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Give me some ideas . .. Finger food for Christmas GF and DF and no/little sugar

Tenaj

By Tenaj,
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Tenaj

Tenaj

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My dil is gluten-free, dairy-free and mostly sugar free (honey or coconut sugar is ok in small quantities).  I'm not going to do a big meal for Christmas Day but am going to do spiral ham in my roaster and then just finger foods is the goal.  You all helped me out immensely when I needed gluten free cookies for her rehearsal dinner so I have dessert under control but do you have any favorite dips/ finger foods that will fit the bill.  I have the veggie tray and fruit tray of course but was trying to make something special that she could have.  Are the dairy free cream cheeses good?  I mean, if I make a hot sausage dip with dairy free cream cheese are we all going to disappointed or will no one notice the difference?  I'll have a sausage tray with gluten free crackers and tortilla chips available with salsa - is there a good taco dip type recipe that I can make with the restrictions or is that a no-go.

I never realized how gluten and dairy heavy (never mind the sugar) our diets are until my dear dil joined the family!  I want her to feel included so my goal is to just move to naturally cooking that way at least when she is here.  I"m doing well for regular meals - she and I both love potatoes so it's a treat for me when she's here to buy the tiny potatoes and roast up a panful and the meat is, of course, no trouble.

Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner is Ravioli and she already told me not to worry about fixing anything for her - that she would bring Chipotle for herself 🙂  She really doesn't want a fuss made but I'd like to at least have one dish/dip  that's special for her and us to enjoy on Christmas day.

 

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Tap

Tap

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For guests with diet restrictions, i don’t change everything. I make sure there are dome options they can have, but still keep other family favorites too. If she asks to bring anything, consider having her bring a dip to go with the others. 
Check out Downshiftology website. She may have something that will work and her food is really yummy! under her recipe tab you can sort for dairyfree and then just check recipes for the other ingredients and modify if appropriate. 

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marbel

marbel

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Hummus seems to be a near-universally loved food and it seems to tick all your boxes. Maybe that is more mundane than you are looking for? We like roasted red peppers blended in, or cilantro.

Muhammara is a delicious red pepper/walnut dip. Here is one recipe that is specifically GF.  I've not made this one but it is similar to the one I have made.

https://cuminandyin.com/gluten-free-muhammara-vegan-red-pepper-walnut-dip/

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Ali in OR

Ali in OR

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I want to try to make a dip our Indian host made for a department get-together. She served it as a dip with something like Tostitos scoops, but as I google the ingredients I see similar things called a salad. Anyway, all I know at this point as I was guessing the ingredients out loud is canned garbanzo beans, red pepper and cucumber cut pretty small, garlic, lemon juice, and the ingredient I didn't guess and hadn't heard of, chaat masala. I am not a garbanzo bean person, but I was eating scoop after scoop of this stuff. And want to try to re-create it. Fits our dietary goals too.

Hummus is probably easier though!

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marbel

marbel

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4 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I want to try to make a dip our Indian host made for a department get-together. She served it as a dip with something like Tostitos scoops, but as I google the ingredients I see similar things called a salad. Anyway, all I know at this point as I was guessing the ingredients out loud is canned garbanzo beans, red pepper and cucumber cut pretty small, garlic, lemon juice, and the ingredient I didn't guess and hadn't heard of, chaat masala. I am not a garbanzo bean person, but I was eating scoop after scoop of this stuff. And want to try to re-create it. Fits our dietary goals too.

Hummus is probably easier though!

Sounds like chana chaat?   https://www.madhuseverydayindian.com/chana-chaat-recipe/

 

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klmama

klmama

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I'd make cowboy caviar with honey instead of sugar.  It's tasty eaten as a salad, too.  Make sure everyone else knows not to dip crackers or other foods she can't have into it.  

I encourage you to read all packaging carefully and keep it available for her to read.  Some sausages contain gluten (in flour, starch, etc.), some tortilla chips do (as flour or oats), etc.  

If you decide you want to make some gluten-free, dairy-free ravioli just for her, Cappello's almond flour pasta makes a butternut squash ravioli and Manini's makes a spinach and artichoke ravioli.  Just make sure any sauce for her is kept separate, as someone may get gluten onto the serving spoon by touching their regular ravioli with it.  

