Lisa's Gluten Free Stuffing

This is a traditional stuffing with a gluten free twist. Honestly - the simplest thing to do is to grab a loaf of gluten free bread, chop or rip it up into bite sized bits, then toast it. If you have more time to plan ahead, you can save your bread ends, dry them out (just leave them out to dry on your counter, covered with a cloth so the flies don't get to it), and then crumble them day the day you make your stuffing. You can also buy gluten free croutons that are pre-seasoned. If you want to create a vegan gluten free stuffing - that's easy too - just a few tweaks to the recipe. Here we go: Ingredients: 1/4 Cup Organic Onion, diced 2 Cloves Organic Garlic, minced 1/2 Cup Organic Celery, diced 1/2 Cup Organic Mushrooms, diced very small (I put mine in the hand powered food processor so the bits are TINY) (try button, shitake, or portabella for different flavours) 1/3 Cup Grass Fed Butter / Buttery Spread (You'll likely need more later) 4 Cups Gluten Free Bread Crumbs 1 tsp Freshly Ground Organic Black Pepper (or try white pepper for a different taste) 1/2 tsp Himalayan Salt 1/2 tsp Dried Organic Sage, Powdered 1/2 tsp Dried Organic Rosemary, Powdered 1/2 tsp Dried Organic Parsley, Powdered 4 Cups Organic Chicken or Vegetable Stock (make sure this is gluten free too!) 1 Package Bacon of your choice (optional) Method: Have your bread crumbs ready in a very large bowl, or the pot from your crock pot. If you're using bacon, cook the bacon first in a pan until crispy. Pull out the bacon, and save the grease in a container put aside. When the bacon cools, break it into small pieces. Sauté the veggies in the bacon pan, add some butter if needed. Once the veggies are fully cooked, remove the pan from heat, and add the herbs, salt and pepper. At this point the seasoning should be very strong. Next stir in your bacon bits. Now you're ready to season your bread crumbs. Pour the veggie mix over your bread crumbs and mix it up well. Finally, stir in the broth until your stuffing is well moistened - this will be personal preference. Now you do the taste test! Does it need more butter? Does it need more bacon grease? Add more as you see fit. Now you're stuffing is ready to cook. Stuff it into your bird, or for a fully vegan option, cook it in your crock pot. If you just want a lot of extra stuffing, bake it out of the bird covered at 325 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes. Enjoy! ~Lisa