Help! I was recently put on a Gluten and Dairy free diet and I'm hosting Thanksgiving; I'm at a loss of what to prepare now... Any suggestions?

Carole
  • Posted by: Carole
  • November 19, 2014
  • 1092 views
  • 11 Comments

11 Comments

creamtea November 20, 2014
My Thanksgiving has long been dairy-free and delicious You can use coconut milk instead of cream for the pumpkin pie. Canned coconut cream can be whipped into a delicious sub for whipped cream (be sure to chill everything, bowls and whisk as well as the can, before whipping). Olive or nut oils can dress green vegetables and are very flavorful. Aromatics mixed with olive oil and a little lemon juice can be smeared under the turkey skin (check out Russ Parson's Dry-Brined Turkey on this site to prep the turkey in the days before T-giving). Incidentally I never smear any fat on the turkey skin because I want it crisp; it doesn't need it. Sauteed or roasted mushrooms like shiitake, portobello and hen-of-the-woods add flavor to fall salad greens, which also benefit from a grainy-mustard vinaigrette. Mushrooms can also feature in stuffings or dressings. You won't miss the cream or butter with an informed use of other flavor enhancements and good-quality oils and ingredients.
 
lloreen November 20, 2014
I usually do a crustless pumpkin pie for people who are keeping carbs low, but there are also some good almond meal crusts out there. I like the recipe for spiced vegan pumpkin pie on Heidi swansons 101 cookbook website. It's even better than "normal" pumpkin pie and uses coconuts milk. You'd just need to look up a gluten free crust substitute.
 
Bevi November 20, 2014
And there are still cranberry sauces and chutneys and applesauces!
 
Bevi November 20, 2014
You can make a delicious green salad with roasted butternut squash and caramelized red onions, using just olive oil, salt and pepper for roasting the squash and caramelizing the onions. Toasted nuts and splashes of lemon juice are great add ins for many dishes.
 
ChefJune November 20, 2014
You can still have roast turkey, bien sur! and wild rice is delicious as the basis for a dressing. Add some mushrooms and currants as well as your regular mirepoix. Mashed potatoes are delicious made with chicken stock instead of cream and butter. And many parts of the traditional dinner are both gluten and dairy free, anyway.
 
sfmiller November 20, 2014
There are probably more possibilities than you think, even using traditional Thanksgiving ingredients.

For stuffing, you could use rice, wild rice, or homemade gluten/dairy free cornbread (or some combination) as a base if GF loaf bread isn't available or doesn't float your boat. Lots of choices there.

Vegetable sides: potato, squash, or sweet potato gratin without dairy; roasted brussels sprouts (with olive oil); green beans or broccoli sauteed with olive oil & garlic with a spritz of lemon at the end; green beans (romanos if available) braised with tomato and garlic; braised collards or turnip greens; braised red cabbage (a personal favorite--the sharpness cuts through other rich foods and the color is welcome in what's often a mostly brown & beige meal). A nice green salad is always welcome at a Thanksgiving table, too.

I'm not that familiar with the big world of GF baking, but there was a vegan pumpkin pie in the Washington Post food section yesterday that looked interesting (it has a wheat-flour crust, but you could sub a GF one).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/vegan-pumpkin-pie-coconut-cream/14377/

Thanksgiving being what it is, there may be those who just MUST have certain things prepared a certain way. I'd have no qualms about asking such people to make or bring the mashed potatoes with cream & butter or whatever their particular fetish is (assuming they have facilities to cook).
 
drbabs November 20, 2014
Arielleclementine has been featuring a gluten free dairy free pie on her blog for the past several months: http://arielleclementine.blogspot.com
 
irina November 19, 2014
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0544157346/?tag=apartmentth0a-20
Have fun!
 
jamcook November 19, 2014
Your turkey is still with you and that's the centerpiece. So Yay ! You can do all sorts of roasted or mashed squashes and Sweet potatoes without dairy..Also Potatoes.. And Snappy green vegetables and salads. Apple or Pecan Pie with a GF crust.. Take a deep breath and have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
 
Randi November 19, 2014
And. . . look what just popped on the Food52 homepage: https://food52.com/blog/11738-12-recipes-for-feeding-your-gluten-free-thanksgiving-guests#YYtbrc:RJj
 
Randi November 19, 2014
There is a tasty world w/o Gluten and Dairy. You can use olive oil on your turkey if you usually use butter. For stuffing, there are many GF/DF breads available (Whole Foods, Natural Foods stores) if you want to make your own stuffing recipe. I like Udi's GF breads. Earth Balance is a reasonable sub for butter. There are also many GF stuffing mixes, some better than others. I plan to make a pumpkin pie using a Whole Foods GF pie crust. If I had more time I would make something from scratch, probably from America's Test Kitchen GF cookbook http://bit.ly/1r8p4lQ.
 
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