Mechatanim are gluten free and sugar free

funkyfrummom

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 11:13 am

amother OP wrote:

My normal Friday night sheva Brochos looks something like this:
Challah
Dips
Salads (all have some kind of sweetener in) on the table
Plated app salmon in pastry
Platters of gefilte fish on the table

Chicken soup with kneidlach

Kishke stuffed capons with sauce (has sugars in it)
Pulled beef or roast
Doughless potato kugelettes (has flour)
Mini sweet potato pies in mini pie shells
Apple kugel in muffin wrappers
Roasted veggies
White rice with diced veggies (they only eat wild rice or quinoa)

Dessert:
Warm apple pie or self saucing chocolate cake or plum cake with vanilla ice cream and toffee bark.
On the table some nuts, chocolates, fruit.
Tea

I can make some of the menus posted but do you see the difference in what my family and kids are used to?

Yes, it's very different for sure-- so maybe just think of this as an exercise in creativity? I am sure you are an amazing cook-- I find that on imamaother almost all of us are pretty great in the food department (sometimes short on time, but definitely not short on skills!)

As someone who has been sugar-free/sweetener free for large stretches (for a medical reason) and who tries to avoid processed carb foods (more for weight reasons).

If I were eating your regular SB menu I would probably only eat on the roast and roast veggies. I can also see myself trying to pick at the salmon around the pastry...and I would have some soup but no kneidlach. I know I would be feeling a little sad too, because I truly love potato kugel, kishke, rice... and your deserts really do sound divine(!!!) But many of us have to be super careful with what goes inside of us (it doesn't mean it is mishegas) Lots of folks who try to go lighter on carbs and sugars. Probably not only the new inlaws will appreciate the yummy things you will come up with given this challenge.

I would just try to reframe it and know that whatever you come up with it will be fabulous and appreciated. You can always leave in some of your signature dishes for your family members that love them, and let the inlaws know that those dishes are not specifically GF/NS.

amother

Coffee

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 12:10 pm

amother OP wrote:

I think my concern is how to please both families. My kids won't touch wild rice for example.
It seems like everything is just spices to flavor things. I don't know how to make things flavorful with just spices.
One of the advantages of many of my usuals is that there are freeze ahead options. Making lots of roasted veggies for a crowd needs to be day of. I need to minimize how much I need to do that day.

Thank you ladies for your help

You’re right about roasted vegetables needing to be done day of. Kugels freeze much better. Broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetable kugels freeze well. You can make them in muffin cups if you want to. Freeze while still warm wrapped well in parchment paper and foil. Put directly from freezer into a very hot oven, uncover last few minutes to crisp them up. If you defrost in fridge or on counter they get soggy. If you’re doing the grilled vegetable bundles you can make them Thursday and reheat Friday.

amother

Dimgray

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 12:38 pm

amother OP wrote:

I totally get it OP.
It's not that it would be hard for you to cook GF/SF for a meal.
It's hard because you are making a wedding and then hosting a Sheva Brachos for a large amount of people, so you have a lot of hacks that you are used to using to make a Sheva Brachos and you can't make them here.
For everyone saying it's easy- it may be for you but you have your cooking time/recipes down to a science and OP wanted to make it fancy using simple ways to do and it can't. That's hard.

Also, just wanted to add that anyone I know that is GF/SF doesn't like the sweet taste either (they've gotten used to not eating it) so they won't miss the sauce or the sugar dressing that you use.

mha3484

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 12:42 pm

How many are you serving and what is your budget? If I am short on time, I make stuff like roasted broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts that can be just dumped out of the bag and roasted. Also the trader joes frozen green beans are fantastic and much easier then cutting up tons of veggies. BUT this can get pricey if your having a huge group. Roasted halved sweet potatoes are also affordable, yummy and look so nice.

https://www.splendidtable.org/.....hment

Esti Wolbe has this salmon idea where you do rows of different toppings so you can make everyone happy. It looks so nice too.

https://www.kosher.com/recipe/.....-5473

amother

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 1:01 pm

I'm the mother of the chosson. Chasuna is on Wednesday. I am not resentful, I'm overwhelmed. I committed to something I thought I could do easily one way and now I need to figure it all out differently.

What's a good pulled beef recipe that's gluten/sweetener free?
Or a roast?
(That doesn't taste like pesach)

What are salad ideas that have no sweetener at all?

Anyone have a stuffed capon recipe that is GF/SF?

Also do I tell them when they come this is ok to eat this isn't? How do I navigate that? I thought not to plate because that way people can take what they are comfortable with.

Thanks so much

Oh also any links to cupcake holders that are pretty and can hold a potato kugel?

amother

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 1:03 pm

mha3484 wrote:

Thanks so much!

50 people.

amother

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 1:07 pm

amother Dimgray wrote:

I really appreciate the empathetic response. Thank you for being so understanding.

