A GF Thanksgiving Feast

A Happy GF Thanksgiving!!

The holidays present a myriad of choices for GF/CF lovers. Websites overflow with ideas. To complement your Thanksgiving turkey you can include side dishes like pumpkin flan (made with hemp or rice milk), cranberry apple chutney, fruit tart, whipped sweet potatoes, macaroons, to name just a few. Here are some menu ideas that center around a hassle free, simply cooked, crispy skin, moist centered turkey.

2 Hour Roast Turkey with Brown Rice/Mushroom Dressing

12 lb fresh thawed, no antibiotic turkey, salt and pepper

Prepare turkey by removing any giblets in cavity (my sister always forgets to take these out) and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 375 degrees (Use an oven thermometer for best results). Place turkey in the oven for about 2 hours. To check for doneness, insert a thermometer at the base of the breast between the thigh and make sure temperature is 180 degrees. That’s it – you’re done.

No fussing, no basting, no bags or contraptions. This will work only for turkeys under 14 pounds.

Brown Rice Mushroom Dressing
In a saucepan, toast 1.5 cups of brown rice. It will smell heavenly and take on a lightly browned color. Remove rice. Sautee 3 cups mushrooms (shitake or crimini work nicely) and 1 large chopped diced onion in about 4 tbsp of olive oil. Add back browned rice and 6 cups of water and stir to mix. Bring rice to a boil on medium high heat. Once boiling, lower heat to medium low or low and boil for about 45-55 minutes until water dries out and rice is soft. Toss in 1 cup diced green onions and serve.

Brussel sprouts with Pecans
Wash and quarter about 1 pound of brussel sprouts. In a pan, heat about 4 Tbsp olive oil. Add sprouts and cook till tender. Add about 1 cup chopped pecans and 2 tbsp orange juice. Mix thoroughly and serve warm.

Whipped sweet potato
This simple recipe brings out the natural sweetness of the potato without the addition of a lot of sugar.

Wash 4 medium sized sweet potatoes and poke with a fork to release steam. (If you can find the Japanese sweet potatoes they are the sweetest, most delicious variety you can find. No need to even sweeten it!) Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. When cooled, peel and cut in half. Place in a mixing bowl, add 3 tbsp rice milk, 3 tbsp orange juice and ½ tsp cinnamon. If your potatoes are not sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of agave nectar to keep the glycemic level low.

Cranberry Apple chutney
A nice complement to the turkey, you can also bottle this in jars to give as gifts. You can even make it ahead and freeze it for a later date.

In a large saucepan combine 4 cups cranberries, 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup agave syrup, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cloves, 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 cup water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes (the cranberries will pop in the pan so don’t worry). Add 1 medium chopped onion, 1 medium, peeled, cored and diced apple and cook another 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

GF Pumpkin Flan
No sugar, no wheat, no lactose – what could be better than this!? This recipe uses coconut milk, pumpkin and agave nectar.

In an 8 inch pie round, pour 1/3 cup agave syrup. This step replaces the traditional melting of the sugar and water at the bottom of a flan.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup pumpkin puree.Heat in saucepan till just to the point of steaming and warm. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mix together 5 eggs, 1/3 cup agave nectar and a pinch of salt.
Slowly whisk in the milk mixture, half first then mix thoroughly then the next half. Do this so as not to scramble the eggs. Add ½ tsp vanilla.

Pour through a fine mesh sieve on to the prepared pan.
Place in a another pan and pour hot water to cover halfway up the sides of the pan.
Bake 40-60 minutes or until firm when jiggled. Remove pan from water and cool for 2 hours.

When ready to unmold, set pan in warm water for a few minutes and run a hot knife along the sides of the custard. Place serving plate on top of custard pan and flip very quickly. Let pan sit on top for a few minutes to ensure the agave at the bottom pours along the top.