Multiple dietary needs -- what would you cook for this crowd?

[msjones]

If you had to cook a special meal that had these restrictions, what would you cook?

 

-no dairy

-no meat

-no seafood

-no gluten

-no nuts

(and for my mother -- nothing spicy)

 

This is my extended family. I am the go-to cook. I like to cook and I'm good at it. But this is quite challenging.

 

Do I just need to do a buffet with lots of variety? Of course, I could do that.

 

Or, perhaps, is there a magical make-everyone-happy menu that one of you knows about? (That's my hope...)

 

Thoughts? Websites? Help?

[Whereneverever]

Some sort of beans and rice dish?

[jeninok]

What about a baked potato bar with tons of toppings? Each person could pick and choose what they wanted and was safe to eat, I might do a taco bar this weekend for much the same reason!

 

You could make tacos quite mild, but still flavorful, and have a meat filling and/or a bean filling.

[Sara in AZ]

Soups, several different kinds? They are easy to customize to please various folks. Maybe a couple different kinds of salads to go with.

[zoobie]

Can the meat and dairy be on the side?

 

-Vegetarian chili with toppings (hot sauce to add spice on the side), tortilla chips

-Baked potato bar

-Taco bar

Salad

Fruit salad

Vegan, flourless chocolate cake with coconut "whipped cream"

[Tita Gidge]

A simple veggie stirfry served over white rice or wrapped in a corn tortilla. Add tempeh or tofu if your people are adventurous, which you can cut small, same size as a broccoli floret, and maybe they won't even notice it's not a veggie LOL. To get around the gluten component, you could use the Bragg's Amino Acids as your shoyu base. You could cook meat separately and offer on the side (shrimp, chicken, sliced beef), or .... not. Make it mild, but have chili sauce on the side for those wanting more spice. Maybe offer 2-4 other side dishes: garlic green beans, sesame asparagus, roasted potatoes, sauteed eggplant, pineapple/carrot saute, etc.

 

Add a simple salad with ginger dressing (most recipes meet your dietary restrictions) on the side. You might add a miso soup, too. It does use dashi, though; I'm not sure if the no-seafood request is a preference or an allergy thing so look carefully at those recipes. Or add a veggie broth soup.

 

If served as a wrap, you could treat it as an Asian fajita and serve with a side of sauteed bell peppers/onion and a small scoop of fried rice (omit the egg for the dairy person).

 

Or .... stuffed bell peppers? Use something like quinoa in place of the beef. Half of them will never notice LOL. Skip the cheese on top for all (or just those needing to avoid dairy).

 

If the restrictions aren't life-threatening allergies, I'd maybe fire up the grill and do shish-ka-bobs. Some shrimp, some chicken, some beef, some veggie (eggplant and mushrooms are filling choices for the "meat" part). Serve with some grilled corn on the cob, a salad, and white rice or potatoes. Everyone picks or makes his own :) Maybe it's not the right time of year for that yet, though? LOL

 

There are always veggie fajitas, too. Use squash, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini as the main mix. Offer sides of beans and rice (we like rice mixed with the frozen packages of carrots and peas, I just toss the frozen bag in during the last ten minutes of the rice cooker cycle). Offer corn tortillas, or serve on a platter. On the side you can have avocado slices, corn chips and a variety of salsas; maybe offer shredded cheese and sour cream for the dairy-allowed. It's easy to pre-cook meat on the side to warm up and offer upon request (shrimp, chicken or beef) if you go that route.

 

Maybe minestrone with rice instead of noodles and veggie broth instead of chicken (if necessary to accomodate the non-meat eaters).

 

Maybe a veggie chili, which could be served over baked potatoes.

 

I like to cook, too. We have some restrictions but not as many as you have {insert tiny prayer of thanksgiving} but these are what I'd consider doing if I were faced with your challenge. Good luck!

