Foodie Favorites, Recipe Edition

Summer for this gluten free college celiac means lots of relaxation, exercise and time in the kitchen. Combine all three hobbies and new, intriguing recipes from the net end up sprawled up on my table.

The favorite ones? Those are the finds I'm sharing with you today! Pizza, pie, cookies, oh my!

The excited eyes right there!

First off, an old love that will jump into a weekly rotation once college kicks off: homemade buckwheat pizza, packed with flavor but free of gluten, dairy, egg, and yeast. I usually half or quarter the recipe (which will give me either four or two meals) and use baking powder instead of soda. Toss on some fresh thyme (from my presently alive summer garden!), oregano, and paprika and throw this baby in the oven.

As for toppings, I'm usually a whatever's-in-the-fridge kind of gal, but recently I've experimented with a few more exotic loves. Precooked sweet potato - or, for a two-for-one recipe, my sweet potato zucchini patties - taste delicious crumbled on top, while radish greens grow delightfully crunchy when sprinkled over the other toppings. Not to mention some coconut milk white sauce instead of the traditional tomato!

One of my favorite recipes for leftovers!

After going pizza crazy for a few weeks, I needed something with a crust besides my buckwheat buddy. So, for the first time, I decided to try my hand at a galette, or, so my dad can pronounce it, a savory pie. I combined two recipes, using this vegan crust and this chicken pot pie filling. Though I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, I eventually ended up with a slab of dough stuffed with leftover grilled chicken, sauteed veggies, sweet potato and spinach all covered in a coconut milk cream sauce.

I'm proud to say that this masterpiece was the first "out there" creation that my parents actually ate and loved! My mom helped me finish off the half a pie that was left - nothing primes the taste buds like being deprived of gluten-filled pastries. Before I head back to college, we're planning on making the same crust but adding cinnamon and summer berries for the filling.

My first ever galette!

Need ideas on what sauces to top your pizza or pie with? Then Brandi's recipe for a vegan, fat free cheese sauce should land next on your to-do list. Though I didn't have all of the ingredients (nutritional yeast and liquid amines, I'm looking at you), this sauce still had me licking the sides of my blender.

I love using it as the base for my homemade veggie mac and cheese or in my stuffed (eight ball or boat) zucchinis. And, since it would be heresy to not with a cheese sauce, I did whip up some homemade nachos. Fun fact: thinly sliced and baked potato chips make perfect chip replacements for all my paleo peeps!

So much cheese, so many dining choices!

And since no summer would be complete without a homemade dessert, I've been munching down like crazy on these vegan coconut banana cookies. Made with coconut flour and dairy free milk, these are also paleo and allergy friendly. Since these babies only pack around 15 calories each, I like to toss in whatever goodies I have on hand - like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, cacao, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, banana chips, and berries. Nuts, seeds, and oats would also taste delicious!

I tend to bake mine for around 30 to 40 minutes, so that the ends get browned and crunchy. My mom compares them to muffins in texture and banana flavor. Besides eating them by the handful for snacks, I tend to use mine most as smoothie bowl or yogurt toppers. The options really are limitless - nearly as much as my appetite with these babies!

My kind of cookie and "ice cream!"

The hardest part about a celiac diagnosis is the sudden lack of choices. At first, it seems like gluten infects nearly every food - and, in fact, it can hide in some unexpected places. So whenever I have free time and loads of free kitchen space, checking out new recipes always wins over my attention (and taste buds).

Because the more gluten free choices, the merrier. And these five recipes have definitely resulted in a smile, and a happily full stomach, for this girl!


*Also found at RunningwithSpoon's Link Love!*

What are some of your new favorite recipes? Do you ever find yourself in a dietary rut? Comment below!