Holiday-worthy recipe: Butternut squash and bread stuffing

This has been a popular recipe the past two Thanksgivings, so I'm posting it again. You can buy already cut-up chunks of butternut squash at stores such as Trader Joe's or Kroger's (in bags in the produce department), which makes it so much easier to use. This stuffing recipe is super-healthy, thanks to the beta-carotein and fiber in the squash; the high-fiber whole wheat bread; protein from the eggs; the diced vegetable base; and the raisins and nuts. (If you have nut-sensitive people to feed, of course you can omit those.)
What might surprise you a bit however is how doggone good this stuffing tastes. It will be a real winner at your table, guaranteed!
Another bonus: you can make this recipe in advance; just refrigerate unbaked and pop it into the oven on turkey day.

Recipe:

Butternut Squash, Fruit and Nut Dressing

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into one to 1 ½- inch cubes Note: many supermarkets carry peeled and seeded butternut squash, refrigerated, in the produce section

5 cups whole-grain bread cubes (from 4 large slices of bread). Note: Bread should either be toasted before you cut into cubes or left out overnight so that it’s “stale.” If you have actual stale whole-grain bread, use that.

2 T canola oil

½ cup chopped celery and/or carrots

½ cup diced onion, leeks or shallots

2 eggs, lightly beaten, or equivalent amount of egg whites or egg substitute

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme

½ cup golden raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of both

½ cup chopped walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place the squash in a steamer insert inside a 2-quart saucepan. Add ½ cup water, sprinkle with salt, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until squash is still al dente, about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of the cubes. Remove from heat and rinse squash under cold running water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables (celery, onions, etc.) to pan and sauté, stirring, until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

3. Combine remaining ingredients (eggs through salt and pepper) with cooled veggies in a large mixing bowl. Add bread and squash; stir well.

4. Turn into an oiled baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes in a preheated, 350- degree oven. NOTE: you can refrigerate the stuffing in the baking dish, uncooked, for up to one day in advance.

5. Let cool slightly before serving.

Stuffing rules!

It's countdown time -- just a week until the 3,000-calorie (or more) meal, our big national blowout, Thanksgiving Day. We've all been around that table enough times to know which foods to eat in small amounts, and which to fill our plates with, right?
One of my favorite part of this meal is the stuffing -- or dressing, in Southern parlance. There are so many wonderful variations on this bread-based dish, you never have to have the same one twice. Unless that is, you have a recipe that just can't be beat.
I like to try all kinds of stuffing recipes, and the good news is, this is probably not the fattiest part of your meal. Keep the oil, butter, eggs and meat (such as sausage) to a minimum and stuffing should be a not-too-guilty pleasure.

This one has a relatively short ingredient list and yet combines sweet and savory while packing in some really healthful stuff. Give it a try!

Recipe: Mushroom and Pear Stuffing Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

8 large sage leaves

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 demi whole-wheat baguette (about 8 oz), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large Anjou or Bartlett pear, cored and cubed

1/4 cup pitted prunes, chopped

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup pomegranate juice

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook mushrooms, celery, sage and thyme, stirring often, until mushrooms and celery soften, 6 to 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl; add baguette cubes, pear, prunes, broth and juice. Mix well and let rest until bread absorbs liquid. Transfer to an 8" x 8" baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes, remove foil and bake until stuffing puffs up, about 5 minutes.

Source: Epicurious

It's not too early to start planning your TG menu

Whether you're cooking for a crowd or bringing a dish to someone else's house, finding great Thanksgiving recipes is no easy task.

But my goal for TG dinner is not really different from how I try to eat all the time: make it yummy and healthy, too. The big difference, of course, is that on Thanksgiving we're going to eat way more than usual. I think that makes it more important than ever to apply healthy-foodie principles (tasty AND healthful) to what we cook and serve on that 4,000-calorie day.
In other words, I try to keep it to maybe 2,500 hundred cals -- ha, ha.

I made this delicious stuffing/dressing last holiday season and it was a huge hit among all who tried it. New fave!
The butternut squash adds a toothsome texture (just be sure not to cook it too much before adding to the other ingredients), a pretty color, as well as vitamins, beta carotene and fiber to a traditional bread stuffing or dressing. (Southerners tend to call it dressing because you don't "stuff" it into the bird.) Dried fruit and chopped nuts make it even tastier.

This side dish for your holiday feast will also make a nifty main course for a vegetarian TG, should you be so inclined--or should there be a vegetarian or two on your guest list who will pass on turkey.

Recipe: Butternut Squash, Fruit and Nut Dressing

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into one to 1 ½- inch cubes Note: many supermarkets carry peeled and seeded butternut squash, refrigerated, in the produce section

5 cups whole-grain bread cubes (from 4 large slices of bread). Note: Bread should either be toasted before you cut into cubes or left out overnight so that it’s “stale.” If you have actual stale whole-grain bread, use that.

