gluten free for the holidays

My first gluten free Thanksgiving and Christmas back in 2009 were a little tricky, but my mom and I have it all figured out now. We didn't have to change much, and I continue to eat  my way through the holiday season ;) Mmmm!

My family essentially does the same meal for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's always been that way for us, and I love it because it's hard to beat a traditional turkey dinner in my book! Here's a glimpse at our feast...

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Sweet Potato Casserole: we pass it off as a side dish in the South, but it's more like dessert! It's a favorite in my family.

There is ALWAYS an olive tray, and we are all adamant about which are the best. My pick? BLACK all the way. I can't stand green olives!

Sweet Tea: it's not turkey dinner without it.

The Bird: it only comes twice a year, and it's always worth the wait. We usually stuff it with onions, celery, apples, and whatever else we can find then roast it in an oven bag. It turns out perfectly browned and moist every time. Oh, and please, no butterballs! For traditional turkey gravy, we boil a saucepan of the juice then stir in several tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in an equal amount of water.

Cornbread Stuffing: My mama always made both cornbread and regular stuffing, but cornbread with cranberries is my favorite. To make it gluten free, I make a batch of Bob's Red Mill cornbread a couple days in advance and let it dry out, then follow recipe as usual.

Pumpkin Pie: We always use Libby's recipe, and it's never failed us. The filling is already gluten free, so we just use a gluten free crust to make it safe for me. Don't forget the whipped cream...that's a MUST!

Green Bean Casserole: my brother's favorite! The traditional recipe is chock full of gluten, so this was the biggest change up for us. I haven't tried this particular recipe, but it sounds like a winner to me.

Other favorites:

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Buttermilk Pie

gluten free baking!

So you may or may not have noticed by now that I'm really into food. 

Especially now. 

And especially now that the nausea is starting to subside. 

And especially now that it's cooling off...cooking in a hot kitchen is not fun when it's 100+ every stinkin day.

Annnnyway, I've had a hankering for banana bread lately, and I just so happened to have some bananas on their way out sitting on my counter!

So, I brought out the mixer and got busy! 

I used the recipe from the back of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour, and it was delish!

Rob said he couldn't even tell the difference from "real" banana bread, so that's always a compliment.

No Hassle Banana Bread

1/3 c. canola oil (I only had vegetable)

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 & 3/4 cup GF all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. Xanthum gum (I use Guar gum, it's way cheaper & you can use it interchangeably in recipes calling for XG)

1 & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon (I used 2 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 & 1/2 c. mashed bananas (about 3-4)

1/2 c. chopped nuts (walnuts are yum!)

1/2 c. raisins (I omitted these)

It's true, I can't follow a recipe exactly...I don't know why.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

Cream the first 4 ingredients with mixer.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients.

Stir in mashed bananas, nuts & raisins.

Pour into pan & bake for about an hour.

(My pan is dark, so it really only took about 45-50 minutes...be sure to check it 15 minutes or so before it's done so it doesn't get over-cooked)

Smear with butter, and devour!

If you are a gluten-free eater, you have to try this recipe! I love BRM products, and they have so many great recipes on their site. I can't wait to try this one out with pumpkin puree instead of bananas. Mmm, Fall.