Thanksgiving meal discussion

[tanyalynn]

Talking about what we're going to eat on Thanksgiving, working around travel and family and all that jazz...

It feels early, even though I should already be fully awake, so it's hopeless to try to come up with a clever thread name.

I figured if there was any need to talk about Thanksgiving and how we're going to work around our dietary needs, we could do it here.  Life is pretty easy for us, just no gluten or dairy or large amounts of soy, and DH says he isn't going to worry about his carb intake for a day or two (his mood is pretty darn good these days, his energy's improving and he's still losing weight, and I haven't checked his BP in a few weeks but it was just a smidge above the normal/healthy limit when we last looked), but I do need to keep DD low/moderate protein. 

Turkey: I do it simple, Alton Brown's brined turkey (let turkey sit a day or so in a brine--salt, brown sugar, a variety of spices), it helps avoid the dry turkey I grew up with, the reason I rarely made turkey as an adult.

Mashed potatoes: I grew up making them with chicken stock (hello Dad who doesn't deal with dairy well, I didn't realize this wasn't normal) -- I may make a version I've done with bacon bits and using lard as the fat. 

Be back in a bit, DD needs breakfast (the other part of her stomach aches, even though she's almost 7, we seem to be back in the toddler world of early, frequent meals, but when I'm organized, it seems to really help).

I need to figure out a mashed sweet potato recipe, it just looks interesting.  Maybe Alton Brown's recipe with chipotles in adobo. 

I think a pumpkin crumble-type thing (pumpkin pie on the bottom, with coconut milk) and some sort of nut-sugar-crumble stuff on top.  Details are a bit fuzzy there. 

And probably tootsie rolls just to have something else fun.  I'm sure I'm missing a lot.

eta: May try the roasted cauliflower and hazelnut low carb stuffing recipe on marksdailyapple.com.  Looks tasty, though I may need to add some sage to make it taste the way we're used to.

Edited by tanyalynn - 11/18/10 at 6:34am

[oaksie68]

The only thing that I know I'm going to be making is gluten free goddess' vegan crustless pumpkin pie - can't I just make a meal of that? 

I'll have to make a different pie (or buy a Mrs. Smith's ) for my DH - but in my defense, he doesn't have to be eating by our restrictions, but most times he does.  I may just make a cherry pie that the whole family can eat.

I don't really cook whole animals, so I need to look high and low to find an unadulterated turkey breast to cook.

My family loves mashed potatoes, but since going gluten free, not so much.  I don't have any lard; what else can I do to make yummy mashed potatoes creamy and dairy-like?

I'm gonna keep checking this thread - bring on the recipes ladies!

[tanyalynn]

Um... brain blank.  Would turkey drumsticks work?  Our grocery store always has them.  Procrastinating before a long, long, tiring day.

[deditus]

I am going to brine our turkey, too. First time.

Cranberry sauce - I just throw them in the pan with some cloves, nutmeg, ginger, & juice of a half an orange until the pop, then mash them and mix in some honey.

Green bean casserole (I made it last year and I use the cashew cream sauce for all kinds of other stuff now) -

http://www.heartofcooking.com/2009/11/healthy-traditional-green-bean-casserole-gluten-free-dairy-free-and-grain-free/

This pie (I add vanilla and halve the sweeteners, I sub flax for eggs strange but still yummy) -

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/11/maple-honey-pumpkin-pie-with-coconut-milk.html

My crust is :

1 1/2 c. pecans
1/4 c. gf oats or almond flour or coconut flour
2-3 T. hot water
Pulse these in food processor until coarse & crumb like, pat into greased pie plate and blind bake 10 min @ 350.

And that is as far as I have planned. Probably something sweet potato, too, dd loves 'em. I might try to make us some appetizers. It's just dp, dd, and I but still it might be fun. Maybe an olive and pickle tray. I just saw a recipe for cranberry horseradish cocktail sauce, so maybe a shrimp tray? Any other snacky ideas?

[elanorh]

I need to talk to step-MIL about what she's planning and what she needs me to bring.

We usually volunteer to bring several items to family meals.  And remind people that Ina can't have eggs, but I don't hold my breath that it'll be respected.  So, if I bring foods that we made at home which are safe, we know what she can eat (I check labels/recipes once I arrive, too).

Usually, I bring the rolls, a safe pie, cranberry sauce (just simple berries/sugar/water possibly with a little orange zest), olive/pickle tray, and then often the mashed potatoes.  Step-MIL makes green bean casserole, ham or turkey (or both), a sweet potato dish. 

It's less stressful now that the girls have outgrown all their allergies other than dd1's egg allergy.

I *highly* recommend volunteering to make food for the meal, for those who are new(er) to the allergy diagnosis.  That way, you'll know for sure which foods are safe (and families who are unsupportive or freaked out will not necessarily be as overwhelmed by your family's dietary needs - which for us anyway makes for a much more manageable dinner). 

