By Rachel Forrest

One of my friends was finally going to meet her son’s girlfriend at Thanksgiving a few years ago. She called me up all excited about meeting her and gushed on about how she was going to welcome the girlfriend into the family with the whole traditional Thanksgiving dinner — her grandmother’s sausage and apple stuffing and the giblet gravy, the Brussels sprouts with bacon and of course the 25-pound turkey. Two days later she calls again, totally panicked.

“Oh by the way, Mom,” said delightful son. “Sarah’s a vegetarian.” What to do, what to do?

No problem! There are plenty of ways to honor the vegetarians at the Thanksgiving table and, while doing so, to honor your own inner vegetarian. First off, there’s the interesting Tofurky way to go. The stuffed roll is made from tofu, wheat and wheat gluten and has the spices in it to make it taste like turkey and simulate turkey in style. I’ve tasted it and it’s really pretty good.

While I’m not a big fan of making foods seem like meat — I do understand the nostalgia factor in bringing back some of the Thanksgiving feel for everyone by having something turkey like for the vegetarian. But I prefer to offer a very interesting vegetarian main dish instead with a meat-free gravy as well. That and a huge variety of side dishes, which you’re making anyway, is just fine.

You can make all of your appetizers and pre-dinner snacking fare vegetarian too in ways that everyone will like. Hummus, guacamole, bruschetta — you really needn’t change a thing. Make sure you prepare a vegetarian stuffing baked in a separate dish in the oven — if the stuffing is cooked in the bird, it’s not vegetarian. And find out if your guest eats dairy or eggs as well. If you put cream in your mashed potatoes and you have a vegan coming for dinner, make some mashed with vegetable stock or pureed parsnips instead or in addition to your usual.

Some other tips are to call a vegetarian-friendly restaurant like the Green Earth Café in Exeter, Madeline’s Totally Organic Kitchen in Portsmouth or Susty’s in Northwood and order up an entrée you can pick up. Arrange for some or all of the guests to contribute a dish. And sure, you can go faux with Tofurky (www.tofurky.com) or the Celebration Roast from Field Roast (www.fieldroast.com, a wheat flour faux turkey with a butternut squash and apple stuffing.

An easy vegetarian gravy can be made by boiling some in season root veggies like carrots, parsnips and turnips with herbs and onions until soft, straining out the vegetables, reducing and thickening with a roux just like you would a gravy made from pan drippings. And stuffing could simply be your bread with mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes for even more flavor. Moisten the stuffing with a nice apple cider or white wine. There’s plenty of late harvest produce for the sides so go nuts.

Some great main dish ideas are lasagna with winter squash or a hearty risotto with mushrooms and squash. A veggie shepherd’s pie is a great option as well, made with mushrooms and even a red cabbage. This is one my friend made on that fateful Thanksgiving Day when her son brought the new girlfriend and announced their engagement. Surprise! Bring Mom a big bottle of wine! And what are you serving at the wedding mom-in-law?

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Pre-heat oven to 425° F. Caramelize one large chopped Vidalia onion with 2 tablespoons butter. Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for about a minute. Add 3 tablespoons butter and 2 large sliced portabello mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of red wine and 2 cups water or vegetable stock. Stir in ¼ cup tomato paste. Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in 1 teaspoon chopped basil and 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat.

Make mashed potatoes in whatever way you like (check about that dairy factor) using about 3 cups of diced potato. Press the mashed potatoes into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 by 12 baking dish. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the dish. Cover with the rest of the mashed potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are browning. If your guest isn’t vegan, you can top with cheese as well. Serves six.

The Dish

There are still farmers markets for the Holidays! On Nov. 17 and Dec. 22, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., McIntosh Atlantic Culinary Academy (MACA) will sponsor and host the Holiday farmers markets with more than 20 vendors from around the Seacoast attending to sell their goods. Vendors will arrive at MACA, 181 Silver St., in Dover, and set up their locally grown produce. The market provides an arena for residents to support local farmers and food producers. It’s all the great stuff you got every week from the farmers markets in May to October, but in November and December! Get heirloom variety pumpkins and maple syrup, cookies, lamb, produce and even greens. Participating farms and local food businesses include the Back River Farm, McClary Hill Farm, Andy’s Greens, Meadow’s Mirth, New Roots Farm and White Heron Tea among many more. Support local farmers at 181 Silver St. in Dover. For information, call 750-1500 or visit www.seacoasteatlocal.org.

