I have a couple of problems with Thanksgiving.
For one, it’s always near my birthday, so a lot of people go out of town. (Boo).
For another, it’s a caloric nightmare. Stuffing, for one, can be overloaded with calories and carbs, with as many as 300 calories and 12 grams of fat in one serving (Fatsecret). It’s also terrible for your skin — most foods are laden with overcooked sugars, which can trigger spikes in blood sugar and, ultimately, aged, hardened, brittle collagen in your skin (Larsen).
But I love family and our get-togethers, so I’m not going to be a Scrooge on Turkey Day. It’s delicious recipes like this one from Kretschmer featuring the deliciousness of fig and prosciutto but only 200 calories and 7 grams of fat in one serving that keep me and my waistline over the holidays happy. It’s too good to keep a secret so here goes:
The No-Longer Secret Fig and Prosciutto Stuffing Recipe
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 7 slices 100 percent whole wheat bread, toasted and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup Kretschmer Original Toasted Wheat Germ
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored chopped
- 6 dried figs, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat large sauté pan. Add olive oil.
2. When heated add onion, garlic, shallots and celery. Cook on medium high, stirring often, 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
3. Add mushrooms and cook 5 more minutes. Stir in thyme and sage. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch oven-proof pan, add bread. Stir in onion and mushroom mixture, wheat germ, apples and figs until evenly distributed in pan. Pour chicken broth evenly over the top.
5. Sprinkle parsley and prosciutto strips on top. Bake uncovered 45 minutes.
For a printable recipe, visit Kretschmer.com.
This is the best stuffing recipe I’ve ever tried, hands down. The fact that it is healthy is only icing on the cake!
