There is something so cute about pumpkins. It has a lot to do with their spunky orange color and their round, squatty shapes. They just make me happy! Pumpkin patches and arrangements of Mums and fall leaves are now turning up, featuring all sizes of pumpkins on front porches and in windows. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting crisper. All of this puts me
in the mood for a nice warm Pumpkin Spice Muffin and a hot cup of coffee.
It's like that with all of the rest of the wonderful foods connected with this season, but unfortunately, most of the favorite holiday dishes we look forward to are
way out of the realm of acceptable "clean eating" for those of us with
food sensitivities (and most of them are hazardous to anyone's
health). Sadly, in the past years, we have had to go
without, or settle for stripped down, bland, lack luster "healthy food"
that caused our friends
and family to sympathize with us, but certainly not want to share. I just couldn't give up, though, on warm, savory turkey dressing
wafting herbs and other seasonings, Harvest Pumpkin Bread and everyone's
favorite, homemade Pumpkin Pie, because these dishes are synonymous with the
season!
So,
I've
re-created many of the old favorites (and even a
few original ones) to be gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free, and included them in my cookbook. Not a
single recipe made the cut before it was tested extensively over the
years at many a family gathering. My new, healthy versions competed
alongside the “traditional” recipes. Okay, you may have guessed by
now that I have a “blended” family of eaters. Along with the "clean
eaters," we have some dear ones who feel
that they can consume whatever their eyes set upon without any
consequence. Well, I'll leave that debate for a future post, but suffice
it to say that this group of carefree eaters is a tough sell on
anything they might consider "healthy food," let alone with gluten, dairy and refined sugar removed.
I am pleased to report the outcome of my efforts. My friends and family have been won over to my “good-for-them” recipes as some of them call it. In fact, they routinely request my new renditions of the traditional recipes for repeat performances at the next gathering! This warms my heart because now, the folks I care so much about are happily enjoying healthy food. No one feels like they're missing out on a thing. In fact, I like to not even mention that there is something surprisingly “different” about my Orange Cranberry Crumble or Eggnog Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce until the last crumb is gone. The reactions when they find out are always so entertaining, enthusiastic and rewarding.
I am pleased to report the outcome of my efforts. My friends and family have been won over to my “good-for-them” recipes as some of them call it. In fact, they routinely request my new renditions of the traditional recipes for repeat performances at the next gathering! This warms my heart because now, the folks I care so much about are happily enjoying healthy food. No one feels like they're missing out on a thing. In fact, I like to not even mention that there is something surprisingly “different” about my Orange Cranberry Crumble or Eggnog Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce until the last crumb is gone. The reactions when they find out are always so entertaining, enthusiastic and rewarding.
~Tracy
About Delightfully Free: Delightfully Free is a gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free cookbook of 141 recipes. It includes delicious resources for autism, celiac disease, diabetes, lactose intolerance, obesity and just plain healthy living. It contains 114 color photographs, 114 vegetarian or vegetarian compatible recipes, and 103 vegan or vegan compatible recipes.
About Delightfully Free: Delightfully Free is a gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free cookbook of 141 recipes. It includes delicious resources for autism, celiac disease, diabetes, lactose intolerance, obesity and just plain healthy living. It contains 114 color photographs, 114 vegetarian or vegetarian compatible recipes, and 103 vegan or vegan compatible recipes.
