Southern Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Air Fryer Gluten-Free + Vegan Chicken & Waffles (Allergy-Free, Oil-Free)

March 11, 2019 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 41 Comments

Comforting American soul food made healthy and plant-based! This Gluten-Free Vegan Chicken & Waffles recipe is not only a meatless wonder, but allergy-free, oil-free, made with crispy air fried cauliflower “chicken” and fresh, fluffy, homemade waffles. Serve it with maple syrup and maybe some hot sauce for an ultimate treat!

This recipe has been a long time coming! I’ve been tossing the idea around in my head for so long and finally got around to testing some variations out! Chicken & waffles is a dish so far from being allergy-friendly and gluten-free, let alone vegan! But, is that ever a problem on Strength and Sunshine? Not if I have any say! Lucky for you, I actually put an allergy-free, gluten-free, and vegan chicken & waffles recipe to the obsession with learning and reading about all types of Southern and soul food. From hot chicken to dirty rice, these dishes are rich with history and just begging to be made accessible for all special diets!Read More

Mini Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffin Bites (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

March 4, 2019 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 41 Comments

Everything you love about cornbread and muffins, just in bite-sized form! These Mini Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffin Bites are vegan, allergy-free, and only 7 ingredients! These mini muffins are buttery, slightly sweet, great for kids, and will be your go-to recipe for easy corn muffins!

I love mini muffins, you love mini muffins, we all love mini muffins! Corn muffins are perfect for breakfast, snacks, in the bread basket on the dinner table. You really can’t go wrong and they are such a classic baked good! Making them mini for cornbread muffin bites just makes the cornbread eating experience 10x better! These little bites of gluten-free cornbread are just 1 tablespoon each, super tiny, but also super quick! Just about 10-12 minutes are you’ve got a big batch of freshly baked mini muffins on your hands!Read More

Easy Vegan Dirty Rice (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)

February 20, 2019 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 30 Comments

An Easy Vegan Dirty Rice recipe that won’t have you missing the meat! This meatless, vegetarian version of the traditional Louisiana Cajun/Creole side dish is gluten-free, allergy-free, and still full of flavorful Southern comfort and authentic “dirty” color!

Dirty rice, the one time when eating “dirty” food is 100% safe and acceptable! Even though this dirty rice is vegan and contains none of the traditional meat, it is still packed with deep Creole flavor, spice, smoke, and a hearty mix of plant-based goodness! This vegan dirty rice is so easy and simple to make and will become your go-to for a quick rice side dish to accompany any entree you have planned to serve on the dinner table!Read More

New Orleans Gluten-Free King Cake (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

February 18, 2019 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 36 Comments

Carnival season in New Orleans means it’s time to bake up a King Cake for Mardi Gras! This Gluten-Free King Cake recipe is vegan, allergy-free, lightened-up, and low in sugar! A rich brioche-style cake ring with a sweet, buttery filling, decorated with icing and bold colored sugar crystals! A classic Fat Tuesday dessert everyone will love!

Mardi Gras always sneaks up on me every year and I never end up getting around to creating a gluten-free king cake recipe! Not this year! I’ve had this recipe planned to test out since I dropped the ball last year. King cake is full of rich culture and contrary to what you may think, not an exclusive treat to just New Orleans. King cake is a broad term that many cultures use for the cake that celebrates the end of the Christmas season and/or pre-Lenten festivities. However, if you’re from the United States, that iconic purple, green, and gold sugary sparkle automatically bring to mind Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras!Read More

Easy One-Pot Vegan Gluten-Free Louisiana Red Beans & Rice (Allergy-Free)

February 6, 2019 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 37 Comments

An easy one-pot recipe for the classic Southern dish! This Vegan & Gluten-Free version of Louisiana Red Beans & Rice is full of deep smoky and spicy flavors, rice, kidney beans, and veggies. It’s allergy-free, oil-free, and still a hearty and comforting meal without the meat!

They say rice and beans are two of the cheapest ingredients to have on hand and still be able to make a delicious meal. Hearty carbs and protein? Check. Add some veggies for those micronutrients. Check. Now just toss in some deeply flavorful and fragrant herbs and spices to pull the meal together. Check! That’s what you get with this vegan and gluten-free take on the classic Louisiana comfort food, Red Beans & Rice! A bit deceiving in name, since the authentic dish includes meat (pork, sausage) and isn’t just “rice and beans”. The kidney beans in this meatless version are hearty enough on their own and still make this a fantastic vegetarian dinner!Read More