Christmas Meal Ideas

[Juliebove]

My parents usually come over here for Christmas day lunch. We all have food issues except for my husband. Daughter is the one who can't have gluten. She also can't have wheat, soy, peanuts, bananas, eggs or dairy. My mom and I are also allergic to dairy and eggs. I am allergic to almonds. Mom is allergic to chicken and I think a couple of things she doesn't normally eat like pineapple. I can't remember what those are since we don't normally eat them. She also has to avoid nightshades and potatoes because of arthritis. My dad and I have digestive issues and can't eat tough to digest meats like roast beef or steak. I don't do well with green salad. And my dad doesn't do well witih dried beans. I don't personally like pork or ham, but the rest of the family does. I suppose I could make that and then something else for myself. But my hope is one dish we can all eat. I have a very small table. It's hard enough to cram 5 of us around it. I don't really want any excess food there.

I made pizza one year but I always have to worry about cross contamination since the men's pizza is done on a wheat crust. And it's a pain because I am pretty much making a different pizza for everyone.

One year I did assorted cheeses, cold cuts and breads. But that's a pain because we don't all eat the same kinds of bread. I had to buy bread for my dad and wound up throwing the rest of the loaf away because nobody would/could eat it.

Last year I made a large bowl of tuna salad, gluten-free pasta salad and had assorted raw veggies. That was okay, but I wasn't too thrilled with the faux mayo I used.

I am trying to think of what to make this year. I had thought of meatloaf, but the kind I make has tomato juice so that's out of the question, as is minestrone soup.

I could do some kind of ground beef and rice dish, but that doesn't sound very exciting with no tomatoes in it. There has got to be some kind of recipe. I just can't think of it.

The other thing I thought of was turkey and noodles. I make this all the time with chicken but would have to sub in turkey. I use rice lasagna noodles, broken in large chunks, canned peas and carrots, a bit of chopped onion, chunks of cooked meat and make a gravy from broth (I have turkey) and thickened with sweet rice flour.

I could also do a tuna casserole. Daughter likes the way I make it but not sure my dad would because of the way I have to make the sauce for it. It doesn't taste like a white sauce or a condensed soup. I normally serve this with potato chips on top, but I could put them on the side.

Thanks!

[happygirl]

Shrimp or fish? (tilapia, salmon, etc.) Cooked with olive oil, spices, old bay, lemon? Shrimp could be served hot or cold.

[Green12]

Hmm, this is a tough one.

What about a soup? I was thinking a bean soup then I saw your dad has problems with dried beans, maybe a vegetable soup, corn chowder, butternut squash soup?

What about a pasta primavera entree, with rice pasta and the sauteed vegetables everyone can tolerate with a non-tomato sauce like olive oil and herbs?

[tarnalberry]

what about a stir fry made with salmon (no need for soy sauce), and veggies that don't include nightshades?

[Juliebove]

Shrimp or fish? (tilapia, salmon, etc.) Cooked with olive oil, spices, old bay, lemon? Shrimp could be served hot or cold.

Husband is the only one who eats shrimp. Daughter and I don't like fish. But thanks!

[Juliebove]

what about a stir fry made with salmon (no need for soy sauce), and veggies that don't include nightshades?

Stir fries without soy sauce aren't very good. And the men are the only ones who will eat salmon. The only fish we will all eat is tuna. The kind from the pouch. Not the yellow fin or blue fin or whatever it is. I guess we're boring.

[tarnalberry]

Stir fries without soy sauce aren't very good. And the men are the only ones who will eat salmon. The only fish we will all eat is tuna. The kind from the pouch. Not the yellow fin or blue fin or whatever it is. I guess we're boring.

all of my guests would disagree with you on the stir fries without soy sauce. red chili flakes, a bit of lemon juice, and agave, makes a good stir fry. some other meat might work, but I'm not sure what you'd want to use... I don't particularly like turkey in this sort of dish, but if you've ruled out chicken, beef, pork, and fish, I'm not sure what else you'd use. you could just go vegetable, of course.

