Food

In a pinch: Amanda Lynn gluten free perogies

December 2023

By: Kristan Marand

“When I was handed a salad at Christmas – when everyone else was eating perogies – at that moment, I knew that I – and I’m sure many others – did not want salad at Christmas,” says Amanda Lynn DeSutter, owner of Amanda Lynn Gluten Free.

When she was diagnosed with celiac disease, necessity became the mother of invention. Amanda knew she didn’t want to be relegated to food purgatory so she set out to recreate a treasured family recipe that she could also enjoy – her Baba’s (Ukrainian for grandma) perogies.

Coming from a Ukrainian family with a rich tradition in serving up the delicious filled-dough delights (her family ran and still has a hand in the Winnipeg institution Sevala’s, now Sevala’s Ukrainian Deli and Catering,) not having perogies on a holiday plate simply wasn’t an option. So, Amanda took matters into her own hands – literally.

She tried and tweaked gluten free (GF) recipes for two years until she finally formulated a dough was as light and elastic as traditional perogies. Instead of keeping the secret to herself, she knew she had to share, and started selling her gluten free perogies at a craft sale in 2016 and by 2018 had her own shop and dedicated production facility.

Amanda Lynn Gluten Free has offered over 20 varieties of perogies over the years and there are currently 14 different kinds for sale on their website. They feature a perogy of the month, which allows them to highlight new and interesting flavours such as organic sweet potato and jalapeno or fresh mushroom medley. They also offer cabbage rolls, take and bake pizzas, and cookie dough. And you can buy her signature dough to concoct your own culinary creations.

As someone who deals with more than one dietary restriction, Amanda understands
the importance of offering dairy-free and vegan options as well. Her facility is certified nut-free and they are conscious of egg allergies.

“Everyone deserves to eat well and enjoy what they are eating,” she says. “When you have one gut issue, there usually is another one hand in hand with it. We can cater to so many different dietary restrictions that make perogy eating easy, fun, delicious and stress free.”

“Everyone deserves to eat well and enjoy what they are eating.”

-Amanda Lynn, owner, Amanda Lynn Gluten Free

Perogy all-Canadian wine line up

Spice up how you serve

“Everyone deserves to eat well and enjoy what they are eating.”

-Amanda Lynn, owner, Amanda Lynn Gluten Free

If you’ve been serving perogies the same way for years, and trust us, there’s nothing wrong with a classic boiled perogy with onions in butter, there are ways to spice up the staple. Amanda suggests serving perogies as an appetizer, fried, or air fried, with veggies sticks and dipping sauces like hot sauce or honey dill. Try a perogy hors d’oeuvre: Add a dollop of sour cream, chopped green onions and bacon bits to a shot glass and place a perogy on top. Or create a “social skewer” with your favourite late lunch snacks on a kabob such as a perogy, a piece of garlic sausage, a cube of cheese and a pickle. You can also make perogy soup or perogy poutine.

Shake up your sides

Amanda proudly serves four kinds of perogies at her traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner consisting of 12 meatless dishes including vushka, a small ear shaped perogy with mushrooms and onions, potato with garlic and onion, sauerkraut, and a fruit variety for dessert. She’s seen some creative ways to accompany the doughy delights. Trying a new side can allow you to continue a tradition but shake up the flavours at the table. If you’re serving savoury perogies for lunch or dinner, try steamed or glazed carrots, sausages, meat balls or cabbage rolls. But perogies aren’t just for dinner; try a fruit variety at breakfast accompanied by syrup, icing sugar, cinnamon, bacon or ham. Or try perogies at brunch served with a fried egg.