Gluten-Free Cooking for the Holidays

With a little more than a week until Thanksgiving, it’s safe to say the holiday season has begun. Much like kids with a peanut allergy have a hard time looking forward to Halloween, those with a gluten intolerance or allergy have trouble swallowing the thought of navigating a holiday meal filled with stuffing, pies, and rolls that they can’t eat.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, or attending a dinner at a loved one’s home, here are a few recipes to help you enjoy a traditional meal without any concern. And since they’re as healthy and delicious as anything your grandmothers and aunts make, everyone at the table can enjoy. Now that’s something to be thankful for!

Wendy Gregory Kaho, a mom and the author behind the blog Celiacs in the House, shared some of her tips with us for preparing a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal or dish. She sheds light on the fact that it’s not just about making a pie without any wheat in the crust, but even the way you handle the serving ware can affect a guest with celiac disease. Wendy’s advice is as follows:

Use only metal or glass utensils and baking dishes if you don’t have a gluten-free kitchen. No wooden spoons or wooden cutting boards that have been contaminated with wheat flour. No stoneware baking pans or cast iron that is porous and can’t be cleaned of gluten.

Read labels on packaged broths. Not all are gluten free and may have soy sauce or other gluten-containing ingredients.

Serve gluten-free foods to your gluten-free guests with dedicated serving spoons and preferably away from the gluten-containing foods where serving utensils can get mixed up.

Make gluten-free foods in a freshly cleaned, wiped down kitchen and remove them from the area before you make gluten-containing foods that could contaminate them.

Here are a few recipes to help you prepare for a gluten-free Thanksgiving.

Gluten-Free Stuffing

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Roasted Red Pepper Cups

Quick Apple Crisp

Crustless Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

Photo by Wendy Gregory Kaho