Thanksgiving Stuffing from Scratch

Thanksgiving Stuffing from Scratch
Serves: 10-12+


Ingredients:


2 round sourdough loaves (source from a quality baker), at least 2 days old
1 lb ground sage or (hot italian) sausage
3-4 leaves of kale, stems removed and finely chopped
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks of celery
2 cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 egg
2 quarts (approx.) of homemade chicken or turkey broth (RECIPE) warmed
1/4 cup of dried cranberries, rehydrated in broth before adding in
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, sage, thyme, tarragon chopped

Instructions:

Take your sourdough bread and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a 200 degree oven and dry out for 10 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add in chopped fresh parsley, sage, thyme and tarragon to the butter and then gently saute the croutons in the butter until golden brown and crispy. 

In the meantime, in a large skillet, add in the ground sausage and brown. Bread sausage into small pieces. Remove from pan. 

Add in the onion, garlic, mushrooms, kale, and celery to the skillet and saute with 2 additional tablespoons butter. 

Once everything has softened, add the sausage back in. Adjust seasonings.

Add bread and sausage mixture into a large crock-pot and add in your softened dried cranberries and water chestnuts.

Whisk your egg and add it into the 2 quarts (approximately) of warm chicken stock, slowly pour into crock-pot while stirring ingredients. Once all liquid has been added, make sure that your stuffing is moist throughout. Cook on low for 4 hours, removing the lid the final hour to crisp up the top. 

Kale Parmesan Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch of lacinato or dinosaur kale, stems removed, rinsed and patted dry

2 tablespoons raisins or dried cherries
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp local honey
1/4 cup pine nuts toasted, or sliced almonds
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp grated raw parmesan cheese

Instructions:

In a food processor, process kale into small chopped pieces

Your not making kale puree, so only a few seconds should do it.

To make dressing, stir lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper together in a large bowl

I added my dried cherries to the dressing so that they could plump up in the dressing.
Add chopped kale, pine nuts and parmesan to bowl with dressing
Stir all ingredients together and serve

This recipe was adapted from: Melt In your mouth Kale Salad

Creamy Kale Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Goat Cheese Tomatoes

Serves: 2

Chicken Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, boneless skinless

1/2 package of cream cheese. I used Greek Yogurt cream cheese for the increased protein

2 tablespoons Finely shredded mozzarella cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-2 large kale leaves, stems removed and diced.

3 tablespoons of grated or shaved Parmesan 

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Let your cream cheese come up to room temperature, mix in salt, pepper, cayenne, minced garlic and chopped kale.

Using a paring knife make a 3 inch pocket into the thickest part of the breast.

Stuff the filling into the breast, trying to distribute evenly. You may need to stick a few toothpicks in the breast to seal it.

Using a grill pan brown chicken on all sides over high heat,

 then turn down to medium heat and cook about 14 minutes with a lid on the pan until done,

 careful not to burn either side. Juices will run clear and it should be 165 degrees in the meatiest part of the breast.

Roasted Goat Cheese Tomatoes Ingredients:

2 Roma tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons goat cheese

A couple of fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Half your roma tomatoes and spray with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place under broiler on high for 5-8 minutes until softened.

 Place a teaspoon or so of the goat cheese on top and place under the broiler for another 3-5 minutes until melty and browned.

I served this with some quick broiled asparagus that had some S&P and olive oil on top. Total Calories for this meal were only 360 calories and it was so filling!