Blueberry Muffins (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

Okay let me just go ahead and say this right off the bat - I'm a blueberry muffin snob. For real, I'm picky about blueberry muffins and I'm not easy to please. Hands down, the best blueberry muffin recipe I have ever had are there Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins. But, then I quit gluten and dairy and thought I would never eat a good blueberry muffin again. That is, until I made these muffins!

I brought one of these muffins into work for my boss and she could not believe they were allergen friendly. I frequently hear people say they are trying to cut out gluten or dairy or sugar... but are struggling because their kids/spouse/family/friends... won't eat that way. Let me first say, that I am lucky to be surrounded by people who are adventurous and will try just about anything! But, I really don't think I've made that much of a compromise in the food department. And these muffins are a great example of that - you could easily whip up a batch of them and serve them to any group of people without any questions. They're just good. Period. Let's get to the recipe, shall we?

This recipe is from a blog called Making Thyme for my Health. I made a few adjustments based on suggestions in the comments - all of which I've detailed below. You can find the original recipe HERE.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

I have been on the hunt for a good gluten free, vegan & refined sugar free crumble recipe for what feels like forever. I have tried SO many recipes and they always come out just okay. My family loves fruit crumbles, so I have continued my searched and just recently discovered the perfect recipe. And, I don’t say that lightly. We are picky with our crumbles but this one is absolute perfection.

Every year, my grandma brings me rhubarb fresh from her garden and my favorite thing to do with rhubarb is mix it with strawberries and make a crumble! Rhubarb is tart, so it balances perfectly with the sweetness from the strawberries. I’ve deemed it my personal mission in life to create food that caters to food sensitivities without tasting like it does. Do you know what I mean? I have tried so many gluten free things and thought meh it’s pretty good considering it’s gluten free. I want my desserts to taste delicious not considering they’re gluten free or dairy free or whatever they might be free from. I want them to just be good.

That is so the case with these strawberry rhubarb bars. They taste great because they’re darn good. No one would ever guess that they are free from gluten, dairy, eggs and refined sugar! The roots of this recipe are from Heartbeat Kitchen. I used the base of her recipe but modified it to create my own spin on this fabulous treat!

Vegan French Toast (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free too!)

This vegan French toast makes the most perfect lazy Sunday morning breakfast. I have been making this French toast recipe a lot lately because I just cannot get enough. I love how easy it is to throw together and I love that it makes for the easiest leftovers. I store my leftover batter in an air tight container in the fridge and it lasts me 3-4 days. I use gluten free bread when I make french toast but you can use any kind of bread that works best for you.

I have to quickly mention that this french toast uses banana but I don't mind it at all. I barely taste the banana in the finished product and I am pretty picky about banana flavour. I like a banana on its own but I don't love banana in a smoothie or fruit salad. I usually find the flavour of bananas pretty overbearing. Despite how picky I am about bananas, I still love this French toast! The banana really doesn't take away from the overall flavour - somehow it all works.

Apple Cider Doughnuts (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

I have had a serious hankering for doughnuts lately. Like, scrolling through Pinterest, looking at pictures of doughnuts hankering. We used to make killer homemade doughnuts, but then I quit gluten, dairy, eggs and sugar. And, as a result I had to ditch doughnuts. Two weeks ago, I would have told you that I was fine and not missing doughnuts. That is, until I realized I was looking up doughnut recipes almost every day - ha! I wish I was joking.

I stumbled upon this recipe from Mama Knows Gluten Free on Friday and I just knew I had to make these doughnuts! I ran out to get a doughnut pan from our local kitchen store (because these doughnuts are baked and not fried) then got to work! You can find the original recipe HERE, but keep scrolling to find out how I made these fabulous doughnuts!

Mango Chicken Bowls

This is a recipe that I pinned quite a while ago, but I just got around to trying it more recently. I think I've mentioned before that I am allergic to everything (at least, it feels that way!). I'm not actually allergic to much (just cats!), but I get allergy symptoms SO easily. I remember being in New York on my grad trip and getting hives all up my back. My friends and I stopped into Sephora in Times Square to check my back and sure enough I was covered in hives - ugh! One of my friends said she thinks I'm allergic to the shirt I was wearing. Funny in hindsight but so not funny in the moment!

