People are giving up gluten. It may be because of a diagnosis of celiac disease or finding out you have a genetic predisposition to it. It may be a wheat allergy or from simply experiencing gluten intolerance whenever you eat it. Or it may just be a lifestyle choice after reading how gluten is a very recent addition to the human diet and that the medical community is realizing that the prevalence of celiac disease seems to have increased dramatically in recent years.

Unfortunately, testing for celiac disease and gluten intolerance is not perfect, so many individuals rely on their own instincts and bodies and embark on a complete makeover of their eating habits, realizing that they just feel better when they don't eat gluten.

Gluten and gluten-contaminated products are everywhere. And, often, they are in the foods we love the most. Bread, pasta, and cake are the most obvious culprits. But what about the wheat in soy sauce (used in the fermentation process), creamed soups (in the roux), or cola (via the caramel color)? Or malt vinegar, barley, rye, oats, triticale, and beer? Gluten hides in the most unexpected places.

Now imagine if you are gluten intolerant AND vegan. As I mentioned in a previous post, just because a vegan has to or chooses to avoid gluten, his or her ethical stance about animal products doesn't change. So, the elimination of gluten gets added to the vegan lifestyle. Luckily, awareness about gluten intolerance is becoming more prominent, making it easier for everyone to find food that works for them. Mainstream grocery stores like Safeway are tagging their gluten-free items. More and more exclusively vegan companies, like Eat Pastry are offering gluten-free products. Churches are even offering gluten-free wafers for communion. Allyson Kramer of Manifest Vegan transformed her vegan food blog to a gluten-free vegan food blog when she was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2009. And a recently launched blog called xgfx offers up animal-friendly, gluten-free recipes and resources because "While there are plenty of great resources out there for vegans, and many for the gluten-free crowd, there seem to be very few for folks like us who dwell in both camps." So, it’s easier than ever to find recipes and products that are safe and restaurants that are sensitive to the topic. But it's still rare enough that a little advice doesn't hurt.

In the Bay Area, several restaurants offer gluten-free vegan options that are definitely worth checking out. If you have celiac disease, or are severely gluten intolerant, I recommend calling ahead to see what practices they have in place in their kitchens to avoid contamination.

Photo Credit: Gracias Madre

Most of Gracias Madre's menu is gluten-free. There are only a few items that aren’t. I recommend… everything! But The Papas al Horno, Quesadillas de Camote, Enchiladas con Mole, Platillo de Legumbres, and whatever cheesecake they have at the moment should be the first things you try. Can you tell this is my favorite restaurant?

Souley Vegan's Fried Okra, Yams, Mustard Greens, Potato Salad, and Cayenne Lemonade

Souley Vegan is your destination for comforting, healthy, simple soul food in a truly caring and down-to-earth environment. You can tell that owner Tamearra Dyson built this restaurant out of love and it's become a destination for home cooking for the community surrounding it, vegan or not. Souley Vegan labels the items on the menu that contain wheat. My recommendations are the crispy and light fried okra, the simple and tender yams, and the mustard greens. And make sure to grab a cayenne lemonade to sip on!

Cafe Gratitude's "I Am Thriving" creamy tomato soup, "I Am Hearty" deep-dish pizza, "I Am Fortified" quinoa bowl, and "I Am Awakening" raw key lime pie

Café Gratitude recently went through a menu change (they are not exclusively raw anymore and have expanded to include cooked items). They've also lowered their prices by 24% in response to the rising cost of food and healthcare. They even offer a community-supported "I am Grateful" grain bowl where payment for the bowl is by donation ($7 recommended) and no one is turned away. The bowl was created "to allow for those in financial need to have access to organic vegan food." You don't see many restaurants offering that kind of service to their community.

They also happen to offer great gluten-free options -- as in pretty much the entire menu. Live mac and cheese, maple coconut "bacon" BLTs, and raw deep dish pizza. The creativity at Gratitude never ceases to amaze me. Important tip: make sure to eat dessert there (key lime pie highly recommended).

