Alpha-Gal Safe 4th of July Recipes
Most American families do something special to celebrate the 4th of July, the birthday of our most wonderful nation. No matter America’s faults and failures, she is still the greatest nation in the world. My family and I are forever grateful to live here and grateful for those who paid the ultimate price so we could live in the land of the free.
As a patriotic American, I would be remiss to let this holiday pass without sharing ways to celebrate, despite the restrictions of Alpha-Gal Syndrome. While I cannot guarantee anything, the 4th of July recipes in this post have been safe for me to use, and are free from mammal and mammal byproducts.
I hope your holiday spread is as beautiful and tasty as ours!
The Main Menu: Alpha-Gal Safe Meats
Cookouts are the all-time favorite way to celebrate the 4th of July, but as we all know, beef is a no-no with Alpha-Gal Syndrome. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good burger!
My personal favorite alternative to beef is duck. I love duck burgers, which are moist and tasty…almost as good as beef! Amaroo Hills is my go-to source because they are just down the road from us in Liberty, NC. Lucky for you they ship too.
And if you’re a bacon fan, Amaroo Hills also has duck bacon. It’s a great addition to your 4th of July burger.
Of course, there are other options too if duck is not available or not your favorite. The most common options are turkey burgers and veggie burgers. But you can also buy burgers made from ground chicken, ground emu, or even ground ostrich.
Sides: Cookout Must-Haves
The Miller Family 4th of July favorites are baked beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, and chili to top our southern style burgers. I will share a couple of my Alpha-Gal adapted 4th of July recipes, but I bet you know how to make deviled eggs without me.
Baked Beans
Baked beans are a family staple for cookouts, and we even have a family bean pot that my mother-in-law handed down to me. Somehow they just taste better cooked in that clay pot.
I use a recipe from the old red and white Better Homes and Garden cookbook. The recipe is simple and tasty.
1 pound or 2 ⅓ cups of dried navy beans
¼ pound of turkey or duck bacon
½ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of brown sugar (I just adapt and use vegan sugar of some type, because some processed sugars are not Alpha-Gal safe. Click here to learn more.)
1 tsp of dry mustard
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of pepper
Once the beans are cooked to tender, I drain them and dump them in my bean pot or a Dutch oven. Mix all of the other ingredients together, pour them over the beans, and stir well. Then bake on low at 300°F for 2.5 hours. They should be thick and sweet by then.
Potato Salad
I love finding new recipes, and one of my favorite people to get them from is Danielle Walker with her food blog Against All Grain. She has a unique twist on potato salad and most of her recipes are very simple to tweak and make Alpha-Gal safe.
The “Grandma’s Potato salad” recipe comes from Danielle’s cookbook Celebrations and uses a unique white sweet potato called Hannah. You can sub any potato variety you choose.
Here is the recipe:
2 lbs of Hannah sweet potatoes
½ cup of mayonnaise
¼ cup of full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup of chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 tsp of prepared yellow mustard
½ tsp of sweet paprika
½ cup of peeled and diced cucumber
¼ cup cherry tomatoes halved (I personally opt to leave out the tomatoes and cucumber)
¼ cup diced celery (I like to use celery seed instead)
Cooking instructions are as follows: Put the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot and fill it with water. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook for 8 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and let them cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, coconut milk, dill, vinegar, mustard, salt and paprika. Fold in the cooled potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes and celery. Cover and chill overnight.
Once chilled, your Alpha-Gal safe potato salad is ready to serve at your 4th of July cookout.
Chili
Chili is a must have in the south, whether the chili is for hamburgers or hotdogs. Cookouts are just not southern without some chili! You know, the kind of chili that has no beans.
My recipe is simple. Choose a pound of your Alpha-Gal safe ground meat or vegan meat substitute and brown it like you would for tacos. My top choice of meat for chili is turkey, because it is less costly than most other options.
Once the meat is browned, add ⅓ cup of ketchup of your choice and a can of tomato paste. You can add water as needed to thin to your favored consistency.
Next, add a package of chili seasoning that suits your allergen list. I often use Simply Organic brand mild chili mix. Simmer until you reach desired consistency.
And…you’re done. Now you have chili to top your duck burgers for your 4th of July cookout.
Hmm…maybe I should name that Easy Peasy No Bean Chili…
Dessert (Color-Coordinated, Of Course)
No 4th of July celebration is complete without some type of red, white and blue dessert!
After all the other preparations are done, you will be happy to find this dessert is simple and yummy. Gramma’s Easy Berry Cobbler is on Yummly, and I adapted it to be Alpha-Gal friendly. As you’ve probably seen by now, adaptation of your favorite recipes is one of the keys to successfully living with Alpha Gal Syndrome.
Here are the ingredients:
1 cup of flour
1 cup of vegan sugar
1.5 tsp of baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup of dairy free milk substitute
½ cup of vegan butter (melted)
1 tsp of vanilla
3 cups of red and blue berries of choice
zest of 1 lemon, and
¼ cup of vegan sugar (yes, more sugar, but keep this separate)
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and coat a 7x11” pan with cooking oil or spray.
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, vegan sugar, baking powder, salt and dairy free milk substitute. Whisk to combine. Add the melted vegan butter and vanilla, then whisk all until a smooth batter develops.
Scatter 2 cups of fresh red and blue berries on the bottom of the oiled pan and pour the batter evenly over the berries. Sprinkle the remaining berries on top and finish by sprinkling the mix of lemon zest and the extra ¼ cup of vegan sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with either dairy-free whipped cream or your favorite Alpha-Gal safe vegan vanilla ice cream!
I hope you enjoy your Alpha-Gal safe 4th of July celebration, and feel free to tweak these 4th of July recipes to your satisfaction. For more tips, go to my blog on navigating parties and cookouts with Alpha-Gal Syndrome.