So why am I talking about allergy symptoms? In an effort to lower my allergic reactions, I've been trying to limit my foods that cause histamine. I already feel like I am pretty restricted in what I eat, so I'm not very strict with this low histamine eating, but I try to avoid histamine foods whenever I can. I almost never eat gluten, dairy, eggs or sugar but sometimes I go a little further and cut out some foods that stir up the histamine. This is a low-histamine recipe. These mango chicken bowls are crazy good for you, they're loaded with protein, fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C. My favorite thing about these bowls is that they don't taste as healthy as they are. They are packed with so much flavor - the perfect blend of savory and sweet!

This recipe is from Histamine Friendly Kitchen, you can find the original recipe HERE. I can't wait to browse through this blog for more fun low histamine recipe to try!

Apple Crisp (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

I think this is my third post about apple crisp. And, as much as I try not to repeat posts, this was a necessary repeat because I've never posted an allergen friendly apple crisp recipe. So today, I'm sharing my recipe for gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free apple crisp. For this recipe I consulted 4 or 5 other recipes and then kind of made up my own. I very rarely make up my own recipes, but I'm glad I did this time because it worked out great! Okay, onto the recipe!

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are everything. By far the best gluten free & vegan cookies I have ever had. I found this recipe on Sarah Bakes Gluten Free's blog and I was intrigued. My family loves roasted pecans, so I knew these cookies would get a lot of love in my house. That being said, I was super apprehensive about how these cookies would turn out. The ingredient list just looked strange to me. But, it worked so well! These cookies have everything a good cookie has - crispy edges with a chewy center, great flavor and a little crunch!

If you are gluten free and or vegan, you need to give these cookies a try! The ingredient list is so darn simple - you won't have to go looking for any obscure ingredients. They're completely allergen friendly and their refined sugar free! You can find the original recipe HERE, but I will detail how I made the cookies below.

Spinach, Avocado Chicken Burgers

This recipe is from Unbound Wellness (you can find the original recipe HERE). These burgers are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, whole 30 & Paleo.
 
It has been a hot minute since I've blogged three days in a row! Excuse me while I go do a little happy dance. I have been so busy since Christmas; it is so nice to have more free time to blog! Ok, enough chit chat. We need to start talking about this recipe because it is everything you have ever wanted out of a chicken burger and more. These chicken burgers taste ridiculously good and they come together so quickly (like 20 minutes!!).

I have been craving a chicken burger big time, but I had my heart set on a traditional breaded chicken burger. I was curious about this recipe but I really didn't think I would like these burgers. My family was excited about this recipe, so we decided to give it a try. And, let me tell you - I will never eat a traditional breaded chicken burger again. These chicken burgers were incredible. They pack so much flavor, they hold together super well and they make the perfect weeknight meal!

I think I mentioned this in my early blogging days, but I have a serious aversion to raw chicken (and raw meat in general especially when i have to touch it). Because of this, I don't love making burgers. i just don't love messing with raw meat. Well, I'm going to have to get over this pretty fast because I think this recipe will be on repeat in our weekly meal planning. These chicken burgers were well loved by my whole crew!

The BEST Gluten Free & Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Long time no recipe, huh? I have been working on this recipe for weeks (maybe months?). I tried this recipe 3 times before finally perfecting it. I've gotten pretty good with gluten free & vegan baking. It's an adjustment but I'm figuring it all out. That being said, I had yet to master a chocolate chip cookie recipe until this past Sunday.

I used to really take pride in my ability to make a killer batch of chocolate chip cookies in under an hour. When I quit gluten, dairy, eggs and sugar; chocolate chip cookies were a devastating loss. My family has been trying different chocolate chip cookies for the past year until we stumbled on this recipe and fell in love. That being said, this recipe seems rather fickle - just the tiniest change results in completely different cookies. I made these on Sunday and was ready to do a little happy dance because they turned out perfect! I will detail exactly how I made so you can have perfect chocolate chip cookies too!

This recipe is out of Cara Reed's Decadent Gluten Free & Vegan Cookbook. You can find the recipe on page 37.

Blueberry Muffins (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

I  made these muffins a couple of weeks and I was blown away by how good they turned out. Never in my year of baking gluten free & vegan have I gotten such amazing rise out of a muffin! Gluten free and vegan muffins tend to be a little more dense, but not these muffins! These fabulous blueberries rise just like regular old muffins!