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kbutton

kbutton

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I would try to find out what her favorite dairy substitutes are. If she chooses to avoid substitutes because they aren’t great, maybe she would share some recipes.

I think going naturally GF and DF is the easiest for you, but if you can make family favorites without killing the budget or making them taste off, that can be nice.

I agree with @Tap about not replicating everything and just making sure she has safe foods.

Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts are good. We dip them in sweet and sour sauce, but I bet there are savory sauces for it too. They are good not dipped also.

2 hours ago, Tenaj said:

I never realized how gluten and dairy heavy (never mind the sugar) our diets are until my dear dil joined the family! 

Part of it is just getting past the idea of no this and no that. I am that way, and I have food restrictions myself. 

DF is harder than GF, IMO. Low sugar is really not that hard except for holidays.

Anything you might normally serve on squares of bread or crackers might translate to those GF cauliflower pizza crusts. I think they are DF too. It might take a little playing around to know if you need to bake then cut them or cut and then bake, if that makes sense.

There are a lot of good GF cracker options for charcuterie—just make sure everything on the board is safe or segregate her items for her. 

Finding reliable substitutions for tried and true stuff will work itself out over time. As you get to know her, you’ll find a way to learn what she does without putting her on the spot, and she’ll feel more comfortable making suggestions.

 

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PeterPan

PeterPan

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If you can budge on the fingerfood thing a *little*, quinoa salad is gf, df, and something everyone I serve it to at events likes. The recipe (Colorful Quinoa Salad) was on the Kraft My Food and Family site. Now they've moved everything to Heinz and I can't find it. If you google for a pic, the ingredients are obvious. Cook the quinoa in chicken broth (I use the instant pot, don't overcook or it will turn to mush), throw in a can of corn, black beans, chopped up peppers and onion, finely chopped ham, etc., then toss with Zesty Italian dressing. Super easy, addictive.

What about a large roaster of baked potatoes for a baked potato bar? Not any harder than finger food, cheap, and easy to do df or by providing df versions of toppings for her. 

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marbel

marbel

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This is not a dip, nor strictly a finger food - well, we ate them with our fingers but we are very casual and some people would be disgusted - but they are fun and very delicious. The recipe calls for sour cream but I am quite sure I have had beautiful sour cream substitutes in vegan restaurants, though I don't know what they are. Anyway... Indian-ish Baked Potatoes (NYT gift link). Oh, and this is another use for chaat masala which you will be buying (or making)! 💗

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020153-indian-ish-baked-potatoes?unlocked_article_code=1.HE0.uUvm.C8C8yi5L0gWZ&smid=share-url

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kbutton

kbutton

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I am thinking of another angle—is she asking for not making a fuss because in addition to GF/DF/no sugar, she’s somewhere between not a foodie and picky or actually picky?

Because the minute you mention food issues people want to do one of two things: replicate everything “normal” whether it’s good or not that way (and if she previously could eat stuff, she might absolutely hate some substitutes) or cook all kinds of stuff that no one had ever heard of when I was a kid (grew up in a rural area). I had to Google some of the suggestions in this thread. That’s quite a leap and lot to negotiate if she’s not an adventurous eater. It can take a long time to feel comfortable letting people know you’re palate is not as broad as theirs when they are knocking themselves out to try to accommodate your food issues already. Even mild pickiness is so very frowned on.

Anyway, just another thought about why she might be trying to avoid a fuss. It doesn’t make you “not safe” if she thinks this way, but she might not yet be that comfortable.

There is a lot of perfectly fine food in this thread alone that I either legit do not like or that I would not want to try in front of people, for instance. I was a super taster/smeller as a child and even now, I might like, say, one brand of hummus and find another revolting while someone else would not even be able to tell a difference. I’m now squarely on the adventurous side of picky, but finding something on a restaurant menu with choices is very different than being presented with a planned meal at someone’s house, IYKWIM. I nearly had agoraphobia as a kid over the idea of eating out or at someone’s house because the possibilities for being embarrassed when someone’s normal food smell could all but make me barf were numerous. 

