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Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, togetherness, feasting and gluten. Yes, unfortunately, gluten is abundant on most holiday tables, in stuffings, gravies, pies, rolls and more. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In the next few articles, I’ll offer some good alternatives to your gluten-filled Turkey Day favorites.
In my family, we don’t force the non-Celiacs (which is everyone BUT me) to eat gluten-free stuffing; my mom graciously makes a small batch of her stuffing for me, just substituting a few slices a GF bread for the regular bread. To me, it’s heavenly, and doesn’t taste very different at all. See below for a recipe similar to my mom’s. All recipes use the GF bread of your choice. If you want to buy pre-cubed bread, Whole Foods’ Gluten Free Bakehouse makes Stuffing Cubes.
Some families prefer corn bread stuffing, and these can be made entirely gluten free, for the whole family to enjoy. Gluten Free Mommy has a wonderful corn bread recipe on her blog.
Do you call it stuffing, dressing or filling? Some people say if it’s IN the turkey, it’s stuffing; if it’s OUTSIDE the turkey, it’s dressing. Many folks use the terms interchangeably. The term filling is more popular in our area, all the way out to Pennsylvania Dutch country. Try talking about “filling” anywhere else in the country and they’ll look at you like you’re crazy!
Next time, we’ll look at some gluten free Thanksgiving side dishes.
(Sort of) Mom’s Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing
Serves 8 to 10
Add finely diced sausage or bacon bits to the sautéed vegetables, if you like, or toss in diced chestnuts, apples or raisins.
Ingredients
6 – 8 cups gluten-free bread cubes, toasted
2 onions, diced
3 celery ribs, diced (leaves, too)
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
3 teaspoons dried sage (or 3 TBS fresh)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 TBS fresh)
2 teaspoons salt (Kosher or Sea), to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
1 – 2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
To toast bread cubes: Place cubes on baking sheet(s) in 1 layer in a preheated 300°F oven. Toast for 12 – 15 minutes or until dried, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully! (They’re easy to burn.)
Sauté onions and celery in oil and butter until they are soft. Add sage, thyme, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes.
Place cooled bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour onion mixture and chicken broth over cubes. Toss lightly to mix. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 325°F.
This recipe is very adaptable: Feel free to add apples, chestnuts, raisins, walnuts, gluten-free sausage or just about anything you like.
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Author Information: Trish Deitemeyer
www.kindarealglutenfreefood.blogspot.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-14494-Philadelphia-GlutenFree-Food-Examiner
Twitter:kindareal
