Ditchin’ Gluten For Newbs and the Newb-Curious
So you’re probably reading this because:
a) you’re vegan and you need or want to go gluten free. Hi!
b) you’re vegan and you want to bake something for your gluten-free neighbor/co-worker/lawn guy/friend with benefits. Aren’t you the nicest!
c) you’re wondering what all the gluten-free buzz and fuss is about. Seriously.
Were we close?
This website is here to help, and if nothing else, to supply you with delicious internet snacks. We have lots of helpful and informative articles written to guide you on your way, for whatever reason you’re leaving gluten in the ditch. One of the main reasons we put together this website is to help our vegan friends stay vegan. There absolutely is a learning curve to living without gluten, but that curve exists for herbivores and omnivores alike. We’re here to help you along the way and to make sure you know delicious vegan cupcakes are still possible, even without gluten and without developing some kinda funky protein deficiency.
- Gluten lurks behind dark corners and under creaky staircases, so be sure to read all about foods that contain sneaky gluten.
- While you’re at it, educate yourself about all the cool new xgfx flours you’ll get to use and of course, the fun part–GROCERY SHOPPING!!!–or, what to keep in your cupboard.
- Then simply pick a recipe and hop to it.
Of course, there are other things you need to find out, too. For instance, how sensitive to gluten are you or the BFF/boss/babysitter/neighbor’s aunt? Some folks are so sensitive they can’t eat from a kitchen that even has traces of gluten crumbs lurking around. If you have wheat stuff lying around your place, for these folks, you should leave it up to the professionals and buy something in a package or from a certified GF bakery.
“Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?”
Maybe not! You should also find out about oats. Some gluten-free folks are fine with ‘em, and others can’t tolerate ‘em. In fact, there’s a bit of controversy over the GFness of oats. Sometimes they’re harvested and processed on equipment that’s shared by wheat. To get around this you can buy certified GF oats and oat flour. However, oats also contain a protein called avenin, which is a tiny bit similar to gluten. So while oats are technically GF, there are some folks that’re so sensitive to gluten that they also cannot eat oats in any form. Definitely stay away from ‘em until you know for sure.
It seems like the biggest hurdle with xgfx living is preparing yummy treats and baked goods – conquering the regular stuff like dinner is much easier once you understand what to avoid. My suggestion: if you aren’t up for buying expensive ingredients, are worried about a possible baked goods failure (epic bake-sale looming in your future perhaps), or don’t have the time to experiment – pick a treat that’s not flour dependent. There’s plenty of fun stuff out there like pralines, rice crispy treats, ice cream sundaes, rocky road fudge, candy sushi, pudding, mochi, kale chips, raw crackers, chocolates, truffles, mousse parfaits, buckeye balls, dried fruit towers and the list goes on and on!
Or of course, you could always dine out.