Last weekend, my husband and I went out of town for a little fall getaway and spent a long weekend in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York.
With all of the (exciting!) things that have been going on in the way of travel, presentations, cooking demos, and workshops, I was in need of a break, and Bill and I were overdue for some time to reconnect and relax.
It was SO beautiful, and fall was in full swing. We captured this beautiful view of the town of Lake Placid, overlooking Mirror Lake.
This is my favorite time of the year for those reasons and because I absolutely love fall food.
Roasted root vegetables. Creamy squash soups. Savory stews. Hearty chilis. Heart and soul-warming cups of tea and bowls of oatmeal.
Hungry yet?
And with Thanksgiving coming up next month, things like turkey, stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts and pumpkin everything will start to take center stage.
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to teach a workshop and cooking demo about Going Gluten-Free without Going Crazy. (I’m working on a few other posts all about gluten, so stay tuned for those.)
But, in the meantime, we’re going to focus on one of the top-rated meals I served at the class that everyone loved…Paleo Bread Stuffing!
After the class, one of the attendees said:
That stuffing recipe is officially my new go-to. I’m confident I’ll blow away my 3 sisters-in-law this Thanksgiving, which isn’t easy to do.
If you’re ready to wow some of your family members this year, look no further than this recipe.
Most gluten-free bread is full of LOTS of other ingredients (they have to put something in if they take out the key ingredient in bread…gluten) and tends to have less fiber than its gluten-containing counterparts. Because of that, I’m not a huge fan of eating bread just because it’s gluten-free.
A “gluten-free” label on a package doesn’t deserve the health halo so many of us have given it. It’s 100% necessary for those with Celiac disease and people avoiding gluten for medical reasons, but “gluten-free” does not automatically mean “good for you.”
But this bread is different.
It’s naturally gluten-free and only has 6 SIMPLE, REAL FOOD ingredients. The bread mix is from a company I met at the Natural Products Expo – Simple Mills – and all you need to make it is oil, apple cider vinegar and eggs!
- Almond Flour
- Arrowroot Powder
- Flax Meal
- Baking Soda
- Sea Salt
- Organic Coconut Sugar
That’s how the label of a packaged food should look. Let’s not compromise quality of ingredients just because we’re not making it ourselves! 🙂
Here’s the recipe! You are going to LOVE it.
The Ultimate Gluten-free Bread Stuffing (Paleo)
For a healthier spin on this year’s stuffing, try this recipe!
- 1 box Simple Mills artisan bread mix (or 1 medium loaf gluten-free bread)
- 1 tablespoon ghee (AKA clarified butter)
- 1 cup celery (chopped)
- 1 cup carrots (chopped)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (chopped)
- 3 large eggs (whisked)
- 2 cups broth (chicken or bone both preferred)
Bake the bread that morning or the day before according to the directions provided on the back of Simple Mills Artisan Bread mix bag.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut the loaf bread into cubes; toast the cubes in the preheated oven about 10 minutes to draw out the moisture. Add walnuts and toast another 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
While the bread cubes are toasting in the oven, heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté celery, carrots, and onion in ghee for 5-8 minutes or until the vegetables have developed some color and are tender.
Raise oven temperature to 400F.
Add toasted bread, herbs, walnuts and cranberries to pan and toss to combine. Remove pan from heat. Whisk eggs together and pour on top of bread mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Then, pour on the broth and toss to combine.
Pour veggie/bread mix into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, covered. Remove lid/cover and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes to crisp up the top. Sometimes we give it a stir and then put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so, depending on how crunchy you like it!
If you save it for a day or two, I find that adding 1/2 cup-1 cup of broth to the mix to remoisten it before heating it up in the oven helps and prevents it from drying out. Enjoy! 🙂
You can find Simple Mills products on Amazon, at Target, MOMs Organic Market, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.