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8 Gluten Free Recipes For Thanksgiving Dinner

November 10, 2016 / 11:56 AM PST / CBS Sacramento

This holiday season, you will most likely find that one or more of your guests may have a special dietary restriction. The gluten-free diet was one of the fastest-growing diets in 2016 so it may not be surprising for a guest to request wheat free options this Thanksgiving. Gluten is found in grains like wheat and even unsuspecting foods like turkey. The best way to a successful meal is to plan ahead. Be sure to buy a turkey that doesn't contain any harmful added gluten ingredients and follow these easy and healthy recipes that everyone will enjoy.

Sausage, Garlic And Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 30 min
Total Time: 35 min

Ingredients

25 standard-large whole button mushrooms [24oz]
1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
3/4 cup beef broth or water
3 hot Italian chicken sausage links [the larger sized ones]
1/2 cup minced onion
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
5 button mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Clean mushrooms and remove the stems.
Arrange the mushrooms on a well oiled baking sheet.
In a small pot, bring to a boil 3/4 cups of water or beef broth.
Add the quinoa and cook, partially covered for 12-13 minutes until fluffy.
On medium-high heat, in a skillet add the sausage, removed from casings, and cook until it's no longer pink stirring often to create small crumbles.
In the same skillet, add the onion and a little bit of broth to deglaze the pan and saute.
When the onions begin to become translucent, add in the garlic and chopped mushrooms and reduce heat to medium. Cook until onions are completely translucent and stir occasionally.
Add the quinoa to the sausage mixture, season with salt, paprika and garlic powder.
Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and bake for 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Let cool for a few minutes then serve!

Pumpkin Soup
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 55 min
Total Time: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients

1 pumpkin
handful of fresh rosemary sprigs
1 fresh garlic bulb
1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 diced onion
1 teaspoon nutmeg
fresh parmesan
27 oz. ham stock
3 oz. cream
mushrooms
butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut pumpkin in half, seeds removed.
Score the pumpkin flesh to help even roasting.
Season with salt and pepper to taste then add the rosemary to each half.
Rub the pumpkin all over with garlic bulb then split the bulb inside both pumpkin halves.
Add the olive oil to the pumpkin halves and roast for 40-50 minutes.
Scoop pumpkin flesh from the top to the bottom until only the shell remains.
Remove the garlic from the pumpkin, saute in olive oil, add the diced onion and nutmeg.
Add pumpkin flesh and grated parmesan.
Add ham stock and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. 30 seconds before completion add the cream.
Add everything into a blender with a spoon of butter and blend till you achieve a smooth consistency.
Next, sauté mushrooms with olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.
Place sautéed mushrooms in a bowl and garnish with strips of parmesan.
Pour the hot pumpkin puree around the mushroom and serve.

Crispy Butternut Squash Spinach Salad With Bacon Shallot Vinaigrette
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed or cut into half moons
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 slices bacon
1 shallot, minced
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
5 oz. baby spinach (about 6 cups)
1/2 c. pecans, toasted and chopped
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Arrange butternut squash on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until brown and crisp.
Next, in a large skillet, fry bacon over medium-heat until crisp and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
In the same skillet, sauté shallot over medium-high heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Next, stir in the red wine vinegar and brown sugar and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place spinach in a large bowl with pecans and roasted butternut squash. Pour the warm vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Wild Rice Sweet Potato Stuffing
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 40 min
Total Time: 55 min

Ingredients

½ cup brown rice
½ cup wild rice
olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, sliced
½ teaspoon cumin
sea salt and pepper
1 package button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place the brown rice and wild rice in a large pot with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 3/4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tender for about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. On a baking sheet, place the onions, sweet potatoes and garlic. Drizzle with three tablespoons of olive oil and roast at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Next, saute the mushrooms in one tablespoon of olive oil over low heat until tender for 15 minutes. Remove excess liquid.
Once the rice is tender and the vegetables have finished roasting, prepare the spinach. Place the frozen spinach in a bowl with about two tablespoons of water and microwave for two minutes or until hot. Drain off the excess water.
Place the roasted vegetables, spinach, and mushrooms into the pot with the rice and add the salt, pepper, italian seasoning and cumin stirring over low heat till combined. Add more seasoning if necessary and serve.

Green Beans With Caramelized Onions And Almonds
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 40 min
Total Time: 55 min

Ingredients

kosher salt
3 pounds green beans, trimmed of stem end
1/2 cup skin on sliced almonds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 large onions, sliced thin
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large high sided skillet, fill with enough water to be just shy of the rim of the pan by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high-heat, add a pinch of salt as well as the green beans.
Cook for about five minutes, the beans should still be crisp, then drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
In the same skillet, cook the almonds on medium-heat and stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes.
Next, in the same skillet on the same temperature, add the butter and olive oil until butter is melted.
Next, add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until the almonds caramelize for 20-25 minutes stirring frequently. Then, add the thyme and continue to cook for an additional five minutes. Combine the cooked green beans, almonds, and onions and stir well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Mashed Potatoes With Gluten Free Gravy

Mashed Potatoes
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Total Time: 35 min

Ingredients

4 pounds golden creamer potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped chives
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, add the potatoes along with two tablespoons of salt and cover with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are tender for about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and put them through a ricer or food mil into a bowl.
Next in a small saucepan, heat the cream and butter.
Add the heated cream and butter to the potatoes and mix together with a spoon.
Finish with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives and serve.

Gluten Free Gravy
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons basic xanthan gum-free flour blend
1 1/2 cups roasted turkey pan drippings, drained of the fat
fresh rosemary and thyme, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
salt and pepper

Directions

In a large heavy-bottom skillet, melt the butter over medium-heat.
Next, add the xanthan gum-free flour blend and mix with the butter to combine.
Stir frequently until the mixture is golden brown for about 3 minutes.
Add the pan drippings to the mixture and stir till smooth.
Whisk in the two cups of chicken stock, rosemary and thyme over medium-high heat until thickened stirring frequently for about 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the remaining stock until desired consistency is achieved and serve immediately.

Gluten Free Mini Caramel Pecan Tarts
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Inactive: 2-3 hours
Total Time: 2-3 hours 40 min

Crust Ingredients

1 1/4 cups almond flour or almond meal
1 cup of pecans or walnuts
4 teaspoons coconut flour, sifted
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Filling Ingredients

3/4 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup whipping cream
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place all the crust ingredients into a food processor fitted with an S-blade and pulse for 15 seconds or until no large chunks of nuts are left.
Line two muffin tray pans with 18 muffin liners and press a rounded tablespoon of dough onto the bottom of each liner. Try to get the dough into the grooves of the liner.
Place the pans into the oven and bake for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for about 20 minutes and in the meantime prepare the filling.
Place the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and roast for 4-6 minutes. Remove from the oven.
For the caramel, in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-heat, heat the cream, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir until combined and simmer for eight minutes tilting the pan the redistribute the mixture as opposed to stirring.
Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes or until considerably thick. Stir in the nuts and then spoon about two tablespoons of the mixture onto the top of each muffin lined crust.
Place the pans into the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until the caramel has firmed up.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

Merissa Principe is a teacher and a freelance travel blogger from NYC. Teaching early childhood education has provided Merissa an opportunity to travel all over the world and live in new places. Be sure to follow her at Citygirlriss.wordpress.com for all things travel, beauty, fashion and New York City.

Thanksgiving