Recipes

Classic Nanaimo BarsThe Nanaimo bar is a legendary Canadian treat that requires no baking and is named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of three layers: a graham, almond and coconut crumb base; custard icing in the middle; and a layer of chocolate ganache on top. This is a gluten free adaptation of the official recipe.

Baked Lemon CheesecakeThis easy to make gluten free cottage cheese cake is a nice treat with tea or coffee, the flavour is bright its perfect for afternoon company or dessert after a meal

Blueberry PieThis simple gluten free blueberry pie is full of flavour and very easy to make, because you can make it with fresh or frozen blueberries you can make it at any time of year for a treat

Vanilla Cupcakes with Whipped Cream IcingThis easy gluten-free vanilla cupcake is fluffy and moist, but also not too heavy or sweet, you can easily fancy it up with some filling or by topping it with fruit. They're perfect for any occasion, they can also be made into a two layered 9" cake, adjust the baking time to be 45-55 min when making a large cake.

Bacon and Leek QuicheThis delicious and easy flaky crust is best refrigerated for at least an hour before rolling. Can be made into one 10 inch round quiche or quite a few muffin tin sized ones (which freeze and reheat very well) they're great for parties and entertaining. If you're making muffin sized quiches, the bake time is 20min. For a vegetarian option substitute roasted red pepper for the bacon.

Caprese SaladThis easy summer salad of Italian origins is naturally gluten free, the perfect showcase for your garden fresh ingredients, a fantastic addition to any meal and perfect dish to impress at your gatherings. For a quick finger food assemble it on a bamboo skewer (leave the ingredients whole for this).

Cranberry Orange Zucchini MuffinsThese muffins are light, moist and healthy, they're an even simpler version to make than my other zucchini muffin recipe, you don't need to have a lot specialty flours on hand. they're easy to make and easy to alter, try replacing the cranberries with blueberries, raspberries or even chocolate chips, the orange with lemon, make it your own with some experimentation.

Spinach Strawberry SaladThe easiest and most satisfying summer salad you can make, impress your friends or treat yourself to something that's healthy but tastes decadent.

Nagypapa’s Hungarian GoulashThis is my grandfather's recipe he was from a small town called Nagykáta, I'm told that it isn't a standard gulyás recipe it must be one very regional or familial, it was our favourite treat as kids and he would make it for our birthdays and other special occasions, it's spicy and delicious, one of the best comfort foods.

Fettuccine AlfredoThis is a recipe for proper Alfredo sauce, it's not low fat, it's a heart attack inducing proper cream sauce, impress your friends with this gluten-free pasta delicacy.

Gluten-Free StuffingA key part of any turkey dinner and usually off-limits to those of us who can't eat wheat, this stuffing is heavenly.

Cranberry SauceCranberry sauce is easy to make at home and adds a nice personal touch to your holiday meal, I like to make mine with a hint of citrus. It's not just great with your turkey dinner but also with some gluten-free turkey, cranberry and brie sandwiches.

BorschtThis easy, healthy, hearty soup is naturally gluten-free, perfect for warming up on those cold rainy autumn days. Recipe is courtesy of my Baka, for an extra treat she would serve it with some Ukranian garlic sausage.

Hungarian Cucumber Salad (Uborkasaláta)This is one of my Nagypapa's traditional Hungarian recipes, it's very refreshing and pairs great with BBQ or spicy food like goulash. A must make for garlic lovers.

Lemon LoafThis moist and flavourful gluten-free lemon loaf recipe is easy to make, easily doubled and is great for get tea time and get togethers.

Pasta CarbonaraThis is my lazy night dinner, It takes as long as it takes to cook a pot of gluten-free pasta and I almost always have the ingredients in my fridge. Traditional Carbonara doesn't have peas in it, but I like it that way, this recipe is very versatile - sometimes I add mushrooms, or use the traditional pancetta instead of bacon, it can also easily be multiplied or divided.

Black Forest CakeBlack Forest Cake is a favourite birthday dessert in our family so to have it made gluten-free is an amazing treat, it's not as complicated to make as it looks, as the recipe is pretty forgiving.

Cranberry Walnut Baked BrieA decadent delight, easy yet impressive. Naturally gluten-free, sweet, nutty and easy to play with recipe… allergic to walnuts? try some toasted pumpkin seeds or almonds, Not a fan of Brie? It’s amazing with Camembert… This is a recipe that’s easy to experiment with and delicious no matter what the combination. Perfect for your holiday entertaining!

