Cooking for the holidays or any big family gathering can be a nightmare when many of your guests are on restricted diets. Think about it. How many of your family members are dairy-free, gluten-free, raw, sugar-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan or any of the combination of these lifestyles? I am now dairy, peanut, gluten, corn, and sugar-free due to gut issues. Hubs is paleo. Add in the relatives. Need I saw more? So, I enlisted my fellow bloggers for help (plus more) to provide you with holiday recipes for all the diet *pains in the tushes* family members in your life.
The dishes are marked paleo, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and/or sugar-free. Listed below is an abbreviated version of these diets.
- Paleo dishes do not contain dairy, process sugar, grains, and beans. (Read here what you can and can’t eat on a this diet.)
- Vegetarian dishes do not contain animal products but can contain egg or honey.
- Vegan dishes do not contain any animal products.
- Gluten-free dishes do not contain any cereal grains such as wheat, barley, spelt or rye. The dish can contain quinoa, millet, buckwheat and sorghum, gluten-free oats, rice, and wild rice. (Read here for what you can and can not eat on this diet.)
Main Dishes
- Sage Rubbed Turkey Breast {A Happy Healthnut}–Paleo and gluten free.
- Cauliflower pizza crust {Libby Louer}–Paleo, grain Gluten, and nut and dairy free ( I made this dish and all I can say is “outstanding.”)
- Chicken Zucchini Gruyere Clafoutis {Strands of My Life}–Gluten and low fodmaps (note it contains dairy.)
- Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin {A Happy Healthnut}–Dairy and gluten-free. paleo.
- Beef Wellington {Ancestral Chef} –Paleo, gluten-free and grain-free.
- Coconut Chicken Curry {Ancestral Chef}–Paleo, grain-free and a dairy-free option.
- Zucchini Nest Lasagna {jarOhoney} –Raw, paleo and vegan.
- Bison Pineapple Chili {Ancestral Chef}–Paleo.
- Pesto Roasted Chicken {jarOhoney}–Dairy free, paleo, gluten free, and no sugar added.
- BBQ veggie stew recipe {ecokaren}–Vegan and gluten-free.
- California Rolls {ecokaren} –Vegan and gluten-free. (Note, recipe comes with a “how to” video.)
- Portobello Mushrooms with Parmesan-Herb Stuffing {Big Girl Small Kitchen}–Vegetarian.
- Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf {Oh She Glows}–Vegan.
Side Dishes
- Sweet Potato Bread in a Jar {ReThink Simple}–Paleo and gluten-free.
- Bacon Brussel Sprouts Salad {A Happy Healthnut}–Paleo and dairy and gluten-free.
- Nut Roast Stuffing {Economies of Kale} vegan and gluten-free
- Homemade Crescent Rolls–Dairy-free, too! –{Healthful Mama) Dairy-free.
- Spinach Artichoke Dip with Garlic Cashew Cream {Glue and Glitter)–Vegan, dairy-free, and sugar-free. Not nut free.
- Gluten and Vegan Dinner Rolls {Gluten and Other Allergen Free Recipes by Megan Lierman}–Gluten-free and vegan.
- Sweet Potato Pancakes {jarOHoney} –Vegan and paleo but not nut free.
- Vegan “cheese” Dishes with Cashews {The Green Diva}–Vegan.
- Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Apple, and Raisins. {ecokaren} –Vegetarian but vegan option available.
- Glazed Carrots using maple syrup. {Mindfully Frugal Mama} –Vegetarian
- Grain Free Stuffed Peppers { Gluten and Other Allergen Free Recipes by Megan Lierman}–Gluten and paleo.
- Lactose Free Green Bean Casserole {Lazy Budget Chef}–Dairy Free.
- Roasted Spiced Carrots {Eco-Novice}–Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free. Can be made refine sugar free too.
- Maple bacon pecan roasted butternut squash {shared by Beth Buczynski, author of the book, Sharing is Good.}–Paleo.
- Gluten Free Wonton Soup { Gluten and Other Allergen Free Recipes by Megan Lierman} –Gluten-free.
- Zesty Cranberry Sauce Recipe {Be Green Be Happy} — very low sugar cranberry recipe with horseradish.
