor or a blender and blend until smooth. Then cook them in a pot for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour over your cheesecake, let it cool and put to the fridge for at least 2h.

Bon appetit! 😊