2 T canola oil

½ cup chopped celery and/or carrots

½ cup diced onion, leeks or shallots

2 eggs, lightly beaten, or equivalent amount of egg whites or egg substitute

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme

½ cup golden raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of both

½ cup chopped walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place the squash in a steamer insert inside a 2-quart saucepan. Add ½ cup water, sprinkle with salt, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until squash is still al dente, about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of the cubes. Remove from heat and rinse squash under cold running water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables (celery, onions, etc.) to pan and sauté, stirring, until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

3. Combine remaining ingredients (eggs through salt and pepper) with cooled veggies in a large mixing bowl. Add bread and squash; stir well.

4. Turn into an oiled baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes in a preheated, 350- degree oven.

5. Let cool slightly before serving.

Garlic Bread Pudding

Here's a savory (not sweet) bread pudding, something like a very custard-y stuffing. It can be the centerpiece of a vegetarian holiday meal or a dynamite, hearty side dish for a roast. Use good quality whole grain bread, rosemary focaccia or whole wheat sourdough.

Garlic and Herb Bread Pudding
Serves 8 as a side dish

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 T olive oil
2 T minced fresh garlic
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup fat-free half and half
3 large eggs
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 T grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 T fresh or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups cubed bread
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place tomatoes in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain well and finely chop.
Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Beat eggs lightly in a deep bowl; add milk and half & half and mix well.
Stir in tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1 T Parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper.
Place bread evenly in a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Pour milk mixture over bread, stirring gently to coat. Let mixture stand 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Squash recipe for Thanksgiving Day

Cubes of butternut squash make this stuffing/dressing a new favorite. I made it in September for a trial run and loved it!
The squash adds a toothsome texture (just be sure not to cook it too much before adding to the other ingredients), a pretty color, as well as vitamins, beta carotene and fiber to a traditional bread stuffing or dressing. (Southerners tend to call it dressing because you don't "stuff" it into the bird.) Dried fruit and chopped nuts make it even tastier.

It's a winner of a side dish for your holiday feast. In fact, it would make a nifty main course for a vegetarian TG, should you be so inclined--or should there be a vegetarian or two on your guest list who will pass on turkey.

Recipe:

Butternut Squash, Fruit and Nut Dressing

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into one to 1 ½- inch cubes Note: many supermarkets carry peeled and seeded butternut squash, refrigerated, in the produce section

5 cups whole-grain bread cubes (from 4 large slices of bread). Note: Bread should either be toasted before you cut into cubes or left out overnight so that it’s “stale.” If you have actual stale whole-grain bread, use that.

2 T canola oil

½ cup chopped celery and/or carrots

½ cup diced onion, leeks or shallots

2 eggs, lightly beaten, or equivalent amount of egg whites or egg substitute

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme

½ cup golden raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of both

½ cup chopped walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place the squash in a steamer insert inside a 2-quart saucepan. Add ½ cup water, sprinkle with salt, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until squash is still al dente, about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of the cubes. Remove from heat and rinse squash under cold running water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables (celery, onions, etc.) to pan and sauté, stirring, until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

3. Combine remaining ingredients (eggs through salt and pepper) with cooled veggies in a large mixing bowl. Add bread and squash; stir well.

4. Turn into an oiled baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes in a preheated, 350- degree oven.

5. Let cool slightly before serving.

Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving --- you'll love this stuffing recipe

Actually, it's what Southerners would call "dressing," because you don't put it in the bird.









I wanted to see how cubes of butternut squash would work in stuffing/dressing, and I really like how it turned out. The squash adds a toothsome texture (just be sure not to cook it too much before adding to the other ingredients), a pretty color, as well as vitamins, beta carotene and fiber. It really is a winner of a side dish for your holiday feast. In fact, it would make a nifty main course for a vegetarian TG, should you be so inclined--or should there be a vegetarian or two on your guest list who will pass on turkey.

Recipe:

Butternut Squash, Fruit and Nut Dressing

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into one to 1 ½- inch cubes Note: many supermarkets carry peeled and seeded butternut squash, refrigerated, in the produce section

5 cups whole-grain bread cubes (from 4 large slices of bread). Note: Bread should either be toasted before you cut into cubes or left out overnight so that it’s “stale.” If you have actual stale whole-grain bread, use that.

2 T canola oil

½ cup chopped celery and/or carrots

½ cup diced onion, leeks or shallots

2 eggs, lightly beaten, or equivalent amount of egg whites or egg substitute

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme

½ cup golden raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of both

½ cup chopped walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place the squash in a steamer insert inside a 2-quart saucepan. Add ½ cup water, sprinkle with salt, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until squash is still al dente, about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of the cubes. Remove from heat and rinse squash under cold running water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables (celery, onions, etc.) to pan and sauté, stirring, until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

3. Combine remaining ingredients (eggs through salt and pepper) with cooled veggies in a large mixing bowl. Add bread and squash; stir well.

4. Turn into an oiled baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes in a preheated, 350- degree oven.

5. Let cool slightly before serving.