A Gluten-Friendly Thanksgiving

A few weeks ago, my mom posed a puzzle to me: what do we cook for Thanksgiving for my brothers who eat (nearly) everything, me who avoids land-dwelling meats, and a guest who is both vegan and gf?  She concluded the email, "Could you help me with the dinner menu?  We'll need need variety!"

That got me thinking - Thanksgiving is a surprisingly gluten-friendly holiday.  And, three iterations of our own menu later, I realized it is surprisingly vegan and pescitarian friendly too.  

The big thing to keep in mind if you're making your Thanksgiving gluten-friendly is cross-contamination.  It turns out that gluten is a sneaky little allergen.  A perfectly fine gf food can become a recipe for illness if you prepare it on a contaminated surface, use condiments that have been contaminated, or use a glutened utensil or toaster.  Make sure you have a clean start, you're aware of what items you're keeping gf, and everyone knows to use the right serving utensil for all items.

Okay let's talk food!  The menu we ended up with sounds so delicious that I'm already looking forward to left-overs.

• Salmon
• Cornmeal encrusted tempeh (vegan, gf)
• Roasted asparagus, corn, zucchini, and sweet potatoes (vegan, gf)
• Garlicky mashed potatoes (vegan, gf): the trick is to use a combination of canned veggie broth and soy creamer instead of butter and milk
• Gravy of choice: we'll have both chicken and gf/vegan
• Corn pudding casserole
• Salad with cider reduction dressing (vegan, gf)
• Dark chocolate dipped strawberries with citrus sugar (vegan, gf): most higher quality dark chocolates are conveniently vegan and gf

Many people with Celiac are also lactose intolerant, so a vegan menu is actually a good starting point.  But if you're looking for things that are just gf, you may be surprised that you don't have to look far.  Double-checking your recipe and preparation methods: it's likely that you already have a gf turkey, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, and cranberry sauce.  Throw in a few substitutions and viola - you can have gf cornbread, stuffing, and pie too!

What do you have planned to make your holiday gluten friendly?

Roy's Restaurant Review

When I found out my Dad was coming to visit me in Baltimore, I knew exactly where to take him for dinner: Roy's, the Hawaiian Fusion restaurant in Harbor East.  Why?

1. The restaurant is in close proximity to the hotel downtown he would stay at.
2. My Dad is lactose-intolerant and extremely picky.  Since there used to be a Roy's in Philadelphia, I knew he had been there and liked it.
3. They have a gluten free menu.
4. THEY HAVE A GLUTEN FREE MENU that is slightly too expensive for me to try on my own dime.

So, it was set.  I made a note on the OpenTable reservation that we would have 1 gluten-free diner and 1 lactose-free diner.  When we arrived, I reminded them of said note, and they were already prepared!

I was flabbergasted when they presented me a menu as fancy-looking as the 'regular' menu, and with several pages of items to boot.  At first I was sure they had given me a regular menu, but no, it was just for us non-gluten-eating folks!

I sipped on a delicious and perfectly-alcoholic mojito as I ordered: I'd start with the Teppanyaki Seared Tiger Shrimp Sticks and have the Teppanyaki Mahi Mahi  (I think...It was some sort of white fish, at least) for my entrée.

The shrimp appetizer was awesome.  I don't recall there being any sticks, or anything that resembled a stick, but this was a couple weeks ago and I just remember liking it a lot.  I don't know what appetizer my dad got, because it was not gluten-free and thus, I didn't care.

The mahi-mahi was good, but too salty.  It came with a side of white rice and roasted potatoes...although on the menu it said it came with lobster risotto.  I mentioned it to the server--but didn't make a big deal--and he brought me out some lobster 'risotto' anyway!  (Turns out the item had changed on the regular menu, but they forgot to re-print it on the g/f one.)  The risotto was definitely not what I had in mind, however: There were a few yummy chunks of lobster, but I'm still not sure what the cold, cubed startch it sat in was.  My dad ordered his Grilled Salmon g/f so I could have some, and we both really enjoyed that dish.

I made sure to save some room for the g/f Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé, and holy crap it was good.  I'm not even a chocolate-lover, but I was sad when I came to the last bite.  Seriously, I'm considering going back and just getting that cake.

Of Special Note: 

<> Roy's offers very reasonably-priced [validated] valet parking (I think $5).
<> You can find the gluten-free menu on their website, by clicking location --> cuisine --> local menus & 
     'Download Gluten Free Menu PDF'.  It appears that it changes by season.