Apple Pecan Stuffing

Thanksgiving week is here! I sure do love being surrounded by family and delicious food. While I plan to indulge a little more than usual, I'm still doing so with moderation and am excited to be providing healthier options for myself and my family! Do you ever sneak in healthier dishes during the holidays?

We know that it cannot be Thanksgiving without stuffing. Last week I shared a quinoa based stuffing, but I wanted to share this one as well because it has that same traditional stuffing taste without all the extra ingredients. Delicious!


Ingredients:

• 8 slices sprouted gran bread (such as Ezekiel, Seedtastic, or other less-processed whole wheat bread), cubed (1")


• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (about 2 oz)


• 1 Tbs coconut oil


• 1 1/2 cup chopped celery


• 1 cup chopped green onions (greens & whites)


• 1 large apple, chopped


• black pepper, for seasoning


• 1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1 tsp dried, rubbed sage (or 1 tbs fresh, finely chopped)


• 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbs fresh)

1. Preheat  oven to 225 degrees.  Dry the bread cubes out by spreading them on a baking pan and baking in the oven for about 25 minutes. This will make them very dry on the outside, but still a little moist on the inside. When the bread cubes are done and you've pulled them out, change your oven temp to 400 degrees.
2. Toast pecans in a dry skillet until they become aromatic- make sure they do not burn, but just brown a little and your kitchen is full of that sweet pecan smell.
3. In a large saute pan, melt coconut oil on medium heat. Add celery, green onions, apple and some black pepper to taste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. To this mixture, add the broth, salt, sage and thyme. Put a lid on and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, turn off the heat and stir the bread crumbs and pecans in until everything is well combined. Put this mixture into either an 8X8 square baking dish or a similarly sized casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the top starts to brown and get slightly crispy.