The Seasonal Plate: Thanksgiving Recipes and Leftovers

Our Top 3 Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes for 2010!

These were the winners this year. They are all dairy free and gluten free and DELICIOUS! We even had a few gluten and dairy eaters comment on how much they loved the rolls. I'm happy to say that the majority of our Thanksgiving dinner was sourced locally. If you want to check out some of the other recipes go to the Thanksgiving Menu Planner.

1. Apple Pie
(Yes, I managed to burn some of the apple pie crust)

I used Pamela's Bread Mix (available at Wheatsville and Central Market) to make the pie crust and used non-dairy Earth Balance shortening sticks. It is perfectly flaky and wonderful. Remember to put your dry mix in the fridge freezer before using, use cold water and cold shortening/butter for the best results. Think COLD! The Pamela's recipe will make two crusts. Use extra white rice flour to dust on parchment and roll out with a rolling pin. Work quickly to keep it cold and don't overwork the dough. If you need to take a break or use it later, form it into a ball, cover it and put it in the fridge for a few hours.

We used this Apple Pie recipe and used a variety of local apples that we either bought from Bat Creek Farm at the Austin Farmers Market or at Wheastville or Central Market.

NOTE: I substituted 1/4 cup honey and 1/2 cup sugar instead of using all sugar. I used white rice flour for the gluten-free flour. Instead of allspice I used vanilla bean and it was amazing, plus all the tiny brown specks looked great. Just use a paring knife to slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of the knife to scrape out the seeds.

2. Italian Sausage, Rice and Apple Dressing

We were able to go dairy, corn and gluten-free with this dressing recipe and it would be a great side any night.

NOTE: We had some venison made into Italian sausage this year, so that is what we used in our recipe. We added about 1-2 cups of cooked brown rice at the end and left out all of the bread. We used non-dairy Earth Balance butter and butternut squash puree instead of pumpkin, although sweet potato puree would be a great option as well.

3. Sourdough, Rosemary & Herbs de Provence Rolls

These are so good that you shouldn't limit yourself to making them just for Thanksgiving!

2-3 days ahead of making these rolls, you'll need to make a sourdough starter. I promise it is easier than you think. Take 1 cup millet or just about any gluten free flour and 1 cup warm water and add it to a plastic container. Stir and let sit on the counter. Add 1 Tbsp millet (or gluten-free flour) and 1 Tbsp warm water about every 8-12 hours and stir. When it starts to bubble/foam, you'll know it is ready. Don't add anything to the mixture about 6 hours before making the rolls.
Sourdough Myths

**millet flour or other gluten free flour for making sourdough starter
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup Goodflow or Round Rock honey
1 cup rice milk
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp yeast (use the packet included in Pamela's mix)
1 Tbsp Becker Vineyard's Herbs de Provence (online)
1 package Pamela's Bread Mix (available at Wheatsville and Central Market)
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Stir 1/4 cup Earth Balance butter with 1/4 cup of honey, a pinch of salt into 1 cup of scaled rice milk (original flavor, not vanilla). Let cool to room temperature.
2. Add the sourdough starter.
3. Dissolve 2 tsp. of baking soda and 1 Tbsp yeast (comes with the Pamela's Bread Mix) into the mixture into a little water.
4. Add a Tbsp of Herbs de Provence and 4-6 cups of Pamela's Bread Mix until thick and sticky - a little thicker than cake batter.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tins sprayed with cooking spray.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
7. Let cool on a wire rack.
8. The rolls are dense, so don't expect fluffy, but the taste will win you over.