Monday, December 5, 2011

Flavorful Grain Free Quinoa Stuffing

I've been struggling with how to make a quinoa stuffing that doesn't taste like a quinoa summer salad.  Then I came across a secret ingredient that saved the day: poultry seasoning.  This created a dish that has a real authentic taste to it, without all the traditional gluten/grain type hassle.  

And a quick word about quinoa.  I've been cooking it for years, and just the other day I found this website that rocked my world.  I've been wasting valuable time and energy trying to get a fluffy quinoa (I do the presoak but alas wasn't using the correct water to quinoa ratio).  Finally, mystery solved! Just FYI: it's 1 1/4 cups liquid to 1 cup quinoa.  So simple! 

Ingredients
4 cups cooked quinoa (to your texture preference, see above notes).  
-1 medium onion, small chop
-1 cup walnuts, chopped 
-1 medium apple, peeled and small chop
-2 celery sticks, chopped
-1 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened or sweetened with fruit juice and always sulfur dioxide free)
-2 cups mushrooms, small chop (optional, not shown in recipe above)
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
-1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning 
-Few turns of the pepper grinder 
-2 tablespoons coconut oil 

How To
1.  Coat bottom of pot with oil.  Add onions & salt.  Saute on med/low for 5 minutes.
2.  Add celery & walnuts, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
3.  Add apple, thyme, pepper, & poultry seasoning.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and add in the 4 cups of quinoa along with the cranberries.  Mix together quinoa, saute mixture, and cranberries. 

Notes
*This was excellent the next morning with eggs as a breakfast scramble!
*Is quinoa a grain? 
Shared on: Gluten-Free Holiday week 4 @ Daily Bites, Traditional Tuesdays, Wellness Weekend,  Monday Mania, Real Food 101, Meatless Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, The Prairie Homestead, Melt in your mouth Monday, Mangia Mondays, Whole Food Fridays, 

6 comments:

  1. Awesome! My MIL is coming for Christmas and has just found out she's gluten-intolerant. I was wondering what I was going to do for the stuffing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Natasha~

    Thanks for your comment! How sweet of you to make a meal that accommodates your MIL's diet. This dish is a nice addition, without the gluten. However, you can also add gluten free breadcrumbs or gluten free bread with broth and make a traditional stuffing without the gluten. I think the base mix has great flavor and you can add just about anything: cornbread, gluten free bread, grains such as millet, etc. So easy with the quinoa though! :-)

    Be Well,
    --Amber

    ReplyDelete
  3. This looks great! The price of quinoa has increased by $3 per lb. Have you noticed that too?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello There Brittany~

    Thanks!

    You know, now that you mention it, I did notice an increase in the price (while perusing through the bulk section)!? I purchase in bulk and recently used my last bit of quinoa (for this recipe), so I purchased this last bulk batch apparently before the price went up. Crazy!!! Millet is still super inexpensive I believe. I'll have to ask my Coop about this price hike though.

    Be Well,
    --Amber

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great stuffing recipe - my Mom used to make a rice-based dressing but that was because it was a Louisiana family tradition. Quinoa is much healthier! Thank you for sharing on Wellness Weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi There Gretchen~

    Sounds like a tasty tradition. But you're so right. You just can't beat the health benefits of quinoa.

    Happy Holidays to you.
    Be Well,
    --Amber

    ReplyDelete

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