Thanksgiving Recipes & Tips for Gluten-Free & More
A week from today is a big day. The Big T. Thanksgiving. And nothing sends shivers of trepidation up a gluten-free or casein-free girl's spine like the mental image of mounds of Grandma's sage pungent dressing or slabs of Aunt Ida's pumpkin pie. It's a butter and wheat flour infused gorge fest with danger at every turn, the threat of three days chugging Pepto poised to strike on every holiday plate, jovial forkfuls of tradition and conviviality aside.
If you're lucky- your family is tuned in and aware of the angst and anxiety food centric holidays can trigger. They are thoughtful and well schooled in where gluten lurks or hides (some turkey broths and marinades, gravies and spice blends, stuffing and pie crusts) and don't ask questions like, You can eat whole wheat crackers, right? (with the emphasis on the word whole as if somehow, the word itself makes the wheat magically safe to consume).
And if they don't indulge in meta messages and all that spooky passive-aggressive weirdness they won't sigh when you politely decline a slice of Bunny's pecan pie and say, Just don't eat the crust. They won't hold up a pitcher of gravy and whisper, A little bit won't kill you. I'm allergic to milk- and I cheat, then you, Dear Reader, have much to be thankful for.
You're blessed with a clan that gets you, honestly loves you without judging you, and cares about every morsel that enters your fragile universe. So this post is for them. The Moms and Aunts and Grandmas and Bubbe's and best friends who believe that if food is love Thanksgiving should be fun and worry-free and delicious. No big whup.
Because after all, we know true love has great taste.
A Few Key Tips Worth Repeating
- For making gravy, use arrowroot starch; it thickens better than wheat flour, anyway. Sweet rice flour is another choice. I like to add a dash of dry sherry, brandy, or wine to gravy as well.
- For a non-dairy sub in pumpkin, squash and sweet potato recipes try coconut milk- it's delicious (full fat tastes best).
- For yummy mashed potatoes that are dairy-free I use a light and fruity extra virgin olive oil. Sometimes I might add a splash of GF/CF broth, too.
- For a dairy-free vegan butter sub in baking I use Spectrum Organic Shortening or extra light olive oil in muffins, quick breads, bread, cookie bars and most cakes. When one half to one cup butter is called for in a recipe, oil will usually work. Otherwise, I'd choose the Spectrum Organic Shortening. For pie crust I'd suggest shortening.
- Cook carrots or winter squash with orange juice or apple cider for a non-dairy flavor boost. Drizzle with a touch of pure maple syrup.
- For stuffing, simply follow your favorite recipe and substitute toasted cubes of gluten-free cornbread or a loaf of store-bought gluten-free white bread. Or try my personal favorite stuffing recipe- Cornbread Stuffing with Curried Apples & Cranberries.
- For a crunchy bread crumb topping, try my Crunchy Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs (process toasted GF waffles- they make perfect golden crumbs).
- For a classic cookie crumb pie crust use Pamela's cookies (Lemon or Ginger or Chocolate, depending upon the filling) processed into crumbs; I use Joy of Cooking's classic cookie/cracker crumb recipe and simply substitute with gluten free cookies. For a butter replacement, try Spectrum Organic Shortening.
- For a gluten-free pie crust folks rave about, try Rebecca Reilly's Gluten-Free Pie Crust recipe with sorghum flour.
- Check out Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight blog by Chef Caroline for some fabulous tips on creating your First Thanksgiving Turkey and her tips and links for accommodating special diets including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian at Thanksgiving Transformation: Festive Ideas for Special Diets.
- Whole Foods Market has a wonderful 2008 Guide to Holiday Entertaining for Special Diets with gluten-free and dairy-free recipes as well as vegetarian and vegan.
- Browse my posts Cooking & Baking Gluten-Free and Gluten-Free Casein-Free Holiday Tips for more ideas.
