Thanksgiving the Dairy-Free Carlino Way

As Thanksgiving grows nearer, I find myself in a state of chaos and gratitude. It has become relatively easy to get overwhelmed with the everyday stress of the holidays, and I am using this time writing this blog to take a pause and reflect.

Growing up, as mentioned in my previous blog, we would go around the large table filled with family and friends and say what we were grateful for. While it seemed somewhat silly as a child, I find it highly pertinent and almost needed now. When you don’t ever stop to look around, it becomes very easy to forget all of the things you already have rather than all the things you wish you would have. I often find it easy to take a lot of things for granted, so I try to make it a daily habit to name at least three things that I am grateful for. It isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.

This year, I am grateful for an abundance of things. I am thankful to have gotten this far into a pandemic in good health; along with my family and close friends. I am grateful to have graduated from college with both parents by my side. I am thankful to have a job that provides me with freedom and hope. I am grateful to have people in my life who remind me of the goodness in the world. I am thankful to have even gotten up this morning. It feels like such a small feat to have gotten up or go to and from work safely, yet it is something that not everyone gets. I am grateful for many things, and I hope you are too.

With that said, I felt that I would also share some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes with a slight twist. Due to my dairy intolerance, my family has had to make some adjustments to our holiday feast.

My favorite Thanksgiving dishes have stayed relatively the same since I was little. Those dishes are heavily saturated with butter and milk/cream, so adjustments have been made over the years. Quite honestly, I would body slam any family member for a bigger scoop of mashed potatoes and cornbread. Though, I do admit that I have sometimes just given up and eaten the cornbread anyway despite the butter– it never ends well, but it is terrific at the moment.

For the mashed potatoes, substitute the regular butter for your favorite plant-based butter. Miyoko’s has good stick butter that I have used many times for baking and cooking; I also like earth balance butter. As for the heavy cream or milk, based on what your recipe calls for, the heavy cream can be subbed for coconut cream or cashew cream. Plant-based alternatives for heavy cream also exist if you’d rather stick to simpler things. If your recipe uses milk, try using Lactaid or coconut milk. It may sound weird, but it makes for a very creamy mashed potato; full-fat coconut milk also makes a good sub for sour cream!

Now, for the cornbread. I prefer sweeter cornbread, so the substitutions may vary depending on your preferences! If you want your cornbread to be on the moister side, I recommend plant-based milk of your choosing and good oil. When I say good oil, I tend to avoid corn oil simply because it doesn’t help my body in any capacity. If you are okay using corn oil, that’s good too.

If you want to make your cornbread gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free flour and follow your favorite recipe. Some recipes use cornflour or cornmeal, while others just sub for gluten-free flour like almond. If you want something even more straightforward, buy gluten-free cornbread mix and add your wet ingredients!

To wrap up my Thanksgiving blog, I want to say that I am grateful for all of you who have read this and my other posts. It truly means the absolute world to me. Hearing and seeing everyone commenting and telling me in person how much they enjoy it means more to me than anyone could ever know. I am grateful I get to share my love for writing, food, and my family with all of you.

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and stop in either of our markets if you need a little bit of Carlino’s goodness in your life. Especially for our vegan pumpkin pie!!