Want to know the very best part of these muffins? The streusel topping. I love crumble toppings on just about anything - I love apple crumbles, I love sweet potato casseroles with crumble on top and I especially love muffins with a little crumble on top! The streusel on these muffins does not disappoint and adds just the right amount of sweetness to this yummy snack. You can find the original recipe on Fork & Bean HERE.

Thin Mints (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

These cookies come with a bit of a story - my Mom has long loved Girl Guide cookies. She has never been a fan of cookies that aren't homemade (and she passed down her cookie snobbery to me! I'm a sucker for homemade cookies) but she has always loved Thin Mint Girl Guide cookies. When setting out to get her a Christmas gift this year, I wanted to find a way to make her gluten free thin mint cookies, so I began my research!

I read through many blogs and reviews until I found what seemed to be the best of the best. Cara Reed's copycat thin mint cookies (made gluten free, vegan & refined sugar free!) get ridiculously good reviews. People were writing crazy things like "These copycat thin mints are better than the original." What!? I needed to get my hands on this recipe. After doing a bit more research, I decided to go ahead and buy her whole cookbook. And, I'm so glad I did! These Thin Mint Cookies are spectacular but so is everything else we have baked from her cookbook!

I am so happy to report that we all voted these copycat thin mint cookies better than the originals too! We were expecting the cookies to turn out good and they still managed to exceed our expectations - they're that good! They have the most perfect crunch and they pack a ton of flavour and crunch! You can find the original recipe HERE.

Ginger Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

Though my Dad loves all desserts, he is especially fond of spicy-sweet desserts. He used to love speculaas cookies - which are a sort of spicy biscuit. But, they are loaded gluten, dairy and refined sugar (as most cookies are)! Since our big food elimination last year, we have been on the lookout for a good spice cookie aand I am so happy to be sharing a fabulous one today!

When my Mom opened Cara Reed's cookbook on Christmas morning, we were all excited about different recipes - my Mom wanted biscotti and Thin Mints, I wanted chocolate chip cookies and my Dad wanted spice cookies. He even made an intriguing case for trying these cookies before gifting the book to my Mom. Just write down the recipe, she doesn't need to know where it came from he said. I talked him into holding off until after Christmas, but he finally got his spice cookies and they were so worth the wait! These cookies are so perfectly crispy and full of flavor! I don't drink coffee, but my Dad says these pair great with a coffee!

The recipe is on page 44 of Cara Reed's Decadent Gluten Free and Vegan Cookbook. I stuck to the original recipe and it worked out great!

Pecan Sandies (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free]

I whipped up these cookies a couple of weeks ago. And, I chose the word whipped on purpose - these actually come together fast! They're gluten free, dairy free, egg free and refined sugar free but you would never know! These cookies call for easy ingredients and they come together with very little fuss! If you are looking for an easy peasy dessert that are allergen friendly, this recipe is for you!

The recipe is on page 19 of Cara Reed's Decadent Gluten Free & Vegan Cookbook. You can find the book HERE (if you are looking for a great GF & vegan cookbook, I highly, highly recommend this book!).

Before we get into the actual recipe, I need to share Cara's GF flour blend. We have tried these cookies 2 ways - once with America's Test Kitchen GF flour blend and once with Cara's GF flour blend. And even though I normally swear by ATK's flour blend, these cookies are far better with Cara's flour!

Honey Dijon Chicken

Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes ever! My Mom has been making this recipe forever and even as a 4 year old, I loved this recipe. This is a recipe that always goes over well in my house and it gets requested over and over again (usually by me). I seriously could eat this every week! Yes, it's delicious but I also love that this recipe is ridiculously easy to put together and it's allergen friendly. This honey dijon chicken comes together super fast and it's free from gluten, dairy, egg and refined sugar - that makes it an especially big win in my house!

This recipe is from The Spruce Eats but we've adjusted over time as we've figured out what works best. So, original recipe is HERE but keep reading to find out how I make it.

Waffles (Gluten Free & Vegan)

There are some things I don't miss since I cut out gluten, dairy, eggs, etc... like cheese. I just don't miss cheese. I used to love cheese and know the thought of eating a piece of cheese makes my stomach turn. Cheesy pizza? No thank you. Cream cheese on bagel? Big no thank you! I really don't miss cheese, but I something I do miss is waffles! I used to love fresh, homemade waffles and I miss them so much!

