By Suzanne, Chief Health Officer

Stuffing is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal! I am not crazy about the turkey itself, but I do love stuffing that has been baked into the bird.

Unfortunately, most stuffing  is unhealthy because it’s made with white bread. So, I make mine with sprouted Ezekiel bread, which is one of the healthiest breads to eat. (Related: Bread Shopping Guide.)

You’ll want to start by getting the bread stale. You can either place the slices in a bowl overnight (I cover the bowl with this) or if you forget, you can spread the slices in the oven and put them on warm until they become stale. You’ll also chop up celery and onions and melt a ton of butter in a pan.

Once you’ve sauteed the onions and celery in the butter, you’ll want to add in the poultry seasoning, plus salt and pepper. (Sometimes we use salted butter in which case you won’t need salt!). Then you’ll combine this mixture with the cubed bread put it into either the turkey or the baking dish to cook. If you are not stuffing your turkey and baking the stuffing in a casserole dish, you might want to moisten the stuffing with a little organic chicken stock. If you are stuffing the turkey and there is leftover stuffing, you can bake that in a smaller casserole dish, again moistened with some chicken stock.

Sprouted Bread Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf sprouted bread, left in a covered bowl overnight or in the oven on low until stale, cubed
• 5 celery ribs, including leaves, chopped
• 4 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (we sometimes just keep adding more butter, but you’ll want at least a stick!)
• 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning (I like a lot of seasoning, so this is the bare minimum and not nearly enough for me!)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Melt butter in a large pan, and then saute onion and celery over medium heat until soft.
3. Season the veggies with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, and then toss the mixture into the bread cubes with your hands.
4. The stuffing is now ready to stuff the turkey or bake in an oiled casserole dish. As I said, if you’re not putting it in a bird, you can moisten with chicken or veggie stock. I often put some extra dabs of butter on top before covering with foil and popping it into the oven.
5. Bake for around 30 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 5 minutes or until the top is browned.

To your health,

Suzanne, Certified Holistic Health Coach