Thanksgiving is nearly here:
My 3 favorite tips:
- Plan ahead, and try to bring along safe options when possible.
- Bring along or order ingredients online that might be a problem. This includes broth, gravy, butter without crumbs, soups, flour for thickening, etc.
- Keep it as simple as possible.
Turkey:
Though it’s always good to check, the good news is that all plain, fresh turkey is naturally gluten-free. Again, that’s ALL plain, fresh or frozen turkeys. I know there are emails that go out every year about warnings of “hidden gluten” in the turkeys, but ironically, the turkey is usually the easiest and safest part of the meal. For the past 17 years I’ve been looking, calling and asking around if any of the brands of un-stuffed turkeys have gluten, and I haven’t found a single one in all that time. If you’ve seen one, email me or leave me a comment below. So you do have to look out for stuffed turkeys, and you do want to look out for gravy packets and of course, the preparation of the turkey.
The only exception is Tofurky, which has gluten, and some glazed hams DO contain gluten. As always, read carefully!
There can still be risks in the ingredients used on or in the turkey, and cross-contamination always needs to be on your radar. You’ll need to talk to your host about:
- Preparation method: Broth used for basting, or even the butter used for basting. This also includes the kind of flour used if a turkey is cooked in a bag.
- Seasonings…so much room for problems here
- Stuffing in the turkey
- Cross contamination/cross contact<–and this is the most common problem.
Gravy
Many regular canned gravy and gravy packets are not gluten-free. Gluten-free gravy is available online, and Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Wegman’s, etc. sell some now. Even Mc Cormick’s has a gluten-free gravy packet that’s certified GF! Also, it’s pretty easy to make a simple gravy with gluten-free broth and cornstarch instead of wheat (and if corn is a problem for you, arrowroot can be substituted 1:1 instead).
- Herb Gravy From Elana’s Pantry
- Gravy using Cornstarch from Simply Recipes
- My favorite gravy (paleo/starch free)
Side dishes
There are lots of good options here. Green bean casserole works, just sub the french onion–Aldi’s does NOT have a GF version in this year, yikes, be careful! or use Fritos, or almonds, and buy a GF cream soup–Pacific is in most stores. Or get creative–we do roasted green beans, baked yams, cranberry relish or the stuff from the can works, too! gelatin salads, butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, applesauce…all of these things are easy to adapt to food restrictions, and they’re healthy and delicious to boot.
Stuffing:
This obviously requires a bit more planning. You can go the nontraditional route and do a wild rice, buckwheat or quinoa stuffing. You could use a gluten-free cornbread or pre-made GF bread crumbs, too. Aleia’s and Arrowhead mills are easy to find locally.
Make sure that “regular” stuffing is not used to stuff the turkey. Not only does that raise the risk of food poisoning, but the whole turkey would be cross-contaminated with gluten.
Cornbread stuffing with roasted acorn squash from the Gluten-Free Goddess
The NY Times Blog had a G-Free Stuffing section with a few recipes
Dessert!
For many people (myself included!) dessert is the highlight of the Thanksgiving. If you’d like to use your standard old-school recipes, you can easily make a crustless pumpkin or sweet potato pie or check out Whole Foods’ GF crusts. Or, you can easily make a crust from crushed up gluten-free cookies, shredded coconut or almond meal. Apple crisps are also simple, too. And, of course, now with the GF Wegman’s or Betty Crocker mixes, a cake or brownies are pretty simple, even if they’re not traditional.
For suggestions for cross-contact/cross contamination, see ideas here from GFE
Have a wonderful holiday!
Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD. She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great! Email or call 571-271-8742.