When we were in Florida on March break, we found some great gluten free waffle options (by the company Van's) but Canadian grocery stores have less of a selection in the waffle department. I tried making some homemade the other day and they turned out pretty good. The Bean said "they're definitely not a 10/10 but I'd give them a solid 8.5/10." And I completely agree. They aren't like traditional gluten waffles but considering they're gluten free, dairy free, egg free and sugar free, they're pretty darn good!

This recipe is from the Minimalist Baker, you can find it HERE.

Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake (Vegan, Gluten Free and Sugar Free)

I had every intention of sharing a little peak into our Christmas decor and some holiday gift ideas this week but exams took over - ugh! Exams really took over my week but that all ends today! I have my last exam this evening then it's all Christmas, all the time for me! I have lots of Christmas presents to make, some holiday cards to address and some time scheduled with some of my favorite girlfriends to celebrate the season and I am so looking forward to all of it!

So, a quick recipe to share today before I head out to right the last exam of my Bachelor's (!!!) and it's a good one! Last week, I shared a recipe for that divine double chocolate bundt cake and today, I'm sharing a recipe for a fabulous cinnamon swirl bundt cake. When it came to choosing a favorite, we were a divided house. We could not reach a unanimous decision about which bundt cake is better because they are both that good! This recipe is also from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free and you can find the original HERE. I will detail how I made this cake below.

Before we get to the recipe, I should quickly mention that this is an 'everything free' cake. I've started calling my allergen safe baking 'everything free' because they really are free of everything! This cake is free of gluten, eggs, dairy and refined sugar.

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

Remember when I posted these Espresso brownies, I suggested you cancel all your plans for the day and stay home to make brownies? I'm going to make that same recommendation today because this cake is so darn good. I was a little cautious with my excitement for this cake - I didn't trust that it would turn out as good as it did. It's 'everything free' for goodness sake! It turns out a cake with no gluten, no dairy, no eggs, and no refined sugar can be just as fabulous as regular cake!

This cake got big love in my house and I think what took it over the edge is the fact it's a bundt cake. For some reason, my crew loves a good bundt cake. I don't know what it is about bundt cakes but they get significantly more love than regular cakes around here. AND! This cake is double chocolate, which just makes my heart sing! I adore chocolate anything. I've always been a chocolate girl so this cake is checking all the right boxes for me.

This recipe comes from a blog called Sarah Bakes Gluten Free, you can find it HERE. I loved this recipe so much, I'm planning to try some of her other recipes! I followed the bundt cake recipe exactly but I didn't put the glaze on the cake. I love, love, love icing but in an effort to cut back on sugar, I left out the frosting. Ok, onto the recipe!

Espresso Fudge Brownies (gluten free, vegan & refined sugar free)

These brownies are little pieces of heaven. They are the best brownies I have ever had - even better than brownies with gluten and dairy & refined sugar, I promise! That being said, I highly recommend you cancel all of your plans for the day and stay home to make these brownies. This from a girl who doesn't like coffee. Coffee is not my thing, but somehow, these brownies are so my thing! The coffee flavor is not as strong as I was expecting - it's there but it's subtle. These brownies are the perfect combination of chocolate and coffee.

When the Bean finished her brownie she asked "can I have another one?" to which my Dad said "Oh I hope so because that means I can have another one!" Everyone was asking for seconds! These brownies are that good! The recipe is from a blog called Vanilla and Bean (cute, right?); you can find the original HERE.

Lettuce Wraps (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)

This recipe has been a regular in our house for as long as I can remember. I loved these lettuce wraps as a kid and I still love them just as much! When I made them last week so I could blog the recipe, I was surprised to learn how easy the recipe is. These lettuce wraps some together fairly quickly and they make the most delicious dinner. This recipe could easily be made ahead of time, then kept in a container in the fridge until you need it on a busy weeknight.This recipe also just happens to be gluten free & dairy free - score! No adjustments need to be made with this allergy friendly dinner.

Fall Harvest Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette

Does it get any more seasonal than pumpkin salad? I think not! There isn't pumpkin in the actual salad part, but there is pumpkin in the dressing! So cool, right? We tried this salad for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit! It's so flavorful and perfect for Fall!! It's also super duper easy! This recipe is from a blog called Wholesomlicious. You can find the original recipe HERE.

I almost forgot to mention! This recipe is vegan and gluten free friendly! I used to love adding cheese to salads, but no longer! I love that these salad packs a great flavor without needing cheese.