I grew up on the traditional cornbread stuffing that my mother learned from my Dad's mother. She worked years to perfect it for him and man, it was delicious. But I have been gluten free for many years before turning to a plant-based diet, and have been on the hunt for a replacement all these years.
I've tried many different recipes over the years and finally gave it a go myself. And not to toot my own horn, but this one is GOOD. Like, DAMN GOOD. Its packed full of veggies, mushrooms, nutty wild rice, crunchy pecans and a slight sweetness from the cranberries and apples.
And can we talk about all the nutrients you'll get from this? Because its happening. You've got electrolyte salts and beta carotene from the celery and carrots, selenium from the mushrooms, complex carbohydrates and protein from the rice, immune boosting and alkaline properties from the apples, and detoxifying qualities from the cranberries. This is a superfood Thanksgiving side dish if there ever was one!
Ingredients:
1.5 cups wild rice blend (3/4 cup of brown rice + 3/4 cup of wild rice), rinsed
1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried ground sage
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried Greek oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped
2.5 cups of vegetable stock, boiled
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup of a chopped Granny Smith apple, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the rice and olive oil to a 9x11 baking dish and stir to coat the rice in oil. Add the salt, onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, sage, black pepper, oregano, thyme and mushrooms to the rice and oil and stir to combine.
In a small saucepan, bring the veggie stock to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the stock into the pan with the rice and veggies and stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil and carefully place into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and uncover immediately. Fluff the rice with a fork, add the cranberries, apples, parsley, and pecans. Cover the baking dish with a towel for 5 minutes to steam the rice. Don't skip this step, or you will end up with gummy rice.
Serve warm or at room temperature.