They won't miss the sweet but my family will and also I'm not used to developing flavors without it. Most of my recipes have something to balance out the vinegars or other strong flavors, some maple syrup, honey, silan.
Let's just be brutally honest here. Using premade sauces and pastries and pie crust is way easier. I'll just have to reframe this and maybe go simpler and spend more to make it work. I have a feeling I'll need to do a lot of doubles (white rice and quinoa for example) to satisfy all opinions.

kiwi strawberry

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 1:16 pm

amother OP wrote:

Here is a good sauce that can be used for meats that is GF- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.....ss_tl

Mazel tov and hatzlacha!

amother

Coffee

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 1:30 pm

kiwi strawberry wrote:

Here is a good sauce that can be used for meats that is GF- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.....ss_tl

Mazel tov and hatzlacha!

Watch out. Most sauces are gluten free. The problem is that you also need sugar free. Sauces are loaded with sugar. A lot of sweets, sauces, candies, ices, proudly state on the label that they’re gluten free but they contain ridiculous amounts of sugar.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some other grains. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that makes food taste sweet. There are different types. Sucrose is the sugar in sugar cane but there’s also lactose in milk, fructose in fruit, and glucose which is plant based. Honey has both sucrose and fructose and so does maple syrup.
People who avoid sugar are usually avoiding added sugars so your in laws will probably eat melon or berries even though they contain fructose. Bottled sauces full of sugars are off limits.
This obviously doesn’t apply to your Shabbos meals but you might want to ask if they also avoid dairy.

amother

Blushpink

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 1:52 pm

It is difficult to change everything around when you're so used to cooking one way. Especially at a very stressful time when all you want to do is stick to tried and true recipes.
Can you sit everyone who is gf/sf together? For instance, make your salad as usual, but keep one bowl without dressing and put that on their table near them. The same with all the other food, make sure they get the serving platters with the food they can eat. And you let them know by each course which options they can eat.
Also I'm not clear whether this is for dietary/health reasons. Like people with celiac wouldn't be able to eat chicken soup that was cooked with kneidels, but someone who doesn't have a medical problem, could be served from the regular chicken soup, just don't give them kneidels. And the same for other foods. Their food can be 'cross contaminated' as long as you serve them the gf/sf option.
And a lot of your recipes could be adapted to fit. Salmon, there's plenty of great recipes without pastry. You could buy one pack of gf gefilte fish. The mini sweet potatoes could be cooked without pie shells, the apple kugel should be fine, the potato kugelettes can be made without flour (or use a gf flour substitute). You can make your rice, but also make another dish using wild rice or quinoa instead, just enough for them.
Not everything has to be okay for them, you just want to try and make sure they have enough things to eat. And most people I know who are truly restricted food wise (myself included) are easygoing and don't want people to go over the top to ensure everything is perfect and edible for them. If it was me, I would be grateful if I could eat something at each course, including meat/chicken. But I come to meals knowing and expecting not everything will be things I can eat. And I'm fine with that.

watergirl

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 2:08 pm

amother OP wrote:

We're talking about ONE meal, not a new lifestyle. Your kids are going to miss sweet food for ONE meal?

amother Tomato wrote:

Can anyone post some more options for sugar free salads?

OP, you and Tomato asked this. This is so weird to me. I've put sugar in salad dressing now and then but just about none of my salads or dressings have sugar and I can't remember a time when I've been at someone's house and all the salads had sugar.

- Avocado/tomato/hearts of palm salad (find a sugar free mayo or just skip the mayo)
- Tomato salad
- Garden salad
- chumus
- techina
-babagnush
- guac
- matbucha
- eggplant and sweet onions (with actual sweet onions, cooked down to make sweeter on their own - no actual sweetener).
- Egg salad with sautéed onions
- Carrot salad (carrots with olive oil, salt, pepper)
- Beet salad

imaima

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 2:11 pm

amother OP wrote:

I'm wracking my brain to make our Friday night sheva brochos menu with these restrictions. The entire mechatanim family is gluten free and all sugar/sweetener free, some will eat potatoes, some will eat oats. I've made Sheva Brochos before but all my fancy foods and ideas have sugar and/or gluten.
I'm also realizing that most of the foods I can make and freeze also don't fall under the categories they eat.
Please help me make a classy, special Friday night sheva brochos meal with these restrictions. Maybe some special way to plate things?
How do I cook for a crowd, heated up in a blech, preferably some of it in advance without using any of my hacks (sauces, mini kugels, mini pie shells, puff pastry etc).
And what can I serve for dessert????

Why don’t you ask them this question? They are probably more experienced in this than you. They can give you ideas

amother

Dimgray

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 2:12 pm

watergirl wrote:

Come on!
She has different taste buds than you! Many people eat like her.
Why the need to attack the way she eats??

Why not help her with the issues she has now?
And yes, her kids will probably be overtired and overwhelmed. If they don't like any food it will be hard for her!

ETA: I bolded the places you were mean here

watergirl

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 2:15 pm

amother Dimgray wrote:

I’m not sure where you see attacking. I asked about the kids to help her see that perhaps her children will be OK for one meal. And I absolutely helped her by suggesting at least 10 salads without sugar.

Last edited by watergirl on Wed, Jan 31 2024, 2:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

imaima

Wed, Jan 31 2024, 2:19 pm

amother OP wrote:

So is that the most important thing? To cook what your family is used to?
I really think it might benefit your family to try some of your mechutanim‘ recipes.