How about a paleo chik fil a knock off? Another question...what about mayo? Is it allowed or is there a sub that works for your situation? I have a good recipe for a sauce but there is mayo in it.

I also have a recipe for fried thai-ish shrimp with chili sauce.

There is always a pot of chili for large gatherings, that goes well with baked potatoes.

Lentils, sausage and kale "soup".

oh, how about meatballs. I sub out breadcrumbs for a GF oatmeal, grind it down, then proceed as usual.

I don't think of 9 as a "large: dinner group at all.
How about oven browned chicken....dip chicken pieces in beaten egg thinned with a bit of water and shake in a bag with crushed rice crispies seasoned with garlic powder, dried herbs and a bit of chili powder....bake in a 375 oven for about 25 minutes until done.
Serve with oven browned potatoes....potato chunks tossed with olive oil and sprinkled with some garlic or onion and parsley...baked at 375 for 30 minutes before you put the chicken in the oven....serve with steamed asparagus sprinkled with lemon and olive oil and sea salt.
How about a sausage bake....cooked rice layered in a glass casserole, topped with crumbled breakfast sausage and topped with apple slices....bake 375 for 45 minutes.

How about a big pot of chili....with cheese on the side to be omitted by the dairy sensitive one and provide rice crackers for the2 who are gluten free>
How about a spiral cut ham, served with oven roasted potatoes, a chopped salad with tomatoes cucumbers, onions, cooked black beans,and pinto beans some red peppers....dressed with a vinaigrette....with a side of applesauce.

Ham, Rice, I do a dish that is Kale cooked in Salt Pork and Beef Broth (can modify as needed). I have done a roast pork loin marinated in red wine with coriander, garlic, and herbs to taste for 3-4 hours then roast in the marinade, comes out very tender.

I make a chili that is gluten and dairy free, its actually a low carb recipe and substitutes soy beans for regular beans, its just the ground beef with onion, green and red peppers, Chili Powder, Garlic, Garlic Powder, Cayenne pepper, salt, white pepper and Cumin, then add the soy beans and 3 roma tomatoes chopped.

Fajita night where the tortillas and cheese are kept in a separate area so people can grab it if they want at the end

I agree on the meat dishes... a roast pork loin with rosemary oven roasted potatoes and mashed rutabaga with nutmeg. Side salad with a vinaigrette, home made biscuits. Yum.

-Breakfast for dinner

-Stir-fry

-Dinner salads

-Skewers/Kabobs

-Shepherd's Pie

-Crepes

-Lettuce Wraps

-Short Ribs (boneless ribs) with vegetables

-Pork Tenderloin

-Stuffed Bell Peppers

-Salmon Patties

-Steak and Fries or Potato Wedges

-Fried Rice

-Pork Carnitas

-Black Bean Soup & G-F Cornbread

-Lots of pasta dishes, just use G-F pasta

Everybody seems to tolerate fruit - so a big chunky fruit bowl might fit with your meat dishes.

Indian and thai dishes are often gluten and dairy free, or easily made to be.

Shambo, I often make my favorite apple cider brined pork loin, it's something everyone likes, from the gluten free to the meat eaters and a pork loin will serve lots of people. It works equally well with chicken, and the meat can be done on the grill with really good results. I've cut the salt down to half because I wanted the apple cider flavor, and it was still pretty good, I don't know if you could cut it out entirely or not.

Cider Brined Pork Loin

3 cups water

3 cups apple cider

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 bay leaf

1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed

2 cups apple cider

Cooking spray

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.

Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Place pork on rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray. Combine rosemary, sage, and black pepper; sprinkle evenly over pork. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 155°, basting twice with cider reduction during final 20 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Note:

Overnight brining tenderizes the roast. If the cider reduction becomes too thick to brush on the pork, warm it in a saucepan over low heat.

I've found that the Ronzoni and Mueller's gluten free pasta is actually pretty close to "regular", I can't tell the difference and neither can the kids, so big pasta dishes are a possibility, like steak tips with noodles or baked ziti.

Turkey is always a "go to" in my family, and most of us like grilled salmon, glazed with some maple syrup.

