Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner? Don't Forget These Recipes - Glamour

Um, not to add more stress to Thanksgiving (anyone else get cooking-for-20 anxiety?), but it's important to think about the guests you may have with special diets. As mouthwatering as your great-aunt Cindy's citrus-stuffed turkey recipe is, your lovely vegan friend Sally isn't going to be able to eat it. So on a holiday when everyone's gathered to give thanks, try whipping up some of these alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Your guests will be so grateful. (Heh.)

Your guest is: Vegetarian
Because Thanksgiving dinner focuses so much on meat, you'd think it would be hard to find meat-free options for the vegetarian in your life. But no! There are actually tons of meatless recipes that are easy and tasty--so much so, your other guests will be tucking into them, too. And hey, and if all else fails, just whip out a festive Tofurkey.
Sample menu: You can still get pretty fancy without the fowl--unlike vegans, vegetarians eat things like cheese and eggs, which leaves you with a ton of usable ingredients. Think: baked acorn squash with chestnuts, phyllo spinach tartlets, mashed potatoes with chives, spice-kissed pumpkin pie, and even a good old cheese-and-grapes platter.
Go-to help: The Vegetarian Resource Group, Vegsource, Yum Universe
Just remember: ?For appetizers and desserts, fresh fruit and vegetable platters with plant-based dip, such as hummus, can work for almost anybody with a dietary restriction,? says Erin Palinski, R.D., a New Jersey-based dietitian.

Your guest is: Vegan
So you successfully (and easily) got rid of the meat for your vegetarian friends, so now you?ve got to find some animal-product-free choices for your vegan friends. Impossible? Not even a little bit. You can create truly yummy vegan recipes by subbing out things like eggs and butter with ingredients like soft tofu and sunflower oil.
Sample menu: The Vegetarian Resource Group has a comprehensive (and totally yummy) lineup of vegan-friendly recipes for things like pumpkin soup, pecan-encrusted seitan, kale and potato galette, and lemon custard bars.
Just remember: ?When you?re cooking, be on the lookout for animal products that you may add without realizing it--butter and cream, for example,? Palinski says. ?Cook veggies in olive oil instead of butter, and add almond or soy milk to mashed potatoes instead of regular milk.?

Your guest is: Gluten-Free
Friends and family members who are sensitive to gluten need to avoid anything containing grains like wheat, barley, and rye, otherwise they could suffer a severe and painful reaction--not fun at any point, and certainly not at a party. The main issue is that gluten is in a lot of things you just wouldn?t expect it to be, so check out this list of foods that are safe for those who have gone gluten-free.
Sample menu: Spice-rubbed turkey, oven-baked mashed potatoes, gluten-free cornbread stuffing, Riesling baked pears
Go-to help: Celiac.com, Celiac Central, Gluten Free Girl and the Chef
Just remember: ?Watch out for potential cross-contamination that can cause guests to eat gluten without realizing it,? Palinksi says. ?For instance, don't put the stuffing inside the turkey. Turkey itself is gluten free, but stuffing isn't and the residue from the stuffing could make someone with Celiac disease sick.?

Your guest is: Diabetic
Diabetic guests need food that?s low in sugar and carbs; roasted turkey fills both bills, so you?re probably already one step ahead. Yes! Otherwise, it?s important to have options that are sugar-free or made with sugar substitutes, and low in carbohydrates--diabetics need to skip the bread basket altogether.
Sample menu: Mashed turnips with roasted garlic, bacon Brussels sprouts (um, drool), cinnamon pumpkin torte.
Go-to help: Diabetes Educator [www.diabeteseducator.org], Diabetic Gourmet, D Life
Just remember: Diabetics need to keep their sugar levels regulated, and that might mean having low-cal, low-fat foods to nibble on regularly. Stash some plates of raw veggies and low-fat cheese so that they can nosh until the real meal is served.

Are you doing the cooking this year? What other tips--and recipes!--would you add to the list?

More about special diets:
* Alicia Silverstone's Nori Burritos
* More Than One Million People in the U.S. Are Gluten Intolerant But Don't Know It. Are You One of Them?
* Vegetarianism: Is Bacon a "Gateway" Food for Eating Meat?

Photo: Thinkstock

Source: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2012/11/thanksgiving-for-special-diets.html

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