This was Thanksgiving 2007...

Our first allergen-free Thanksgiving was quite a success. I wish I had thought to take more photos of the food and food-prep back then. We had some friends over to join us for our big meal, and nobody minded the lack of wheat, egg, or dairy one bit! I even received several compliments. Jack was a big fan of the turkey and the green bean casserole.

Cornbread (I added diced canned jalepenos to the batch we ate separately)

2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
6 Tbsp. water
1/2 C rice flour
2/3 C corn flour
1/2 C corn meal
1/4 C sugar (1/2 C for sweeter cornbread)
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. table salt
1 C soy milk (add 1tbsp cider vinegar for a more buttermilk taste)
1/4 canola oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare 8-inch-square baking dish.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
4. Add the ground flax seed mixture, soy milk, sugar and canola oil to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth.
5. Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

prep time: 15 minutes | cooking time: 32 minutes | makes 4 dozen cookies (best a little on the small side)

Ingredients
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1/2 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Have ready 2 greased baking sheets.

Mix together dry ingredients (except sugar and flax meal)

In a seperate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, molasses, pumpkin, flax meal, and vanilla until very well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet in 3 batches, folding to combine. Fold in raisins.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. They don't spread very much so they can be placed only an inch apart. Flatten the tops of the cookies with a fork or with your fingers, to press into cookie shape. Bake for 16 minutes at 350. If you are using two sheets of cookies on 2 levels of your oven, rotate the sheets halfway through for even baking. You'll have enough batter for 4 trays.

Remove from oven and get cookies onto a wire rack to cool. These taste best when they've had some time to cool and set. Good after freezing and thawing out too.

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Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 recipe of cornbread (above) cubed
1/2 to 1lb of ground italian style sausage
4 celery stalks, with leaves if possible
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup butter
1 chopped turnip
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chicken broth or bouillon
* red pepper flake
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

* Cut cornbread into cubes about 1". Cut the celery into thin slices.
* Saute italian sausage in a large skillet. Add carrot, turnip, and celery; cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Add parsley and cornbread and mix gently so the cornbread pieces don't break. Stir in the chicken stock, salt and pepper.
* Bake, uncovered, at 350° for about 30 minutes. To stuff a turkey or roasting chicken, loosely fill the cavity - don't pack - immediately before putting the bird into a preheated oven. Any extra stuffing can be baked with the bird during the last hour of roasting.

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We also had the veggies and potatoes that were roasted with the turkey, green beans with a dairy-free fresh mushroom sauce/soup, and a sweet potato casserole.