Apple PitaAn apple pita is a Croatian apple pie that has a light cake like crust, it's more like a bar than a pie. I made this recipe gluten free after learning it from my Grandmother. It's great for gatherings at any time of year.

Old Fashioned Apple PieThis pie recipe tastes deliciously like autumn because of its apple cinnamon flavour, it's easier to make than most, the crust is less finicky than your average crust and the when the frozen butter melts while baking you end up with an amazingly flaky crust.

Shortbread Cookies with Walnut CentresThis cookie is a family favourite, it's one of my grandma's Croatian family recipes that I have managed to make wheat free. We affectionately refer to them as turds in a blanket. The wheat free version is a little softer than the original but it still tastes amazing. Note: make the filling first as it has to cool and thicken before using

Chocolate Chip CookiesThis classic Tollhouse style cookie is deliciously addictive, these get eaten really quickly and are perfect with a cold glass of milk.

Cinnamon Apple ChipsThese apple chips are an easy healthy snack to make, they may take a few hours, but you don't have to baby sit them. They end up being crunchy and sweet, kind of like a cross between a chip or cracker and a fruit leather.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese IcingThese cupcakes are seriously easy, super delicious and incredibly moist. You won’t believe they’re gluten-free. The batter goes a long way, I usually get 36 cupcakes out of it, so it's the perfect dessert to make for parties.

Maple Pumpkin PieThis is a Thanksgiving favourite among our family and friends, it’s a decadent twist on traditional pumpkin pie, with its layer of cream cheese sweetened with pure maple syrup.

Lemon Shortbread CookiesI make these cookies every Christmas, lemon isn’t usually considered a Christmassy flavour, but the cookie cutters determine how festive a cookie is and I always make these ones snowflakes at Christmas. At Halloween I make pumpkins, Valentines I make hearts, they’re great for any occasion, the perfect light gluten-free treat.

Grandma’s Pasta SauceMy Grandmother is from the island of Krk in Croatia a lot of the cooking there is very Italian inspired, and this pasta sauce was a Sunday staple at her house, my whole family would get together for dinner at Grandma's and this was the favourite usually served with gnocchi.

Thai CurryThis recipe is super convenient and easy, the ingredients can be kept on hand for a fast dinner fix*, it can be made as spicy as you want it to be, with any protein you like, seafood to meat.

Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Sorghum MuffinsThese muffins are light, moist and healthy, they're easy to make and easy to alter, try replacing the blueberries with cranberries, raspberries or even chocolate chips, the lemon with orange, make it your own with some experimentation.

Minted Pea SoupThis deliciously easy spring time recipe is refreshing, it can be served both hot or cold.

Cheesy BiscuitsThese fast and easy cheesy biscuits are melt in your mouth delicious, great as an appetizer or for dipping in a soup or sauce.

Quinoa SaladThis Quinoa salad is high in protein and fibre, it makes for a really healthy and refreshing lunch or dinner. It’s easy, inexpensive and naturally wheat-free and gluten-free so has one of my go to-s

Orange MadeleineMadeleine are traditional shell shaped cakes from northeastern France. They’re a light and delicious dessert that is great for dipping in tea or coffee or served with whipped cream and fruit. This is a great treat to make because it’s so fast and easy, as well as tasting flavourful and impressive.

Rum BallsMy uncle Jack made these Rum Balls every Christmas, they’re a family favourite, naturally gluten-free with only 5 ingredients. They’re incredibly easy to make but need to be made 2 days in advance, so keep that in mind in your preparations.

GingerbreadAs soon as the pumpkin spice season ends the gingerbread season starts. This gluten-free gingerbread has a classic spicy flavour that makes the Christmas season complete, I usually make bite sized (2″) dunkable cookies but it also makes a great gingerbread people or houses.

Pie CrustPie Crust can be a little tricky, because the amount of moisture in the air can affect the amount of liquid you use in the recipe, but once you get the hang of it you’ll make consistently good pie crusts. Practice makes perfect!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour MixI’ve found this is the perfect gluten-free flour mix and can be used 1-1 to replace regular flour in a recipe (up to 2.5 cups for cakes and more for cookies), I have used it to alter my grandmothers recipes to become wheat free with great success.