Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing

Thanksgiving cornbread stuffing

Folks, Thanksgiving is this Thursday! Over the past few weeks, I have been developing flavorful versions of classic recipes for people with all dietary needs, particularly vegan, dairy-free and/or gluten-free. While I do not eat a strictly vegan or gluten-free diet, I understand what a challenge it is for people of different dietary needs during the holidays. Whether you are vegan or gluten-free or you are a kind host wanting to make a meal that everyone can enjoy, these recipes are a hit with everyone!

A couple weeks ago, I shared my vegan and gluten-free recipe for Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Shiitake Mushroom Gravy. Last week, I shared my recipe for Harvest Grains with Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage – a wonderful main dish for vegetarians and side dish for everyone else. In addition to the tasty recipe I’m sharing today, we are also sharing a brand-new Foodie video recipe video for vegan Pumpkin Pie!

I have always love stuffing on Thanksgiving, especially my mom’s cornbread stuffing. Her secret was to bake the cornbread the day before and let it sit out overnight. This way, it got a bit dry and was perfect to soak up all the other flavors in the stuffing. You can use pretty much any cornbread for this recipe, but I used the Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Cornbread mix. In order to make it vegan, I used chia seed gel instead of the eggs and almond milk instead of dairy milk.

This stuffing pulls out all the stops. With lots of fresh and dried herbs, apples, cranberries and pecans, this recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and savory with a fantastic texture. Trust me, you won’t even notice the lack of dairy, eggs or gluten! Bon appétit!

Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut oil
1 onion, diced
2 leeks, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 granny apple, cubed
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecan pieces
Gluten-Free Cornbread (see recipe below)
2 cups veggie broth

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large (15 inch or larger) cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. (If you do not have a large cast iron skillet, use a large pot, dutch oven or a wok.)
Melt coconut oil in skillet and add onions, leeks, celery and garlic. Cook until onions start to turn translucent then add sage, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper.
Add granny apple, cranberries and pecans. Continue to saute until apple starts to soften, about 7 minutes.
Crumble cornbread into pan, then stir to completely combine. Pour broth over the top of the stuffing and mix to ensure consistent coverage. Put cast iron skillet in oven. (If using a saucepan, transfer stuffing into a oven-safe pan first.)
Bake in oven until top of stuffing starts to get a little crispy- about 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 8

Gluten-Free Cornbread

Ingredients:

2 15-ounce packages Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Cornbread mix
2 “chia eggs”
1 cup olive oil
1 ½ cups almond milk

* To make 2 chia eggs, combine 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds with ⅓ cup water and set aside for a few minutes to gel. (Note that you could also use flax eggs.)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and put in the oven. Bake until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Did you give this recipe a try? Any other recipes you would like to share with us at Foodie by Trende? Join the conversation on Facebook!

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Jenna Garcia