Source's Dan Dan Noodles, Truffle Macaroni & Cheese, and Baked Vegan Spinach Artichoke Fondue

Source is one of the most health-conscious, allergy-conscious, vegan-conscious places I have ever experienced. The staff is beyond kind and patient as you ask them over and over your usual "does this have...?" questions. Their cashew-cheese-based mac and cheese is gluten-free (if you ask for no breadcrumbs) and insanely yummy with truffle oil and a red pepper sauce drizzle. The gorgeous Dan Dan noodles are creamy and satisfying in an almond sweet soy sauce. And ask for live chips to go with an order of the Baked Vegan Spinach Artichoke Fondue to make it gluten-free. You won’t be disappointed.

VIK's Mix Vegetable Pakoras, Idli, and Masala Dosa.

I love VIK's. It's one of my favorite destinations on the weekend. Take the pup to Point Isabel, then pick up some Indian chaat and reminisce about my trip to Mumbai and Goa a few years back when I was too afraid to try anything served on the street. What’s great is that they recently started labeling their online menu with symbols for what's vegan and gluten-free, and luckily they have several items that are both—namely the Mix Vegetable Pakoras, Vegetable or Masala Dosa, Uttapam, and the Idli.

Here are a few additional places to check out:

• The Buddha Girl Roll at Sushirrito is gluten-free and vegan and has a delectable combination of Hodo Soy Spicy Tofu Strips, roasted garnet yams, shiitake mushroom, shaved cabbage, avocado, green onions, and crumbled rice chips.
• Vegan restaurant chain, Loving Hut, is happy to accommodate gluten-free guests. My fave is the Spicy Royal Noodle Soup at Westfield Centre. Just ask for gluten-free and they adjust the order for you.
• Gather in Berkeley clearly marks their menu for gluten-free and vegan options, and urges guests to notify servers of any dietary restrictions so that they can be accommodated. Some of the gluten-free/vegan options currently include yuba "pappardelle" in a mushroom "Bolognese" sauce; a young carrot plate with hen of the woods mushrooms, hay-carrot top pesto, fava beans, dehydrated kale, charred peel, and espelette peppers; and their famous vegan "charcuterie."
• Vegetarian (and super vegan-friendly) restaurant Ubuntu in Napa (named the #2 best new restaurant in the country by New York Times when it opened in 2008) has a lot of gluten-sensitive guests so they happily offer many options.
• Millennium is a great destination for gluten-free vegan eating. The restaurant even held a Gluten-Free Winemaker Dinner back in March. A must-eat is their plate of Crusted Oyster Mushrooms (with chickpea flour & thyme dredge, radish salad with ginger aioli, and grapefruit-habanero chile jam).
• Shangri-La Vegan in Oakland offers some of the cleanest food you can imagine. They post their menu daily on their website and most of the time the entire menu is gluten-free. With a Macrobiotic/Tibetan/Buddhist/100% organic menu (at very affordable prices), you will leave satisfied, light, and guilt-free.


Shangri-La Vegan moderate meal. Photo Credit: Wendy Goodfriend

As I'm sure you know, macaroni and cheese is all the rage right now. With entire restaurants dedicated to the creamy, comforting stuff, it's clear that it's a childhood favorite that we don't outgrow. Vegans have long been in the practice of creating amazing versions of animal-ingredient-free varieties. There's even an entire blog dedicated to it called the Noochy Noodle. But what if you are vegan and also gluten-free? Just because a vegan gets diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity his or her ethical stance about animal products doesn't change. So, the elimination of gluten gets added to their vegan lifestyle.

The two main components in traditional mac and cheese are dairy and wheat. So, you may wonder how a gluten-free vegan could possibly, of all dishes, manage to eat some. Believe it or not, it's possible to create a delectable, velvety, savory bowl of noodles that will satisfy even an omnivore. I know of four restaurants in the Bay Area that serve gluten-free vegan mac and cheese: Source, Nature's Express, Cafe Gratitude (and a raw variety at that!), and Homeroom. However, everyone knows that nothing beats homemade. So, let's start with some cashews and some rice pasta and take it from there...

Gluten-Free Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

Summary: This makes a cheesy, gooey mac and cheese. I prefer not to bake it so that the nut base doesn't get too dry or congeal. The base for the cheese sauce was inspired by the Raw Cashew Cheese recipe on Chocolate & Zucchini.