[Darn210]

How about a taco/burrito/nacho supreme bar and people can pick and choose what they can have on theirs . . .

[moonlitemama]

Hmm. How about a shepherd's pie (ground beef w/ gravy, mixed veggies...normally topped with mashed potatoes, but I wonder if you could sub mashed parsnips?)

Or a different recipe for meatloaf (I just made one w/ beef, dry onions/onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, egg (could you sub flax?), and bread crumbs). I have a recipe for a plum ketchup - I haven't tried it, but could give it to you if you're interested.

Nachos? (I make mine w/ a homemade cashew-pimento cheese sauce)

Tacos? With corn tortillas?

Salsbury steaks (burgers w/ mushroom soup topping & baked in the oven)

Thats all I have for now...

oops, looks like I was beaten to the taco/nacho idea...

[Juliebove]

all of my guests would disagree with you on the stir fries without soy sauce. red chili flakes, a bit of lemon juice, and agave, makes a good stir fry. some other meat might work, but I'm not sure what you'd want to use... I don't particularly like turkey in this sort of dish, but if you've ruled out chicken, beef, pork, and fish, I'm not sure what else you'd use. you could just go vegetable, of course.

That doesn't sound at all good to me. I don't like spicy foods and I believe chili flakes would be a nightshade so I couldn't use that anyway. I can eat ground beef. Just no other form of beef. My mom can't eat chicken. I also have to be very careful with the veggies. I don't digest a lot of them so I doubt that a stir fry would work. I have to mainly eat low fiber foods as does my dad.

[Juliebove]

Hmm. How about a shepherd's pie (ground beef w/ gravy, mixed veggies...normally topped with mashed potatoes, but I wonder if you could sub mashed parsnips?)

Or a different recipe for meatloaf (I just made one w/ beef, dry onions/onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, egg (could you sub flax?), and bread crumbs). I have a recipe for a plum ketchup - I haven't tried it, but could give it to you if you're interested.

Nachos? (I make mine w/ a homemade cashew-pimento cheese sauce)

Tacos? With corn tortillas?

Salsbury steaks (burgers w/ mushroom soup topping & baked in the oven)

Thats all I have for now...

oops, looks like I was beaten to the taco/nacho idea...

I can't eat parsnips. I have diabetes and they spike my blood sugar very badly. Not sure why. Dad has diabetes too. Tacos are a good idea. We often go out for Mexican food because it is one thing we can all eat. We eat nachos here at home as a meal about once a week. I use rice cheese and beans for protein. I just can't see my parents eating that as a meal though. They'd want a meal on top of that. Ha!

When I make meatloaf, I use gluten-free oatmeal with it and I do use flax in it. Just not sure what to moisten it with. Rice milk doesn't work very well. The recipe I use has tomato juice. And I use either chili powder or ketchup in it. Not sure plum ketchup would work so well, and not sure I would like it. I don't really like fruit.

I'll have to look for a recipe for Salisbury steaks. I've never actually made them before. My brother used to make them all the time when we had company. I used to buy them prior to learning of all the food allergies and everyone did like them. Those would be good to serve with rice.

Thanks!

[Juliebove]

How about a taco/burrito/nacho supreme bar and people can pick and choose what they can have on theirs . . .

That's a good idea. We do tend to eat a lot of Mexican food since it is one thing we can all eat in some form or another.

[moonlitemama]

For Salsbury steaks, I just make hamburger patties (burger, salt & pepper, onion & garlic powder, maybe a dash of red wine), place them in a baking dish & cook till almost done, then smother in mushroom soup and bake long enough to finish burgers & warm the soup. I have a from-scratch mushroom soup recipe that has proven quite good, if you need one.

Well, if you can't do parsnips, what about just the beef/gravy/veggies over rice?

For meatloaf, what about a pureed or shredded veggie to help moisten it? Carrots, maybe? or do those spike blood sugar too? I'm not sure what else would blend, flavor-wise...