[bettyandbob]

I would try to find a nonspicy black beans recipe (I used to have a good one with vinegar and onions)

veggie sir fry

grilled veggies

rice, brown rice

quinoa

cut fruit

[msjones]

What about a baked potato bar with tons of toppings? Each person could pick and choose what they wanted and was safe to eat, I might do a taco bar this weekend for much the same reason!

 

You could make tacos quite mild, but still flavorful, and have a meat filling and/or a bean filling.

 

 

I have done the taco/fajita/Mexican bar thing for this crew in the past and it's great. But, this is supposed to be 'nicer' than that.

 

I think I see a buffet in my near future...

[stripe]

How about individual vege quiche-like things, with no crusts, and no dairy?

Plus soup and salad and some kind of dessert?

 

Otherwise I would say veges and rice.

[Bang!Zoom!]

I'd look at vegan foods, probably rice dishes as the main course.

[Dandelion]

Since you've done Mexican food in the past and want something different, I'd look at Indian or Thai recipes online and see whether something strikes your fancy. Wonderful rice and veggie dishes that are free of the allergenic foods you're avoiding.

 

Just one note of caution: don't use any sauces (soy sauce, etc.) unless they are specifically labeled as gluten-free and nut-free. Allergen-free sauces are available at health food stores, or you can look up allergen-free substitutions online.

[Plateau Mama]

It all depends on who cant have what. If we are talking one person doesnt do mey, one doesnt do dairy, on is GF etc, id do something lie the following:

 

meat dish (covers GF, DF, NUT)

Vegetarian dishes (covers MEAT FREE, possibly GF & DF, Nut), maybe a veg or heavy soup, substance

Bread (for everyone but GF)

Paleo Dessert (DF, GF)

Regular dessert

 

If one person can't have several, and another can't have several my menu might be different. In general I like to do one eun everyone can have, but I think I would be difficult with the list you've got to ske a nice, filling meal ignoring all of those.

[Parrothead]

Red beans and rice w/o the sausage, put some Cajun seasoning on the table for those who like spicy.

Sauted mixed greens

 

Mediterranean roasted veggies

Spanikorizo (spinach rice pilaf)

 

Pasta Prmavera made with rice pasta or gf pasta

Mixed green salad

 

I'd serve mixed melon salad with any of the above.

[msjones]

These are some great ideas that sound delicious to me. I especially like the mediterranean ideas and the stuffed bell peppers.

 

Naturally (sarcastic), my extended family is also picky -- very opposed to even mildly spicy -- and will reject any bean/rice dishes (except for the vegetarian) and my dad would laugh at the idea of eating anything like quinoa.

 

I think I'll just make lots of options, which,of course, is expensive and time-consuming. But, if, along with the meat and dairy items I include a really lovely salad (homemade dressing) and some beautiful fruit and a rice pilaf for the gf relative, I think that should do it.

 

I think that with this combo of people there just aren't a lot of ways to make 'em all happy.

[happypamama]

I'd do a buffet, with ingredients labeled -- maybe a nice roast or ham, and then assorted sides. Like, at Thanksgiving dinner, there's always so much food that nobody notices that I don't eat turkey (I just don't love turkey, and I'd rather leave room for the other stuff that I love). Or if it's not a super formal meal, lots of appetizer-type stuff (again, labeled). A big green salad with several toppings in small dishes could work well.

 

But part of it would depend on the severity of the issues. If you're talking anaphylactic allergies or extreme physical distress, which could happen from cross-contamination, I'd consider asking people to bring dishes -- the person who is gluten-free could prepare some gluten-free dishes, the dairy-free person could bring some foods safe for him/her, etc. I am pretty sure that I could manage to read labels enough to avoid using any form of dairy or gluten, for instance, but I don't know that I could guarantee that the spoon or pan hadn't ever touched one of those things. If it's just a matter of "Jim can't have too much dairy, but a trace amount wouldn't be an issue," or "Kate does best on a low-gluten diet," that's different, but I'd talk to the family members first.

 

And if everyone brings some of their favorite safe dishes, perhaps they could bring recipes, and everyone might go home with some new things to try!