Rachel Forrest is a former restaurant owner who lives in Portsmouth. Her column appears Wednesdays in Go&Do. Her restaurant review column, Dining Out, appears Thursdays in Spotlight magazine. Hear her on Wine Me Dine Me with co-host Susan Tuveson at 6 p.m., Fridays on WSCA-FM 106.1. She can be reached by e-mail at rforrest@seacoastonline.com.

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Besides being able to feel good about your purchases, buying green products may actually make you feel better, too. “There definitely are health benefits to going green,” says Caroline Judy, manager of intragovernmental support services for the County of Santa Clara Facilities and Fleet Department.

People often they don’t realize the chemicals in their carpets, paints and furniture are emitting toxic fumes every day.

Studies have found common organic pollutants appearing at levels two to five times higher inside homes than outside, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Santa Clara County has made a commitment to endorse green methods and use paints with few or no volatile organic compounds and biodegradable cleaning products throughout its facilities, Judy says.

“We believe that the county, as an employer and community leader, has a leadership role to play,” she said.

County officials hope that as awareness of green building proliferates, a trickle-down effect occurs at the residential level. Dave Edwards does, too.

He is the owner of Earth Bound Homes, a green design, consulting and contracting firm in Santa Clara that remodels and builds homes as green as possible.

“What brings people in is the cost,” he says. “What sells people is that we don’t charge more for green. But what they really get into is the durability and the health (benefits).”

The EPA recommends limiting the use of formaldehyde and other VOC products inside the home. Edwards says that traditional carpets break down over time, and through a process known as off-gassing, they continue to release chemicals into the air long after installation.

He recommends using reclaimed hardwoods or alternative flooring options that require fewer chemicals to clean.

Nowadays, nearly everything needed to build and decorate a home can be found in a more eco-friendly version: bed linens and pillowcases can be made of organic cotton or highly durable hemp; cushion stuffing and wall insulation is available in a nontoxic form.

http://www.mercurynews.com/losgatos/ci_7034074

Meagan and Katie McGovern are two sisters who have always been there for each other. When Katie struggled with being a single mother, Meagan stepped in to help her raise her son Matthew. Years later, when Meagan started her own family and became overwhelmed by her toddler Sander’s ceaseless tantrums, screaming, and sleeplessness, Katie gave up her lucrative job in hotel administration and relocated to Austin to help Meagan cope.

Unlike in celiac disease, where the removal of gluten from the diet always leads to a lessening of symptoms, not all Autism Spectrum Disorder children respond to a gluten-free, casein-free diet. However, enough do to merit giving it a try, and Meagan McGovern wasted no time.

Photo by John Anderson

They decided to start up an organic dessert company, combining Meagan’s love of baking with Katie’s catering experience and business acumen. The business took off, and they were doing well, when it became apparent that Sander was not just going through a difficult phase: He was beginning to show signs of autism. At 22 months, he still wasn’t talking. He refused to play and didn’t respond to his name. He spent much of his time moaning aloud. Never one to take things lying down, Meagan researched Sander’s symptoms on the Internet and found that many children his age with similar behavior patterns were diagnosed as having ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“The way they think of it now, there is a spectrum of autism-related disorders; at one end you have attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, and at the other end you have profound autism. In the middle is Asperger’s syndrome. They are all thought to be related,” Meagan explains.

She also discovered in her research that many children showing these symptoms (especially very young ones like Sander) have benefited greatly from following a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Gluten, a very small protein found in wheat and a handful of other grains, is the trigger of celiac disease, an inflammation of the intestine that causes great suffering in approximately 2% of the population. Casein is another very small protein, one found in all animal milk. Because these proteins are so small, they are able to travel through inflamed intestinal walls into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, they are suspected of wreaking havoc on the central nervous system.

Unlike in celiac disease, where the removal of gluten from the diet always leads to a lessening of symptoms, not all Autism Spectrum Disorder children respond to a gluten-free, casein-free diet. However, enough do to merit giving it a try, and Meagan wasted no time.

