Thanksgiving Menu

For the first time in a few weeks, I actually slept in past 7am!  I was disappointed that I didn't get up earlier in enough time to help cook Thanksgiving, but I am extremely thankful that I have a wonderful family who made 2 of almost every dish to make sure I could it it.  It's the little things in life, taking the extra step to make sure that nothing contains dairy or gluten that means the world to someone with a food intolerance.

So, you might be wondering whats on The Carnivorous Vegan's Thanksgiving Menu...

• Turkey and Ham from HoneyBaked Ham is by far my favorite!  We have been getting this for every Thanksgiving and Christmas in my family for years.  Since this is only my 2nd Thanksgiving knowing my food intolerance's, I loved finding out from one of the sales associates last year that all of the Ham and Turkey that they sell is gluten-free (I might have purchased 2 Turkey's)!
• Green Bean Bundles - This is a staple for any Holiday meal at my house.  Its green beans, wrapped in bacon, covered in "fudder" (fake butter) and brown sugar.  Now tell me, how could ANYTHING taste bad with bacon and brown sugar?!  My favorite butter alternative that is a staple in my fridge is Earth Balance Buttery Spread.  It is made from Olive Oil but I think it tastes just like butter.  I always purchase the Soy Free kind - I try to limit my soy intake due to health reasons (would much rather save it for a venti soy caramel macchiato from Starbucks or gluten-free soy sauce).
• Garlic-Roasted Cauliflower - We have made this a few times at my house but for some reason the batch we made for Thanksgiving was THE BEST!  Here is the recipe I follow from Ladies' Home Journal - it's even better the next day. 
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Onion and Olive Oil - As you can probably now tell, I love veggies!  I try to always have an abundance of vegetables on the table to fill up on, especially because vegetables are gluten-free!  I was at Burger Up in Nashville one afternoon and got the vegetable of the day, which happened to be brussel sprouts.  Growing up, my parents never made brussel sprouts so I never liked them.  Over the past year, they have become a staple in my diet.  The recipe I made for Thanksgiving was inspired by the side I had at Burger Up - brussel sprouts, olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper.  Simple, yet delicious! 
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy - I use coconut milk (SoDelicious Unsweetened Vanilla is my favorite) and "fudder" in my mashed potatoes with a little salt and pepper.  Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done in holding the many ladles of gravy I put on top (mini-volcano's are a must on anyone's Thanksgiving plate)!  The gravy - my mom makes this and its delicious.  All I know is that its "Maureen friendly" and has mushrooms.
• Dinner Rolls - I usually buy the Udi's Classic French Dinner Rolls.  I haven't ventured out into baking my own dinner rolls, so for now, these are my go to dinner rolls!  It's on my list of Christmas Break projects to try some of the recipes I have in my "pile" of recipes that seems to keep growing by the day!
• Stuffing - Last year, my mom was at Whole Foods and there was a cooking demonstration for gluten-free stuffing.  Being the great, supportive mom that she is - she watched the demonstration, bought all the ingredients, and made it for me.  It was so yummy!  She even remembered to get gluten-free chicken stock.  Yes, you even need to look at those labels to make sure they are gluten-free.  My favorite brand I have found is Imagine.  
• Gluten-Free Cookies from Whole Foods were our dessert this year.  Baked goods are my weakness, so I was completely content with 2 individually wrapped cookies as my dessert for Thanksgiving.  I loved that they were individually wrapped so that they weren't in contact with gluten cookies - again, it's the little things that food intolerant people truly appreciate!

I am planning on cooking a massive gluten-free and dairy-free Christmas dinner for my family with all of the great recipes that I have found (and a few that I have come up with myself).  Stay tuned for recipes and links to be coming soon!