How to Not Just Survive, but THRIVE at Thanksgiving!
By Molly McMillan, RD – onmollysplate.com
With autumn in full swing, everyone in the US is focused on the upcoming holidays. With Halloween behind us, Thanksgiving feels like it’s just days away!! Thanksgiving provides an extra level of concern for those with dietary restrictions, as it’s literally a holiday that revolves around food – Halloween has trick or treating; Christmas and Hanukkah have presents; but Thanksgiving? That’s all about the eats! So, let’s take some time to talk gluten-free (GF) options, come up with easy tips and tricks, perfect the language we use to properly communicate our needs, and have the best holiday (and meal!) EVER!
Let’s start with items that are often naturally gluten-free! The main event, usually a turkey, is VERY easy to keep GF; you just need to make sure to check the bird itself for potential fillers, and the add seasonings and sauces that meet your GF needs. You do not need flour or other gluten-containing ingredients to cook the perfect turkey!! If you are also sensitive to dairy, using olive oil or even mayonnaise can lead to a moist, crispy skinned bird without the milk. In addition to the main protein, many of the traditional thanksgiving sides are made of naturally GF ingredients, including mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, fall vegetables, and salads. If you are making these yourself, it’s easy to stick to naturally GF ingredients!! And if you are attending Thanksgiving at someone else’s home, then it’s worth asking what ingredients they are using, and/or offering to bring some items yourself!
While the staples above are often naturally GF or easily adapted to be safe for those on a strict gluten-free diet, other traditional dishes can be a bit more difficult to master. But with a few adjustments I promise you can pull of the most amazing Thanksgiving!! For stuffing, you actually want a dryer bread anyway – so start saving the ends of your GF bread and freezing it, essentially creating a “dryer bread for stuffing” collection. If you need more, simply leave your favorite loaf of GF bread out uncovered overnight to dry out. If you can, cut it into bite sized pieces before drying! Then you can substitute it in any stuffing recipe. Just remember that it might be a little bit drier than regular bread, so you might need an extra quarter to half cup of liquid and whatever recipe you were using. Other than that, that’s the big swap for stuffing! The flavor possibilities are endless, from dried cranberries and toasted nuts to sausage and wild rice, to classic combinations like carrots celery and onions or garlic and rosemary. Once you swap out the bread, you can make stuffing gluten-free and it will be SO delicious!
Next up for typical Thanksgiving sides that are usually gluten-containing we have macaroni & cheese. There are often a few parts of this that use gluten based ingredients, so let’s go step by step! First up the pasta – we want to use a firm gluten-free pasta that can hold up to a heavy cheese sauce. A strong starch like corn or rice is great; other options include legume based pastas a grain free choices such as cassava or sweet potato. Next up, the cheese sauce. Many recipes use a roux to thicken the sauce – this is usually a mix of equal parts fat and flour, which is cooked until a bit darkened in color. It adds texture and flavor to sauces, like bechamel or cheese sauce. To make this gluten free, we need to use a gluten-free flour. A gluten-free all-purpose blend would work, as would rice starch. You can also keep a roux non-dairy by using canola oil, and you can even make a non-dairy “cheese” sauce by puréeing cooked veggies such as onions garlic and carrots, and adding some flavor enhancers like GF nutritional yeast and good warming spices. The last part we need to talk about for gluten-free mac and cheese is the topping! Many recipes use a seasoned breadcrumb or even ground cracker topping, which is usually not GF. To keep everything safely gluten-free, you can substitute this with gluten-free breadcrumbs, or grind up gluten-free crackers, yourself! You can also skip this topping completely, and just top with cheese, herbs, or even some sautéed onions for extra flavor!
One other common Thanksgiving side that usually contains gluten by default is some sort of bread or rolls. We all know that packaged gluten-free rolls exist, and there are even some pretty easy to follow for gluten-free yeast rolls as well. You are absolutely welcome to choose whatever you would like to choose for bread for your GF Thanksgiving, but I wanted to make sure to offer some other options in addition to store bought or homemade yeast rolls! Pan de queso is a fabulous option – it’s a chewy roll that’s naturally gluten-free, as it uses tapioca starch and cheese for flavor and texture! You can buy these pre made, frozen ready to bake (make sure you’re always checking for GF safety!), or they are very easy to make yourself! Gluten-free biscuits are another great option, because they do not require yeast or rise time! You can look for a GF biscuit mix at the store, or make them from scratch. They come out so delicious! There’s even an indulgent version called “butter swim biscuits” where the whole pan gets cooked in sizzling butter – talk about yum! One last option is to make something more pancake or waffle like for your bread component – just use a bit less sugar, and these can be great additions to your Thanksgiving table!
Before we move onto desserts, we need to discuss condiments! Similar to the cheese sauce, we talked about above, gravy is often thickened with the roux, or a slurry that includes wheat based flour. So, we once again need to make sure we use GF options, such as a gluten-free roux or even a corn starch slurry (mix of corn starch and water) to thicken our gravy. Cranberry sauce is often naturally gluten-free, so just check your products to make sure and check your recipe if making yourself! I really fun option for Thanksgiving for me to make flavored butters, and you could serve these with either prepackaged rolls that you warmed up, or any of the options we talked about above! These can even be dairy free; some classic flavor combinations include rosemary & garlic, lemon pepper, cinnamon brown sugar, maple vanilla, and smoky paprika. Aioli’s and fun GF mustards are also great options!
Now it’s time to conclude with desserts, just as the Thanksgiving meal does! The classic pies are all gluten-containing, but the great news is gluten-free pre-made pie crust is often easy to find in stores! You can make this simple swap for your Thanksgiving pies, and just check about other potentially gluten-containing ingredients in your recipes. Cheesecake with a GF cookie or graham crust are always delicious, as are fudgy GF brownies and tasty cookies! Chocolate dipped fruit is always a crowd pleaser, and apple crumble can easily be made GF with gluten free flour and if you tolerate them, certified GF oats. Ice cream is also a great option, and you can sauté apples or other fruit with cinnamon and other warm spices + a bit of brown sugar for a festive topping. You can really be creative and have so many delicious GF Thanksgiving desserts!
A few more tips before we finish up completely – disposable aluminum tins are amazing to avoid cross contact with gluten ingredients, and they also transport quite well. Remember to discuss with your guests or friends/family how easy it is to contaminate a non GF dish with gluten, and teach them how to properly avoid it. Offer to cook for yourself and bring items with you, and if you feel uncomfortable eating at someone’s house it’s ok to say no thank you!
Studies have shown that up to 10% or more of Thanksgiving tables have at least one GF person dining. Often, up to a third of those with dietary restrictions feel like their needs are not being met, and others often feel judged for their unique requests and requirements. Some surveys have also shown that almost half of those with dietary needs or nervous to ask a different host to make accommodations for them. We want to make sure we empower everyone reading to go into Thanksgiving with a positive mindset, and with the tips and tricks outlined above, we feel you can truly have a wonderful holiday that will be completely gluten-free, safe, and delicious!