Thanksgiving Practice Dinner (Why Did I Think This Would Be Easy?)

Earlier this week I decided that I wanted to try out a few more recipes before Thanksgiving. Somehow I thought I could make green bean casserole from scratch (including making my own fried onions), mashed potatoes with bacon gravy and chicken all in about the same time as a usual dinner. About halfway through the cooking I was thinking, why did I ever think this was a good idea? At least I had made the cranberry sauce the day before.

I was getting pretty stressed when I realized I had been cooking for over an hour and I was still working on the green bean casserole. Tommy was fussy and running back and forth between the living room and the kitchen. It was a really long 2.5 hours. I'm surprised that everything actually came together in the end. It was like our own little mini delicious Thanksgiving dinner. On a weeknight.

I was wiped out and the kitchen was a disaster, but at least the food was delicious. Although Tommy wasn't fooled. Even with gravy he still knew the mashed potatoes were made with white potatoes and wouldn't eat them. 

Since there are several recipes from that night, I decided to give each recipe its own page and just put the links here. 

Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Potatoes with Bacon Gravy
Quick Baked Chicken Tenderloins
Cranberry Sauce

Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole

Note: For this casserole, I used the solids and liquid separately from one can of coconut milk. I know that the coconut milk I have in my pantry already has the solids and liquid separated. If you're unsure, put the unopened can of coconut milk in the fridge for several hours. When you're opening the can, scoop out the solids to measure 1 cup and then use the remaining coconut milk for the fried onions. 

This casserole took a long time to make, but it was delicious. I love green bean casserole, and this recipe is very similar to the good old traditional cream of mushroom and french fried onion classic.

Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole

8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup thick coconut milk solids from can (see note above)
1 cup broth
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp sherry
1 Tbsp potato or tapioca starch
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground thyme
4 cans green beans, drained
3 cups Gluten Free French Fried onions (see below), divided

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with oil or nonstick spray.
2. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme in oil until browned. Add the garlic and saute for 1 min.
3. Add the sherry and starch, stirring for a minute. Add the broth and coconut milk. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. 
4. Combine mushroom sauce with green beans and 1 cup of Gluten Free French Fried Onions.
5. Pour casserole into baking dish. Top with the remaining 2 cups of fried onions. Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes

Gluten Free French Fried Onions

1 large onion
Liquid from 1 can coconut milk (see note above)
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Canola oil for frying

1. Cut onion in half and slice into thin slices.
2. Put the coconut milk into a large bowl. Soak the onion slices in the milk.
3. Combine the sorghum flour, potato starch, salt, and pepper in a gallon ziploc bag. Close and shake well to mix.
4. In a heavy bottomed pot, add enough oil to be at least an inch deep. Heat oil over medium high heat.
5. Working in small batches, shake the excess coconut milk from the onion slices and place in bag. Seal and shake thoroughly to coat all the pieces in the flour mixture. You want the onion slices to be pretty dry. If they are still wet, toss the onions in a little more potato starch.
6. Fry the onions for several minutes until crispy. The onions won't turn dark brown, but they will become more firm when they are crispy. Drain on paper towels. 
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have cooked all the onions.