Recipe: Savory Stuffing

Thanksgiving in the US is almost here again. Traditional stuffing is made from stale white bread and lots of other not-so-good-for-us ingredients. My mom even put breakfast sausage in there loaded with greasy saturated fat.

What if you could enjoy stuffing without the guilt? Stuffing that nourishes you instead of bloats you? Check out the recipe below for a delicious stuffing that tastes just like my Mom’s without all the extra calories, grease, and blood sugar spiking white flour.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups nuts and seeds, soaked and drained (suggestion: 1 cup almonds, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup hazelnuts)
• 1/2 – 1 cup yellow onions
• 6 stalks celery
• 4 carrots
• 6 scallions
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 2 green apples (if tolerated)
• 1 cup pecans, preferably soaked, rinsed and dehydrated
• 1 cup parsley
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, or 1/2 tablespoon each of rosemary, thyme, sage, and marjoram
• additional seasonings to taste: fresh or dried herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram (start with 1 teaspoon dried or 1 – 2 tablespoons fresh and adjust to preference)
• black pepper to taste (optional)
• fresh pressed garlic, 1 – 2 cloves or to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Place soaked nuts and seeds in food processor with apples, onions, carrots, and mushrooms and process with “S” blade until finely chopped and somewhat sticky. It should resemble traditional bread stuffing after the bread has been moistened.
2. Remove from processor and set aside in a large bowl.
3. Pulse-chop parsley, celery, and scallions in food processor with “S” blade until finely minced. Add to nut vegetable mixture.
4. Pulse-chop pecans in food processor to about 1/8th-inch pieces.
5. Add pecans, herbs, salt and lemon juice to bowl.
6. Mix well with wooden spoon or your hands. The mixture should hold together.
7. Add seasonings to taste: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic.
8. Arrange on a serving platter and serve as is, or put in dehydrator overnight to warm through and create a crusty exterior with a moist interior. You’ll need to remove some of the dehydrator trays to fit the platter of stuffing.
9. If you prefer a crispier stuffing, dehydrate the stuffing as a 1-inch thick patty and crumble in a bowl before serving.

Personal Note: The seasonings in this recipe are adaptable to your particular tastes and traditions. You may use the basic recipe for texture and adjust the seasonings and flavorings according to your favorite family recipe.