Prep time: After soaking cashews, 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min (some steps are done simultaneously)
Yield: 4 2-cup servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for 6 hours or overnight -- measure after soaking)
• 1/2 cup vegan milk (I used homemade cashew milk, but any other type would work)
• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar works fine)
• 3 tablespoons white wine (find a vegan variety here)*
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (I prefer the soy-free variety, which would also make this a soy-free recipe.)
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste (but I recommend a lot)
• 1 bag Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice Fusilli Pasta (This is the best gluten-free pasta I have found, and it's only $1.99. It comes in other shapes, but fusilli is the best.)**



*The addition of wine and vinegar helps give the sauce the sharp taste that the fermentation in dairy cheese produces.
**If you are not gluten-free, you can totally use regular wheat pasta here as well.
Note: If you're not feeling the macaroni part, you can also just make the sauce and use it for other recipes that call for cheesy concoctions, like a vegan fondue, over veggies, or drizzled on vegan pizza.

Instructions

1. Start cooking the pasta according to directions. I've learned that exactly 8 minutes is the ideal time for the Trader Joe's brand.
2. In the meantime put all other ingredients into a blender and gradually increase the speed to the highest possible, and blend until completely smooth. I highly recommend using a good quality (preferably high-speed) blender like a Vitamix to get the creamiest consistency possible. But whatever blender you use, the key it to get it as smooth as possible and without any gritty texture.



3. Pour "cheese" mixture into a pot and over medium low heat, gradually heat sauce while constantly stirring with a whisk.
4. Drain noodles, rinse for a second, and while still wet combine with cheese sauce.
5. Stir.
6. Eat.

You can also customize this recipe easily. Add a little cayenne or jalapeños for a kick. Sprinkle with gluten-free bread crumbs or crumbled potato chips. Stir in peas or broccoli florets. Use your imagination! Then grab a bowl, pile in the creamy pasta, and relive your childhood (maybe add some grown-up cartoons for even more authenticity).

A few years ago Shauna, the blogger aka Gluten-Free Girl, wrote about Eating Gluten-Free in Italy. She was amazed at how many gluten-free products she found there. It turns out celiac disease is the most common genetic disease in Europe and in Italy about 1 in 250 people suffer from it.

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. Celiacs cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, commonly found in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats. The problem is, gluten can be very hard to avoid. It's not just in things made from flour but as an additive in things like bouillon, candy, cured meats, sauces, soups, soy sauce and even tortilla chips. The symptoms of celiac disease are many and include a whole host of gastrointestinal disorders, making it hard to diagnose.

Relatively few Americans are diagnosed with celiac disease, it's estimated most suffer unknowingly. Fortunately awareness is growing in no small part thanks to food blogs like Gluten-Free Girl, Karina's Kitchen and La Tartine Gourmande (mostly gluten-free). Each of these three blogs include plenty of recipes but are really about the love of food and how our experiences connect us all, written by passionate, funny women with unusually strong creative talents.

Celiac products are beginning to show up on shelves, and not surprisingly some of the best are from Italy like two newly introduced gluten-free organic pastas from Rustichella d'Abruzzo. One is made entirely from corn, the other from rice. If you are cooking for someone who is celiac, they are a great choice. Each are light and flavorful, but like conventional pasta they must not be overcooked or they become gummy. The rice noodles are particularly good with Asian style sauces and the corn noodles pair well with Southwestern flavors. Here are a couple more suggestions for how to use them, courtesy of Market Hall Foods, I think canned tomatoes would work in place of fresh too:

• Cook some loose Italian sausage with fresh tomatoes and garlic and toss with the Corn Fusili
• Stir together fresh tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese and fresh parsley and mint. Let marinate for a few hours and toss with the Rice Spaghetti

Two good books for celiacs include Shauna's book, Gluten-Free Girl How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back...And How You Can Too and 1000 Gluten-Free Recipe. Shauna's book will be an inspiration to anyone who wants to enjoy food, not just tolerate it. While Gluten-Free Girl has some recipes in it, the real bible is 1000 Gluten-Free Recipes. It's what the Joy of Cooking is for the rest of us, a place to find a recipe for almost everything under the sun.