I don’t know how much credibility to give the gluten-free craze sweeping the nation. I know its definitely got “fad” like qualities — celebrity endorsements, a proliferation of diagnosis, and lofty health claims including weight loss, mental clarity, and increased energy.

I also know I’m at the end of a 14 day cleanse from all wheat and dairy products, and I feel great. Do I have a gluten intolerance? Probably not – but if you think about it, abstaining from those substances that our bodies weren’t naturally made to break down, like simple carbohydrates and dairy products, is logical. The less processed or refined food we put in ourselves, the better we will feel.

Problem is – I love baked goods. Particularly brownies and cakes. A few years ago I ran into this black bean brownie post on Heidi Swanson’s epic vegetarian blog 101 cookbooks. Skeptical, I gave the recipe a try at home and was totally wowed by the results. The brownies were rich and dense, but tasted little of brownies. Looking for a truly gluten free solution, I found a number of other recipes online for the brownies which do not include wheat.

Turns out you can substitute beans for wheat in many baked goods. Check out this recipe for gluten free red velvet cupcakes using garbanzo beans, and this chocolate cake recipe also using black beans.

Heavy they may be, but glutenous, they are not.

Vanilla bean cake – dairy free, grain free, gluten free

Gluten-free chocolate cake with black beans

Gluten free red velvet cupcakes using garbanzo beans