Last night I was out of my element. Totally out. We had our friends Robbie and Stefanie over for dinner, and they brought their friend Mariah (who is wonderful!). The problem – which, by the way, turned out to not be a problem at all – Mariah can’t eat gluten OR dairy.
Everything I make has one or both of those in it!
Thanks so some amazing Twitter friends I got some fantastic answers. But when Nate and I decided we wanted to take more of a classic comfort food spin rather than going the Asian route, we apparently kicked things up a notch.
So what was the menu? Brown Sugar Turkey Meatloaf, sauteed veggies, mashed potatoes made with rice milk and Earth Balance, and Julie’s flourless peanut butter cookies. Talk about amazing!
I followed the meatloaf recipe to a T with the exception of the gluten-free cornbread crumbs…I couldn’t find gluten-free cornbread at the store and definitely didn’t have time to make my own! Instead I just used cornmeal, and it turned out amazing. This might just be my new favorite meatloaf recipe ever! The veggies were easy…just saute in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. And apparently they taste like pizza! The potatoes are pretty standard – peel, cube and boil til tender, then mash over low heat and add the milk and Earth Balance (preferably warmed and melted first) and stirred til creamy. Voila! Besides the obvious meat this meal was vegan. And that’s how I’m going to count it.
Hi, I’m Heather, and I ate a vegan meal last night.
Finally, the cookies went in the oven and were chowed down on very soon after. These cookies have been a favorite of mine for a while now, and definitely come in handy with most food allergies or food preferences. Plus it just tastes like warm, sugary, melty peanut butter.
I believe that’s called a win-win my friends.
I have a fabulous banana recipe coming up tomorrow, but I just had to proudly share my (sort of) vegan meal. I think I was really surprised with how everything tasted – and while I’ll still go on eat white French bread with butter and cheese spread all over it, it’s nice to know that I’ve survived a lack of gluten and dairy for one night 😉
When was the last time you surprised yourself in the kitchen?
Congrats, that is certainly a challenge! My middle name is “gluten and dairy” so hats off to you on a great meal!
Very nice!
I surprised myself by making chickpea noodle soup the other night, it was amazing!
Your gluten and dairy-free meal looks wonderful!! It’s amazing how good food can be without gluten and dairy. There’s so many recipes out there that I’d love to try. Should I ever need to go GF/dairy free, I’m ready. I’d have a hard time giving up my beloved cheese and gluten bread. 😳 I think I’d adapt quickly, though. 🙂
mmm this looks amazing! i can’t wait to visit you so I can try it!
You prepared a pretty awesome looking meal!! That meatloaf looks fantastic!
Yum! I just went gluten and dairy free and it’s not as hard as I would have imagined. Incidentally, whipped avocado makes a great dairy substitute in many cases, like dressings and mashed potatoes.
So sweet of you to accommodate your friends’ friend’s needs! And it looks like none of the tastiness was sacrificed at all!!
I love PBFingers cookies-so delicious!
Great job and awesome looking meal for being so out of your comfort zone. I eat GF and have come to find it pretty simple for me but I recognize the challenge it presents non-GFers and fully appreciate any attempt from them.
Sounds like a VERY tasty meal. I would have gobbled it up that’s for sure.
the whole meal looks amazing! i’m sure your friend really appreciated how accommodating you were!
Great job! As someone who eats everything gluten/dairy free, I can tell it’s intimidating whenever someone not used to it steps into the kitchen, or worse–has to cook for me.
Aside from the meatloaf, I’d come chow down on all of those things! It’s definitely Not easy to accommodate for certain diet restrictions, but clearly you powered through 🙂
Glad the dinner worked out! Everything looks wonderful!
Love the cookie stack! I haven’t tried anything adventurous lately so no surprises:(
I’ve been trying to cook dairy-free for a while now, and it’s not so hard (I made a delicious butternut squash ravioli with mushroom sauce), but nothing quite tops melty cheese. But gluten-free definitely sounds more difficult. Impressive meal you got there, what with all the restrictions.
I’m gluten free and now it’s eesy peesy since I’ve gotten used to it 🙂
yay for gluten and dairy free! I am both of those things and always think it is so sweet when other people are so accommodating. Cooking gluten and dairy free also doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating at all. In fact, when I cook, I just cook things that naturally don’t have gluten in them and most folks are none the wiser.
Great job! Isn’t it a joy to cook for friends? I really love being able to welcome people into my house and fix things that are “up their alley” — whatever alley that might be!
Nice work! Going to check out those recipes right now…… my sister is gf and I am always looking for ideas for her!