Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, bar none. I love it. No overblown gifts and cards to buy. No nauseating sentiment. Just feasting with family and friends, and taking time to be grateful that we can give thanks.
Plus you get the Macy’s parade, which I absolutely adore despite its goofiness.
I also adore Thanksgiving food. I was born and raised in New England so my family celebrates a very traditional turkey feast with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, carrots, peas, onions, turnip, parsnips, squash, cranberry sauce, yeast rolls and a few other things I’m likely forgetting.
Then there’s pie. Pumpkin and Apple, of course, (with real whipped cream and vanilla ice cream), but we also often get chocolate (not so traditional), pecan, cheesecake and host of other things such as Indian pudding (a custardy mix of pumpkin, corn meal, raisins and molasses). Lastly there is the rather odd concoction of pineapples,whipped cream, and pistachio jello mix made by my grandmother (still! at 96!) It’s commonly known as ‘that green stuff.’ It tastes a LOT better than that sounds, really.
I probably consume about 3000 calories, easy. But I don’t care. It’s totally worth it.
Added to this childhood feast is an additional stuffing recipe invented by my husband and here converted from life pre-gluten-free. This has been a favorite for the better part of 15 years, and Hubby really missed it, as did our friends. Believe me, this is a crowd pleaser. You will never know it’s GF and neither will any of your guests. They will still gobble it down. How do I know this?
It’s been road tested at both family Thanksgivings, where there is usually barely any crumbs left, along with multiple times at our holiday Thanksgiving with friends, with similar results. Among these friends are some of the pickiest eaters known to man, so believe me, if they eat it, it’s good. Part of our secret is we don’t bother to tell people it’s gluten-free, and no one can tell the difference.
- 1 1/4 loaves of gluten-bread (We use Food For Life Brown Rice Bread, which is the best sandwich-toasting bread. Note that it’s denser than your average wheat bread).
- 1 package (six short links) hot Italian sausage
- 2-3 ribs of celery and leaves, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed
- 4-6 oz of mushrooms, chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tbsps poultry seasoning
- 2 tsps rosemary
- 2 tsps thyme
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 16 oz package chicken broth, low sodium, if possible
Cut up the gluten-free bread into small cubes about 1/4 to 1/3rd of an inch. Toss with herbs and a tablespoon or so of oil. Keep the crumbs and toast them too! Spread the bread cubes and crumbs out on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 to 15 minutes to dry out the bread slightly and crisp it up. You can do this step a day or two in advance, if you want.
While the bread is toasting, cook the sausage. Remove the skin and crumble or chop in 1/3 inch cubes.
Saute the vegetables and remaining spices in olive oil until soft, the onions are translucent, and the mushrooms are reduced.
In a large bowl, mix the cubes and the chicken broth to re-hydrate the cubes. Don’t dump it all in at once. Depending on how big your loaf is, you may want a little more or less. Also, if you want a slightly lighter mix, you can use some water instead. Fold in the sausage and the vegetables (which will add some moisture). If desired, put in more spices to taste.
You can use the stuffing inside the turkey or cook in a pan on the side (in which case it officially becomes dressing, although I never call it anything except stuffing). For the latter, cover with foil for to keep the pan from drying out too much. About 15 minutes before you take it out of the oven, remove the foil.
Cook in a 325 F degree oven for an hour. We usually cook it alongside with the turkey. Enjoy. This stuff is fab.
Gluten-less living (shouldn't mean less living) 