A Second Helping of Thanksgiving Recipes

Yesterday, we posted some great recipes with suggestions for those requiring a gluten-free Thanksgiving. However, these recipes were not all necessarily friendly for diabetics, nor did they take into account the many other food allergies out there.

Twelve million Americans suffer from some sort of food allergy and 90% of these are caused by nuts, eggs, milk, fish (including shellfish), wheat, and soy. These allergies affect children and adults alike, and can be life threatening.

Sticking to such strict diets can be difficult, but is necessary. So as Thanksgiving approaches, we hope that these recipes help to make your holiday both delicious and safe. Enjoy!

Turkey Stuffing
Orange
Apple
Yellow/Vidalia onion
Celery tops/carrots
Butter/olive oil
Spices

The stuffing inside the turkey can be delicious, but it's primary purpose is to keep the turkey moist and well-shaped during cooking. To avoid the starches and potential allergens in traditional stuffing:
Create a small bowl of spices that accentuate the other components of your meal. One suggestion: salt, pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (yup, just like the song).
After rinsing turkey, lightly coat the inside with butter or olive oil.
Rub spice mixture into the walls of the turkey as well as under any loose skin.
Stuff turkey with any combination of other ingredients, though an apple and onion are highly recommended.
Stitch 'er up and follow regular cooking instructions.

Mashed Potatoes (for those with corn or wheat allergies)

Slice, boil, and mash your favorite potatoes with a little cream/milk and butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Margarine and soy milk products can be used to replace dairy ingredients for the lactose intolerant and other allergic to dairy.

Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding (for those with corn or wheat allergies)

1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups coconut milk
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sliced almonds (leave out if allergic to nuts)
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Place uncooked rice in a saucepan. Add coconut milk. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 25 mins.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat the sides and bottom of a 10x6x2-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour into baking dish, add rice, mix well.
Bake covered for one hour, stir, and cook for another 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the pudding comes out clean. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and almonds (optional).

Fruit Pie - Apple, Pear, Peach, Cherry, etc. (for diabetics and easily modify-able for others)

Fruit of choice (apples and pears mix well, but the others might be best alone)
Sugar-free applesauce or apple butter (for apple and pear pies)
Cinnamon
1-2 frozen or pre-made pie crusts suitable to your needs (sugar/gluten-free, etc.)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (for apple and pear pies)
Two pie pans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Unroll one pie crust into pie pan. Place second pie pan on top of crust in pan. (This weighs it down.)
Place in oven during preheat/during prep.
Slice/pit about four cups of fruit, with or without skin, into centimeter or thinner slices. If using apples or pears, squeeze a little lemon juice over them to keep them from turning brown.

For peach or cherry pies...
Make sure crust in oven is lightly browned at edges before removing from the oven. Take off top pie pan.
Place fruit evenly over pre-baked bottom crust, cover with second crust in criss-cross pattern or just flat. Make sure to vent the upper crust by slicing a thin line or X in the center.
Return to oven and bake until tops are golden brown. Placing aluminum foil around the edges of the pies will prevent the crust edges from burning.

For apple and pear...
Remove crust from oven anytime. Remove top pie pan.
Spoon a thin layer of apple sauce or apple butter over the bottom of the pie crusts (retains moisture).
Place fruit evenly over the sauce in a circular pattern. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Replace in oven and bake until bottom is golden brown.
*Note: not including a top crust decreases the amount of starch/sugar intake

Exercise

On a day that's often all about food it's easy to forget that one excellent way to manage our metabolisms (especially for diabetics) is to add in some exercise. Try to schedule in a walk, a game of touch football in the yard, or 15 minutes of yoga in your room (stress relief is also good for you!).

Resources
Thank you to BabyMamma who left excellent links for those searching for recipes on yesterday's post. Here are some other sites:

Recipes for wheat allergies and celiacs
The Gluten Free Pantry
Glutenfreeda

Diabetic recipes
Diabeticrecipes.com
Diabetic Gourmet Magazine

Food allergy recipes
The Food Allergy Kitchen
The Food Allergy Network
Cooking Allergy Free