Recipes

If you're like many people, you probably turn to the boxed stuffing mixes (such as Stove Top®) to shave some time off that Thanksgiving preparation. Instead of telling you no, I'm going to show you how to jazz up that box mix, and while we're at it, cut the added butter in half to make a light but flavorful quick bread stuffing. Note: Sauteing the veggies in butter does a nice job of bringing out their flavors, but you can shave even more off this recipe if you use just a tad of canola or olive oil instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 box chicken flavor or sourdough bread stuffing mix (6 ounce box)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon minced or chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons butter or no- or low-trans-fat margarine
• 1 3/4 cup water

Preparation:
1. Add butter, onion, celery, and garlic to a medium, nonstick saucepan and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion lightly browns (about 4 minutes).
2. Pour in the seasoning packet and 1 3/4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes.
3. Remove saucepan from heat, add the bread crumbs, and stir to moisten. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve!

Yield:
Makes 6 servings (if you want to make a larger amount, double or triple the recipe ingredients and use a large, nonstick saucepan)

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 152 calories, 3.5 g protein, 22.5 g carbohydrate, 4.8 g fat, 2.4 g saturated fat (if using butter), 10 mg cholesterol (if using butter), 1.5 g fiber, 485 mg sodium.

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