Kabobs are good for everyone too, and I make various marinades, using Bragg's Aminos instead of soy because it's gluten free, but it's still got sodium, so be careful with that if you're going the teriyaki route.

AnnT's Salisbury steaks can be made gluten free easily, and are flavorful enough that the salt or other ingredients wouldn't be missed.

I often make swiss steak to be served with rice or mashed potatoes, and pot roast is easy and can be made ahead without a lot of last minute prep.

Most of all, just have fun!

Annie

Thanks for all your replies. I truly appreciate them. I know that 9 people isn't really a large gathering, but I've gotten used to just cooking for two, and it looms large in my mind. You've given me some good ideas and confirmed some thoughts that I've already had.

Meyer, if you're willing, I'd like to take a look at your sauce recipe. I've found that sometimes a tasty sauce can make all the difference in the world. And meatballs are a good choice that I haven't utilized enough. I especially should make Greek keftedes to promote family pride. Linda the crispy oven baked chicken sounds good and the granddaughters would really like it. I've made chili from time to time but completely forget to mention it. Grainlady, I had thought of shepherd/cottage pie and tamale pie too. I make carnitas all the time but they completely slipped my mind. Annie, I know you posted that pork recipe before. It sounds absolutely yummy.

I've made smaller portions of gluten free pasta dishes for immediate consumption when my oldest granddaughters spend the night but wondered about large casseroles like baked ziti. Sounds like that would work for a larger group.

Thanks again for you ideas. And if you have any additional brainstorms, please feel free to share them.

Shambo and Linda I, I think Rice Chex is gluten free. I'm not certain about Rice Krispies.

Compumom, you may be right. I discovered Barbara's brand of brown rice crispy cereal just the other day. It's gluten free and super low in sodium. So for me, it's a win-win product. I could use it for 'breading" things for my granddaughters and my husband. The proverbial "two birds with one stone."

Ellen, regular Rice Krispies contain barley malt, which contains gluten. There are some unbranded "crisp rice" cereals that are gluten free, but you have to read labels to find them. Kellogg's Corn Flakes also contain the malt, but some other brands do not.

Cheerios are also gluten free, or at least some flavors/varieties are, although there was some question raised a few months ago. It appeared that a few people were having "reactions" and blamed the Cheerios, but the company had testing done and sure enough, the Cheerios are gluten free. Doesn't mean the off brand ones are though.....

Read your labels carefully.

Annie

I think rice Krispies released a GF brand at one point, but be careful. If its a gluten source thats not wheat they don't have to list it on food. Malt, Barley, Rye, there can be cross contamination in oats,

The bottom line is that no matter what, you've got to read labels carefully. I've found that since going low sodium, I spend a lot more time in the grocery store just reading labels. No more quick dashes in and out. Not unless I'm buying products I know & trust. And even then, there's no guarantee because food manufacturers often change their formulas. My mantra is, "Always Be Checking!"

For crunchy cereal like stuff, there's puffed quinoa. It's pretty awesome, little crunchy balls.

I'm surprised no one has said "Chicken Marbella", which for awhile was the first thing said in any thread about medium sized entertaining. :)

There are also many feed a lot egg dishes that fit the requirements, like baked omelettes and frittatas, plus you can make a great quiche with GF crust and nut or bean milk.

The Kid is gluten free. She sent me this "recipe" and I made it with some skepticism,...but it's good! It wasn't something I'd ever think to put together. Comfort food-ish. I used the medium spiced breakfast sausage from our last pig, and she uses plain old ground pork. I used frozen spinach instead of kale. She said amounts are arbitrary. I have some sweet potatoes to use up and am thinking they would work for the base.

*Winter squash
*wild rice
*sausage
*onion, sliced
*kale, chopped
*broth
*butter
*cheese

Cook squash, smash, and line bottom of 13x9 (or whatever size).

Cook sausage. Cook rice in broth instead of water. Caramelize onion in a good amount of butter. Wilt kale in butter and broth (enough to make casserole more moist. Mix all together and layer on top of squash. Grated cheese on top and bake.

I am not gluten sensitive. I do cook gluten free meals because I like the tastes of many gluten free ingredients.

For instance, I posted Taro root on the "Dinner " Thread.

many more I had posted.

dcarch