“Within three days, I knew we would never be going back,” she says. “Sander was cheerful; he stopped moaning; he began sleeping. He started laughing! He began responding to his name; he started playing with his toys. But, because I was breast-feeding him, I had to go gluten- and casein-free, too. These proteins are so small they are carried in breast milk. And when I went on Sander’s diet, what I discovered is that the gluten-/casein-free food out there is terrible!

“Katie and I began experimenting with making delicious, satisfying gluten-/casein-free foods, especially breads and baked goods. And the more I talked to other parents about Sander, it seemed no one knew where to get good gluten-free food. So, we switched our business to gluten- and casein-free only, and here we are.”

The McGovern sisters changed their business model to offer what parents of ASD children need most: a home-delivery service. Many mothers of ASD children are so exhausted and sleep-deprived that asking them to learn how to cook gluten- and casein-free food is close to asking the impossible. Functioning like personal chefs, Katie and Meagan take the pressure off. They cook a week’s worth of tasty, satisfying meals and deliver them on Fridays.

“Probably our bestsellers are the foods that kids like that parents don’t want to refuse to their children: pizza, chicken fingers, and macaroni and cheese.” Meagan says. “These are all foods that are hard to make without dairy and without wheat, but we have figured out how to make them absolutely delicious, and the kids love them. We also sell a lot of cupcakes, cookies, birthday cakes, and bread. Baked goods are very hard to make without gluten, and no child wants to go without treats they see the other kids having.”

It is one thing to say your gluten- and casein-free baked goods are fantastic, and it is another to prove it. After sampling several of the McGovern sisters’ muffins, cookies, and cupcakes, I have to proclaim that these women are geniuses. I cannot say this emphatically enough. Their baked goods are completely and totally indistinguishable from regular, fancy-bakery products. Most gluten-free baked goods simply never have a normal texture or mouthfeel; and if they have a decent texture, they have no flavor. The McGoverns have solved these problems and come up with ways to make bread, pizza crust, cake, cinnamon rolls, and piecrusts that are gluten-/casein-free and flavorful, with wonderful texture and “bite.”

“Our bread is our bestseller,” Meagan says. “We had a woman from France take one of our cooking classes, and she practically lost her mind she thought our bread was so good. ‘I can’t believe I think this gluten-free bread is good!’ she said. ‘I am French, and I think this bread is good!”

The sisters’ website, www.mcgovernsorganics.com, has a comprehensive list of every dish they make, and that list is so long and varied that it won’t all fit in this article.

“Probably the most popular dinners are lasagna, pizza, pot roast, chicken pot pie, and shrimp in spicy coconut sauce,” Meagan says. “Everything we sell is made here in our commercial kitchen, from scratch, by my sister and me. It’s made to order. Peoples Pharmacy at 183 and 620 are so excited about what we are offering that they have bought a freezer unit solely to enable them to carry our products. Peoples Pharmacy in Westlake is planning to do the same. People can just stop by on the way home from work and pick up a gluten-/casein-free meal.

“For some people, that’s enough. But, if you can’t have eggs or beans or rice, in addition to being on a gluten-/casein-free diet, you can call us up or e-mail or order on the website. You can tell us, ‘I can’t have gluten or dairy or potatoes or mushrooms or pineapple. What can I have?’ And we can say, ‘Okay, here are 20 different things we can make you for dinner.’ People are so excited; you just don’t know.” Meagan beams. “They have had to make so many sacrifices; they think they can never have a decent meal again. They are so happy and so grateful.

“Because we are already cooking without dairy, it is easy for us to make vegan food, too. I mean, we are already halfway there. We are willing to work with whatever dietary needs a client has.”

For those who can’t afford to order meals premade, the McGoverns offer cooking classes about once a month. “Our classes are really fun! They’re always a blast,” Meagan laughs. “So far, each class has been about half adults with celiac disease and half mothers of ASD kids. We show them how to make pizza, chicken fingers, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, and ‘glorious morning’ muffins. A lot of these people have been gluten-free for five or six years, but learning a whole new way of cooking has them stumped.

“If there are groups who want to take a class, we are perfectly willing to set up a class especially for that group,” she says. “And we offer phone and Internet support to people who have just gotten a diagnosis and aren’t sure where to turn.” There is no charge for support and guidance; it’s just something Meagan does. “Following this regimen gave us our son back,” she says quietly. “If I can help another mother recover her child, just by pointing her to the right resources, that’s a blessing.”

BY KATE THORNBERRY

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A540584