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 the turkey may be self basting which be gluten containing or it may just be more food than we need. In place of turkey a fabulous dish that will become a family favorite is the Pomegranate chicken. It is a naturally gluten-free dish that offers a rich sweet/sour taste with meat that is just succulent. It is low in fat, high in taste and easy to prepare. The best news is that the leftovers taste even better the next day!
Or if you would like a more traditional meal try roasted Cornish game hens. They can be served 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. The safest gluten free turkey options would be a fresh turkey or a absolutely plain frozen turkey.
Enjoy!