This Thanksgiving, don't get frustrated at your family members with dietary limitations. You can swap new dishes into your menu to make sure everyone feels included at your table. (Getty Images)
Thanksgiving has never been an easy meal to prepare, but the menu has traditionally been straightforward. Usually, the host cooks and prepares at least one turkey — although smaller celebrations might involve ham or Cornish game hens as the main course.
Then the host or guests provide the sides and desserts, which often include stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans or Brussels sprouts, and at least one dessert, usually pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
Today, traditionalists may run into a new challenge when it comes to cooking and serving their loved ones Thanksgiving dinner: dietary restrictions. Instead of just having one picky child who refuses to eat anything but McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, you might have multiple adults politely piling their and their children’s plates with only half the offerings and shunning the other dishes.
Some do this because of medical conditions such as diabetes, celiac disease or lactose intolerance, others for political reasons or moral convictions. Still other guests may be following a wellness trend and hoping to improve their overall health.
Don’t despair, and don’t ditch your turkey. We’ve got you: Here are five recipes you can add to your Thanksgiving menu (or have your guests bring potluck style) to make sure everyone enjoys your holiday celebration.
- Three sisters salad for vegans
- High-protein, gluten-free cranberry jalapeño dip
- Gluten-free pull-apart dinner rolls
- Diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie with maple-ginger crust
- Dairy-free mix-it-up citrus loaf cake from Dorie Greenspan