Thanksgiving Dinners at home

Thanksgiving is a time for families to reconnect, and this is the same whether it is October in Canada, or November in the US.

The very traditional turkey dinner is something almost everyone looks forward to, and with a few classic recipes your dinner will be a great success.

Savoury Stuffing 

This is a great stuffing that you can cook inside the turkey, or separately in a casserole dish. The advantage of a casserole is that the ingredients are vegan, so this can be enjoyed by everyone at the table.  Usually we will double the recipe, and cook it both ways - after all, leftover turkey and stuffing for the day after is  a plus.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed dry bread - use stale bread, or dry fresh bread in the oven- 8 cups bread cubes (use stale bread or you can dry out fresh bread in the oven)
• - 1/4 cup olive oil, or vegetable oil 

• - 1 cup diced celery
• - 1/2 cup diced onion
• - 1 clove garlic, minced
• - 1 tablespoon dried sage
• - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tbsp dried parsley
• - 1 teaspoon salt
• - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• - 1/2 cup vegetable broth 
• 
  
• Instructions:
• 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a large baking dish and set aside.
• 2. In a large skillet, add the olive oil, the diced celery, onion, and minced garlic and cook over very low heat until they are softened and slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
• 3. Stir in the dried sage, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly to coat the vegetables with the spices. Then add the bread to the pan, and stir to mix the ingredients. Continue on low heat for 1-2 minutes, to combine the flavours. 
• 4. Pour the vegetable broth over the bread mixture and stir until all the bread is evenly moistened.
• 5. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• 6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and crispy.
• 7. Serve hot as a side dish with your favorite roasted turkey or chicken.

The other non-vegan option is to place the stuffing inside the turkey, and use butter instead of olive oil.