Holiday Recipes For All: Cooking for Dietary Restrictions
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As the holiday season quickly approaches, many who have dietary restrictions begin dreading the single meal of salad or bread that they may be able to eat. This holiday season, let’s extend an olive branch to our friends and family with dietary restrictions and make them something special. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite holiday foods, and who can eat them.
If you have any allergies at the holidays, make sure to inform your host of the severity so they can avoid any cross contamination. This article also explains some techniques to keep your guests safe!
For vegetarians and vegans…
I have a special vested interest in vegetarian recipes, as I am one of the vegetarians who has mastered the fine art of building a meal off of the sides. One of my favorite options for a meatless main dish is roasted squash, which feels hearty and filling and is able to be dressed up or down with different sauces and pairings. While butternut squash is a well-loved and always popular classic, try branching out with a honeynut squash or an acorn squash.
To make these recipes vegan, simply leave off any butter and roast with olive oil. As a bonus, if you save the seeds from your squash, they can be roasted with salt and spices to make an amazing snack for your post-food coma meal. You can also use roasted squash in a hearty salad that will please any guest at your table!
A vegetarian classic, mashed potatoes, can be easily made vegan by replacing butter and milk with olive oil emulsified into the mixture. This recipe for kale and rosemary mashed potatoes explains the method for making absolutely delicious vegan mashed potatoes!
This vegetarian recipe for creamy roasted mushrooms in garlic sauce is sure to be a fan favorite for vegetarians and carnivores alike. A play on mushroom soup that is a popular sight on Thanksgiving tables, these roasted shrooms are more mature and modern.
For those who are gluten-free…
Gluten is often lurking in many unsuspecting places: that’s right, curly fries, potato soup, and even some shampoos often contain gluten. Gluten-free cooking is the easy part; if the host is aware, most cooking can use gluten-free all purpose flour as a 1:1 ratio. It is usually a rice flour sometimes containing xanthan gum, which is perfect to substitute because there is no need for the gluten to form in recipes using flour for a bechamel or to fry.
Baking can be a little more tricky to make gluten-free, because a lot of recipes rely on the structure and texture that gluten bonds provide, like in bread dough. Sourdough has been touted as a gluten-free bread, which is not exactly true, but the gluten is more broken down by the acidic starter, making it easier to digest. For a true gluten-free bread, try this four ingredient sourdough. For desserts, check out this list of 17 different gluten-free holiday cookies.
For those who are dairy-free…
Avoiding dairy is all about the substitutions. The key is to pick the right milk or dairy substitute products that work with your dish’s flavors. For dishes that use spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary; sweets like caramel, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla; fruits like apple, plum, or dates, try using almond milk. The earthy, nutty flavor pairs well with the winter and fall flavors. If your guest has a nut allergy, oat milk also pairs well with these flavors. As a bonus, my favorite oat milk is this extra creamy one, which froths and steams even better than cow’s milk! Coconut milk is another great option. It pairs best with banana, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, any citrus, peach, pineapple, raspberry, strawberry fruits; cayenne, coriander, rosemary, saffron spices; and honey or marscapone sweets. Coconut also easily separates into cream, which can be used in place of heavy cream to make soups and sauces richer.
The holidays are a time to see loved ones and share in good food and company, so whether you’re hosting or attending a holiday party this season, please keep dietary restrictions in mind.
