Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. I have to say I am grateful to all the allergy free markets and producers. Food allergy cuisine is a lot better than it used to be! To further keep the EpiPens at bay, I have a few helpful hints dish by dish.
Stuffing is a big no-no if you are allergic to dairy, wheat and gluten. If you have a family recipe you love you can simply exchange wheat bread for rice bread cubes (or any gluten free bread). The usual dry funkiness of gluten-free bread actually works well with stuffing because the other ingredients give it moisture. I would also recommend using gluten free chicken broth. Whole Foods also sells Gluten Free Bakehouse Stuffing.
Turkey on it's own is not a problem but the gravy is. And who wants turkey without gravy? Not me. One option is Maxwell's Kitchen Chicken Gluten-Free Gravy Mix. Just add water, heat and serve. Another brand is Full Flavor Foods Turkey Gluten-Free Gravy Mix. Both products can be purchased from the Gluten Free Mall.
Even though Thanksgiving is a major carb-fest my family still serves dinner rolls. After years of being empty handed I learned to bring my own. I like Trader Joe's gluten-free dinner rolls, sold in the bread isle with the other gluten-free products. If you live near Evanston, Rose's Wheat Free Bakery is a great place to pick up rolls, baked goods and desserts. If a recipe calls for bread crumbs (such as green bean casserole) I really like Gillian's Foods Bread Crumbs which are wheat-gluten-dairy free.
Pumpkin pie usually contains milk, eggs and a wheat-based crust. If you must use a treasured old-time recipe you can replace evaporated milk with soy, rice or almond milk. Eggs can be replaced with EnerG Egg replacer which mimics eggs with its clever mix of potato and tapioca starches, among other things. Whole Foods stores sells two brands of gluten-free pre-made pie crusts: Gluten Free Bakehouse and Glutino. Make your pumpkin pie dairy-free a la mode with Turtle Mountain's Purely Decadent line of ice cream. Praline Pecan and Purely Vanilla would work well with pumpkin pie. Additionally, the clever bakers at Café Salmarie's have baked pumpkin pie in small individual pumpkins to avoid the crust issue completely. Its a seasonal treat that they don't have all the time so if you want it, call ahead.
One last basic tip, I would try out a dress-rehearsal with any new recipe or recipe using substitutes. Everyone has different tastes and likes. What might be too dry for one is fine for another.
Filed under: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Holiday, Thanksgiving, Wheat-free
Tags: dairy-free, egg-free, food allergies, gluten-free, recipes, Thanksgiving, wheat-free
I am definitely going to top my gluten-free pumpkin pie with Purely Decadent vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream. And I'm going to bake the pie using So Delicious coconut milk creamer and yogurt, too!
Helenka, that sounds delish, Let us know who the pie turns out with the coconut creamer and yogurt. I would think the coconut creamer would work well being that it's fairly dense.