How to Have a Gluten- and Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Without Suffering

As Thanksgiving approaches, everyone looks forward to a sumptious holiday meal, except for those who suffer from some common food sensitivities which happen to be on the rise in the U.S. The sensitivities have always been there, but it has only been a recent development in medical knowledge that we have really begun to understand them. For those who suffer from these sensitivities, holiday meals can be a source of anxiety. We do not want to hurt Mom’s feelings by refusing her famous stuffing or homemade apple pie, but neither do we want to experience symptoms that can range from painful skin rashes and muscle pain to intense gastro-intestinal distress.

Here are a few tips to make the meal a pleasant experience for your food sensitive family members.

There are some butter substitutes on the market, but not all of them are completely dairy free as advertised. Look at the ingredients. If it contains lactose, whey, or cassein, then it is not dairy free. If you can’t find something that fits the bill or the search for a butter substitute got lost in the shuffle of the holiday busy, never fear, because a cheap and easy butter substitute is likely already at hand. Oil. Olive, walnut, and almond oil can be very tasty. Though it won’t taste exactly like butter, you can create dipping sauces for that rice-flour bread easily by simply added a little salt, basil and garlic. Obviously fresh herbs are usually best, but the dried stuff will do as well. Chances are it will be enjoyed by those without food intolerances, and those who do suffer from intolerance will be grateful that you thought of them.

When it comes to baking, however, you may want to consider using banana as your butter substitute. I know, I didn’t believe it either, but it works like magic. I recently used banana as a butter substitute for vicchysoise and the result was absolutely incredible. In baked goods, you will find that there is a slight banana flavor, but this usually enhances whatever it is that you are doing.

Wheat-gluten is a bit more difficult to avoid as it shows up as a preservative in the strangest places – prepackaged marinades, soy sauce and some salad dressings will contain it. Throw together your own marinade from spices, oil and vinegar from scratch. One salad dressing which is simple and tasty simply combines pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a little sea salt and dried onion and it is ready to go. The secret to a good meat marinade is caraway seed, which can be combine with one or two others of your choosing. You can use whichever oil and whichever type of vinegar you like best. Red wine vinegar if you like sour, apple cider vinegar if you like things to taste sharp and tart, and white vinegar if your a salt and vinegar potato chip kind of person. This is all much easier than it sounds and takes only minutes.

Probably the largest danger zone for the gluten intolerant involves stuffing, biscuits and baked goods. You can always do a rice or nut based stuffing instead of using the standard croutons. True rye bread does not contain wheat flour, so you can still have bread stuffing. Rice flour biscuits can be gotten in health food sections of grocery stores. When you make your baked goods from scratch, you can easily substitute bleached wheat flour with rice flour, potato flour, chick pea flour (by far the tastiest, but also hardest to find in your typical grocery store) and buckwheat flour. (Depsite its name, buckwheat does not contain gluten.) On the other hand, you can also find some gluten free baked products in the freezer of the health food section. You’ll probably notice a few things from different brands, and in terms of flavor it is a bit hit or miss. I prefer the brownies made by a company called, “Food By George,” which are both gluten and dairy free, soy-based ice-cream by a company called Purely Decadent – though you have to check the ingredients list. Not all dairy free ice creams are also gluten-free. Toffuti is a dairy substitute ice cream that is easier to find, but stick to the Almond Bark and Mint Chocolate chip flavors with that brand.

So there you have it, a few simple tips to help make Thanksgiving pleasant for everybody. Those who are not gluten or dairy intolerant are likely to feel a little less bloated as well.