Holiday Trimmings – Allergen Free!

Your family has great traditions for the holidays, and you don’t have to miss out! Here are some popular family recipes the way we make them in our house – allergy free!

great gravy!
Take the drippings from your turkey as you normally would, and put them into a small saucepan. Allow them to cool somewhat. Add two egg yolks. Add finely chopped garlic, shiitake mushrooms, or scallions as desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a small sealable container, shake a small amount of water and a spoonful of non-GMO cornstarch or tapioca starch, to mix it well. Pour this into your saucepan. Stir frequently over low heat until the gravy thickens. This may seem to take a long time, and then suddenly happen all at once.

I find that one or two egg yolks are a great replacement for cream, if you typically make gravy with heavy cream (and if you are not allergic to eggs). Make sure to stir vigilantly, so that the egg yolks don’t cook before it’s well-mixed.

stuffing
Stuffing is not too tough to adapt, because Whole Foods and other health food stores sell a variety of gluten free bread chunks for stuffing. Check the ingredient list for your cross-allergens. If you can’t find one that meets your needs, use a Namaste brand bread or muffin mix to make bread, cut it into squares, and toast it well (or simply let it go stale). Namaste brand specializes in eliminating all cross-allergens.

mashed potatoes
Cook up your potatoes like you normally would, and strain out the water once they’re done. Instead of adding milk, add a generous amount of Purity Farms brand ghee – depending on how large a batch of potatoes you are making, you might want even four or five tablespoons of ghee. Use plenty of sea salt and pepper, and add garlic granules for extra zing if you like!
You can make mashed sweet potatoes the same way, as well as mashed squash.

cranberry sauce
Fill your pot full with as many fresh cranberries as you can. Chop an orange and squeeze it over the cranberries. Make sure you get every last drop. Then toss the peels right in! Put a bit of water in so that they don’t burn. Turn the heat on medium, then put a lid on the pot.

Pretty soon you’ll hear the cranberries start to pop. Stir from time to time. As the cranberries cook, they will mash down. Once they are all cooked, or mostly cooked and just a few left whole, turn the heat off: it’s time to add the honey! Add as much as you want until it tastes right. I think that’s “not too much”. Amber thinks it’s much more!

this article is part of our Surviving the Holidays with Food Allergies series