Hey
there fellow foodies and faithful bloggies!!
So
let's talk turkey... or at least it's best friend. Yup, it's stuffing
day!!
One
of my favorite Thanksgiving staples is stuffing. I knew that with
turkey day coming up this particular dish would be something I would
probably have to forgo because of the time we were eating, and the
fact that I am trying to focus on a LGL in my food choices. Basically
– bread is not on the menu. Then I realized that like anything
else, I didn't have to totally forgo bread, but find a healthier
replacement for it. My “non-bread” of choice, Ezekiel bread. I
saw this recipe and it looked amazing so we tried it and here it is,
for your stuffing-loving enjoyment...
Ezekiel Cranberry-Apple Stuffing
Prep
time: 30 mins
Cook
time: 35 mins
Total
time: 1 hour 5 mins
Serves: 12
A LGL version of a holiday favorite! Made up of Ezekiel
bread, cranberries, chock-full of apples, apple juice, and even some apple sauce if you have a hankering for slightly more moist stuffing. This dish is delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of Ezekiel bread
- ½ cup dried unsweetened cranberries
- 1 cup apple juice
- For moister stuffing: ½ cup unsweetened applesauce and ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth.. you may need more to taste and consistency desired
- 1 firm apple, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- Your MISTO with EVOO
- 1 red onion, diced – about 1 cup
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Roughly chop fresh-baked bread into ½ inc to 1 inch chunks (it doesn’t have to be perfect).
From here on out, lines must be drawn! For those who like their stuffing moister, with a softer consistency (like stove-top) follow directions/notes marked SOFT. This is also the way you make it if you want to cook the stuffing inside the turkey. See notes to that affect. For those of you who like stuffing firmer, follow directions/notes marked FIRM.
- FIRM- Place the pieces on a large baking sheet and place in the oven (do not turn it on!). Keep it there for 24 hours. If it’s still moist, let it sit in a 170F oven for about 20 minutes or so. The bread should be a bit more moist than croutons, but not soft. This step will help the bread retain its shape in the stuffing!
- Place the bread chunks in a large bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray a 2.3 L/2.5 qt. With your MISTO.
- Combine apple juice and dried cranberries in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, parsley, thyme, sage, pepper, salt, ginger and cinnamon, and stir to combine.
- Add vegetable mixture to bread and toss to combine (FIRM: be sure not to over mix.)
- Now, pour the apple juice and cranberry mixture over top. (SOFT, mix thoroughly to coat and depending on your preferance, add up to an additional 1 cup of applesauce & chicken broth mixture, you can add more after it is done if needed, FIRM: be sure not to over mix) just toss, then FIRM: add to the prepared casserole dish.
- SOFT in-turkey: place stuffing inside turkey cavity, and once the turkey is ready to rest, remove stuffing, and place in a casserole dish with a lid in a 350* or less oven to keep it warm and to bring up to temperature.
- FIRM Cover and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let sit with the cover on for 5 minutes.
This was my MOM's favorite, and the only thing she went back for seconds for :)
EXERCISE
I
got up at sunrise and ran 2 miles! YAY for getting back on the
workout wagon!!
FOOD
Breakfast:
scrambled eggs on honey toast and a banana
Snack:
string cheese
Lunch:
split pea soup and 1 cup pineapple
Snack:
an apple
Dinner:
split pea and some applesauce for dessert
I
hope you are enjoying the “7 Days of Thanksgiving” as much as I
am!
Thanks
for reading!!
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