- Hummus based Veggie Dip {Spring Mountain Living } –Vegan and sugar-free
- Cream of Potato with Roasted Cauliflower and Almonds soup {Ecokaren}–Vegan and gluten-free.
Drinks
- Pear-Cranberry Cosmopolitan Recipe {Glue and Glitter}–Vegan.
- The Drunken Elf {Summer Wind}– This recipe appears to be gluten-free. Be sure to check the ingredients.*
- Raspberry Honey Collins.{Vegan Cocktails}–Vegan.
- Sugar free Eggnog recipe {Gluten Free Recipe Box}–Sugar, gluten, and dairy-free.
- Homemade Gluten Free Chocolate Liqueur {Gluten Free Recipe Box}–Gluten-free.
- Sparkling Cranberry Lime Cocktail {Oh She Glows– Low in sugar and vegan.
* For more information about gluten-free liquors, see here.
Desserts
- Cranberry Mint Mousse {A Happy Healthnut}–Dairy-free and paleo.
- Healthy rice crispy treats {Spring Mountain Living} –Gluten free, refined sugar free, and dairy-free.
- Ginger Cookies {Re-think Simple} –Gluten-free
- Squash Pie {Spring Mountain Living} –Gluten and dairy free.
- Chocolate Mint cookies {Good Girl Gone Green}–Vegan and gluten-free
- Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Torte–{Mindfully Frugal Mama}–Gluten-free.
- Clementine Cranberry Macaroons (jarOhoney}–Raw and vegan.
- Avocado brownies {Green Diva} –Vegetarian and gluten-free
- Maple Pumpkin Pie {Allergy Free Alaska} –Gluten and dairy-free.
- Red Velvet Cupcakes {Gluten Free Vegan}–Gluten-free and vegan
- Chocolate Banana Pie {Simply Gluten-free} –Gluten-free. Grain Free.
- Paleo Reese Cheesecake with Faux Oreo Crust. {Clean Eating With a Dirty Mind.}–Paleo.
Note, some of these recipes may be easily adapted to make them dairy-free or gluten-free. I don’t know about you but I love to play with recipes to make them my own.
Let me know which of the recipes above you would like to try.
Join the Conversation:
What are your favorite recipes for diet restricted family members? Go ahead and link in the comments below.
Photo by permission from ecokaren, Mindfully Frugal Mom, Glue and Glitter, and Ancestral Chef.
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Karen says
I gained 20 lbs, just from reading the list….and drooled. That chilli looks sooooo good. And to wash it down with Glue and Glitter’s Cosmopolitan? YUMMMO! And flourless chocolate torte that has red wine? Just let me know when dinner is. I’ll be over.
Anna@Green Talk says
Karen, I know what you mean. Still love your California roll video! Thanks for sharing it. Anna
Betsy (Eco-novice) says
What a fabulous resource! These days it really is easy to make your holiday meals accessible to those with food allergies.
Anna@Green Talk says
Betsy, it is impossible with so many people having issues. I hope this list helps families have a happier holidays. Anna
louise says
Thanks so much Anna! This is a fantastic list of recipes for the holidays. Cooking for a family with different dietary restrictions is always tough, and you just made it easy for a lot of people!
Anna@Green Talk says
Louise, thank you for sending me your recipes for this post. You have a wonderful website full of great paleo recipes. So, hopefully, readers who struggle with family dietary issues have several new homes such as your website to cook real food. Anna
Tag-Along says
Man, you have found some fantastic recipes! Now I have to decide (all over again) what I should bring to the Christmas potluck. So many choices!
David Guion says
This is a great list. I have a niece who’s gluten free, and her fiancé has to be even more careful with his diet. Another niece and her husband are vegetarian. As you say, cooking for a big family gathering can get interesting. I haven’t looked at all the recipes or even all the titles, but I’ll bet you’ve got recipes that work well at other times of the year. I’ll have to put the title and URL in my recipe file for the next time I have a chance to cook for the extended family.
I’m a little surprised at your definition of vegetarian,though. The only vegetarian cookbooks I own are loaded with dairy products. So many recipes have so much cheese that I could never serve them to anyone with weight problems!
Anna@Green Talk says
David, I was a vegetarian for 3 years. I ate eggs and sourced recipes that didn’t contain dairy. There are a ton of healthy vegetarian recipes that are good for you. I do agree. Some recipe books pile on the cheese way too much.