This recipe will fool your omnivorous friends and family!

I cherish memories of holidays past. Among my favorite memories are Thanksgiving Reunion celebrations spent with grandmother’s extended family. Every year dozens of people would gather at a lovely campground outside of Gainesville, FL (my hometown) and each family brought one or more dishes. My cousins and I had a great time exploring and playing. There were tons of things to do at this place – horseback riding, canoeing and even a zoo right on site.

But the best part of all was the amazing foods. My grandmother’s family can really cook…and bake…and eat! Since even as a kid, I never liked meat, I avoided some of the offerings (like sausage and squash casserole, anything with beef, etc.). But I always loved stuffing, or dressing depending on geographic region of origin.

Now, as an adult vegan, I wanted to find ways of revamping my cherished childhood indulgences. I’m very satisfied with this stuffing recipe, and my mother and husband (both non-veg) have given it rave reviews as well. Listed first below is the original (full-fat, full of animal-protein) recipe. My updated recipe follows. I’ll also attach a photo of the ready to serve recipe shortly.
ORIGINAL Recipe: Makes 10 servings

1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
1 pound ground turkey sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
3/4 cup turkey stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

REVISED Recipe: Makes at least 10 servings
(hint: tastes even better on days 2 & 3)

1 ½ loaves gluten free whole grain bread, cubed
1 roll vegan Gimme Lean sausage
½ large sweet onion, chopped
1 cup celery, diced (I like tons of celery in mine but it’s up to your tastes)
2-3 organic sweet apples peeled [or not I prefer mine with peel] and diced
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup pecans OR walnuts, chopped
1 – 1 ½ cups vegetable stock (to taste)
1-2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread

Optional Add-ins:
12 ounces sliced portabella mushrooms. If using, be sure to brown mushrooms first to avoid overly wet stuffing/dressing
May use golden raisins or currants instead of cranberries if preferred
1 bag dried, peeled chestnuts, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary
You can also replace up to ½ loaf of bread with cooked wild rice. (Makes a nice final texture)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. (NOTE since I used gluten free bread, which tends to be drier, I just cubed the bread and left in a bowl in refrigerator overnight.) Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
2.Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons butter spread. Crumble Gimme Lean sausage into pan and add diced onion and mushrooms is using.
3. Cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery and spices as desired. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
NOTE: I really like sweet and salty flavors so I add some extra salt here, up to 1 teaspoon depending on the brand and saltiness of broth you are using.
4. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl.
5. Allow mixture to sit/rest while peeling and/or dicing apples.
6. Add chopped apples, dried cranberries to sausage and bread mixture. Stir to combine.
6. Drizzle with stock and mix lightly. Stir in pecans or walnuts. Mix well.
NOTE: I like to add enough broth for the mixture to remain just a bit soupy after stirring to combine. The I allow the mixture to rest again for moisture absorption. Allow me to judge if more broth is needed.

Bake for 45 min to 1 hour covered in 350 oven. Then remove foil or cover and brown for 10 min at same temperature. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Please post you own experiences making one of these recipes and your family’s response. Enjoy!