Brunch
Autumn Pasta Frittata
Pear Polenta Muffins
Hot Buckwheat Cereal with Cinnamon Apples
Eggs Diablo on Soft Polenta
Pumpkin Chai Bread
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Pumpkin Waffles
Quinoa Breakfast Cake
Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Appetizers & Snacks
Pecan Crackers
Roasted Eggplant Tapenade
Buttermilk Flatbread
Winter Pesto
Lime & Jalapeño Hummus
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Crispy Potato Sticks with Roasted Tomato Salsa
Hummus with Spiced Oil
Breads & Muffins
Pumpkin Chai Bread
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Skillet Cornbread with Green Chiles
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Pear Polenta Muffins
Pumpkin Berry Muffins
Pumpkin Corn Muffins
Pueblo Bread- with green chiles
Vegan & Vegetarian Dishes
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Cornbread Stuffing with Curried Apples & Cranberries
Vegetable Polenta Pie
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Lasagna Vegetariana
Spaghetti Squash New Mexican
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts, Raisins & Pecans
Soups
Roasted Vegetable Chowder
Purple Cabbage & Sweet Potato Soup
Curried Butternut Soup
Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup
Butternut Chili
Santa Fe Pumpkin Chowder
African Coconut Chick Pea Soup
Thanksgiving Sides
Cider Roasted Vegetables
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Cornbread Stuffing with Curried Apples & Cranberries
Acorn Squash with Attitude
Karina's Kicked Up Colcannon
Dijon Roasted Vegetables
Two Potato Salad- serve warm
Pinon Rice Bake
Santa Fe Brown Rice Bake
Calabasitas
Pomegranate Glazed Green Beans & Portobellos
Savory Roasted Vegetable Ragout
Cinnamon Applesauce
Crunchy Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs for Topping
Omnivore Choices
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie with Black Angus Beef
Cozy Autumn Rice Bake with Beef and Cranberries
Beef & Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash
Pork Roast with Brown Sugar Apricot Sauce
Stuffed Cabbage with Roasted Sweet Potato & Quinoa & Sausage
Beef in Pomegranate Sauce
Karina's Garlic Chicken Lasagna
Sweets
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Raisin Cake
Pie Crust Recipes
Maple Frosted Pumpkin Cake
Apple & Pear Crisp
Cranberry Crumble
30 comments:
FABULOUS tips and recipes!! Thank you so much!! :-)
Sigh... I'm going to have to eat my Thanksgiving dinner out of a tupperware container. I hate food centered holidays. I can't wait until I can host!
My husband's family is like the nightmare family you described ... no accommodations whatsover. My family gets it, thankfully. Since both families are local, we alternate spending Thanksgivings with each of our families. Last year, I hosted for my family. It was a lot of work, but enjoyable and nice to show everyone how wonderful all those GF foods taste!
Thanks for this great compendium of info! For pies, I still love the crustless pies though. For most pie recipes (like pumpkin, coconut, and chocolate), you can skip the crust and just add 1/4 cup GF flour to the original recipe. This method really makes a tasty pie. Nobody even misses the crust. (It's like the Bisquick "impossible pies" from our gluten-eating days. I follow this same method for making quiches.) For heavier pies, like fruit pies, 1/4 cup of flour won't do the trick. But if you google "crustless apple pie" for example, you'll find great recipes and you can just substitute GF flour for the wheat flour. I made a crustless apple pie recently that my group loved. You just poured the combo of GF flour, butter, etc. over the sliced apples. Delicious. So much easier than dealing with a pie crust IMHO.
AMEN!
Karina, your recipes have been a Goddess-send for me. We are preparing our first Thanksgiving since my son's diagnosis. While I DO get it, and I'm trying very hard to make sure he stays safe, not all of the 12 family members gathering in the cabin understand. With only one fridge, my biggest fear is that we contaminate him unknowingly. How dangerous is it to share fridge space and the kitchen with non GF foods? Everyone want's their regular rolls and stuffing ... Any tips for this? I will definitley be making many of your sides and salads. And the day after is Black Bean, Sweet Potato Enchilada day! Yum!
Veggie Girl- My pleasure!
Katrina- Food centered gatherings are so hard. I feel your pain. xox
Shirley- Ah- recognized some relatives, did you? ;) And big thanks for the tips you shared on gluten-free pies- I couldn't agree more. I love the crustless technique and plan on making a sweet potato pie that way. xox
Maya- [grin]
Dusty- It's a hassle, for sure. Here's my thoughts:
Fridge space can be shared if you make sure the GF items are covered tightly.
Use separate GF utensils for serving.
Cross contamination biggies are shared butter, jams, peanut butter, condiments, anything open. Bring your own separate condiments and butter and mark them GF.
Keep separate pans, utensils, plates, napkins, etc for GF.
Toaster and toaster ovens- keep yours separate. Blenders, anything with rubber gaskets, iron skillets, non-stick pans, wooden cutting boards and spoons need to be GF and separate.
Sponges and damp dish towels can spread gluten, in my humble opinion, so do what you can to minimize that (paper towels?).
Other than that? Piece of cake.
Enjoy your holiday and keep a sense of humor handy.
Take care!
