November is the month that brings us wonderful fall foliage colors, great holiday traditions, and a bounty of wonderful gluten-free foods. Just like the wonderful colors of the leaves the fall bounty also provides us a wonderful array of seasonal foods. Everything from the dark oranges of pumpkin and acorn squash, the royal purple of beets, the deep greens of swiss chard and spinach, to the rich red of cranberries. Other seasonal offerings include red peppers, turnips, corn, pomegranate, sweet potato, yams, pears, turnips, broccoli, and nuts. These seasonal foods not only form the cornerstone of many traditional holiday menus but they also offer a cornucopia of nutrients and taste. Pomegranates and cranberries give us a perfect pucker as well as vitamins A and C as well as potassium. Pumpkin and acorn squash are rich in vitamin A and fiber. The deep greens provide a rich source of Vitamin A, B vitamins, iron as well as fiber and great taste.
These fall favorites and many holiday meals can be a wonderful opportunity to introduce some new foods or new recipes using some of our favorite ingredients. Everyone loves pumpkin pie and cheesecake but how about pumpkin cheesecake for dessert? With the pumpkin in the recipe the traditional cheesecake becomes a good source of vitamin A, potassium, and iron. Thanksgiving dinner often centers around a roast turkey. However a turkey may just be more food than we need.
If you would like a smaller traditional meal try roasted Cornish game hens. They can be serves with all the traditional accompaniments. The Cornish hens can be prepared with a real fall flavor; try roasted Cornish hens with an orange glaze and wild rice and cranberry dressing. Or gluten-free bread dressing with currents and chestnuts. The wonderful thing about doing a gluten-free holiday meal is you have the perfect balance between traditional favorites, wonderful seasonal offerings and a bounty of taste – all prepared gluten-free.
For those who just the traditional Thanksgiving feast one must remember not all turkeys are created equal. Any self basting turkey or one that has broth added potentially could also have gluten in it. Your best buy is a fresh or completely plain frozen turkey.
Here are some Thanksgiving Hints
Turkey
1. Make sure the turkey is fresh, or frozen plain.
2. If the turkey is a frozen one check the defrosting directions, and plan ahead to allow enough time for the turkey to defrost in the refrigerator.
3. The stuffing or dressing should be cooked separate outside of the turkey to minimize any risk of contamination.
IF you do want to stuff your turkey, place the stuffing in the cavity loosely and do it just before roasting the turkey. Most important cook until you reach an internal temperature of 165 – even for the stuffing.
4. For the most succulent moist turkey you have ever tasted, you need to get your hands messy! Here are some great secrets:
a. Mix together one stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine with thyme, sage, basil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
b. After washing the turkey gently lift the skin away from the meat.
c. Insert the seasoned butter between the skin and the meat. As the turkey roasts the seasoned butter will baste the meat. Be sure to baste as usual while the turkey is roasting.
5. Great gluten-free stuffing is on the menu too!. The trick is in preparing the bread. Mix together your favorite olive oil or melted butter or margarine with a dash of seasoned salt, thyme, sage and paprika. Place the slices of bread on a cookie sheet. Brush one side of the bread with the seasoned oil mixture. Place the cookie sheet with the bread under the broiler for about a minute or until the bread gets toasted. Remove the tray turn the bread over and brush with the seasoned oil mixture and broil. When done let the bread cool, then cut into cubes and follow your favorite stuffing recipe! Viola – fabulous dressing no one will know is gluten-free!