I have such nice memories of Thanksgiving. I used to love spending the day cooking and preparing in the kitchen with my mom and sister. My mom always liked to have lots of people over – and it was truly a joyous event.

But because they live so far away, I haven’t had the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents in many years. I try to hold on to those nice memories, while creating new traditions with my own family. I thought I’d share with you a recipe of my mom’s that was one of my favorites growing up. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!

My Mom’s Stuffing (converted to gluten-free and alcohol-free)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (if not reacting to butter) or replace with grapeseed oil or avocado oil or Earth Balance
2 cups chopped celery – organic
1 large yellow onion, chopped – organic
1 pound pork sausage or ground turkey or bacon – free range or organic if possible (optional)
1 pound or 1 package gluten-free stuffing mix or cauliflower or Portabella mushrooms
1 cup slivered almonds – organic and unsalted
1 cup diced dried apricots (sulfite-free if possible)
2 and 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock – gluten-free and free-range
1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme or sage – organic
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat or use 1/2 cup preferred oil. Add the celery and onion and saute for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Cook the pork sausage or ground turkey or bacon or mushrooms or cauliflower in the same skillet, stir until browning. Remove from the heat and add the celery mixture.
3. Add the stuffing mix (if using it), apricots, and almonds. Stir to combine.
4. Heat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the stock in a small saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the stuffing mixture. Stir well to moisten the stuffing. Season with the thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bake the stuffing in a pan at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Gluten-Free Holiday Dinner Guide – Free Download!

Family memories may make us think that holidays are an exception to eating well – but that doesn’t have to be the case. Eating gluten-free doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice.

To help you with this, I created a comprehensive resource called Dr. Doni’s Gluten-Free Holiday Dinner Guide. It’s free, and filled with holiday recipes and a convenient shopping list to make your dinner plans simple and healthy.

I hope it will help you and your family create new memories and new traditions!

–Dr. Doni
21st November 2016