[Theloose]

Tanya, that cauliflower mushroom hazelnut stuffing looks awesome! Here's another rice-based one my mom found: http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/holidays-occasions/thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes-00400000056366/page13.html

I'm lucky in that one of the families we do thanksgiving with is also gluten free and very into whole foods they always bring a mashed sweet potato dish that has orange juice and cinnamon in it (not sure what else, if anything) and creamed onions. For me, he makes the onions in red wine - little pearl onions, slow cooked so they're glazed.

No pumpkin (squash) for me, so I'm going to make a sweet potato pie, and I'm excited to have small bits of potato and corn back, so we can use the whole foods GF crust. It's full of butter, though, so probably not an option for many?

I'm wanting to make a selection of fermented chutneys for the table, I'll come back with links, but the plan is raisin chutney, cranberry relish and an apple/onion/garlic/caraway one my sister came up with.

[lil_miss_understood]

I like this recipe for potatoes, replacing butter with oil of choice, and all of the milk products with the pine nut ricotta recipe and maybe a little rice milk. Then, either sweet potatoes roasted in maple syrup and olive oil or whipped with a little brown sugar. Creamed corn. No ideas on dessert, but probably apple crisp.

We were going to do ham but will likely end up doing roast pork instead because of my grocery store loss earlier this month (we have a frozen roast).

[mamafish9]

DH made this amazing stuffed pumpkin a few days ago - hollowed the pumpkin out, stuck in stuffing ingredients (that could be a wide range of stuff, he used lots of fat and it was fairly wet going in), and bake at 350 for a couple of hours or until the pumpkin's soft.  It was amazing.

[sraplayas]

Any ideas for an easy Pie Crust without: Corn, Gluten, Yeast, or Nuts?

Ditto for Rolls, a good stuffing recipe and a good Beef, Lamb or ? recipe (no turkey, no chicken).

We are travelling to see family and are only on the "list" for mashed potatoes, but I need to think about what DD, DS and I are going to eat b/c there will probably be 1-2 "safe" foods at the meal for us. :) 

[icy02]

I made a GF/Dairy Free pie crust for a pecan pie :) It was from the Flying Apron's cookbook. Here it is:

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp palm oil or coconut oil

3 tbsp agave syrup, maple syrup, or concentrated fruit juice

1 - 2 tbsp cold water

X2 for a double pie crust

method: preheat oven to 375

Combine flour and salt. in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the palm oil until softened, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture slowly until incorporated. add the syrup, water and mix until a soft dough has formed, about 5 minutes. if the dough is dry, add additional water 1 tbsp at  a time until the dough is smooth.

Dust work surface (it is best to dust a cutting board so you can flip into the pie pan) and your hands liberally with flour. Place the dough on the work surface and sprinkle the top with more flower. Roll the dough into a an 11 inch disc. 

Than just flip into pie pan, and make the edges look pretty ;) Sorry, I don't have time to copy the whole recipe word for word b/c DS2 is fussy :( I will say this dough is a lot more soft than a traditional wheat flour and butter dough. The recipe said to pre cook the dough for 15 minutes before filling and I would NOT recommend this. I do have a convection oven though so maybe that is why my dough got over cooked. I'm going to try again for my Fruit filled Thanksgiving pie. 

Hope this recipe helps you out this holiday season! The Flying Apron really is an awesome cookbook :)

[icy02]

We had a pre-Thanksgiving meal yesterday and did garlic and herbed roasted potatoes. They were a huge hit! IMO mashed potatoes just wouldn't be good without a ton of cream, butter, and sour cream ;) but thats just me. 

[True Blue]

How do I do pies?  I want to make pumkin and pecan, but pref with no dairy or coconut milk.  Is that possible? LOL  It probably doesn't matter, I doubt DS will eat either of those, but still I wonder...

And what about stuffing?  I should have gf corn free....but I can't find any breads that are free of both without baking them myself.  And I'm feeling a little lazy.  DH is gone til the night before so I'd like easy...lol.  OR...is there a more natural stuffing mix out there I can buy????  Even if it has gluten?

[philomom]

Pecan pie can be done without dairy. It calls for a stick of margarine, just buy one that is non-dairy. I find a couple of brands at my supermarket are non-dairy. Like Nucoa. Pie crust can be made with water and oil. I don't think my pie crust recipe calls for any milk.

[Theloose]

Last year I made 'cornbread' stuffing with kinnikinnick (sp) hamburger buns (no big corn) and millet cornbread. It was better than the real cornbread stuffing my mom made (roughly the same recipe otherwise)

For pumpkin pie, any liquid will work in place of the milk. Coconut's great, or I'm sure rice/almond milk would work, or technically even juice or water would be fine, the creaminess/flavor might be a bit different. If you're using something more liquidy (think water ve coconut milk), I'd use a bit less, and aim for a 'normal' consistency at the end rather than focusing on the actual amount going in.

