The holiday season is all about showing your friends and family how much you care about them. And what better way to show them than cooking them a complete, delicious meal with simple ingredients? But, if your family is anything like mine, you’ll be dealing with enough food allergies and dietary restrictions to make an ingredients list feel more like a minefield than the base for a yummy dinner. So, I have compiled a gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, vegan meal that will please even the most sensitive guests.

Florentine Salad

INGREDIENTS (Ingredients should be measured to fit amount of guests and to taste):

• Arugula
• 1 apple
• Walnuts (optional)
• Gorgonzola cheese (optional)
• Honey
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash arugula, pat dry and put into a bowl.

2. Wash and chop the apple and add to bowl. Crumble cheese and crush walnuts, add to the salad.

3. Separately, mix 2 tsp of honey and olive oil, salt and dress salad.

Spaghetti Marinara

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can (35 ounces)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound thin spaghetti OR 1 pound shredded cucumber

DIRECTIONS:

1. Squeeze tomatoes with your hand to break them up. Remove any hard pieces.

2. Combine oil, mushrooms and garlic in a large skillet. Cook slowly and gently over low heat until garlic is golden but not brown. Increase heat and add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and cook for 10-12 minutes until most of the water has evaporated and sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Place cooked spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with sauce.

Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 apples, peeled and sliced
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 1 cube butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour – rice/oat based

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put peeled and sliced apples into a pie pan, sprinkle with cinnamon.

2. With two knives or a pastry cutter, cut butter into sugar and flour and mix together until crumbly.

3. Sprinkle flour mixture over apples.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Put all of this together and you will have a tasty, healthy, and allergen-free meal for your loved ones!