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It's my annual "no wheat/shellfish/nut/dairy" holiday whine
You know you love it!!
To make my life easier, I'm planning the same type of food for the holiday festivities on both sides of our family. We're doing all appetizers. I'm having a blast thinking of things for my side. We all love appetizers and could live on them.
The ILs, however, are where the limitations come in. I was hoping to just double some of the recipes so I wasn't making so many different things. But gluten makes everything better (
) and many kid friendly foods (for the 4 kiddos on my side) have the taboo ingredients.
Here's my question: What's the minimum % of the spread you think is appropriate to have gluten/nut/dairy free for my BIL? (I'm not concerned about leaving out shellfish. MIL is allergic and I have no problem avoiding it all together.)
Y'all know I've really tried over the years to accommodate him. He doesn't really seem to appreciate the effort, so I don't plan on going all out. I just need to make sure he has enough food. But the hostess in me feels guilty if he can't eat everything.
wahhhh.
Re: It's my annual "no wheat/shellfish/nut/dairy" holiday whine
Hmm... I would say maybe three things? I'm a vegetarian, so I am always happy if a party has more than one veggie option
FYI, I really like this blog and she has a decent amount of vegan recipes. They're not all necessarily appetizer-ish, but I think most would meet his dietary concerns. http://www.fresh365online.com/recipes/category/vegan. There are also some good vegan recipes here, although several have flour (do they make gluten-free flour that you could use a substitute?): http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/recipe-index/
Baby248 - ETA 1/10/13
I seriously LOL'ed at your post title.
I think around 25% allergen-free would be good. As long as that 25% could reasonably constitute a "meal"... like, fruit skewers, gluten free meatballs, and crudite could constitute a decent "meal," IMO.
yeah, I think that sounds appropriate. Especially if BIL doesn't seem to appreciate your efforts anyway. I would set aside three simple things. In addition to the above, white bean dip or hummus (is tahini considered nutty?) and potatoes bravas come to mind.
I agree. I'd try to do a meat (easy enough), an app, 2 sides (fruit and veg shouldn't be too awful), and a bread. Just go to whole foods and save yourself the trouble on the bread- everything else you should be fine with making on your own.
Stand up for something you believe in.
Just a question... have you ever asked him how he'd like to be accommodated? He may have suggestions for you that will make it easier. Or, he may not appreciate it because he fills up before he comes, since he probably can't eat what's offered in most social settings.
My daughter has severe food allergies to dairy/egg/PN/TN, and we usually just tell people we'll bring our own food for her. But, I've also been happy to discuss menu items with friends so that everyone can eat, including my daughter. I personally prefer if someone asks me how they can help us first, though, instead of just trying to make something that will work.
I've been cooking for my BIL for years. I know what he can/can't eat and he knows that there will always be delicious food at my house that he can eat. (In years past I've also had to contend with very picky niece/nephew who constantly changed what they did/didn't eat. Trying to accommodate all of them drove me crazy, as long time ladies can attest
) What's throwing me off this year is the all-appetizer thing and my desire to combine menus as much as possible. Luckily, for the ILs I'm cooking the whole meal but for my side just contributing to the meal. So part of the IL meal can be GF and I'll take out the GF stuff if my fam won't like it. Looks like I answered my own question here.
I just like to complain every year, because it really is quite comical. In years past, I've accommodated say, his dairy aversion b/c the last I knew it was current. Then I watched him down a milkshake at Silver Diner. Oh family!