The month of December is upon us with all the excitement and fun of the holidays. Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa; the celebration of culture and community, Chanukah ; the celebration of lights, or Christmas, holiday time means a time of family gatherings, special meals and celebrations. It can also be a time of diet concerns. Many of the old favorites can be made gluten-free and also be healthy. We have put together several recipes that will satisfy even the most discriminating palate.
Beyond the meals you may be preparing though there are also a lot of social events and many are centered around food. There are several strategies to maneuver through these holiday parties and still keep your holiday cheer. If it is a work related party volunteer to be in charge of coordinating or ordering the food. In doing that you can select the caterer or restaurant and make sure there are enough gluten-free options. Items like a cheese and fruit platter or a deli meat platter are easy and safe. Just make sure the bread, crackers or rolls are kept separate. A main dish that would be a great crowd pleaser would be roast turkey breast, or even chicken cacciatore.
If the event is at someone’s home – this could be a little trickier but easily handled with the grace of the season. If it is a sit down dinner when you are accepting the invitation inquire if the meal will be catered or prepared by the host. If it is being catered you can contact the caterer for the details on the meal and preparation techniques. If the meal is being prepared by the host offer to bring a dish. Most hosts are glad to have some help in the meal preparation. A few other important tips would be to have a snack before you go. Carry one of your favorite snacks in the car for the ride home. In this way you won’t be too hungry and you can pick your way through dinner without feeling deprived, because you know you have a treat waiting for you.
If the event is a large event at a hotel, club or in a hall where there will be lots of people and food that is passed rather than a sit down meal, it is often best to eat your dinner before the event. There are often passed items that would be naturally gluten-free so nibble away and just pass on any of the items you are unsure about. What can often be fun is to arrange for a dessert out on the way home. Pick your favorite place that has a great flan, crème brulee or that has gluten-free options and plan a post party gathering.
The important thing about any of the holiday gatherings is to remember that the holiday is the reason for the gathering of family and friends the food is really only a nice side dish! 

Apricot sauce
1 cup dried apricots chopped, 1 Tbsp orange marmalade, ½ tsp allspice, 2 cups water, 1Tbsp Chambord 

Chop the apricots into small pieces. Add the apricots, water and orange marmalade into a 2 qt saucepan. Cook over low flame until the apricots are soft and the liquid thickened, stirring frequently. Add the Chambord, stir. Remove from heat and serve. Sauce can also be stored and used on many dishes.

Almond crusted Talapia
4 pieces tilapia (about 1 ½ pounds), ½ beaten egg, milk or water, 1 cup almond flour, 1 tsp thyme, salt, pepper, slivered Almonds, ¼ cup oil 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour the oil in a baking dish. Set aside. Mix almond flour with the thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dip the fish in the water or egg. Dip the fish in the flour mixture. Turn to coat evenly. Repeat until all the fish is coated. Place the coated fish in the oiled baking dish. Scatter the slivered almonds on top of the fish. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes until the fish can be flaked with a fork. Serve with the apricot sauce.

Cornmeal-Cottage Cheese Kugel

Serves: 8
Ingredients for the batter: 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter or oil, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt, 1 cup gluten-free baking mix, 1 cup cornmeal, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the Filling: 1 pound dry cottage cheese or well drained ricotta, 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt, 1 pinch salt
Ingredients for the topping: Sour cream or yogurt Warm cherry pie filling (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a rectangular baking dish (7"x11", if using Pyrex, reduce oven heat to 325°F). You may also use a 9" or 10" spring-form pan. For batter, stir together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk, flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt to make a smooth batter. Set aside. For cheese filling, cream the cottage cheese with the sugar. Add vanilla, eggs, sour cream and salt. Spoon half of cornmeal batter into dish. Top with half of cheese filling, then finish with more cornmeal batter and cheese batter. You may marbleize by gently swirling a butter knife through mixture. Bake until casserole appears set (40 to 50 minutes). Serve warm or cold, with sour cream or yogurt spooned on top.
Adapted from: Baker Boulanger

Roasted turkey with potato latke stuffing

Serves: 10
Ingredients for the turkey: 1 turkey 12 to 14 lbs., 1 gallon water, 1-1/2 cups sugar, ,1-1/2 cups kosher salt, 3 ounces dark soy sauce, 4 tbsp. black peppercorns, 4 ounces peeled fresh ginger, sliced 1/4" thick, 6 pieces star anise, 6 bay leaves, 4 tbsp. vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Potato Latkes: 4 large unpeeled washed potatoes (about 1 lb.), 2 small onions, 2 eggs, extra large, 1 pinch kosher salt, 4 tbsp. gluten-free baking mix, corn oil for frying

