Don’t I sound humble?  Well, when you’ve got six “Golden Ladles” under your belt – wait!  Those were for soups.  I’ve never entered a stuffing-making contest, but I’d have to admit, this would be my entry. 

I’ve decided that there are three groups of people when it comes to stuffing opinions.  Yea, even unto four. 

First there are “the-nasty-stuff-shall-never-pass-these-lips” people.  I don’t understand these people.  After all, it’s a pilgrimage.  Keep trying.  I know I’ve personally swayed some nose-wrinklers with this recipe.

Next, there is a group of folks I don’t even trust.  Someone walks in with a pan of something that resembles stuffing and I’m gonna ask what’s in it – and not so much because I’m concerned that they’ve loaded it with unhealthy ingredients.  You have to give these people a second, meaningful look and ask exactly what’s in it.  That’s because at some point in history, someone somewhere put oysters in stuffing and told people this was not only acceptable, but tasty.  Your life is in your own hands, but my advice is to beware of this group.

Then, there are those folks who cling to the stuffing I grew up on.  White bread, torn into hunks and drowned in seasoned broth is baked until it becomes…well, white bread drowned in seasoned broth.  There might be an egg or two in there, but generally, you probably need a spoon and it’s nothing special.  I take that back.  It is something special – it’s memories.  It’s what our granny made and it’s stuck in our minds as the thing to do.  God bless these folks.  May they happily feast on it and leave more of mine for me!

The final group is the one I call home.  It’s the “let’s-go-all-out-and-throw-in-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” group.  Flavors, textures, aromas – all blending into a glorious symphonic culinary masterpiece.  Don’t say I don’t know how to overdo it.

I like to give credit where credit is due.  Many years ago, I checked a book out of the public library called “The Thanksgiving Cookbook” by Holly Garrison.  (This was way back when healthy ingredients didn’t seem to matter that much in our household, especially on a holiday.)  This book was loaded with yummy stuff and I still use the skillet green bean recipe.  I checked and found the book is still available used on websites like www.discoverbooks.com , www.mercari.com , and www.ebay.com in the $5-$8 range.  However, there seem to have been different editions and I don’t know how they differ.

The stuffing recipe in Holly’s book really rocked my world.  I’d been looking for something “different” and this was not only something I’d never had before – it was hearty, delicious – it was a stuffing “experience”.  Still, over the years I’ve adapted it quite a bit, not only to fit the THM plan as a crossover (XO), but to our personal tastes as well.  Thanks to Holly Garrison for inspiring me with the basic idea of using sausage, sage and apples – something I never would have come up with on my own.

Be sure to check the notes following the recipe!  And, don’t forget there’s a free printable – It prints as a double so you can share with a friend!

Coach Barb’s Stuffing-to-End-All-Stuffings with Sage, Sausage and Apples               “XO”

1 pound turkey breakfast sausage, browned and seasoned with plenty of extra sage.

16 slices (20 ounces) sprouted grain bread, torn or broken into postage stamp sized pieces and DRIED

3 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons dried sage or 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped fine

3/4 cup toasted, coarsly chopped walnuts

2 large (or 3 if smaller) golden delicious apples, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch or smaller)

2 teaspoons mineral salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

3 large eggs, beaten

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup chicken broth with NO SUGAR

1/2 cup heavy cream

Coconut oil cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9″X13″ baking dish (or LARGER) with cooking spray.
2. In the VERY large mixing bowl where your bread has been drying, add the browned meat, celery, onion, sage, walnuts, apples, salt, pepper and caraway, tossing together with a large spoon as you go.
3. Whisk the melted butter, almond milk, broth and heavy cream into the bowl with the beaten eggs.  Pour over the dry ingredients and stir well.

Pour into the baking dish.  Cover and bake one hour or until done in center, removing the cover after 30 minutes to allow for some yummy crustiness on top.

NOTES:

Sage:  There are years when the frost gets my sage plant before Thanksgiving rolls around, but that didn’t happen this year.  Just remember that you’ll need half as much dried sage as you would fresh.

Drying Bread:  I use a mixture of bread heels and chunks of homemade sourdough I’ve had frozen along with some store-bought sprouted grain bread such as the Knock Your Sprouts Off bread from Aldi in order to come up with the required twenty ounces.  I put it in a huge mixing bowl on Sunday or Monday ahead of Thursday’s feast and several times a day as I walk by, I reach in and give the bread pieces a toss.  By the time you’re ready to make stuffing, they’ll be dried out and crouton-like.  This needs to happen or they will not be able to soak up the goodness you’re going to apply.

Veggies:  Folks will be unhappy with chunks of squashy celery in their mouths, so please go to the extra effort to get the celery and onions pretty small.  I leave the last inch or so at the base of a celery stalk connected as a “handle” and run a knife down the stalk separating it into four long strips.  Then, squeeze them together and slice them all at once down to the base end and then toss it.

Broth:  You could use bone broth or regular chicken broth.  Just be sure to adjust the amount of mineral salt in the recipe based on the amount of sodium in the broth.  I prefer to have minimal salt in the broth and add my own salt.

The Pan:  I use a clear glass baking dish that, while it might be mistaken for a 9X13” at first glance, my other pans of that size will easily fit down into it with a little wiggle room.  This is a big pan of stuffing, so if you’re serving just a few people, you may want to make a half recipe until you decide you like it and then you’ll probably want to make the whole thing and freeze the leftovers.

Now, grab your free printable and start your adventure and see if you don’t think this is the Stuffing-To-End-All Stuffings!  Check out the THM on-plan Thanksgiving menu here that has been taste-tested and approved by the members I coach in my weekly Food Freedom sessions.

In the group coaching sessions I teach weekly, I do cooking demonstrations and in our countdown to the holidays, the members have gotten to experience several recipes that enable them to have a complete Thanksgiving feast and still stay on plan with THM. If you’d like our suggested Thanksgiving menu, click here.

Remember those “golden ladles” I mentioned earlier. If you’d like my all-time favorite soup, click here. This one is the winner of three of those awards!

If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page and let me know.  I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis.  Private coaching can be done in person or by phone.  Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!

Which stuffing camp do you belong to?  Leave a comment and give me your thoughts.