Sunday, November 19, 2017

Guide to Best of Gluten & Allergen Free Holiday Foods

We spend so much of our time on the road planning and executing events that having some Holiday time at home with friends and family is welcomed. During the course of this year though, we have had to add a dairy allergy to our usual gluten-free requirements. Yes, our beloved cheese and milk products are now a no-no. So we must revamp recipes, try new products and try to maintain our normalcy, as we all do when multiple allergies coexist. So we thought we would share some of the best tasting options we ran across this past year at our events to help you out at home.

Some of the following products are nationally available if only by ordering online. In each description their web site is linked.




Stuffing Mix & Pies
Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse has made your life easier and tastier with their addition of seasoned bread cubes packaged up without you having to toast off your expensive bread to make stuffing mix. We used them to make our cornbread dressing with stellar results. You can also follow Whole Foods recipe since they are kind enough to post so many online to help their customers  Equally impressive are their choices of Holiday Pies including Pumpkin and Pecan.

Tartlets & Mixes
Mina's Purely Divine makes amazing allergen friendly mixes which are free from gluten, wheat, soy, corn, dairy, eggs, and nuts. But they also manufacture some cute little tasty tartlets in chocolate or plain sweet to make your entertaining large parties easier. Just think of all the delicious fillings you could pair with them to have bite sized sweets.



Soup Stock, Egg Noodles, Dumplings & More
Looking for a variety of Southern based mixes, soup bases, egg noodles, dumplings, cheese crackers, coatings, and other deliciousness? Check out Anne's Old Fashioned Foods gluten-free products. Also contact them for their Dairy-free options that are not listed on web site. We had some of the best Chicken & Dumplings the other night thanks to their line. When they do an event with us, they need a huge booth because they offer so much.


Breads & Pastries
JP's Pastry has stolen our heart for the most amazing array of goodies that are all made in the only 100% certified gluten-free bakery in North Carolina. They also do Vegan and dairy-free with the same care and love that JP's puts into all of their products. Not only will you be able to find them in coffee shops and many Whole Foods in the Carolinas, but you can purchase mouth-watering Gift Boxes online. Local to Raleigh NC? You can order cakes that are out of this world good and decorated beautifully.



Onion Rings
Looking for an amazing onion ring to top your Green Bean Casserole? Look no further. Raw Food Central has an Onion Ring that will do the trick or you can pick some of their other various vegan, gluten-free, kosher and non-GMO snacks

Rice
Need the best rice for your side dish? Try Lundberg Family Farms found in Publix, Whole Foods, and Ingles Markets or online through Vitacost.This family owned Canadian company has purity protocol in place and non-GMO goodness. Their rices are some of the highest quality we have used and prefer them over most any brand.


Baking Ingredients
Enjoy Life Foods has some great allergy-free ingredients like their morsels for chocolate chips and their baking mixes. Top 8 free and non-GMO
Swerve Sweetener is a healthier natural alternative to sugar and will make your baking sweeter without the calories.


Hopefully we will have helped you in your Holiday cooking with these suggestions. Come back next time for more suggestions as we continue to review vendors we met in the 2017 season.
We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!