Guilt-Free, Gluten-Free Polenta Stuffing

NUTRITIONAL PROFILE: CAL-226/PRO-6/CARB-40/FAT-5/SAT-0/CHO-30/SOD-198/FIB-3

PERCENT CALORIES FROM PRO-10%/CARB-71%/FAT-19%

This festive dish from my book BITE ME!, with it’s complex flavors of orange rind, cranberries and a kick of Triple Sec, goes over well in my family–for those of us who must eat gluten-free and everyone else sitting around our holiday table. It’s made in two simple steps; making the cornbread, then incorporating it into the stuffing. If you have a lot on your plate (so to speak) prepping for a big holiday meal you can make the cornbread a day or two before and refrigerate. I recommend Golden Pheasant brand polenta and strongly advise you not to use regular cornmeal.

Indulge in this guilt-free polenta dish, paired with your favorite lean meat and a veggie for a completely balanced and satisfying meal!

Cornbread Ingredients:

• 3 Egg Whites
• 1/1/3 cup Nonfat Milk (or Rice Milk for dairy free)
• 2 cups Golden Pheasant Polenta
• 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Corn Kernals, defrosted (or roast whole corn and cut off the cob for even better flavor)
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 cup Oat Flour or Bob’s GF Flour
• 1 T Baking Powder
• 1/2 t Salt
• 2 T unfiltered, raw honey

How to make it:

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites, milk, oil and honey, and mix until blended. Add polenta and corn then mix thoroughly. Line a baking pan with parchment or mist with cooking spray. Place mixture into pan and bake at 325 degrees until cooked (about 20 minutes–this will vary depending upon your oven). TIP: The cornbread is cooked to perfection when it is slightly browned, cracked around the crust edges and will spring back slightly in the center. It is best to slightly overcook, than to under cook, as this replaces the crunchy crouton you would typically use in a bread stuffing. Test with a toothpick in the center to be sure!

Stuffing Ingredients:

• 1/3 c Walnuts
• 2 Stalks Celery, Chopped
• 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 1 Grated Orange Rind
• 1/3 c Triple Sec
• 1 c Dried Cranberries
• 1 T Fresh Parsley, Chopped
• 2 t Fresh Thyme, Chopped
• 2 c Organic Chicken Stock
• 1 t Salt

Your final step:

Once the corn bread is cooked, break it into bite sized chunks. Spray frying pan with nonstick cooking spray, and fry yellow onion and celery until translucent. Place in a large bowl and add remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the corn bread chunks so they don’t break up. Place all the combined ingredients into a casserole dish. Combine chicken stock and triple sec and drizzle over stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes in a covered dish. If the stuffing is too moist, simply remove the cover and cook longer until it reaches ideal consistency. Enjoy!