The Quintessential Gluten Free Summer Potluck
Hi everyone! Felicia May here from Dishes For The Senses. I don’t know about you, but I’m so excited it’s summer. I love entertaining friends and family. After all that everyone in the world went through in 2020 and the first half of 2021, I’m so happy that the outlook is looking more positive.
If you have Celiac Disease, or are gluten sensitive/intolerant, then you know what it’s like to go to a party, cookout, or wedding reception just hoping beyond all hope that you can find something you can eat besides lettuce and a celery stick. The great thing about hosting a party yourself is you control all the variables. Well, most of the variables. You never know what your cousin, Larry is going to say.
This post is all about hosting a potluck that is completely gluten free. By the way, your guests wouldn’t even know if you didn’t tell them. I am going to walk you through the steps to throw a fun allergy-friendly potluck and I’m going to give you the free e-cookbook and food label place cards if you subscribe to my mailing list. You can sign up at the bottom of the page.
If I’m hosting a party on a Saturday, I begin food prep on Friday. If something can be made ahead I do so on Friday. In the summer, people love cold pasta salads and coleslaw. In my e-cookbook I have recipes for both of those. If you have people in your family or group of friends who are vegetarian or vegan, then this e-cookbook is perfect for you also. The macaroni salad, coleslaw and sloppy Joe’s are all vegan. For your carnivorous friends & family I include a slow cooker BBQ chicken recipe.
On the morning of the potluck, I get the BBQ chicken into the slow cooker first, then work on setting up the food station and dining area for guests. If you have kids, this is a great way in which they can help.
Don’t forget to give yourself time to get ready. Yes, I schedule that in also. Here is a sample of a schedule I might use to make sure I’m ready for my guests when they arrive.
Wednesday
Make the grocery shopping list. This is when I check out the grocery store app for the weekly ad (sales) and clip digital coupons.
Thursday
Do the grocery shopping and tidy up the house.
Print the food label place cards and fold them into tents to place in front of every dish you are serving.
Friday
5 pm Make Gluten Free & Vegan Macaroni Salad
5:30 pm Make Vegan Coleslaw
5:45 pm Make Fruit Bowl with Vanilla Orange Glaze
6:00 pm Make Watermelon Refresher
6:20 pm Chop onion for Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and Vegan Sloppy Joe’s, then chop the bell pepper for the Vegan Sloppy Joe’s; brown your plant-based ground meat, onions, and bell pepper if you want to avoid doing so the day of the potluck. Put all dishes into the dishwasher and run them so you can put them away in the morning.
6:45 pm Rest and relax, because you want to be able to enjoy your friends/family tomorrow
Saturday
7:00 am Put the GF Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken ingredients into the slow cooker. That should take you 5 minutes since you chopped the onion last night.
11:00 am Start your Vegan Sloppy Joe’s; if you browned the plant-based ground meat last night, this will only take 5 minutes.
11:15 am Unload the dishwasher and clean the kitchen.
2:00 pm Get dressed and ready for your guests.
3:00 pm Set the table or buffet area by setting out plates, napkins, utensils, cups, garnishes for your watermelon refresher and drink station, and serving spoons. If I am serving dishes in different bowls/platters than they are being stored in the refrigerator, then I put those out at this time. Don’t forget water. You can have pitchers of water or a cooler with bottled waters. Place your food label place cards in front of the spot where each menu item will be served.
4:40 pm Set out food so it is ready when your guests arrive.
5:00 pm Great your guests and have a great time!!