Tricky, tricky...

[Juliebove]

For Salsbury steaks, I just make hamburger patties (burger, salt & pepper, onion & garlic powder, maybe a dash of red wine), place them in a baking dish & cook till almost done, then smother in mushroom soup and bake long enough to finish burgers & warm the soup. I have a from-scratch mushroom soup recipe that has proven quite good, if you need one.

Well, if you can't do parsnips, what about just the beef/gravy/veggies over rice?

For meatloaf, what about a pureed or shredded veggie to help moisten it? Carrots, maybe? or do those spike blood sugar too? I'm not sure what else would blend, flavor-wise...

Tricky, tricky...

I do always add veggies to my meatloaf. Usually carrots, celery, onions, spinach or whatever other greens I have in the house. The lack of eggs makes it rather hard to stick together and it seems I had to use quite a lot of tomato juice to it because the oatmeal (not that I used a lot of that) really soaked it up.

I've been searching for recipes for over an hour now and it seems most everything I see has tomatoes in it in some form. I did find this:

Open Original Shared Link

It does contain Worcestershire sauce though and I know that's not gluten free. The substitute I found for it contains soy so that is out. So maybe that without the sauce? Yes, rice isn't so good for a diabetic, but I can always add more meat to it. And I would have to leave out the pepper. Not sure about the Montreal Seasoning either. *sigh*

I also found this:

Open Original Shared Link

I would have to use rice pasta and leave out the soy sauce. Not sure about the vegetables either. Not sure what is in a stir fry mix, but I presume I could just substitute something we would/could all eat. I would also have to make the gravy.

The other thing I've thought of would be to make hamburger gravy like I always do (minus the Swiss chard). My parents won't eat Swiss card and I always add it for the calcium. Basically it's browned hamburger and chopped onions maybe some celery, then coated with some sweet rice flour to thicken. I then add enough beef broth to make a gravy. I could serve this with rice or pasta instead of potatoes. Do you think that sounds edible?

As for your mushroom soup... Does it contain milk? I've tried making sort of a condensed one. I have something that works okay for casseroles but I am less than thrilled with it. Daughter likes it though. It just doesn't have a lot of flavor to me. I've tried using rice milk or Vance's Dari free, but that just makes it overly sweet.

Thanks!

[lonewolf]

I make these on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day because both sides of the family really like them. They do sound weird, but they're actually really good.

Cranberry Meatballs

2 lbs ground turkey

1 C gluten-free rice crispy-type cereal

1/3 C dried parsley

2 Eggs (can leave out or use flax seed for binder)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 C ketchup (no big deal to leave this out)

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs minced onion

Form into 1-1/2" balls and put in greased 9 x 13 pan.

Sauce:

1 16 oz can cranberry sauce (Jellied or whole berry)

1 12 oz jar mild salsa (There are salsas w/out nightshades - mango salsa would be great!)

Heat cranberry sauce and salsa over medium heat. Pour over meatballs. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve with rice.

[moonlitemama]

The beef & rice recipe sounds good. And, I'm pretty sure there are gluten-free Worcestershire sauces (I'm thinking Lee & Perrins?, but I'm not sure since I don't use it - must have other ingredients I can't have).

Here's the mushroom soup recipe I've been using (can't remember where I got it, though, sorry) -

Cream of Mushroom Soup

8 oz mushroom

4 Tbsp oil

1 medium onion chopped

1/4 cup flour (used arrowroot, but it was a little gelatinous - probably another flour would work better)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup water

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half & half or substitute (I used another 1/2 c. chicken broth and 1/2 c. coconut milk)

Slice enough mushrooms to measure 1 cup. Chop remaining mushrooms.

