I have been eating allergy free for just under a year now, so this was my first Thanksgiving without dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, and nuts. I was pleased to realize that I didn't feel at all deprived! Whole foods are so delicious, even-- or perhaps especially-- without all the extra butter and heavy cream. To top it off, I probably ate 3,000 fewer calories than everyone else and fit nicely into my skinny jeans this morning. :) Here is my menu and instructions:
A Bountiful, Allergy-Free Thanksgiving
Turkey: Most turkey is allergy free. Check the label and ensure it wasn't cooked with ingredients that cause allergies for you.
Gravy: Sweet rice flour works as an excellent thickener and made smooth, delicious gravy! Use it the same way you would wheat flour. No need to make a "regular" batch as well. The rice gravy won a taste test in our family.
Mashed Potatoes: Peel, dice, and boil potatoes until they are soft. I mashed them with a whisk and stirred in rice milk and chicken broth until they were smooth and creamy, then stirred in some salt and pepper. They turned out great, even to people without allergy-free palates.
Dressing: Cube a loaf of allergy-free bread and dry the cubes in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Brown a pound of sausage in a skillet. Remove the sausage and wipe out the skillet. Saute about a cup of onions. Add about as much celery when onions become clear. Once celery is soft, turn off heat and stir in about as much diced apples and some fresh cranberries, cut in half. Add some fresh thyme and sage, and stir the sausage back into the mixture. Place the bread crumbs into an oiled 13 x 9 pan and stir in the mixture. Drizzle chicken broth over the top-- about 1 1/2 to 2 cups, depending on how moist you like it. Let it rest for about 10 minutes and stir again. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes: Peel and slice sweet potatoes and steam until soft. They can be left in slices or mashed with some water to make them creamy. I stirred in some nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little clove and ginger. Siena ate these as well.
Green Beans: I filled a 9 x 9 pan mostly full with green beans. I added whole cloves of garlic and half a red onion, sliced vertically. Drizzle some olive oil over the veggies, top with salt and pepper and stir. Roast at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold. (Alternately, I was planning on steaming green beans with julienne sliced water chestnuts and some dill.)
Cranberries: Place fresh cranberries into a pan and cover the bottom with water (about 1/4 the depth of the cranberries). Bring to boil and stir frequently. Add agave nectar into the mixture to taste, or alternately add more water and use sugar to sweeten. Add some fresh orange zest and a little nutmeg.
Apple Crisp: Fill a 13 x 9 pan with sliced apples. For the topping, mix 8 T canola oil, 3/4 cup agave nectar, 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 t salt, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg, and 1/2 t cloves in a bowl. I like to stir in extra oats to make it thicker. Spread over the fruit. Bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes, until the top begins to turn brown. If desired, serve with Coconut Bliss ice cream.
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins: I had to include some pumpkin for Thanksgiving. I made my favorite muffins. See the October 2009 post for the recipe.
Spiced Apple Cider: We're lucky to live near a cider mill with national award winning apple cider. We used a gallon of that. Then tie into a piece of cheesecloth a star anise, a few whole cloves and whole allspice, a two or three cinnamon sticks and a few pieces of nutmeg. Place the cider and spices in a crockpot on low. Serve warm.
Gravy: Sweet rice flour works as an excellent thickener and made smooth, delicious gravy! Use it the same way you would wheat flour. No need to make a "regular" batch as well. The rice gravy won a taste test in our family.
Mashed Potatoes: Peel, dice, and boil potatoes until they are soft. I mashed them with a whisk and stirred in rice milk and chicken broth until they were smooth and creamy, then stirred in some salt and pepper. They turned out great, even to people without allergy-free palates.
Dressing: Cube a loaf of allergy-free bread and dry the cubes in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Brown a pound of sausage in a skillet. Remove the sausage and wipe out the skillet. Saute about a cup of onions. Add about as much celery when onions become clear. Once celery is soft, turn off heat and stir in about as much diced apples and some fresh cranberries, cut in half. Add some fresh thyme and sage, and stir the sausage back into the mixture. Place the bread crumbs into an oiled 13 x 9 pan and stir in the mixture. Drizzle chicken broth over the top-- about 1 1/2 to 2 cups, depending on how moist you like it. Let it rest for about 10 minutes and stir again. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes: Peel and slice sweet potatoes and steam until soft. They can be left in slices or mashed with some water to make them creamy. I stirred in some nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little clove and ginger. Siena ate these as well.
Green Beans: I filled a 9 x 9 pan mostly full with green beans. I added whole cloves of garlic and half a red onion, sliced vertically. Drizzle some olive oil over the veggies, top with salt and pepper and stir. Roast at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold. (Alternately, I was planning on steaming green beans with julienne sliced water chestnuts and some dill.)
Cranberries: Place fresh cranberries into a pan and cover the bottom with water (about 1/4 the depth of the cranberries). Bring to boil and stir frequently. Add agave nectar into the mixture to taste, or alternately add more water and use sugar to sweeten. Add some fresh orange zest and a little nutmeg.
Apple Crisp: Fill a 13 x 9 pan with sliced apples. For the topping, mix 8 T canola oil, 3/4 cup agave nectar, 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 t salt, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg, and 1/2 t cloves in a bowl. I like to stir in extra oats to make it thicker. Spread over the fruit. Bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes, until the top begins to turn brown. If desired, serve with Coconut Bliss ice cream.
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins: I had to include some pumpkin for Thanksgiving. I made my favorite muffins. See the October 2009 post for the recipe.
Spiced Apple Cider: We're lucky to live near a cider mill with national award winning apple cider. We used a gallon of that. Then tie into a piece of cheesecloth a star anise, a few whole cloves and whole allspice, a two or three cinnamon sticks and a few pieces of nutmeg. Place the cider and spices in a crockpot on low. Serve warm.
The only drawback was that I had to cook nearly the whole feast myself, and I ate it as an allergy-free parallel to everyone else's meals. Other people wanted the traditional, calorie-packed dishes and were even skeptical of my food. (I overheard my cousin ask, "Which are the real potatoes?") At the gathering where people were mostly oblivious, however, everyone dug into and enjoyed my food as well. I got compliments and gave away leftovers. I hope these favorites catch on in the years to come, not just for my and Siena's sakes, but because they were delicious, and also healthy and wholesome. This reminds me once again that eating allergy free is, ironically, one more thing for which to be thankful!
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