Flavors of Harvest - Stuffing

I found this recipe a number of years ago in the Body & Soul magazine and have made it every year since. It uses a wide variety of harvest flavors to bring vibrance to turkey stuffing. It's lower in saturated fat and sodium and higher in nutrients and fiber from fruit, nuts and mushrooms. It's a nice reminder of what this celebration is about: giving thanks for the abundance of the harvest.

Healthy Harvest Stuffing

Body & Soul, Nov. 2008

1 lb whole-wheat Italian bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (I might use

half cornbread)

3/4 cup walnuts, coarsley chopped

2/3 cup dried cranberries

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chipped

1 med. celery stalk with leaves, chopped fine

8 oz shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and caps chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced

1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh sage leaves, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced

coarse salt and ground pepper

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (you may not need it all)

Olive-oil spray, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. with oven rack in middle position. Place bread ona rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with walnuts and dried cranberries; set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery and shiitakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add apple and continue to cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add parsley, sage, and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.

3. Add onion mixture to bowl with bread mixture; stir to combine. Add enough of the broth to thoroughly moisten the bread mixture without soaking it (there shouldn't be any excess broth in the bottom of the bowl). Spoon stuffing into a 2-quart casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Uncover, mist the top of the stuffing with olive-oil spray, if desired, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.