YMMV, but just another thought. 

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Tenaj

Tenaj

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@kbutton  you have read the situation very accurately, I think.  She is or was a very picky eater as a child - partly because of unidentified sensitivities and partly just personality.  She and my son joke that their kids are going to be picky because both of them were picky as kids.  Thank you for your input and the reminder - that was one of the reasons I have not done a lot special recipes for her.  

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kbutton

kbutton

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3 minutes ago, Tenaj said:

@kbutton  you have read the situation very accurately, I think.  She is or was a very picky eater as a child - partly because of unidentified sensitivities and partly just personality.  She and my son joke that their kids are going to be picky because both of them were picky as kids.  Thank you for your input and the reminder - that was one of the reasons I have not done a lot special recipes for her.  

Aw, it sounds like you are well-situated to handle it. 🙂

There is cautious picky and there is PICKY, and foodies do.not.get.it (and everyone is a foodie these days, lol). It sounds like you do get it, and she’s likely to feel safe enough to try stuff for you over time if it’s new to her.

We have a family in our family where 3/4 are picky. One likes a lot of things that picky eaters don’t usually like; two are severely picky in more predictable ways, but if they are comfortable and not made to feel pressured, they’ll try stuff. It’s a lot of fun when someone stumbles onto something they end up liking. They make me look like I’ll eat anything, lol! They always bring something they like to eat for family dinners, and over time, everyone knows their favorites for staples.

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Clarita

Clarita

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I'd probably just put out some whole foods for her (as opposed to processed foods). I find that with store processed foods random things just sneak in there unless you know how to read the food label. 

Whole foods meaning carrot sticks, olives, celery sticks, cherry tomato, foods whose ingredient list is just that food. 

I don't know how sensitive she actually is. For my BIL, if a food has the word "flavorings" or just "spices" I won't serve that to him, because that might include gluten ( or sugar in your case even if it's a savory food).  

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Bambam

Bambam

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We have two friends with celiac disease that are extremely sensitive. I've had one over to my house for meals (taco bar) and he gets the GF chips first, the shredded cheese, the lettuce (I bought a bag of shredded lettuce), and I bought the individual cups of Wholly Guacamole for him.  He brought his own taco meat because there is no way I can prepare it safety for him (my cookware/utensils/etc have already been contaminated).  If he has the tiniest amount, he will get sick, so he is very very cautious. 

There is no way I can make anything for my other friend. She even has some problems with lotions and chapsticks because of minute gluten contamination. 

So, depending upon how sensitive your dil is, any homemade food in a non GF home can be an issue. 

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Tenaj

Tenaj

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1 hour ago, Bambam said:

We have two friends with celiac disease that are extremely sensitive. I've had one over to my house for meals (taco bar) and he gets the GF chips first, the shredded cheese, the lettuce (I bought a bag of shredded lettuce), and I bought the individual cups of Wholly Guacamole for him.  He brought his own taco meat because there is no way I can prepare it safety for him (my cookware/utensils/etc have already been contaminated).  If he has the tiniest amount, he will get sick, so he is very very cautious. 

There is no way I can make anything for my other friend. She even has some problems with lotions and chapsticks because of minute gluten contamination. 

So, depending upon how sensitive your dil is, any homemade food in a non GF home can be an issue. 

Thankfully she is not super-sensitive so not celiac just avoids gluten.  I am thankful because it makes everything so much easier for her 

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lmrich

lmrich

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How kind of you to care and serve her well. I am gf and dairy free, too, and it can be so hard to go to a gathering. I  would not  subsitute dairy free for the recipes and expect them to turn out  ok.

You  have  gottten  good advice. Keep some fresh fruit available, so she can grab a snack if she wants. 

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KungFuPanda

KungFuPanda

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Can you do corn chips and a bean dip with guacamole or some other gf chip with hummus. The nyt had a recipe for a white bean thing with tomatoes served as a hot dip. You can add df cheese or skip the cheese. It would look nice and Christmasy with fresh basil sprinkled on top. 
 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019681-cheesy-white-bean-tomato-bake

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