Have Yourself Happy & Gluten-free Holiday

Food is an integral part of American culture and a major way how we socialize with friends and loved ones; so having a dietary restriction can add an extra layer of stress to social gatherings. Now that the holiday season is in full swing with parties and gatherings seemingly every night through the New Year, maintaining a gluten-free diet can become especially challenging. Holiday potlucks with family or at the office can especially become a minefield when you have less control of the menu or don’t know what is being served.

Whether you’re avoiding gluten because of celiac disease or for other reasons, here are a few tried and true tips or easy swaps to making your holiday celebrations easier and allow you to enjoy the day with family and friends:

• Offering to bring a few appetizers to a party can be a way to always make sure you have something to fill up on even if the main course isn’t gluten-free. Check out the recipe below for bacon-wrapped, blue-cheese stuffed grapes and an easy option for a festive baked brie topped with pecans. My sister makes the bacon appetizer which is always a hit.

• Bring tortilla chips or gluten-free crackers to eat with dips or cheese that other people bring to share. See our recipe below for a 7-layer Mexican Dip that is great with tortilla chips and a family friend’s recipe for delicious homemade GF crackers.

• Make a hearty side dish to bring to dinner parties in case the main course isn’t celiac-friendly, but make enough for everyone to share. The loaded-cauliflower bake linked below was a huge hit at a friend’s holiday party I attended and will easily replace anyone’s favorite mac n cheese recipe.

• If a friend or family member asks you “What can I make?” it is helpful to have a few easy suggestions or guidelines. Offer recipes for your favorite gluten-free spice rubs or marinades, suggest grilling meat main dishes, or ask that turkeys be made with the stuffing on the side to prevent cross-contamination. Penzey’s spice mixes are frequently gluten-free.

Just because you’re following a gluten-free diet, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some holiday sweets and traditions. Many easily found store-brand hot cocoa mixes are gluten-free; Hershey’s Cocoa in the Cocoa, Special Dutch flavors are all gluten free, as are all Swiss Miss varieties. Make a mug of cocoa extra festive with a topping of whipped cream or gluten-free marshmallows (Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallows are GF!).

And with three young kids, baking Christmas cookies are always a favorite in our house during the holiday season. My wife Katie has always been an awesome baker, and has used her skills to be an awesome gluten free baker. While Gluten free baking can be a bit challenging to adapt for family recipes, all-purpose alternative flour blends do not always translate well into those that were made for wheat based flours. In our house we enjoy the Land o Lake flour blend (see below) which we make ourselves to make Christmas cookies and treats every year; our family loves to make snickerdoodles and vanilla pound cake.

So as you see, gluten-free holiday parties can be just as merry and festive as any other! Enjoy your time with your family, and check out our favorite recipes below to help ease your way through the holiday season and into the New Year!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

Martha Stewart Pecan-topped Baked Brie

McCormick Gluten Free 7-layer Mexican Dip

Loaded Cauliflower Bake

Land O Lakes Gluten Free Baking Blend

Land O Lakes Gluten Free Vanilla Poundcake Recipe

Land O Lakes Gluten Free Snickerdoodles Recipe

Sammys Homemade Gluten-Free Crackers

• Half cup fine almond flour
• Half cup flax meal
• Half cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• herbs & spices as desired

Preheat your over to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine the almond flour and flax meal, salt and pepper and your chosen herbs (Italian seasoning, dill, garlic, ground black truffles all work well depending on what you want to pair the crackers with) mix well and add the water. Let this mixture sit until all of the water is absorbed. When all of the water has been absorbed, roll out little balls approximately the size of a large marble.  Place these on a greased cookie sheet and cover with a piece of saran wrap.  Using the bottom of a glass, press the balls down into a flat circular shape. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until slightly golden.  Allow to cool on the sheet and place in an airtight container will keep for up to two weeks.