Preparing a Gluten Free Thanksgiving Meal - Pointers and Food Ideas

Are you wondering how to go about having a gluten free Thanksgiving meal?

Thanksgiving is about abundance, about giving, about being thankful and about taking the time to express how you feel to one another.

And though importance is placed on every aspect of Thanksgiving, the meal is often elaborate as well as being the most time consuming. For the millions of people who have an issue with gluten - a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, spelt, barley, malt and triticale, it can be most miserable.

Most people have no idea how often gluten is used in foods - in additive form for flavor or to stabilize or act as a thickening agent for the product. We do not realize this because, often, gluten is hidden by words such as dextrin. When you find yourself host to Thanksgiving dinner, just remember to check with your family and friends for food allergies.

The dinner does not have to be a total bust as far as dinner rolls, pie crust, the gravy, dressing, custard and other sauces or soups are concerned. This includes very basic things like ketchup and even ice cream.

Other starches can be used when considering a gluten free Thanksgiving diet. These include such sources as rice, potatoes, tapioca, buckwheat (not related to wheat) and corn for the more popular ones, and amaranth, quinoa, sorghum, chia seed and yams for less well known sources.

Soy choices and nut flours can be used for protein and dietary fiber, and there are also many bakeries as well as grocery stores now that carry gluten free products; these, too, can be used to cater for a gluten free Thanksgiving meal.

Because many of the canned soups on the market use gluten rich products in their products, try making the Green Bean Casserole this year with a sauce you have prepared from scratch using a gluten free source of flour as the thickener, such as amaranth.

Also, check the label of your crisp fried onions traditionally used as the topping. Most are not gluten free, but can again be made for a gluten free Thanksgiving meal by using bread crumbs that are specially made for those who suffer from celiac disease, gluten intolerance, ADHD and even autism.

Dressing is another source of concern for the host with family and friends who are gluten intolerant. One of the traditional ingredients for this Thanksgiving staple is bread. Good choices for a gluten free Thanksgiving dinner that taste out of this world are rice (makes a scrumptious dressing) and corn bread (already popular in many parts of the country) that has been prepared or purchased with a combination of a gluten-free flour blend and corn meal. Muffins, bread and dinner rolls can all be planned for ahead of time and purchased gluten free or prepared from a blend of gluten free flours as well.

Pumpkin and sweet potatoes are naturally gluten free and can be used to flavor breads, rolls or dumplings until any flavor of the gluten free choices have been gotten used to. The same holds true for the pumpkin pie; or try a crust made with ingredients other than ones in the traditional Thanksgiving dessert pie.

With these simple food choices, you can have a successful yet still delicious gluten free Thanksgiving meal. Enjoy!

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Preparing a Gluten Free Thanksgiving Meal - Pointers and Food Ideas