My aunt Susy makes the best stuffing in the world! Even as a kid I loved the big chunks of whole wheat, bits of sage and crispy edges. Every time I celebrate one of the holidays with her I insist she make it, and often eat not much more than the stuffing. The other holiday food item I love are Brussel sprouts. One of my dads made them a few years ago slow roasted to the point of caramelization, and this time of year they are all I think about. Every time I see the handmade clay casseroles in the cupboard, memories of stuffing and Brussel sprouts are conjured as those are the customary baking dishes for these two delicacies.
Since Auntie Susy is in charge of making stuffing, I have actually never made it. Today was my first. I had a container of frozen, diced and par-boiled sweet potatoes left over from the CSA, as well as the remnants of a loaf of whole wheat baguette from who-knows-when in the freezer. I must have had stuffing on my mind because last week I bought some fresh sage and a huge bag of Brussel sprouts. I started off today with the idea of making soup, but it turned into stuffing! Max won’t be happy, I am sure. I bet if you make this for your Thanksgiving table, your vegetarian friends will be happy!
Ingredients:
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1/2 stick butter (vegan option – 2 Tbs olive oil)
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups sweet potato, diced
- 2 pounds Brussel sprouts, halved
- 1 large bunch fresh sage, minced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 apple, peeled and diced
- 4 cups cubed wheat bread (crusty loaves like baguette work nicely)
- 1 cup apple cider
Directions:
1) Saute the onion in the butter or oil until translucent. Add garlic, the halved Brussel sprouts and the sweet potatoes. Saute until the potatoes begin to tenderize and the Brussel sprouts begin to brown. You won’t need to fully cook the potatoes and Brussel sprouts as they will spend some time in the oven as well.
2) Next add the sage, salt and pepper. Once these are combined, add the walnuts, chopped apple and cubed bread. Mix together. Add the apple cider last making sure that everything is moist, but not soupy. You may need to add a bit more cider if you used a real crusty bread.
3) Move stuffing into a covered casserole dish, cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Vegetarian Perspective 