Preheat oven to 550°F. In a large pot or plastic container (large enough to submerge whole turkey) combine water, sugar, salt, soy sauce, peppercorns, ginger, star anise, and bay leaves. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove giblets from turkey's cavity. Submerge turkey in brine and allow turkey to brine overnight in refrigerator (up to 24 hours). Make Potato Latkes: Shred potatoes and onions in a food processor; place into a large mixing bowl and mix by hand. Put shredded potato-onion mixture into bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Add eggs and salt, then pulse just to blend. Return mixture to mixing bowl. Sprinkle gluten-free baking mix over top, then stir to mix. (Most gluten free baking mixes have baking powder added and gives latkes a little lift.) The mixture should have consistency of loosely cooked oatmeal. Pour corn oil into a large skillet to depth of about 1/2", then heat over medium-high heat. Pour in enough mix to make a 3" diameter pancake. Cook pancakes until deep golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Latkes may be prepared one day ahead. Remove turkey from brine; rinse inside and out under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey in roasting pan; stuff cavity loosely with potato latkes (once cool, cut latkes into crouton-size pieces to stuff turkey). Secure legs of turkey by tying together with kitchen string. Rub outside of turkey with vegetable oil. Place roasting pan with turkey in preheated oven and roast 30 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 375°F and continue roasting about 2 hours, basting every 20 minutes. When an instant-read thermometer inserted into body cavity/stuffing registers 165°F (fleshy part of thigh will be about 180°F; do not touch the bone), remove turkey from oven. Allow turkey to rest 30 minutes. Carve turkey and spoon latke stuffing around platter.
Adapted from: Recipe from Peter Kelly, chef-owner of Xavier's restaurants, Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar, and Steve Gold of Murray's Chicken in South Fallsburg, N.Y. This appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, 11-27-02


Moroccan rubbed grilled steak and sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground ginger,
1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 pound strip steak, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 4 portions , 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), peeled and very thinly sliced, 1 medium red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
4 teaspoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
Preheat grill to high. Combine allspice, cumin, ginger, salt, cinnamon, coriander and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle steaks with 4 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture. Toss sweet potatoes and onion with canola oil, orange zest and the remaining spice mixture.
To make a packet, lay 2 24-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the ingredients from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Spread half of the sweet potato mixture in the center of the foil in a thin layer. Bring the short ends of foil together, fold over and pinch to seal. Pinch the seams together along the sides to seal the packet. Repeat with two more sheets of foil and the remaining sweet potato mixture. Place the packets on the hottest part of the grill and cook, switching the packets' positions on the grill halfway through cooking, 5 minutes per side. Place the steaks in the front or back and cook, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to plates and let rest while the packets finish cooking. Open the packets (be careful of steam) and serve alongside the steaks.
Adapted from holiday.net/Kawanzaa

Pickled Beets
2 bunches of red beets, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, ½ cup liquid from canned mandarin oranges, 1 small can mandarin oranges, ½ cup pecans

Cut off beet tops ( these can be used in a tossed salad or steamed like spinach for a healthy side) Rise beets: Place in a pot and cover with water. Cook on stove top on medium high until the beets are fork tender. Drain the mandarin oranges, saving ½ cup of the liquid. Set the oranges and liquid aside. Let the beets cool. Then with a sharp knife peel the skin off the beets. Cut the beets into wedges. Place in a large bowl.
Add the vinegar and the liquid from the mandarin oranges. Toss lightly. Refrigerate the beets. When you are ready to serve the beets, add the mandarin oranges and the pecans. Toss lightly.


Pomegranate poached pears
4 ripe, firm Bosc pears, 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice, 1 cup sweet dessert wine, such as Muscatel or Riesling, 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (1/2 large fruit), 4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt, 4 fresh or dried bay leaves for garnish
Peel pears, leaving them whole and stems intact. Slice off the bases so the pears will stand upright. Use an apple corer to remove cores, if desired, working from the base up.
Place the pears on their sides in a large 3- or 4-quart saucepan or small Dutch oven. Pour pomegranate juice and wine over the pears. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 30 to 45 minutes. Turn very gently once or twice as they cook so they color evenly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a shallow bowl and set aside.
Boil the poaching liquid over high heat until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toast almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. To serve, spoon 1 tablespoon sauce onto each of 4 dessert plates. Place a pear upright on each plate. Drizzle remaining sauce over each pear. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds around the pears and top with the almonds. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt) and a bay leaf.
Adapted from holidays.net/kawanzaa

Pumpkin spiced cookies
1 1/3 cup gluten-free all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin, 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup dark molasses, 1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 3 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, oil and molasses in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and raisins into the dry ingredients until no traces of dry ingredients remain. Drop the batter by level tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies until firm to the touch and lightly golden on top, 10 to 12 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
For a special treat chocolate chips can be added to the cookie dough.

Christmas cookies
½ cup sugar, ½ cup butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 ½ cup gluten free baking mix, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter together. add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add in dry ingredients. Chill dough three to four hours before rolling. When ready to bake preheat oven to 375. Roll and cut out cookies. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Decorate as desired. Bake 7 – 12 minutes.
Tip: The biscuits are easier to remove if you use baking paper.
A variation: glaze the cookies warm from the oven with a mixture of icing sugar and lemon juice (1/2 cup icing sugar, 2-3 tspn. lemon juice).