Help! Need to bring a gluten-free dish to the office potluck

[curls]

Trying to come up with ideas & dishes for an office potluck. Would prefer to bring in a main or side dish (and not a dessert but dessert is an option). This needs to be gluten free and bonus points are awarded if this has a Halloween theme to it. I can bring in a crock pot and have access to a fridge and a microwave. Not prepared to bring in my Instant Pot to work. Was thinking about bringing in chili but would like to avoid having to bring in all the chili toppers... so this idea is on the back burner for now. What are your thoughts?

[blue_dolphin]

A platter of Halloween-decorated deviled eggs?  There's the black olive spider, the eyeball, pumpkins or weird looking green eggs with avocado.

 

A fall themed salad with roasted pumpkin or squash, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts, baby spinach and feta or goat cheese  (ingredients can all be bagged individually and mixed in a bowl on site)

Orange hummus served in a hollowed pumpkin & veggie platter

 

 

Edited October 28, 2016 by blue_dolphin
to add links (log)

[curls]

Thank you @blue_dolphin those are some great ideas.

[Lisa Shock]

Roasted garlic soup (anti-vampire tonic), bat wings, pumpkin vomiting guacamole, black bean dip or black bean soup, or black bean and pumpkin enchiladas (substitute corn tortillas for the flour ones, bonus points for blue corn tortillas) you can build this as flat enchiladas in a slow cooker.

[curls]

4 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Roasted garlic soup (anti-vampire tonic), bat wings, pumpkin vomiting guacamole, black bean dip or black bean soup, or black bean and pumpkin enchiladas (substitute corn tortillas for the flour ones, bonus points for blue corn tortillas) you can build this as flat enchiladas in a slow cooker.

All great ideas, thank you! Those bat wings look very creepy. Did not realize that I could make stacked enchiladas in the slow cooker -- will definitely try this out a home & once I have worked out the kinks this could be my go-to office potluck meal.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Y'all are a font of creativity! I love all the ideas, but the vomiting pumpkin is maybe a tad too realistic. Kids would love this one though.

 

I may even make the black olive spider deviled eggs. They are cute and not too creepy. Spiders creep me out, big time! I had to kill a big one on the backsplash behind the stove tonight. I guess he didn't like it when I turned on the oven to reheat some samoon bread in foil. There's a spider costume for small dogs being circulated on the web that is just too creepy. The eight legs shake, and it's hard to focus on the adorable faces of the pups wearing this costume.

 

I found this idea that could be presented as a salad course if you're good with a knife and a little artistic. I initially did not like the idea of serving watermelon with the white rind attached, but it is critical to the remarkable presentation, and if you think about it, no worse than serving cantaloupe or honeydew in the rind in wedges. I've seen the latter done even in fancy restaurants as a breakfast garnish. I can still find personal-sized watermelons here, and they would work for this.

 

There's also this skull centerpieced antipasto platter. You might replace the black bread with fruits. I have no idea why this one creeps me out less than the vomiting pumpkin. 

 

The baked human hand on a bed of mashed potato (No. 3) also seems to be gluten free. I'd probably double the recipe to at least two pound of meat, so your fingers are larger and won't overcook and dry out as much. What could be scarier than a giant baked hand? I would steam or bake the onion used as the wrist bone before inserting it in the meatloaf. I would also shield the "fingers" of the hand with some doubled or HD foil to promote even cooking. No. 1 is also gluten free, but I wasn't particularly drawn, and it just calls out for bread as a vehicle to spread it on. And seven ounces of mayo? 

 

What in blazes is "yellow cheese"? It looks like the author means yellow American slices for the charred skin on the baked hand meatloaf. Still, they have some artistic ideas, but their recipes do not scream "good cook" to me.

 

 

Edited October 29, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

8 hours ago, curls said:

All great ideas, thank you! Those bat wings look very creepy. Did not realize that I could make stacked enchiladas in the slow cooker -- will definitely try this out a home & once I have worked out the kinks this could be my go-to office potluck meal.

 

I learned this one a long time ago. I don't fry the corn tortillas like a lot of people, it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference. I always start with spraying the inside of the cooker with non-stick spray, then put in a couple tablespoons of sauce. On top of that, I start with 4 tortillas, fanned out for maximum coverage. The thick tortilla base will firm up a little and soften a bit like tamale insides, it's easier to serve with a thicker base. I then just alternate layers or 2-3 tortillas with sauce and fillings, don't worry too much about neatness at the edges, there is always some traveling of ingredients on the sides. This can be a good place to use leftovers like a half cup of cooked beans or a half of a cooked chicken breast. Leftover spanish rice makes an excellent layer. (I freeze my leftover rice and pull out a small, cup-sized portion just for enchiladas.) I like making at least one layer vegetables, cut them small and keep the layer under ½" in height and it won't be too watery. House favorites include cauliflower with red sauce and spinach with grated mozzarella especially with green sauce. Chopped raw onion and/or garlic are good throughout. I also occasionally make a layer that is just sour cream, or just cheese, especially if the sauce is really spicy. I generally make 3-5 different layers, but you could make them all the same, it's up to you. Use a lot of sauce, the tortillas drink it up. I use at least a quart for a full batch, a pint if I only fill the cooker halfway. Don't feel that you need to fill the slow cooker all the way up, dinner for two is far less. That said, leftovers here are extremely good in a frittata the next morning, and freeze well, too. Have fun!

[blue_dolphin]

@curls, what did you decide to bring to your pot-luck?

[curls]

12 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

@curls, what did you decide to bring to your pot-luck?

I brought a salad:  roasted butternut squash & onions, spiced pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese. I am planning to try out Lisa's slow cooker stacked enchiladas so I am ready for the next event (it will also make a great weeknight dinner). Thanks for all the ideas! Sorry, no pictures, it was a busy week.

Edited November 6, 2016 by curls (log)

[Soupcon]

There is a great cake by Claudia Roden; Orange and Almond cake found in the NYT cooking site :  http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3251-claudia-rodens-orange-and-almond-cake

Reqires a food processor, precooked oranges (so there is some prep to do before executing the recipe) as well as a spring form pan for easy release. Can be flavoured along with the orange with ginger or cinnamon.

 

[Lisa Shock]

On 11/6/2016 at 5:23 AM, curls said:

I brought a salad:  roasted butternut squash & onions, spiced pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese. I am planning to try out Lisa's slow cooker stacked enchiladas so I am ready for the next event (it will also make a great weeknight dinner). Thanks for all the ideas! Sorry, no pictures, it was a busy week.

 

 

I forgot to mention that it's useful to put a couple handfuls of shredded cheese on the top before cooking. (you can mix in herbs and diced onions if you like) The top can look weird, so smothering it in cheese really helps the appearance.

[curls]

1 hour ago, Lisa Shock said:

 

I forgot to mention that it's useful to put a couple handfuls of shredded cheese on the top before cooking. (you can mix in herbs and diced onions if you like) The top can look weird, so smothering it in cheese really helps the appearance.

No worries, enchiladas and lasagna are always smothered with cheese.  :-)