I imagine how difficult it must be for a family to always have to be on edge, always wondering and worrying if something as simple as a spilled drop of milk or an unassuming sprinkling of soy sauce or worcestershire slipped into a marinade or a little bit of whey/cheese powder on a seasoned snack food...ANYTHING allergenic can result in a trip to the ER.
There is no way I want for my friends to have to worry about that at my home. So I decided to throw a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, kiwi-free, sesame-free party. And I did. And it was a huge success!
I am sharing this information with you because, like me, if you do not have to worry about allergies or food sensitivities in your household, it may seem like an impossible task to plan a meal (or a party!) without wheat, dairy, or eggs. But it is possible, and it's a lot easier than you think!
Here's what we had:
1) strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - mixed together
2) pineapple & blueberries & mango - mixed together
3) cantaloupe & honeydew - mixed together
4) carrots, sugar snap peas, celery - mixed together
5) tomatoes & cucumber with cilantro, seasoned with lemon, salt, and garlic powder
6) avocado with onion & cilantro, seasoned with lemon, salt, and garlic powder
7) two "Better Than Cream Cheese" brand pre-prepared tofu spreads (one plain, one with garlic/herb combo) from the supermarket which served as dips
8) organic salad (mixed greens bought from Costco)
9) plain white rice (cooked only with water)
10) teriyaki chicken - marinated, baked chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces (marinade ingredients listed below)
11) pork roast - baked pork roasts, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
12) pot roast - beef roast braised with onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, cut into bite-size chunks
13) corn tortilla chips
14) natural potato chips
15) chocolate cupcakes/cake (ingredients below) with frosting (also below)
Marinade for teriyaki chicken: Tamari Organic Sauce - a wheat/gluten-free soy-sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, onion, garlic (minced), crystallized ginger (usually I would use fresh ginger but I didn't have any on-hand)
Chocolate cupcakes: This is the only item which required any special ingredients but it was very easy to do. King Arthur Flour Brand Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix...follow the directions (like any typical cake mix) but using EnerG Gluten-free Egg Replacement instead of the eggs (also very easy to do). For the frosting, I used coconut oil (solid state, not liquid), powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar), coconut milk (plain), and vanilla powder (not vanilla extract). That's it!
I received so many compliments on the food and the variety... and the cupcakes were a big hit...most guests didn't even know it was GF/DF/EF. It was just GOOD!!!
The food was appetizing for all...most guests did not have a concern one way or the other that the selection was "free" of anything...they just ate! My greatest joy, though, was from the moms who had never attended a party without fear of having to use the epi-pens... they were able to relax and enjoy and tell their children they could eat ANYTHING on the table without worry. They truly made me feel appreciated and comforted in knowing that I was able to help them enjoy the day worry-free. (Of course, I should mention that we have 2 cats and there were a handful of other guests who got itchy eyes, but aside from sequestering the cats to an off-limits room and warning my guests ahead of time, there was not much more I could do to avoid that.)
I hope that this will inspire and encourage us to find foods that ALL our friends and family can eat. While it's true that my "main" dishes were non-vegetarian, there was enough variety and quantity over the entire spread that I think a vegetarian would have been able to find enough to eat. In the future, though, if I know I will have a vegetarian guest, I will incorporate a vegetable stew (like beef stew but without the beef) which is filling and satisfying and goes great with rice!
All these things were simple to make and readily available at the store & on-line...the Kings Arthur Flour, the EnerG Egg Replacer, and the Vanilla Powder are available at Whole Foods, maybe at Sprouts (I got the flour there but not the other ingredients), and definitely on-line.
Happy Eating!
