Turkeyless Thanksgiving Stuffing
                                                 by Christian Pilosi
                                                       (Scranton, PA)

Turkeyless Thanksgiving Stuffing

Ingredients

8 cups cubed baguette bread (semi-hard, almost stale) or stuffing croutons
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups vegetable broth or no-chicken broth (Imagine or Pacific Brand are good ones that can be found locally)
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (if desired)
1 medium size apple, cubed (if desired)

Method

Heat the oil in a saute pan on medium heat until hot.

Saute the onions, celery & mushrooms until onions are transparent but not browned.

Add the sage, thyme, marjoram, salt & pepper & saute for a few more minutes while lowering the heat.

Heat broth in pot until warm if using baguette bread or to boiling if using stuffing croutons.

Place bread or croutons in large mixing bowl & pour the broth slowly over them, mixing as you go.

Add the onions, celery & mushrooms from the saute pan

Hand mix & toss all ingredients until they are fully combined & the bread is now mostly soft. As you do this, return the saute pan to the stove, add a bit more oil & quickly saute the water chestnuts & cubed apples if you are using them. Add these to the mixing bowl & fully combine everything.

Spray a baking dish with a bit of canola oil to avoid sticking & place the mix in the dish, shaping it to the dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy! :-)