Tuesday, February 26, 2008

February Tea: Menu (includes Latose- and Gluten-free)

My February tea presented me with the opportunity to expand my tea menu into new territory. One of my guests is sensitive to both dairy and gluten, so my menu includes several items that are lactose-free and gluten-free. I was very grateful for this opportunity to focus on creative and yummy foods that met the needs of my friend! Moreover, the menu (which is also vegetarian) turned out to be quite healthy!

Vegan = (No animal products)
LF = Lactose Free
GF = Gluten Free

Savories
Served with Raspberry Zinger Tisane (GF, herbal) and Ice Wine Tea

Avocado and tomato on nut thins = Vegan, LF, GF
Super yummy and super simple! Just purchase any variety of Blue Diamond Nut Thins and top with a chunk of avocado and half of a grape tomato.















Thanks to Cake Goddess (aka Sweetcakes) for the photos!


Apple/cheddar on toasted whole-grain baguette
Slice whole grain baguette and top with a slice of cheddar cheese and a slice of apple. Toast until cheese is melted.
















Apple, honey and cinnamon on rice cake = LF, GF
Place a slice of apple on rice cake (I broke into halves). Drizzle lightly with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Toast briefly.

Hummus with raw veggies = Vegan, LF, GF
I made this hummus recipe with peanut butter instead of tahini. It was great (thanks, Esme!).


Tea Breads
Same teas as first course

Gluten-Free Pantry Muffins = LF, GF (I'm not sure if they're Vegan)
These were very tasty! The mix could have been used to make GF scones, but required butter. My friend couldn't have butter, so I instead used the muffin recipe and olive oil. Also, I used Silk vanilla milk in lieu of dairy milk.

Desserts
Served with Apple-Cinnamon tisane (GF, herbal) and White Elderflower Tea
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries = GF
Fresh Fruit = Vegan, GF, LF
Homemade Turtles (thanks, Cake Goddess!)
Cheese and Crackers

If you host a tea party and a guest requires gluten-free food, I recommend that you review the menu with her or him in advance. In addition, ask your guest for the Gluten-Free shopping list! Just because you think a product is gluten-free doesn't mean it is. For example, my friend can only consume certain brands of honey. This was an important learning experience for me! Likewise, only certain brands of tea are on the all-clear list. Coeliac Disease and other food sensitivities are serious issues, and it's always best to err on the side of caution.

6 comments:

Joyce said...

Yikes, you had a whole list of diet issues to work around and I think you did a GREAT job of accomidating your friends. What a sweet person you are to do that. It's not easy to have food allergies so when you find someone or somewhere that will help you and work with you....it is a HUGE thing.
Thanks for doing that for your friends.....so nice of you.
You might pass these ideals onto your local Tea Shop as well.
Joyce

Anonymous said...

Wonderful ideas! We have tea patrons in every now and then with this allergy. Thanks for sharing this.

Vee said...

Mmm, sounds delicious! As a vegetarian with a lactose-intolerant best friend, meat-and-potatoes SO, and allergy-prone roommate, I know challenging it can be to plan for everyone. However, I find (and it sounds like you did, too) that the challenges just require some creativity (and maybe some specialty grocery shopping) and can have some fantastic outcomes.

Glad to link you, and that you're enjoying my blog. :)

Philigry said...

these all look do good. you always have such good ideas.

sweetcakes said...

This was a very creative menu and all was delicious!

Alice said...

Your friends must have been especially touched at the extra effort you put in on this tea. None of my friends have any food allergies or dietary restrictions but that could certainly change. You did a great job on the menu and all your dishes look so pretty.