[FAmom]

I just wanted to jump in really quick, noticing the mention of using any liquid for pumpkin pie....... it happens to be the bane of my existence at the moment.  

In the past I've made it using vanilla soymilk and cornstarch in place of the milk and eggs.  This year I have to figure out a new version without soy (DS#3 was diagnosed with a soy allergy).  But, I have tried rice milk in the past when I was figuring out a substitute for milk.  I was never able to get the rice milk to solidify.  Soy was by far the thing that worked best for me at replicating the correct taste and texture, when combined with the cornstarch.  Even if you are able to use eggs, I think the consistency of soy is better.

So, for whatever it is worth, if you are going the route of pumpkin pie without dairy, I'd go soy.  That is just me though.  I actually might skip pumpkin this year.  I think it has finally gotten too difficult for me to figure out.

[fruitfulmomma]

I am cheating with the turkey and ham. MIL asked what we needed and I had her buy a package of each of the Hormel Natural Choice sandwich meats for me and the girls. They are gf and I don't have to cook. 

I'm using Udi's GF bread for the stuffing.

I always make my own soup for the green bean casserole. Last year was our first GF one and we used tapioca as the base and it was nasty - all slimy. I've learned to use rice flour, so hopefully much better. I'll probably coat the onions in rice flour too.

Pie crust is rice flour. Made one a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't too bad.

Dairy is one of the things we *can* actually eat, so we are all good there.

Plan to make this all up tommorow and freeze half of it so we have enough for Christmas too.

[fuzzylogic]

Re:  Pumpkin pie:  Can you use actual eggs?  If you can, you can make a custard-type thing with the eggs, pumpkin, and spices......otherwise, I would try using rice flour as the thickener.

Stuffing:  rice, sausage?, celery, onions, mushrooms, and the giblets.  Cook the giblets first and use the broth to cook the rice.  Fish around inside the turkey and get a couple globs of fat to render out, then saute the celery, onions, and mushrooms (chopped medium) in them.  Cook the rice in a bit less liquid so it finishes in the bird or casserole.  You can toss in some GF bread chunks to stretch it.  Chopped nuts, cranberries, and carrots( not too much, they're sweet!) can also be added.  The seasonings are sage, thyme, salt, pepper and the onion.....

[oaksie68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by True Blue 

How do I do pies?  I want to make pumkin and pecan, but pref with no dairy or coconut milk.  Is that possible? LOL  It probably doesn't matter, I doubt DS will eat either of those, but still I wonder...

How about using hemp milk in place of the dairy - I use coconut milk, but I know that you said that you wanted to avoid it (because of sals? I'm guessing?  Whoops, if that's the case, maybe I should be looking at milk sub alternatives ).  As a personal disclaimer, I have never used it; but Karina at gluten free goddess.blogspot.com often suggest using hemp milk, as it is thicker, etc. to rice milk and such (I use her Vegan Crustless Pumpkin Pie recipe, and Hemp milk is the milk she uses for it). 

Here's the link for that recipe:  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/10/vegan-pumpkin-pie-worthy-of.html  

[True Blue]

Thanks!!  I've never made pecan pie and laughed today when I was looking at a recipe and realized it didn't call for milk.  Woops!  DS seems to be ok with butter, so that helps.  The pumpkin pie....I might just go ahead and use milk.  I'm not sure DS will even eat it?  Or maybe I'll make 2.  lol.  And yes, I'm avoiding the coconut milk bc of sals, which sucks because it's such a great sub.  However DD2's screaming and DS's all night itchies are a good deterrent.

I found a fantastic looking ginger-pear cake recipe that would be sals safe in an old Bon Appetit today...I'm stoked.  A couple other good recipes too, that hopefully will all be yummy with a gf cake flour mix from my favorite gf blog, adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com   I'm going to miss cranberry sauce this year, and cranberry bread...sniff...but hopefully I can make some good subs to fill the void!!!!

[oaksie68]

Originally Posted by True Blue 

Thanks!!  I've never made pecan pie and laughed today when I was looking at a recipe and realized it didn't call for milk.  Woops!  DS seems to be ok with butter, so that helps.  The pumpkin pie....I might just go ahead and use milk.  I'm not sure DS will even eat it?  Or maybe I'll make 2.  lol.  And yes, I'm avoiding the coconut milk bc of sals, which sucks because it's such a great sub.  However DD2's screaming and DS's all night itchies are a good deterrent.

I found a fantastic looking ginger-pear cake recipe that would be sals safe in an old Bon Appetit today...I'm stoked.  A couple other good recipes too, that hopefully will all be yummy with a gf cake flour mix from my favorite gf blog, adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com   I'm going to miss cranberry sauce this year, and cranberry bread...sniff...but hopefully I can make some good subs to fill the void!!!!

Good luck with whatever you make!  Let me know how the ginger-pear cake turns out!  I've just discovered that website; I even ordered the Better Batter flour mix she raves about - I want to get dough like she gets when she uses it!