Last-Minute, Gotta-Get-It Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Supply Guide

Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Alright– I’m keeping this post short and sweet because let’s face it — tick-tock we are running out of time to get ready for the big Thanksgiving meal.  No one has time right now to read my charming tales of trial and error cooking on Thanksgiving.

This post is for the over-looked menu items or for the suddenly snowed-in and can’t travel to get the fab gluten-free Thanksgiving meal — Yes, I live in Minnesota where the state will have snow flying tonight.

Turkey: Honeysuckle White — This is the one I have purchased since Emma was diagnosed. They’ve done a great job telling people their products are gluten-free.  Jennie-O — search for the turkey on the website first to ensure the one you want is indeed gluten-free.  And Butterball got back to me late last week with some information.

“…with the exception of the two products listed below, all retail products produced at Butterball, LLC are gluten free; meaning they contain no wheat, barley, rye, triticale or any triticum species such as spelt or kamut.  22655-07100 Butterball Premium Stuffed Young Turkey With Herb Roasted Stuffing (note: wheat gluten is the stuffing only); 22655-82903/82913 Butterball “Everyday” Turkey Meatballs-Italian Style Seasoned.” — Robert Taylor, Labeling Specialist,  Regulatory & Systems Compliance, Butterball, LLC

Butterball also has many gluten-free gravy packets.  But the company noted there are some gluteny gravy packets out there too, so please check the ingredients on your gravy packet before using it.  I personally have always thrown out the gravy packets and made my own with the turkey drippings, a little bouillon and my gluten-free flour mix — it’s great!

As always, each year when Thanksgiving comes around you will want to double check to make sure the turkey you choose is gluten free.

Stuffing/Dressing: This one is definitely more complicated.  In part because you have to make it from scratch — and cough up about $30 in gluten-free bread to make it!  I had a contest last year and this is the winning recipe.  It is a traditional bread stuffing recipe.  Also Triumph Dining has a few stuffing recipes posted as well.  **Since this post in 2010, several stuffing mixes have come out on the market.  Click here for more on stuffing mixes.

Mashed/Whipped Potatoes: You have a few options — make them the traditional way by boiling your potatoes and then whipping/mashing them with a little cream or milk and butter (as pictured above).  Another option if you’re not that into cooking is buying instant potatoes.  Betty Crocker Potato Buds are gluten free as are some Idahoan potatoes.  See the Idahoan product allergen list here.

Green Bean Casserole: I can tell you this is NOT my forte.  We have never made these at our house for Thanksgiving, but I realize others do. So the best I can do here is send you to a few links I found for recipes. The Betty Crocker website has this Green Bean Casserole recipe using Progresso Cream of Mushroom Soup which is gluten-free (and for some reason I can never find — but I digress).  And gluten-free cook Jules Shepard posted this Green Bean Casserole recipe on celiac.com last year.  What I liked about it was that it found ways to get that crunchy topping with a gluten-free ingredient.

Cranberries: Cranberries are a naturally gluten-free food that goes hand-in-hand with the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Cranberry sauce can be made gluten-free as Triumph Dining showed in these recipes.  But you can also buy canned “jellied” cranberry sauce from companies like Ocean Spray, but when their description on the website says, “That beautiful log of cranberry sauce…” it suddenly makes it unappealing to me….(grimace).

Soon this will be a yummy gluten free pumpkin pie

Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Pie:  Here’s the great thing about pie: for many of them the only gluten issue is in the crust and not the filling. So once you find a great crust — then you’re set!  Here’s the pumpkin pie recipe I use.  I always find one with sweetened condensed milk.  And here’s a basic sweet potato pie recipe.

Pie crust:  Here’s the recipe I use:  It is very good– and no one in my family or my husband’s family has ever felt the need to bring a regular gluteny pie because of the crust.

Dry ingredients:

1/3 cup white rice flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour/starch

1/3 cup potato starch

1 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch

1 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1 Tbsp. sugar

Wet ingredients:

5 Tbsp. (1/3 c.) cold butter

1 egg beaten

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Cut  the cold butter into the dry ingredients then add egg and vinegar and work the dough together with your hands until it forms a ball. Roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper.  Place on a greased pan, and cook as you would with any pie recipe.

And don’t forget this advice to new hosts trying to cook gluten free for the first time. Good luck and have a FABULOUS Thanksgiving.

Tags: cooking, food, gluten-free, shopping, Thanksgiving