Meatless Stuffing

Only a mere number of days now until Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays...

We'll be packing up for a quick jaunt to the beloved Twin Cities, where we'll spend the holiday in the stellar company of my amazing sister B and my godparents. I haven't been to the Cities in over a year, and that is over a year too long for a visit to my beloved college alma mater! I am most certainly excited.

Thanksgiving commemorates my plunge into vegetarianism...my very last meat was Thanksgiving turkey my freshman year in college. Haven't looked back since. And though I can honestly say that I've never missed meat, I have to admit that sometimes vegetarianism becomes a slippery slope...the more you know, the more you learn about how many "meatless" foods actually contain not so cruelty free animal parts (altoids and gummy bears, to name a few, sorry to break it to you). And I always struggle around this time of year because I really, really love a good Thanksgiving stuffing, and you'd be surprised at how hard it is to find a totally meat-free version! Even the boxed stuff from the store usually has chicken or beef broth as one of the first ingredients. This is very upsetting.

But last year, after many years of searching, I found the stuffing to satisfy my cravings (thanks to one of my favorite magazines, Body & Soul). And today, I will share the recipe with you, in case you've been looking for just the thing. This dish will grace whatever Thanksgiving table I sit at for years to come! Enjoy!

Healthy Harvest Stuffing 

• 
  
• 1 pound whole-wheat Italian bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium celery stalk with leaves, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and caps chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth (you may not need to use it all)
• Olive-oil spray (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with oven rack in middle position. Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with walnuts and dried cranberries; set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, and shiitakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add apple and continue to cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add parsley, sage, and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.
3. Add onion mixture to bowl with bread mixture; stir to combine. Add enough of the broth to thoroughly moisten the bread mixture without soaking it (there shouldn't be any excess broth in the bottom of the bowl). Spoon stuffing into a 2-quart casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Uncover, mist the top of the stuffing with olive-oil spray, if desired, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.