Cook and stir sliced mushrooms in 2 Tbsp of the oil in 3 qt

saucepan over low heat until golden brown. Remove mushrooms with

slotted spoon. Cook & stir chopped mushrooms and onion in remaining

oil until onion is tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook

over low heat stirring constantly ~1 minute. Remove from heat, stir

in water and broth. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. Boil and

stir 1 minute. Stir in half and half and sliced mushrooms. Heat just

until hot. Do not boil.

(I just chop all the mushrooms fine and cook them all together rather than splitting them.)

[miles2go]

I've got multiple food allergies, too, and love to cook, so I can see your dilemma.

If you want to keep it simple, think grain/starch, protein, veggie.

So, looking at your list, you could easily do a nice grilled tuna steak, rice and peas or spinach?

Turkey, squash (there's so many choices) and asparagus.

Quinoa, nuts (not peanuts or almonds) and non-dairy cheese.

The Mexican suggestion sounds great.

Duck, goose, ostrich, amaranth, wild rice, for that matter rice in any form be it basmati, kohiko rose, red, black, Lundberg's blend, maybe kasha, with beets, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, fennel, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts and broccoli. <= I'm allergic to that last one, but it's all about thinking outside the box.

I have the most luck with cooking foods from different parts of the globe that best fit my diet profile.

A great reference book is David Joachim's "The Food Substitution Bible". You can look at all of your recipes with a greater amount of compassion with it in hand.

[Juliebove]

The beef & rice recipe sounds good. And, I'm pretty sure there are gluten-free Worcestershire sauces (I'm thinking Lee & Perrins?, but I'm not sure since I don't use it - must have other ingredients I can't have).

Here's the mushroom soup recipe I've been using (can't remember where I got it, though, sorry) -

Cream of Mushroom Soup

8 oz mushroom

4 Tbsp oil

1 medium onion chopped

1/4 cup flour (used arrowroot, but it was a little gelatinous - probably another flour would work better)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup water

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half & half or substitute (I used another 1/2 c. chicken broth and 1/2 c. coconut milk)

Slice enough mushrooms to measure 1 cup. Chop remaining mushrooms.

Cook and stir sliced mushrooms in 2 Tbsp of the oil in 3 qt

saucepan over low heat until golden brown. Remove mushrooms with

slotted spoon. Cook & stir chopped mushrooms and onion in remaining

oil until onion is tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook

over low heat stirring constantly ~1 minute. Remove from heat, stir

in water and broth. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. Boil and

stir 1 minute. Stir in half and half and sliced mushrooms. Heat just

until hot. Do not boil.

(I just chop all the mushrooms fine and cook them all together rather than splitting them.)

Thanks, but with the chicken allergy, that won't work. Do you think another kind of broth would work?

[Juliebove]

I've got multiple food allergies, too, and love to cook, so I can see your dilemma.

If you want to keep it simple, think grain/starch, protein, veggie.

So, looking at your list, you could easily do a nice grilled tuna steak, rice and peas or spinach?

Turkey, squash (there's so many choices) and asparagus.

Quinoa, nuts (not peanuts or almonds) and non-dairy cheese.

The Mexican suggestion sounds great.

Duck, goose, ostrich, amaranth, wild rice, for that matter rice in any form be it basmati, kohiko rose, red, black, Lundberg's blend, maybe kasha, with beets, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, fennel, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts and broccoli. <= I'm allergic to that last one, but it's all about thinking outside the box.

I have the most luck with cooking foods from different parts of the globe that best fit my diet profile.

A great reference book is David Joachim's "The Food Substitution Bible". You can look at all of your recipes with a greater amount of compassion with it in hand.

Thanks! My family isn't into anyting exotic. I doubt anyone would eat a tuna steak. I can't cook a whole turkey. Would have to do canned. Not sure how well quinoa would go over with some. Nobody would eat duck but my husband and I know duck, and ostrich wouldn't go over well. Pretty much all of those vegetables are things they wouldn't eat. We do raw veggies. Most of the cooked ones just don't go over well. And daughter won't eat nuts in anything.

I will look for that book though. Ahhh... Found it and ordered it. And a couple of others I didn't have.