I don’t know about you but I truly love this Holiday. Not even so much for the true history of it but for the present history of what it’s become. The fact that this holiday brings families and friends together to laugh, eat, and have an amazing time as well as being grateful for our lives, communities, and our earth. Sharing stories, enjoying the company of one another, energy exchanges with foods and gratitude filled hearts…How can this time not be cherished?
I remember as a child how much fun Thanksgiving would be and how excited my cousins and I would get. The food, the amount of people at the table or in the house in general, all the laughing and playing that would occur, and most importantly all the eating! Growing up, as we moved closer to my dad and his family, well our Thanksgivings would get even bigger! Now, more in my adult years, not much has changed except for well, food allergies and preferences and being able to host my own 
“Friendsgivings.” A lot of people in our present day have food allergies or chose to eat a certain way for their beliefs, the way it makes them feel, etc., (myself included) so when this time of the year comes, sometimes it can draw some times of unhappy bellies and steer us away from the health. When I first started eating Gluten Free around 7 years ago, I remember how I would long to eat certain things at the table, most importantly pies and that delicious smelling stuffing. Eventually, I started to bake and make my own pies from scratch but because I never really remembered what the stuffing would taste like, I never had the urge to remake it. Around last year, when I tried a GF stuffing for the first time in years, I realized how delicious is was with the rest of my food and since then, I’ve wanted to remake my own healthier version and something everyone, not just the healthy eaters, would enjoy.
This stuffing I am about to share with you will help make the dinner table this year and will warm the hearts of those with allergies or preferences, making it so no one has to stay to a “label” and can just eat! The stuffing base is a easy grain free cornbread, not to sweet and not to dry. The rest is with onions, leaks, celery, and tons of herbs. Make sure you give yourself some time to make this as well as prep other items while things are baking! Let’s bring Thanksgiving back to the community and sharing with all, no matter what their “label” may be and give big thanks to our earth, Pacha-mama for all that she supplies for us to eat. I hope you all have a safe and happy happy holiday this season. If you make this stuffing, don’t forget to take a photo of it and share it with me via email or via Instagram (#thegrainsoflife) so I can see all the ways it has turned out! Get creative with how you present this at dinner, remember, we first eat with our eyes!
Vegan, Gluten Free Stuffing Recipe
The entire recipe serves 4-6 *(can easily be doubled)
Cornbread
1 cup Cornmeal
1/2 cup Almond meal
1/2 cup Cashews (soaked for at least an hour)
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1/3- 1/2 cup Maple syrup
1/2 cup white Cheese of choice (vegan also)
1/4 cup Coconut oil
1.2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
3 stems fresh chopped Rosemary
Directions
- Set oven at 350 degrees.
- Mix drys flours, baking powder, salt, rosemary, and flax\with a whisk then set aside. Blend the cashews with the coconut oil, then milk and maple syrup in a high speed blender, then pour into the dry mixture and stir till almost combined. Then fold in the cheese and combine. Grease a casserole dish with coconut oil or the spray, then pour batter inside of the dish. Spread till even then bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick would come out clean if inserted in the middle.
- Set aside to cool, then cut into tiny squares and transfer into a bowl.
Filling
4 stalks of celery
1/2 cup parsley
1 large sweet onion
1/2 head of purple cabbage
4 stalks kale chopped small
1 leek
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
5 sage leaves chopped
4 sticks of rosemary chopped
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable broth
12 oz or a little less o=f cranberries or pomegranates
1/4 cup maple syrup
Oil, ghee, or vegan butter for frying
Directions
- I usually use a cast iron skillet, but you can use what ever pan of your choice. Start by heating all the herbs in the oil or butter of your choice, be careful it doesn’t burn. Then add another tbl of oil or butter and add the onions and leeks. Medium heat until they become translucent. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir, let it cook for about five minutes then add the broth and let it cook until pretty much all of the broth is gone.
- While that’s cooking, fill a baking dish with either pomegranates or cranberries, then add the maple syrup and juice from half a lemon or orange. Bake until it starts to boil and then remove and let it cool.
- Transfer the veggie mix into a bowl with the bread and mix slightly. Then place back in the casserole dish, add the cranberries or pomegranates and bake again for another 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. If you want a more dry stuffing, leave for another ten or so but turn the oven down to 200 degrees.
- Let it cool before you serve
Can be served stuffed in butternut squash, zucchini boats, or just as its own!
About the Cook:
Chelsea Shapouri, currently in Ventura, California, is an entrepreneur with the love for holistic health, yoga/meditation, herbal medicine, travel, and the outdoors. Her aim is to help people achieve their true authenticity, move away from stress and into balance using her knowledge with Holistic Living. Chelsea currently is teaching “Yoga Medicine” at local studios and indoor rock climbing gyms, creating a cook book, taking photos with her favorite companions, hosting workshops locally, and enjoying the ocean and trails on her days off. To learn more about her mission and offers you can go to her website; Thegrainsoflife.com or email her at; thegrainsoflife@yahoo.com. Join the team to spread this awareness of happiness as well as taking care of our earth and people.
