How to Cook a Gluten Free Christmas Dinner

With a little detective work, you can make a holiday meal containing no gluten.

Suppose your father-in-law has celiac disease and can't eat any gluten -- not even a speck. He's coming to town for Christmas, and you're wondering how you can serve a traditional Christmas dinner that is gluten-free. More and more people are being diagnosed with conditions that require them to eliminate gluten from their diets, so knowing how to cook a gluten-free Christmas dinner is important. With a few basic modifications, you can make those old standby dishes and meet any food needs.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Telephone to call manufacturer hotlines

1. Know your gluten basics. Gluten is a protein that is found in barley, wheat, rye and sometimes oats. Other grains, such as spelt, are part of the gluten family, so be sure to research any grain before adding it to a dish for a gluten-free Christmas dinner.

2. Pull out your recipe cards a week before making dinner. If they include barley, wheat, rye or oats, put them aside. If you are using any spices, check the labels and call the manufacturer hotlines to ask if there is any hidden gluten. If so, choose a different spice company. (McCormick labels all gluten in its spices, so if gluten isn't listed, then it's not there.)

3. Assume nothing. Just because a food item doesn't list gluten in the ingredients doesn't mean it's not there. "Spices," "natural flavorings" and "maltodextrin" are some of the worst culprits for having hidden gluten. Once again, calling manufacturer hotlines is crucial for a successful gluten-free Christmas dinner.

4. Cook turkey with the stuffing on the outside. If you're having turkey for your traditional Christmas dinner, you can help gluten intolerant guests by simply cooking the stuffing outside of the turkey, and stuffing the turkey with something simple, like apples and oranges (which give the meat a special flavor and keep it moist).

5. Check ham glazes if you're baking a ham. Most packaged ham glaze has gluten in it. Make your own from scratch if possible for a gluten-free Christmas dinner.

6. Make pumpkin pie without the crust, and just serve it as a pumpkin custard, with whipped cream on top.

7. Avoid adding crunchy onions to the top of green bean casserole -- they contain gluten. Just offer them in a small bowl for gluten-eating guests to add as they see fit.

8. Keep bread and crackers from touching any food that guests could otherwise eat. For dips, let the gluten-intolerant guest take some from the dip bowl first, onto a separate plate, to avoid cracker contamination.

Tips & Warnings

• Always ask a gluten-intolerant guest if you have questions. It's better to be safe than sorry.

• If you accidentally add something with gluten to a food, tell your guests. People who are gluten-intolerant can't just "have a little."

References

• Celiac.com: Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Planner