Question: I have just signed up for the veggie challenge but my family is trying to be (mostly) gluten free as well.  Can you make further suggestions to include gluten free meals?
– Kelly
Gluten-free is easy as long as you’re willing to spend a bit of time in the kitchen and cook meals from scratch. There are a slew of gluten-free products available these days in grocery and health food stores, but they are ridiculously expensive and often not vegan – most contain dairy and/or eggs. Instead, I would encourage you to focus on legumes, which provide far superior nutrition to any packaged food. They’re quick (think lentils or canned beans) and can be made into hundreds of yummy recipes. Try chickpeas (e.g. hummus), beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh.

Also eat lots of vegetables and fruits. And I can’t rave enough about quinoa – it should be a staple for anyone with a gluten issue – it’s a complete protein, cooks in 20 minutes, and can be used as alternative to brown rice in any recipe. Try making a refreshing quiona salad with chopped veggies and your favourite dressing.

Balsamic glazed chickpeas with spinach and quinoa, adapted from a recipe at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen.  Photo Creative Commons from Flickr: jodigreen.

If convenience is a driving force, there are a couple of veggie burgers on the market that are gluten free – Sunshine burgers are made from sunflower seeds as the base (available in most health food stores).

For specific recipes, there’s a slew of them at this link (and the food is really yummy!):
http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/tag/gluten-free/

If you’re looking for something specific, feel free to write back – we’re happy to help! 🙂

Congratulations on signing up for the challenge – wishing you optimum health!

Nimisha,
Veggie Challenge Team

Balsamic glazed chickpeas with spinach and quinoa, adapted from a recipe at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen.  Photo Creative Commons from Flickr: jodigreen. Gluten-Free, Vegan Ukrainian Christmas Eve Dinner by canadianveggie. Photo is creative commons.

More information

Over 100 vegan gluten-free recipes from Oh She Glows

Gf Overflow – Search or browse a huge database of products to find gluten-free options.

Search Google for “Gluten free vegetarian” and for local resources include in your search the name of where you live such as “Gluten free vegetarian Toronto“.

From Wikipedia:  A gluten-free diet  is a diet free of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often hidden under “dextrin“. Gluten (from Latin gluten “glue”) gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture.

Related to gluten-free is wheat-free and celiac disease. Celiacs are allergic to gluten and have no choice but to be gluten-free.