Karina
Thank you so much Karina! I had not even thought of the sponges, towels and butter! You dont have to approve this comment, I just wanted to say thanks!
Thank you for such an insightful post! I was just fretting over spending another turkey day among gluten-eaters.
Although my host is gracious enough to accommodate my dietary needs with GF substitutions, the anxiety of the cross-contamination always gets me in the end. I always show up to the house with an extra large bottle of pepto bismol!
You're words are truly encouraging. Thanks again!
Great tips, as always. I hope to read about your sweet potato pie, Karina!
Regarding Dusty's fridge question, I have a few other suggestions:
- I acquired the top shelf of fridge realty in my parents' fridge so gluteniness won't accidentally fall through the grates onto my gfness! Also, see if you can find squeeze jars for condiments to reduce the possibility of accidents. I now leave my stick of butter in a ziploc bagged marked "Michelle - GF!" in the freezer because it avoids people reaching for my butter to butter their bread (and ignoring the message). Definitely bring a sharpie to label all that is yours!
- I also have a rather large cooler and fill around my goodies with gallon sized ziplocs of ice! If you're nervous about stuff spilling into your gf food, try it! And if you're investing, I recommend one with wheels! :) These are also great for travel!
- Also, invest in extra serving utensils so every single dish has one so nobody tries to use the pasta fork for veggies or whatnot. Label them GF too (the silver sharpie rocks for black utensils). And, still, I recommend serving the gluten-freer first.
- Ask your gluten-eaters to wash their hands as soon as they are done eating, too! This also avoids colds and germs and crumbs throughout the house! :P
Good luck!
Yaaay. I was hoping you would post something like this because I'm writing a post tonight about Thanksgiving for special diets.
With this amazing list, you must just turn some of into gluten-free eaters even if we don't have to be. This is really wonderful, Karina.
Karina, I am so excited to find this post (via ChronicBabe)! This will be my first fully gluten-free/dairy-free holiday season, so I'm a bit nervous about it. I really appreciate all of these tips!
Be well,
MJ
Great tips, and a wonderful list of recipes that I'm going to print and save. Even for those who are not GF, the recipes offer new choices for the traditional Thanksgiving table.
I can't get passed making pumpkin pie filling using coconut milk...omg, I cannot wait to try that! And who cares about the crust, it's the custard part that I want anyway.
I host the meal here, so life is good.
This is a great post! I am one of the lucky ones with a great family, especially my mom. She's even making GF beer bread (GF Mommy's recipe) for the stuffing. It's going to be a gluten free Thanksgiving, which is so nice and relaxing!
My in-laws are a different story. My MIL once asked if I could eat KFC fried chicken if we just took off the skin! She's been very sweet about trying to adjust things and she did buy crackers b/c they said "gluten free", but I don't think she understands it like my mom does.
Karina,
I think you need a "Dear Karina" advice column on your blog. You can offer advice, or open it up to your readers, or both. What do you think?
My problem is that my friends understand only too well that it's not practical for me to eat at their homes -- they 'get it' that every cutting board, plastic bowl, and non-stick pot is gluten-infested and unsafe. And since I'm the only single one, I suppose we do all like being here, without the odd husband at their homes. You know -- girl talk, chick flicks, etc.
So they've always come here, but I've somehow ended up doing 100% of the entertaining because I'm GF and they have didn't always understand what to watch for on labels. I do all the planning, shopping, carrying it all home, prep work ahead, and obviously paying for everything, too.
What can I do or say to get them to see that all they have to do is stop by Sainsbury's, pick-up some GF meals or ingredients, and tell me that this week dinner is their treat?
Does anyone else experience this? Is there a way to drop a gentle hint? How do I handle it without seeming rude or cheap? Lately, when my friends mention the weekend, I just cringe at the thought of all the work (and expense).
Signed,
One-way Street
An early "Happy Thanksgiving" to you, Karina! Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful tips with all of us GF bakers.
IA with you--Spectrum Organic shortening is a great product! Other brands are no good because they're either too soft (Jungle Shortening) or weird and clumpy (Whole Foods).
What amazing recipes and tips! and so wonderfully catagorized! thanks so much karina!
Karina,
Not only are you a goddess, but you are a God-send! Our family has been GFCF since September and boy, has it taken some getting used to. My 10 year old son (angel) is the one who can't tolerate gluten and casein. He (and the rest of the family) LOVED the dark chocolate brownies I made tonight. I am going to make this pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to try it! Thank you so much for making these recipes freely available.
