In honor of the Gluten-Free Challenge (sponsored by Pamela's Products and the Gluten Intolerance Group) and the Dairy-Free Challenge, I sent out a request to several of the best special diet cooks in the blogosphere to find out some of their favorite recipes that are both gluten-free and dairy-free. The mix and match selection below is intended to help you create and plan some no fuss gluten-free / dairy-free menus.
In my opinion, the easiest way to take a food challenge or to start a free-from diet is to create your menus in advance. A lack of preparation leads to hunger, and reaching for the wrong foods. By planning some menus ahead of time, right down to the snacks, and preparing your refrigerator, the challenge can be seamless, since you are never wanting for food. Over time, the new diet becomes second nature and the need for meal planning subsides.
So avoid temptation and select some of the dairy-free recipes below to create your own menus for the Pamela’s 2-Day Gluten-Free Challenge on May 22 & 23, 2010. Oh yes, and these recipes also work wonderfully for gluten-free foodies who wish to trial the Dairy-Free Challenge:
Keep in mind that some of these recipes do call for oats. If you are not highly sensitive to gluten, oats may not be a problem for you since they do not naturally contain gluten, but are often cross-contaminated in milling with wheat products. Many, but not all, gluten intolerant people can tolerate certified gluten-free oats. You be the judge on if the oat recipes are suitable for you. In many cases, if oats are out, quinoa flakes can be substituted for a similar texture.
Also, all of Pamela's Products are gluten-free, but not all are dairy-free. Keep an eye out for their popular Bread Mix, which is dairy-free. In fact, all of Pamela's Mixes, with the exception of the Pancake Mix are made without dairy ingredients (the pancake mix contains buttermilk and those with chocolate chips may contain traces of dairy from cross-contamination).
Breakfast
- True Blue Smoothie (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Un-Beetable Sugar-Free Smoothie (Vegan)
- Fava Bean (or any bean) Breakfast on Chickpea Pancakes (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Nutty Oatmeal Blender Waffles (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Gluten-Free Pancakes
- Egg Crepes
- Dutch Babies with Chunky Blueberry Maple Cinnamon Sauce
- Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Pudding
- Easy Vegan Sausage Patties w/ Biscuits and Smoky Almond Gravy (Vegan)
- Turkey Breakfast Sausage *Great Beginner Recipe
- Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche
- Sweet Rice Breakfast Cereal (Vegan) (pictured below) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Gluten-Free Granola
- Oatmeal Brulee (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- “Bran”’d New Muffins
- Blueberry Corn Muffins
- Qunioa Banana Muffins (Vegan)
- Buckwheat Muffins (Vegan)
- Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Our Favorite Shortcut Recipe from Pamela's: Gluten-Free Bagels
Lunch or Dinner
- Tagine of Quinoa with Chickpeas, Olives and Prunes (Vegan)
- Quick and Easy Lentil Dal (Vegan)
- Mediterranean Rice Casserole (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Slightly Spicy Pasta Puttanesque-a (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Cashew Cream Dill Sauce & Steam Asparagus (Vegan) (pictured below)
- Mini-Mushroom Parsley Patties
- Beet Burgers (Vegan)
- Creamy Potato Miso Soup (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Cream of Mushroom Soup (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Sweet and Spicy Carrot Soup (Vegan)
- Cream of Celery Soup (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Sweet Potato Quiche with Cashew Crust
- Chipotle Lime Salmon *Great Beginner Recipe
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Best Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry *Great Beginner Recipe
- Emeril's Slow Cooked Chicken
- Pulled Pork Potato Planks *Great Beginner Recipe
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Honey Mustard and Ginger Chicken
- That Chili with the Mushrooms (Vegan)
- Chicken Cacciatore *Great Beginner Recipe
- Cranberry Chickpea Salad with this Salad Dressing (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
Our Favorite Shortcut Recipe from Pamela's: Steamed Pork Dumplings
Snacks and Extras
- Banana-Oat Superdad Snack Bars *Great Beginner Recipe
- Sweet Strawberry-Watermelon Soul Smoothie (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Almond Feta Spread (Vegan) – for vegetables, gluten-free crackers, or rice cakes
- Cocoa Nibbles (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Flax 'n Oat Bars (Vegan)
- Carrot Bread Bites
- Peanut Butter-Cinnamon Popcorn or Rice Cake Crumbles (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Roasted Chickpeas (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- White Bean Hummus (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Cheese-Filled Olive and Onion Bread (Vegan) (pictured below)
- Espresso Power Bars (Vegan)
- Nutty and Nutritious Biscuits (Vegan)
- Naturally Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free – Many brands of store-bought guacamole, salsa, and hummus are both dairy-free and gluten-free. Pair them with your favorite DF/GF chips (many brands available) or cut up veggies. Another favorite in our house is rice cakes topped with nut butter, cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. And, don't forget whole fruit or trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit, dairy-free chocolate chips, etc.) for a quick and tasty snack.
Our Favorite Shortcut Recipe from Pamela's: Mini Corn-Dogs
Dessert
- Hazelnut Melting Moments (Cookies) (Vegan) (pictured below)
- Coconut Macaroons *Great Beginner Recipe
- Fruit Pizza (Vegan)
- Maple Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
- Bean Brownies (Vegan)
- Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles (Vegan)
- Apple Pumpkin Crumble Bars (Vegan)
- Chocolate Agave Fudge (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Date Nut Candy (Vegan) *Great Beginner Recipe
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Vegan)
- English Style Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Uber-Rich Peanut Butter "Ice Cream" with Peanut Butter Chunks (Vegan)
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Amaretto Chocolate Brownies
- Almond Butter Blondies
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies *Great Beginner Recipe
- Flourless Chocolate Banana Honey Walnut Cake *Great Beginner Recipe
- Perfect Pound Cake
- Double Chocolate Clementine Cake
- Mediterranean Chocolate Cake
- Blondies (Vegan)
Our Favorite Shortcut Recipe from Pamela's: One Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Recipe Contributors:
Ricki of Diet, Dessert, and Dogs and Author of Sweet Freedom ~ Popular vegan recipe creator who has focused on sugar-free and gluten-free in recent years.
Alisa of One Frugal Foodie, Dairy-Free & Fit, and Author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook ~ Dairy-free diva who loves dabbling in various special diets, from soy-free to gluten-free to sugar-free to vegan.
Aubree Cherie of Living Free ~ Always creating strictly dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free delights on her blog.
Kelly of The Spunky Coconut and Author of The Spunky Coconut Cookbook ~ Also dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, she loves experimenting with whole food ingredients.
Thomas of The GFCF Experience ~ Father of autism who shares stories and family-friendly recipes that are gluten-free, casein-free, and easy.
Shirley of Gluten-Free Easily ~ A true leader in the gluten-free arena, you will even find many grain-free options on her informational blog.
Elana of Elana's Pantry and Author of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
