It goes without saying that this Thanksgiving will be very different for most of us. Thanksgiving is the one and only holiday, and only day of the year for that matter, where my entire extended family comes together. We travel from MA, NY, CT, and FL and spend time catching up on each other's lives while cooking, eating, chasing around little ones and dogs! This year instead of 30+ of us gathering at my brother’s home in Connecticut, it will be the five of us at home in MA. As I started thinking about it, I realized that I have never hosted Thanksgiving...and while I typically bring GF sides and desserts to my brother’s house, I have NEVER made a whole turkey! So while I am still pondering over the many amazing ways to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey, I wanted to share some of my favorite GF sides, fixing and dessert recipes with you. I'll also throw in a few store bought faves that can save you some time. Some of these are new to me and others I have been making for years.
Here is my GF Thanksgiving 2020 Recipe Roundup; recommended recipes from some of the most amazing GF recipe developers around the web. All are GF and most are DF & NF or easily adjusted.
Thanksgiving 2020 will be different for sure, but here’s to making it a beautiful day of food, gratitude and family. One thing's for sure, there WILL be leftovers!
Recipe Credits:
@eatingglutenandsairyfree @ambitouskitchen and @whattheforkfoodblog. I highly recommend following these talented women on social media for outstanding GF recipes year round!
Also: Delish.com and Allrecipies.com
~Eat Well
GFSavvyMama
Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup
Appetizers
Since it’s just the 5 of us, I am not serving a ton of apps - I need my crew hungry for dinner! A GF Charcuterie board is my go to, as it has something for everyone! Here are a couple for inspiration! There's no set recipe, just use what you love and mix sweet & savory, dried fruits, fresh veggies, gourmet meats and cheeses (omit if dairy free), GF crackers and and spreads.
Sides (click links to go to original recipes)
Mashed Potatoes from Eating Gluten and Dairy Free
Sweet Potato Casserole from Eating Gluten and Dairy Free.
Green Bean Casserole from Eating Gluten and Dairy Free. Look for GF canned crispy fried onions in your local market
Alternative Hot Veggie Dish: If (like me), green bean casserole is not your jam: Maple Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussel Sprouts with Crispy Bacon* (or turkey bacon) from Ambitious Kitchen
*UPDATE: The 1 tsp of cayenne in this recipe is WAY too much. I recommend 1/2 tsp, or if you don't care for spice, omit it.
Cold Veggie Dish: Butternut Squash and Kale Salas with Pomegranate, toasted almonds from Ambitious Kitchen (omit for NF. I sub roasted chickpeas) & goat cheese (omit for DF)
Fixings
Stuffing from Eating Gluten and Dairy Free. If you're short on time, skip the bread cube prep and use prepared GF Bread Cubes from MyBread Bakery or your favorite boxed variety like Aleias brand.
Stuffing Alternative - Check out this Grain Free/Low Carb Cauliflower Stuffing from Delish.com. I have not made this recipe yet, but it has RAVE reviews. Definitely on my menu this year! Use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks to keep it DF.
Orange Cranberry Sauce from Ambitious Kitchen. This is SO good AND has no refined sugar! This is a family fave and worth a few extra steps for amazing orange cranberry flavor.
Corn Bread - two options here.. you can make it or buy a boxed mix. No judgement here.
Corn Bread Recipe from What the Fork Food Blog
To make it dairy free, you can make non dairy butter milk with your favorite plant based milk (I use Ripple Unsweetened.
Pour 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup.
Fill the measuring cup with a safe-for-you non-dairy milk (soy milk, coconut milk) until you reach 1 cup.
Let sit for 10 minutes or until it curdles.
Use as a 1:1 replacement for buttermilk in your recipes.
Corn Bread Mix - if you want to save some time, Pamela's and Krusteaz mixes are both great alternatives to baking from scratch. I sub coconut oil and dairy free milk to keep it DF. Bake in a muffin pan for easy portioning. Leftovers make for a quick takeaway breakfast!
Dinner Rolls
There are nice to have, and a tradition in some families, but certainly not a necessity. PLENTY of carbs already going on here and we haven't gotten to dessert yet. I will say, they are great for day after Thanksgiving mini sandwiches and also can be frozen for future use.
Dinner Roll Recipe from What the Fork Food Blog OR Order online from MYBREAD Bakery: GF/DF/NF/ Soy and nut free Place online order by Thurs 11/19
Desserts (THE best part of Thanksgiving dinner IMO!) Whether you're a pumpkin, chocolate or apple person - there's something for everyone....
Pumpkin Pie from What the Fork Food Blog. For DF, sub sweetened condensed coconut milk. We have enjoyed this pumpkin pie several times, and TBH the filling is SO rich and delish that I have passed it off on many a non-GF family member! I'll be honest, the from scratch crust is fantastic, but I often use a pre made GF pie crust to save time. Go for it - it's just between us! Maine Pie Co now sells their GF pie shells at Whole Foods. In a pinch I have also used the GF Mi Del graham cracker crust. Shhh!
Chocolate Cream Pie from Eating Gluten and Dairy Free. This recipe is new to me, but 100% on my menu this year!
Apple Crisp from What the Fork Food Blog. For DF, sub Earth's Balance Buttery Sticks ( I use the soy free variety). Be sure to use GF Certified oats, or Purity Protocol Oats if you are Celiac (I like Bakery on Main). I have made this recipe many times and it's always a winner!
SUPER Easy Iced Pumpkin Cookies This is an old recipe (2006) from allrecipies.com that I have been making for YEARS. It has close to 5K five star ratings on their site. Be sure to sub your favorite GF 1:1 flour. To keep it DF, use dairy free milk and butter in the frosting. If you need a simple dessert, this will do the trick!
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