When I first started cooking for my son’s doctor-recommended gluten free diet, it was a challenge. There was no nearby Whole Foods – or any health food store – and I bought most of my ingredients online. I had a pantry full of sorghum flour, tapioca flour, xantham gum, guar gum, garfava bean flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, arrowroot flour, potato flour…and other ingredients that completely baffled my friends who bake with typical ingredients.

And it wasn’t cheap! Many of the flours were  bitter to the taste and much of my hard work wound up in the trash. When the raccoons picked through our garbage, even they didn’t want it. Gluten free recipes have come a long way since then. Many are simpler to make, have less ingredients and less costly ingredients. And more importantly, they taste good.

Here are my 11 favorite easy gluten free recipes.

1. Gluten free peanut butter cookies.

I found this flourless, 4-ingredient recipe on the Rumbly in My Tumbly website. They were easy to make, delicious, and left me thinking, “Who needs flour?” So much easier to make than traditional homemade peanut butter cookies.

2. Gluten free meatloaf.

My friend Jane, who has Celiac’s disease, shared this recipe with me. What you need:  1.5 lbs lean ground beef, ½ lb sweet Italian sausage or ground pork, I egg, ½ cup GF breadcrumbs, ¼ cup almond meal, ¼ cup chopped onions or shallots (or combo of both), 1 tbsp olive oil, salt to taste, 1 cup of mixed veggies (I like broccoli and peppers) chopped small, ½ cup chopped fresh mushrooms, 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon herbs de provence, (Optional) ketchup/bacon. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute the onions in the oil, add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes until lightly browned, then add the other veggies and cook for a few more moments, adding the garlic and herbs at the last minute. Remove this mixture from the heat. In a large bowl, mix the beef and sausage (or pork) and the egg. Add the breadcrumbs and almond meal, then add the veggie mixture that you cooked. When all is well mixed, turn it into a casserole or meatloaf pan and shape into a loaf. Cover with foil and cook for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes. You can brush the top with ketchup and/or drape bacon strips over the top (for truly decadent meatloaf). After removing it from oven, drain the excess grease and let the loaf rest for 10 minutes before diving in. You can also surround the loaf with fingerling potatoes and carrots when you bake it.

3. Gluten free pancakes.

These were submitted by my friend Robyn, whose son has autism and is on a gluten free diet. “I just made a delicious batch of GF pancakes in my Vitamix yesterday. Super simple: 1 cup GF rolled oats, 1 cup cottage cheese, 2 eggs. And whatever else you want to add – I added a banana, and they were yummy. Blend them up, pour on to griddle, and voila. It’s a one-dish breakfast!”

4. Gluten free pumpkin bread.

This is one of my favorite recipes and is a big hit with everyone. I start with this Pan Bar mix from 1-2-3 Gluten Free. All you need to add is 3 eggs, 3/4 cup vegetable oil and 3/4 cup canned pumpkin. Easy, healthy and even gluten-lovers won’t notice what’s missing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Coconut flour funfetti gluten free cookies.

I found this recipe on the Leelalicious blog. They were easy to make, moist and delicious. I will definitely make these again!

6. Coconut flour shortbread cookies.

These elegant cookies were easy to make and quite tasty. Just make sure to let them cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet, or they will break and crumble. Recipe is from Nourish Soul Full y.

7. Gluten free French toast. 

Has your gluten free bread gotten a little hard? Don’t toss it – make French toast! I mix an egg with about a cup of milk or milk substitute, shake in some cinnamon and nutmeg and stir. Top with powdered sugar.

8. Harvest quinoa salad.

The perfect combination of quinoa, fruit and pecans. Absolutely delicious. From Girl Makes Food.

9. Costco quinoa salad recipe.

Another favorite! Recipe from Food.com.

10. Gluten free banana bread. 

What you need: 1 egg, 3 over-ripe bananas, 1 box of Betty Crocker’s gluten free yellow cake mix. Combine ingredients and cook at 350 degrees until a knife in the center comes out clean.

11. Flourless chocolate cake.

What better way to end this post – or your meal – than with a dense, chocolatey cake. This is easy to make with just a few ingredients and is not expensive at all. Recipe from Allrecipes.com. Bon appetit!

What are your favorite gluten free recipes?