Vegan and Gluten-Free Holiday Essentials

by: Melissa Reiss, Purchasing Assistant

Hosting guests with specific dietary needs this holiday season? Not sure what to serve? It’s always best to ask your guests, but here’s a quick run-down of some holiday essentials for two of the more common special diets: gluten-free and vegan.

Plant-Based

There are an array of high-protein meat alternatives that are carried year-round at the Co-op, with some popular brands providing special holiday alternatives to the turkey centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table. Most of these are frozen—simply thaw, roast, slice, and serve (according to package instructions) with your preferred sides!

Field Roast

Field Roast products are crafted from a blend of vegetables, grains, legumes, and vital wheat gluten; so it is not suitable for gluten-free diets. They are vegan.

• Hazelnut Cranberry Plant-Based Roast. With eight servings, this larger roast features a rich blend of hazelnuts, sweet candied ginger, and aromatic rosemary, all seasoned to perfection and encased in a delicious flaky puff pastry.
• Sage Garlic Plant-Based Celebration Roast. This smaller loaf (five servings) is great for a smaller crowd than the other Field Roast. A tasty blend of butternut squash, lentil, onion, and savory herbs.

Tofurky

This brand could be the first that comes to mind for Thanksgiving, as the name is a play on the word turkey. Tofurky is a savory blend of wheat and tofu, so it is not suitable for people avoiding gluten. It is vegan and non-GMO certified.

Tofurky offers the following products that mimic turkey:

• Plant-Based Roast, which is filled with a wild rice stuffing. Five servings.
• Plant-Based Holiday Feast (not available at Willy West) which is the same roast with stuffing, as well as gravy and brownies. Six servings.

For a non-turkey option, they have a Ham-Style Roast which offers a tender, smoky flavor with a sweet, tangy glaze. Five servings.

Gardein

Gardein products contain soy and wheat; so they are not gluten-free. They are vegan and non-GMO certified.

• Turk’y Roast. Serving up to eight, this roast features a savory brown and wild rice, cranberry, and kale stuffing. Accompanying the roast is a rich, vegan gravy, specially developed to complement the meal.
• Savory Stuffed Turk’y. A small roast, serving up to two, this one’s stuffed with tart cranberries and sage with gravy on the side.

Quorn

• Meatless Turkey-Style Roast. This is the most unique of all the offerings. It’s made from an innovative protein source from mushrooms called mycoprotein. It is very important to note that—although it is meatless—it is not suitable for vegans; as it contains egg and cow’s milk products. It is gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO.

Dairy Replacers

Aside from meat, people following a vegan diet also avoid dairy products. The Co-op has a wide variety. Here are several to choose from.

• Sour Cream: Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, Forager Project, Kite Hill.
• Butter: Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, Earth Balance Buttery Spread, Miyoko’s Creamery Cultured Vegan Butter.
• Cheese: Many styles and brands to choose from. These are merchandised away from the dairy cheese department to hopefully avoid any confusion.
• Milk and Cream: Once again, there are many styles and brands to choose from, from oat to almond to soy.

Gluten-Free

Gluten—a natural protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley—can be a hidden ingredient in many holiday dishes. While obvious in pasta and bread, it can also appear in items such as gravy, posing a challenge for those on a gluten-free diet.

Wheat Flour

• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour & Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour. These two are very similar products, and can both be used for simple purposes like thickening gravy, but if you are looking to make something more complex like biscuits, here’s a rundown of the differences between the two:
  • Both blends contain tapioca flour for light texture and sorghum flour for its mild flavor, smooth texture, and high protein, forming a neutral base.
  • The Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour also includes garbanzo bean, potato, and fava bean flours for protein and body. It does not contain xanthan gum; you’ll need to add it for most recipes (a chart is provided).
  • The Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour features sweet white rice, brown rice, and potato starch as a mild, neutral base suitable for sweet recipes. It also contains sorghum and tapioca flours, plus xanthan gum already blended in, making it a simple cup-for-cup replacement in most baking.
• King Arthur Baking Co Gluten-Free All-Purpose Biscuit & Baking Mix. There’s also a gluten-free flour blend from Pamela’s, but it’s in a very large bag.

Bread Crumbs

• Kikkoman Gluten-Free Panko Style Coating.

Gravy Mixes

• Simply Organic Turkey Flavored Gravy Mix (0.85 oz packet) is gluten-free and available at Willy East and Willy North.

Heat-and-Eat Gravy

• Imagine Foods Roasted Turkey Flavored Gravy, Savory Beef Flavored Gravy, and Vegan Wild Mushroom Gravy
• Primal Kitchen No-Dairy Classic Gravy made with Turkey Bone Broth.

Cream of…Soups

• Pacific Organic Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup & Health Valley Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup.