Need help planing special holiday menu w/Dairy Free

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HeatherFeather
Posts: 2558
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Need help planing special holiday menu w/Dairy Free

Post by HeatherFeather » Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:12 pm

I have a set menu I usually follow for Thanksgiving that I had been planning to use again this year. However, it looks like my mom and stepdad may be coming this year so I need to have some different options. My mom can't eat dairy, and both she and my stepdad don't eat pork. I am also trying to slim down, so I want to have some low carb choices as well.

Here is my usual menu:
Maple Turkey with Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Butternut Puree
Creamed or Buttered Corn
Homemade Dressing with Sausage
Honey Wheat Rolls
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie

My mom will likely bring an apple pie, so dessert isn't an issue. Everyone can eat the pecan pie and the turkey/gravy.

I think my side dishes are my biggest problem. There is cream/milk in both the mashed potatoes and also the butternut puree. I would love to roast the squash, but I don't know that I will have room in the oven. I could make sweet potatoes instead maybe - my stepdad loves them, but my boyfriend and mom aren't really huge fans of the traditional super sweet typical casseroles. My boyfriend actually doesn't like sweet potatoes at all. The broccoli casserole could be made with soy cheese, but I am not sure my boyfriend or my stepdad will be too happy about that. Ideally, I'd like to serve things that most will eat, with enough variety to have options for the person who really doesn't want a certain item. Steamed broccoli is probably too ordinary. My boyfriend isn't fond of green beans, so I would rather stick with broccoli since I know everyone likes that.

I also need to figure out what to do about the stuffing. I usually use the Jimmy Dean Sage sausage in the log that you can mush up and crumble. I know there are turkey and chicken sausages out there, but they are usually not seasoned the right way. I am thinking I need to make a different stuffing/dressing without any meat in it at all.

I really would rather still make creamed corn, which is one of my boyfriend's favorite things. I need a very good recipe - still haven't found the perfect version. Ideally one without any dairy in it would be great.

Help!

Crocus
Posts: 118
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:52 pm

Re: Need help planing special holiday menu w/Dairy Free

Post by Crocus » Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:31 pm

Perhaps if it is just your mom that has the issues you could talk to her - she might have some suggestions or let you know where you could best compromise. To me the mashed potatoes would be the most difficult but she could have them plain without butter and cream. If there is no dairy in your gravy she can cover them with that - just set hers aside before you doctor up the rest.

I love brocolli cheese casserole but it wouldn't be the same without the cheese. Maybe if you made another vegetable dish as well (steamed brussels sprouts??) she could just pass on the casserole. I'm sure she doesn't want you to upset your entire menu to accomodate her.

For the stuffing you might want to consider doing it in a crockpot - I have one recipe posted on here (no dairy - if you sub the butter with margarine) and there may be others here too by now - I didn't check.

I know you will pull it all off and it will be delicious.

Edited to add: My favorite recipe for creamed corn is open the can and warm it up. I'm pretty sure there are no dairy products in it.

HeatherFeather
Posts: 2558
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Re: Need help planing special holiday menu w/Dairy Free

Post by HeatherFeather » Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:46 pm

Mom can take a lactose pill before eating to help her with some of the things. I am going to make the mashed potatoes the normal way, since she isn't a huge fan of them anyway. Everyone likes broccoli a lot, so I am hoping to find something that will work for everyone for that particular dish. The squash dish can be catered to my mom's needs, as mainly she and I will eat that and the men have their regular potatoes.

Every dish I make has butter, and I know mom is used to having to deal with butter. Milk, cream, yogurt, and cheese are the main problems - the pill helps her eat those too, but she still feels uncomfortable eating. I don't have room to make a bunch of separate extra things, so I am hoping to have at least enough there that everyone can eat, and maybe a few things some might not be able to.

I am not a huge can of the canned version of creamed corn unless it is cooked into something else. For the holidays, I especially like to make the real stuff. My boyfriend does like the canned stuff though :)

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