Dear Karina:
Thank you so much. It is wonderful to know that there are people like you out there facing the same challenges. It is twice as challenging for my husband and me this year, as this is also our first vegetarian Thanksgiving, and 3 of our four children are coming. They never know what Mom and Dad are onto now, especially after we brought them up as meat-eaters! Your web site is a Godsend!
Betsy
I am going to be making my girl your pumpkin pie for this Thanksgiving.
I am wondering, she wants a pie crust, so can I just make this recipe....minus the buckwheat, and pour it into a suitable crust?
Or does taking out the buckwheat futz up the entire recipe?
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Ruth
http://www.infrared-sauna-spot.info
YUM! and Wow!! What a great list. You are a Goddess of the kitchen. :)
Now you make me want to change up some of the stuff I am making... :)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Slacker Mom (Danielle)
(I like being Slacker Mom with you; you got it right away!!)
thanks for this one :) I sent it to my nephew who is vegan. Hope you are still painting haven't checked in as of late .. wanted to share my recent works www.marylandavere.com/canvas
Thanks for the wonderful pumpkin pie recipe. I made it for the individuals who wanted a traditional meal since I have never liked pumpkin pie but it ended up being my favorite part of the meal!
Karina,
Just wanted to tell you that I made a crustless pumpkin pie using coconut milk for TG! It is amazing...and it is all mine, as no one else in this family likes pumpkin pie. I have been savoring a little every day - I will be sad when it is all gone...
Milhan
THANK YOU FOR THIS WEBSITE!
Myself and my dairy-free 1 year old LOVE it.
Unfortunetly Thanksgiving dinner didn't go as well as expected. I planned and cooked for days to accomodate my dinner and my sons. We did well, it tasted fab (LOVE coconut milk!) and all was good.
When ds cried the entire night, and woke up with a red diaper rash bum, I was so perplexed.......skip ahead my mom admited to accidentally giving him a big bite of mashed potatos...THEY'RE mashed potatoes. I made the mashed potatoes for them, so I knew it contained butter, ,milk, sour cream, and CREAM CHEESE> Dear God, no wonder he was sick.
They still don't believe me on this, they all thinks it's bunk. HELLO!, did you hear him crying all hours of the night!!
ug, sorry to post so long. We need you to keep the blog up :)
Thanks,
Jennifer
Thanks for the Pumpkin Pie recipe!!! Delicious and easy.
Thank you, I love reading your blog and recipes.
My family is trying to accomodate my being GF. On Thanksgiving as soon as I walked in my cousin proudly told me they got me a pie. My first thought was "Crap they forgot I'm GF" but that wasn't the case. They found a (local to them)bakery that made GF, Dairy free, Vegan sweet potato pie. They didn't find it in time but they're ready for Christmas because they can pre-order stuffing and rolls.
Then my aunt innocently asked if I could do nut flours (so far yes), I told her I could and that there were many alternative flours to replace wheat flour. She had no idea that she couldn't always just replace any alternate flour in the case of wheat flour, or that there were that many.
To One Way Street,
It might be time to set your friends down and place some rules on your get togethers. I have a bunch of friends where we do a monthly wine tasting dinner. We rotate the host. The host buys the wine and main dish and everyone brings in side dishes. Then we divy up the cost of the main dish and wine. I know hard to do GF but doable and there are some months I drink more wine then eat but hey it happens.
But my point is tell your friends that you need help with the cost and maybe have 1 friend every get together to come in early to help prep, rotate the friend so its even. Tell them that with the economy and the rising food prices you need help with the get togethers. Also that it's not fair to do all the entertaining but you're willing to host if they'll help out. If they're true friends they should understand and be willing to help out.
Love your site, Jennifer
Karina, so glad I found your site. I've been GF/casein sensitive for about five years now. Unfortunately, I also have an allergy to tapioca and arrowroot flours. I make my own mixes substituting potato starch or cornstarch for the tapioca.
So imagine my chagrin when I showed up for Thanksgiving at my new daughter-in-law's house, and found that she had baked GF bread for stuffing and stocked Chebe rolls for me. All heavy on the tapioca. We pitched them, and I felt shame, but she was SO good about it. But just by luck she had found GF/tapioca free cookies for pumpkin pie crust, and it was fabulous.
So I guess the point is that (1) tapioca may be a problem for some who've adjusted their diets and are still having trouble: there is some evidence that those who are latex-allergic (I am) may also have issues with cassava/tapioca. And (2) my son chose well!
Keep up the good work. I'll be back, that's for sure.
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