Gluten-Free Quinoa Stuffing Recipe

I created this recipe about 5 years ago on Thanksgiving when I first went gluten-free. Stuffing is probably my favorite Thanksgiving side dish but eating all that gluten made me glutten for punishment.  So I simply replaced the bread crumbs and cubes with quinoa in my recipe and voila – it tasted even better, was still just as flavorful and filling and did not make me bloat! The best part about it is that now, I eat stuffing on a regular basis (whereas before, I only splurged once a year).  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cooked rainbow quinoa (used organic vegetable broth as the base instead of just water)

6 Tbsp vegan butter (you could use regular salted butter if you are not vegan)

1 large white onion, chopped

2 cups raw sliced mushrooms (I like a combination of white and baby bellas)

5 large celery stalks, sliced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 large sweet red apple, cored and chopped

1/2 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped (remove leaves, stalks and tough core pieces)

leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, diced

leaves from 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, diced

1 large sage leaves, thinly sliced

2 heaping Tbsp of chopped fresh parsely

1 tsp sea salt, fine

1/2 tsp, fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Prepare your quinoa (you can do this step a few days in advance). One cup of dry quinoa yields approximately 3 cups of cooked quinoa.

Saute the onions in the butter on low heat until transluscent (approximately 10 minutes), increase the heat to medium-low and add the mushrooms, fennel and celery and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the juices from the mushrooms start to evaporate just a bit. Add the apples, carrots, herbs and salt and pepper and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Add the cooked quinoa and stir to combine. Cook for another 3 minutes to warm and slightly toast and flavor the quinoa.

Be sure to taste it and add more seasoning and/or butter if desired.

Enjoy this mounth watering, healthy, gluten-free, and beautiful side dish!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!