gluten free

In a family with gluten, dairy, soy, egg, and nut intolerances, indulging in creamy anything is quite rare. My oldest son and I are big soup lovers, though, and he especially loves creamy soups, so I’ve tried my hand at several vegan recipes using coconut milk, but we just aren’t always in the mood for the subtle taste of coconut. I’ve discovered that with enough olive oil in the cooking process, and by roasting the veggies first, we can end up with a creamy soup without any dairy or dairy alternatives whatsoever – and the taste is truly superb.

Winter is here, and with it comes lots of temptation for sugary foods and not-so-healthy drinks. One of my favorite things to drink this time of year is hot chocolate, a staple for many people over the holidays. Unfortunately, traditional hot chocolate is often loaded with refined sugar and dairy, not to mention hydrogenated oils if you’re buying it pre-packaged.

Someone once said that the best friends are the ones who feed you beautiful food.  I would add that the ones who share great recipes are pretty fabulous too.  When I was looking for a way to make gluten-free crepes, my friend Dino Lenger told me about his mom’s recipe.  This wonderful little formula traveled thousands of miles, required a bit of translation, and ended up producing a delicious, thin pancake that seems to work with everything that a wheat flour crepe does, without the gluten.  Arrowroot flour is used in place of wheat flour and gives body to the crepe.

Everyone loves pancakes, especially over the holidays. There’s nothing more comforting and indulgent than gathering together with your loved ones over a sticky-sweet breakfast, washed down with plenty of hot tea.

Of course, a lot of that pleasure is diminished when you grow up and realize just how unhealthy that fluffy stack of pancakes is. Add in maple-flavored “syrup” and you have a meal which is going to leave you feeling heavy, sleepy, and in serious need of a salad.

Life on the French Riviera is not only gorgeous, but also quite delicious. My partner and I live in Nice, which is just a short (beautiful!) drive from Italy. A metropolitan hub with an airport on the Mediterranean Sea, Nice has always been a natural melting pot for a diversity of cultures. As a result, it is difficult to find traditional French dishes when one goes out in Nice for a bite to eat.

Goodbye, summer; hello, autumn. It really did sneak up on us, huh? I’m ready to be able to close my windows at night, and bundle up instead. I know it’s still September, but we’ll be carving pumpkins and drinking hot cocoa in no time. In the meantime, it’s time to think about all the warm and delicious foods that we tend to eat when the air becomes chilly. That’s right. I’m talkin’ about comfort food.

As a snacker, I graze all day. While veggies and hummus are usually my go to, every now and then I get a craving for something salty. It's tempting to grab a bag of potato chips overloaded in salt and full of carbohydrates. When I get that urge, I opt for kale chips instead. Gluten-free and vegan, kale chips are slightly salty and crisp in texture. They are a healthy treat that takes the guilt out of snacking and allows you to indulge. It's hard not to eat the whole bunch.

Khichadi is a traditional Indian dish that is both nutritious and easy for the body to digest. It is loaded with spices that cater to the balancing of all three doshas in Ayurveda, and is perhaps the most common staple in the practice due to its ability to improve overall health and detoxify the body. This is also a naturally gluten-free meal for those that are avoiding gluten in their diet. The combination of rice and lentils with ghee, spices and vegetables make this a balanced, beneficial and wholesome meal.

What You Will Need

Lentils with Roasted Beets and Tomato