Christmas Dinner, Allergen-Free

This time of year is always quiet for me. The city empties out, people hunker down or leave town and Jewish people, well, we kind of do our own thing i.e. go to Florida, work, volunteer, hang out or a whole lot of not much. Ever hear the cliché of movies and Chinese food on Christmas for Jewish people? It has a basis in truth. When I was a child in New York City those two things were the only thing open on Christmas Day – that’s changed as lots more stays open later or opens earlier. But because this isn’t my holiday, typically I don’t do much. Until this year, when I decided to co-host a December 25 dinner; like Thanksgiving all over again. The guests were a mix of relatives and friends; Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Christian. And the dinner was all yummy and allergen-free for this allergic girl: no nuts, no fish, no wheat. (It was also low-fat, low salt, part vegan and all super easy).

The recipes were:

 -Brown sugar glazed sweet potatoes by Epicurious ( I omitted the almonds).

 -Beet greens by Food52 (I didn’t make these but it’s a great idea for beet tops).

-Roasted beets (I added orange zest just before serving) – I don’t follow a recipe but here’s a decent one from about.com.

 -Roasted Brussel sprouts (I added lemon zest and juice just before serving) - I don’t follow a recipe but here’s a decent one from about.com.

 -Short ribs – we used this a base recipe then made a few alterations, like less wine.

 -Lemon garlic chicken - no recipe but there are tons on the internet.

 -White rice (pre-made from a local Chinese restaurant, so fluffy!) mixed with butter and parsley.

What was your holiday like? Did you travel? Volunteer? Make or attend a family dinner?