Labor Day is a week from today. As someone who usually whips something up last minute and thinks to make holiday posts only in hindsight I’m amazed I’m posting this a week early; and I hope someone out there finds a useful recipe from the bunch.

Whether you’re a vegetarian yourself, entertaining vegetarian friends or just need some Labor Day recipe ideas, I picked out a few of my favorites that would be perfect for an outdoor barbeque. Most of these recipes don’t scream “vegetarian” and won’t have you running to the store to pick up new ingredients; they’re just darn good recipes that happen to be vegetarian.

Vegetarian buffalo “chicken” dip is still one of my favorite things to eat. If you love buffalo dip you won’t even notice the simple substitution of beans for chicken. Just buy some tortilla chips and you’re good to go for a party.

Grilled tofu is surprisingly simple whether you’re a longtime vegetarian or just hosting some. All you need is a 3-ingredient marinade and a spot on the grill. This recipe has enough flavor to make anyone happy.

Gluten-free cornbread is essential for any cookout. The cornbread is delicious on its own but even better next to some sloppy sides. Remember to leave out some extra butter and honey and serve it hot!

Spicy maple baked beans taste better than any beans you’ll get from a can. They’re spicy, smoky, sweet, salty and savory all in one. Making your own vegetarian worcstershire sauce is ten times easier than it sounds and adds a whole new dimension of flavor to the dish. Everyone will love these.

Gluten-free flag cake definitely would steal the show. A rich chocolate sheet cake with smooth vanilla buttercream and decorative berries is a perfect way to celebrate the end of Summer and please some hungry mouths.

Stuffed strawberries is another great patriotic dessert, and it comes already portioned! Slicing and stuffing fresh strawberries might take a little extra time but you’ll definitely get asked for the recipe. And this recipe naturally avoids most of the common food allergies(except dairy).

It’s no surprise that I like making desserts with almond flour. It’s probably my favorite gluten-free flour to use. It’s great whether you’re trying to eat grain or gluten-free, has virtually no flavor, and has a perfect consistency in baked goods. You can buy it at most stores nowadays(I usually get the Trader Joe’s brand almond meal) or pulse almonds in a food processor to make your own at home(just be careful not to accidentally make almond butter).

Here are a few of my favorite dessert recipes with almond flour in them. A lot of them are readers’ favorites, too. You can read the comments on any of these recipes to find out what substitutions and success other readers had trying out these recipes.

The Basics:

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies: Everyone needs a good chocolate chip recipe they can rely on, right? This is definitely the one if you need to follow a gluten-free or grain-free diet. They come out flavorful and with just the right texture to match “regular” chocolate chip cookies. There are over 140 comments on the recipe page so it’s tried and true as well.

Almond Flour Brownies: Another readers’ favorite are these brownies. They’re also one of my favorites, too. I tend to make them or a variation on them monthly whenever I need a good brownie. They’re also gluten and grain-free, but you would never be able to tell from the taste or texture. They’re just a great, fudgy, chocolaty brownie.

A Little Different:

Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Truffles: Who doesn’t love eating raw cookie dough? That’s what these are, except covered in chocolate. And it’s all entirely safe to eat, gluten and grain-free. This recipe’s too good not to share. Almond flour is the perfect flour substitute in this one because the flavor is virtually undetectable.

Almond Flour Banana Bread: Banana bread is one of my favorite snacks when it’s around the house, especially with a cup of tea on a rainy day. This banana bread is very moist and reminds me of the kind you get at Starbucks. If you have a few browning bananas laying around the house this is a great go-to.

Almond Flour + Coconut Flour:

Gluten-Free Thin Mints: Until the Girl Scouts start making gluten-free cookies, the best kind are the ones you can make in your oven. Almond flour and coconut flour give these a great texture while chocolate and mint give them that perfect flavor; you won’t be able to taste the difference!

Gluten-Free Flag Cake: I made this last year and think I might have to make it again. If you’re looking for a good, basic chocolate cake recipe without the grains or gluten this is simple enough for anyone to whip up. Personally I like this with a vanilla cream cheese frosting but you can let your imagination go wild.

Anyone who’s been blogging for a while will tell you they cringe a little when they go look through old posts. Often when I go through the archives I find the photos aren’t great, the writing is awkward, and the recipe is poorly explained.

As much as I want to keep putting out new content, I also feel obligated to go back from time to time and put everything I’ve learned from years of food blogging back into those old recipes. So far I’ve started with some of my most pinned and shared recipes to freshen up and I thought I’d share them again since these are too good to sit in the archives and gather dust.

These chocolate peanut butter bars are one of my favorite desserts ever to throw together. With just 4 ingredients, it’s no hassle either. The last time I made these I used the banana peanut butter I made earlier in the month. I didn’t think it could get better than chocolate and peanut butter but it certainly can.

The healthy frozen s’mores parfait recipe was a Summer favorite last year and it’s already picking up steam again. Using banana “ice cream” as the base drastically cuts down added sugar and makes it great for the whole family. If gluten-free graham crackers weren’t so expensive, I’m sure I’d be eating these every night.

Last but certainly not least, paleo mug cakes never go out of stile. I thought I’d be eating less of them when the weather was warmer and hot desserts are less appetizing but I was very wrong. Again, with bananas as the sweetener and a good serving of protein and healthy fat, this isn’t a bad thing to be eating, either.

I hope sharing these helped someone find a new favorite. Hopefully I’ll continue digging through old posts and sprucing them up and one day I might even find a recipe that doesn’t use chocolate. Maybe.

Easter is a week from today. Wasn’t New Years just a few weeks ago? I guess at some point I should pick and work on a resolution…

If you actually gave something up for Lent, Easter is the best time to gorge yourself on it and still feel accomplished for the last forty days. If you didn’t, there’s plenty of food to gorge yourself on, still. My favorite thing about Easter(besides the chocolate bunnies, of course) is that it marks the start of a new season bursting with light and spicy flavors that wake up your taste buds after months of winter squash and heavy sauces.

Here are some of my favorite recipes that are quick and work perfectly for an Easter feast. Of course there’s dessert since Easter is also when we celebrate my birthday; you need a cake to put candles in.  

Appetizers:

Lime Tortilla Chips

Firecracker Guacamole

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Side Dishes:

Balsamic Brussel Sprouts With Wine

Lemon Garlic Asparagus

Vegetarian Mains:

Cranberry Cashew Quinoa

Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Vinegar Bean Salad

Desserts:

Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes

Egg-Shaped Peanut Butter Cups

No-Bake Almond Butter Date Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

I hope there’s something there that you’d enjoy!