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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Carleton chapter.

Gluten free, vegan, dairy-free (But nobody will tell the difference!)

Friendsmas season is finally here! Getting together with your friends before everyone goes home for a couple weeks for the holidays is the best way to get into the Christmas spirit while getting a much-needed break from studying for exams. If your friend group has decided to do a potluck, you might be wondering what to bring, especially if you’re cooking for people with different allergies and dietary restrictions. Here’s a list of recipes that are easy to make, relatively affordable, and all gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free AND vegan—don’t worry, I kept the specialty ingredients to a minimum!

Appetizers 

Black bean dip & corn chips

Time: 5-10 minutes

Cost: Low—you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already!

Specialty Ingredients: Gluten free corn chips (same price as regular ones)

Appetizers

Guacamole Bites

Time: 15-20 minutes

Cost: Low

Specialty ingredients:  Vegan shredded cheese (optional)

*Tip: Tostito scoops chips are gluten free.

 

Sides

Asian slaw

Time: 20-30 minutes

Cost: Medium (some of the veggies aren’t in season in December)

Specialty ingredients: None

Sides

Roasted sweet potatoes 

Time: 1 hour

Cost: Low 

Specialty ingredients: None

Mains

Eggplant Lasagna Rollups 

Time: 45 minutes

Cost: Low

Specialty ingredients: Nutritional yeast

*If nobody is vegan or has a dairy allergy, making regular lasagna with gluten free noodles is a great option!

Mains

Shepherd’s Pie

Time: 1 hour

Cost: Low

Specialty ingredients: Vegan butter (it tastes the same so if you’re not vegan you can still reuse it!)

Desserts

Fruit Platter & Lemon Dip

Time: 5 minutes (2 ingredients for the dip!)

Cost: Medium (cut the fruit yourself to save money!)

Specialty ingredients: Coconut whip topping

Desserts

Peppermint Chocolate Crunch Bars

Time: 30 minutes

Cost: Low-Medium 

Specialty ingredients: Vegan chocolate chips

Buy-and-Go Ideas

Enjoy Life Snickerdoodles

These are SO good, and cost around $7.00 at Loblaws/Independent

*Tip: Decorate these yourself if you enjoy decorating but not baking!

Buy-and-Go Ideas

So Delicious Coconut Milk Holiday Nog

The best eggnog out there that everyone can enjoy! It costs about $7 at Loblaws/Independant

I hope this list was helpful- your vegan friends & those with allergies will appreciate the extra effort so much! Happy Holidays!

Melanie is a Journalism & Law student at Carleton University that loves to travel and recently studied foreign correspondence abroad in the Czech Republic.