Give Thanks with a Gluten Free Feast!

Thanksgiving dinner is a challenge for even the most seasoned chefs, and being gluten-free does not make things easier. This year, in addition to sharing our thousands of gluten-free (and dairy-free!) recipes, we also have several menu plans that we have tried over the years to great success. As you know, we at Glutenfreeda pride ourselves on producing both recipes and food products that stand up against non-gluten-free foods and taste-testers. This means that you can serve your gluten-free Thanksgiving with confidence to the gluten-intolerant/celiac and not-so-much alike - to smashing success!

Here is one of our favorite menu plans, featured in the November 2008 edition of the magazine, including a timeline (beginning the week before!) to help make this meal as stress-free as possible!

What we're serving... (10-12 people)

Appetizers

• Spiced Walnuts
  
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
  
• Cumin-Chive Stuffed Deviled Eggs
  

Starter

• Roasted Yellow Pepper & Roasted Tomato Soup
  

Main Course

• El Paso Turkey
  
• Sweet Potatoes with Orange Chipotle Glaze
  
• Honey Roasted Onions
  
• Green Beans with Bacon & Tomatoes
  

Dessert

• Pumpkin Pecan Pie OR Gluten-free & Dairy-free Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brownie Crust
  
• Chocolate Mousse Cake with Cinnamon Cream
  

1 week before Thanksgiving

• Read through all recipes in menu
  
• Make grocery list
  
• Go shopping
  

5 days before Thanksgiving

• Make Spiced Walnuts (store in an airtight container)
  
• Make sausage for Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (if making homemade sausage)
  

3 days before Thanksgiving

• Make Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup
  
• Make Roasted Tomato Soup
  
• Make Jalapeno Crème Fraiche for soup
  
• Thaw turkey in refrigerator
  

1 Day before Thanksgiving

• Make Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
  
• Make Cumin-Chive Stuffed Devilled Eggs
  
• Clean turkey and Inject with solution in recipe
  
• Prepare the stuffing for turkey up to the point of adding shrimp
  
• Make Pumpkin Pecan Pie
  
• Make Chocolate Mousse Cake (prepare the Cinnamon Cream Day of)
  
• Clean green beans
  
• Set Table
  

Day of Thanksgiving (assume dinner is served at 3:15-3:30pm)

• 8am remove the turkey from the refrigerator – let come to close to room temperature
  
• 9am hydrate the chipotle pepper for the Sweet Potatoes. Make chipotle glaze. Peel and cut
• potatoes, cook and rinse under cold water, toss with prepared chipotle glaze. Place on
• baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  
• 9:30am Finish stuffing.
  
• 10am Stuff turkey and begin roasting (assuming your bird will take about 4 hours, size will dictate)
  
• 10am prepare the onions up to the point of glazing. Place on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  
• 10:30 prepare the Cinnamon Cream for the Chocolate Mousse Cake, cover and refrigerate
  
• 11-1pm RELAX
  
• 1pm Start warming soups over medium low heat, remove jalapeno crème fraiche so it’s not “cold”
  
• 1pm Bake Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
  
• 1:45 Serve Appetizers
  
• 2pm Plate and serve soup
  
• 2:30 Remove turkey from oven (check internal temperature and make sure it’s done – meaty part of thigh should be 180°
  
• 2:30 Put onions in oven
  
• 2:35 Start Green Beans
  
• 2:45 Put the Sweet Potatoes in oven.
  
• 3:00 Carve turkey
  
• 3:15 Serve Main Course
  
• 5-6pm Serve Dessert
  

Notes This menu is based on having 2 ovens. If you don’t have two ovens then omit the Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. You also may need to double or quadruple some of the recipes, like the onions (double and only serve quarters), soup, green beans and sweet potatoes (these should all scale without problems)