SAVORY STUFFING--THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD

If you follow my blog, you know that I advocate healthy eating without sacrificing taste. I like to cook, I like to eat, and I like my food to be flavorful and satisfying. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Let the stoics say what they please, we do not eat for the good of living, but because the meat is savory and the appetite is keen."

Dressings and stuffings are my favorite comfort food. Most of the ingredients that make these "savory" are good for you: Onions, celery, peppers, herbs and spices. For the bread in my stuffings, I always focus on whole grains and avoid refined foods such as stuffing or cornbread mixes.

Chicken Breasts with Cornbread Dressing

Cooking spray
5 cups crumbled cornbread*
1 cup soft whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
(Low fat, low sodium, preferably homemade)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
extra black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 3-quart casserole with cooking spray.
Combine the cornbread, wholewheat bread crumbs, onion, celery, thyme, sage and black pepper in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Stir in enough stock to make a moist mixture. Press into the prepared casserole dish.

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet just to flatten a bit and tenderize. Season with black pepper. Put the breasts on top of the dressing and cover with foil. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the chicken breasts are done and opaque. Increase the heat to 425 degrees. Bake an additional 10 minutes to brown off the chicken.

*I recommend making your own cornbread with stone-ground cornmeal. Stone-ground cornmeal retains some of the hull and germ and is more nutritious. Mixes do not and they contain a lot of sodium. I also use egg substitute rather than whole eggs to make mine.

Ground Turkey and Bread Stuffing Casserole

(The only drawback to this recipe is that it is so good, I cannot stop eating it!)

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, core and dice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 teaspoon dried parsley
2 1/2 cups coarse wholewheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/2 - 1 cup low-sodium, low-fat turkey or chicken broth
cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey

In a large, heavy skillet saute the onion and celery in the oil, cooking until the onions are translucent. Add the apples, thyme, sage and parsley. Cook until the apples are a bit softened.
Add the bread crumbs and pecans to a large bowl. Add the apple mixture. Stir in enough stock to moisten. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Meanwhile, brown the turkey in a large skillet. Add the cooked turkey to the prepared casserole and spread the stuffing on top. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the stuffing is browned.

Creamy Gravy

I like gravy on my dressing so I make the following low-fat gravy to go with both recipes above.

1 1/2 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or turkey stock
Pinch of sage
Pinch of onion powder
Several grinds of fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Put the stock, sage, onion powder and black pepper in a small sauce pan. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and whisk into the stock. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a low boil and thickens. Boil a minute or two and stir in the sour cream.

Stuffed Peppers

Sauce:
1 10.75-ounce can tomato puree*
3/4 cup low-sodium, low fat chicken or turkey stock
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil

Peppers:
4 large or 6 medium bell peppers
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash® garlic and herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup egg substitute
1 ounce grated Swiss cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the sauce by adding all the ingredients to a sauce pan and simmering on low for 10 minutes. Cool slightly.

Cut the tops off the peppers and save. Clean out the seeds and put the peppers in a deep casserole dish with a top. (If they will not sit flat, trim the bottoms.) Chop enough of the meat from the pepper tops to make 1/4 cup. Add them along with the turkey, onion, Mrs. Dash®, pepper, oats and egg substitute in a large bowl. Mix throughly. Stir in 1/3 cup of the sauce and mix again. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture and pour the remaining sauce over them. Cover.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting occasionally with the sauce. If desired, top with grated Swiss cheese during the last 15 minutes of baking time.

*No-salted added tomato puree is available