The Allergy Friendly Thanksgiving

I usually host Thanksgiving every other year. This year, it came out really well so I thought I'd share with you how and what I did so that it would make future thanksgiving meals easier not only for myself, but for anyone else attempting an allergy-friendly Turkey Day. I cooked for seven people this year and the amounts below were perfect for us because everyone had leftovers to take home. Most of the dishes are allergy-free for us meaning they are gluten-free, top8-free (dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free, egg-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free), and garlic-free. To accommodate everyone, I also made dishes that were not allergy-free.

8F = Top 8 Allergen Free (wheat, dairy, soy, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish) GF = Gluten Free, GrF = Garlic Free DF = Dairy Free, SF = Soy Free
EF = Egg Free, NF = Nut Free

What's on the Menu? ** stay posted as I update each recipe!**

Appetizers: Shrimp Ring with Cocktail Sauce (DF, SF, EF, NF) Tortilla Chips & Guacamole (8F, GF, GrF)
Dinner: Apple and Spice Brined & Roasted Turkey (8F, GF, GrF) Apple Cranberry Stuffing (DF, GrF, SF, EF, NF) Apple Cranberry Stuffing (8F, GF, GrF) Mashed Potatoes (SF, EF, NF, GrF) Butternut Squash (8F, GF, GrF) Roasted Broccoli (8F, GF, GrF) Corn Bread (8F, GF, GrF) Corn Bread Cranberry Sauce (8F, GF, GrF)
Dessert: Chocolate Raisin Cookies (8F, GF, GrF) Chocolate Ice "Cream" (8F, GF, GrF) Key Lime Pie (brought by guests) Apple Pie (brought by guests)

A Few Days Before T-Day:

• Make the Chocolate Ice "Cream"
• Make the Chocolate Raisin Cookies, follow the direction on the back of the box of King Arthur Gluten Free Cookie Mix, add chocolate and raisins.
• Ask guests to bring desserts of their choice.
• Print all recipes, make grocery list, and shop (I took my husband with me shopping, made two lists - one for him written by aisle to make it easier, and one for me with specific items I wanted to buy myself, and we separated and did the shopping in half the time and I had help carrying all the groceries into the house)

The Day Before:

• Make Mashed Potatoes, allow to cool and store in resealable bag.
• Chop onion and celery for stuffing, store in resealable plastic bag.
• Cube bread for stuffing and toast in oven 350 degrees for about 8 minutes, store in original bread bag using twisty tie.
• Make Apple Spice Brine, line 5 gallon bucket with two clean trash bags, add turkey and brine and refrigerate for 1 hour per pound of turkey.
• Make Corn Bread (I used a standard box mix for the regular corn bread and used an allergy-free recipe from The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook for the allergy-free version).
• Make roasted allergy-free potatoes with dinner, save extra for the following day.

The Day Of:

• Remove turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly, and stuff with sliced oranges.
• Cook the Turkey
• Add mashed potatoes to the slow cooker and heat on low.
• Prepare guacamole, refrigerate until guests arrive.
• Peel and cube the butternut squash and place in steamer.
• Rinse and cut broccoli, add to resealable bag with oil, salt, pepper.
• Prepare stuffing
• Remove turkey and allow to sit.
• Cook broccoli and stuffing in oven.
• Cook butternut squash.
• Heat gravy.
• Slice and Serve!

Of course, I was too busy to take ANY pictures on the day of Thanksgiving. :( But I did just have some yummy leftovers and snapped a quick pic of that! That's better than nothing, right?

Yummy Thanksgiving Leftovers
Allergy Friendly