We’ve got a subtly red-white-and-blue treat for you today. Donuts! First though, let’s get this out of the way: these donuts are vegan, gluten-free and baked, so there’s nothing classic about them. There will inevitably be textural and flavor differences, when compared to the (delicious) fried donuts that you would acquire at a donut shop. These baked donuts are so good in their own right though: they’re studded with blueberries, sweetened with maple syrup, and made extra special with a sunny tanginess from lemon juice/zest. There’s also a perfectly glossy, four-ingredient coconut glaze that’s completely irresistible. Making these guys is definitely a much easier venture than frying up proper donuts at home, so that’s another bonus. In fact, though they look impressive, they do not take long to prepare at all.

Happy New Year, friends! We wanted to stop by with a round-up of 18 vegan and gluten-free New Year reset-friendly recipes that are vegetable-forward and deeply nourishing, but also satisfying and delicious. We’ve got you covered on healing soups and stews, vibrant mains, energy-boosting breakfasts and snacks, a powerful cold remedy drink, and even a minimally sweetened dessert that still very much tastes like a treat. Wishing you all the health and happiness in 2018 :)

 

No-Recipe Healing Soup (v, gf)

One of our most popular recipes of 2017. This is a highly customizable soup, built on a powerful broth made with immunity-friendly ingredients. It’s delicious and warming, but especially helpful to those under the weather or low on energy. Make sure to seek out 100% buckwheat soba noodles to make this recipe gluten-free.

Anyone who has ever been on a rollercoaster with me will tell you that I’ll scream until I’m blue in the face. But, what they don’t know is that the uphill section is often the scariest part for me. Going up in a rollercoaster, I hold my breath, clench my jaw, and repeat over and over again, “oh no oh no oh no!” That’s when my muscles are the tensest and I feel my heart beat the fastest. After so much buildup, screaming on the downhill is a fun, cathartic release.

What if rollercoasters were all downhill with none of the uphill? Would we react the same way? Sometimes anticipation is necessary to building excitement. Waiting for these cookies to bake and smelling their heavenly aroma makes that first bite—of warm chocolate mixed with crunchy nuts and chewy oats—even better.
 

Ever since going gluten free, I’ve been craving a cookie with a cookie-like texture. Many GF cookies are crumbly or overly soft, but these (in my opinion) are perfect. Plus, they have lots of good things in them. Coconut flour is full of fiber and almond meal is packed with protein.

I nearly ran out of gas this morning. The orange light glared at me from the dashboard with its menacing, ominous glow. There’s a gas station just a couple blocks from my house, but I’d left my purse at a friend’s home, and there wasn’t enough fuel in my car to retrieve it. So, I ransacked my bedroom looking for cash, but apparently I’d already spent my “in case of emergency” stash. Then, I overcooked my eggs and tripped on the dog’s food.

Although there are myriad causes for feeling out-of-sorts, it can be valuable to ask yourself: “Am I stressed?” Often when I feel like the world is imploding around me and nothing seems to be going right, the root cause is stress. Once I acknowledge that my life doesn’t actually suck; I’m just feeling overwhelmed, I can find a way to change my state. It might feel unproductive to take time away from your busy day, but when I’m in a good mood and feeling relaxed, I’m both more joyful and more productive. Spending time outdoors seems to help me the most, but I’ve also found that exercising, cleaning the house, or meeting a friend for a meal can get me out of my head. In many ways, it’s like hitting the “restart” button on the computer.

Checking in really quickly today with a recipe and step-by-step video of this gluten-free and vegan Strawberry Cobbler. I wasn’t kidding when I said I would be flooding this space with strawberry recipes this spring and summer :) Similarly to crumbles or crisps, cobblers are delightfully lazy fruit desserts that require no perfection on the cook’s part, but manage to come out a perfectly jammy and satisfying mess almost every time. Earlier this spring, I set out to develop a version that is both gluten-free and vegan, but also quick and with a manageable list of ingredients – here is the result!