simple thanksgiving Archives

My favorite Thanksgiving dish is stuffing. And before myhusband was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, it was his, too. Having Celiac, an autoimmune disorder where gluten attacks your small intestines, means no wheat, barley, or rye. So no stuffing.

Year after year, I’ve tried making gluten-free stuffing, but it wasn’t great. In fact, it wasn’t ever very good. Rice stuffing, gluten-free cornbread stuffing, and the worst, stuffing made with white rice bread just didn’t taste the way stuffing should. They always turned out bland.

But I believe this year will be different. Thanks to SimpleGourmet and a whole lot of browned butter, I made the best stuffing yet. Actually, it doesn’t even compare with my failures of the past. Turns out all I needed to do was take a cooking class.

Simple Gourmet in Manhattan Beach invited a group of bloggers to take their Thanksgiving Classics class thanks to the fabulous hostess Debbie Goldberg of Manhattan BeachMomma. It was really fun and very informative. Simple Gourmet foundersMelanie Barsuk and Taji Marie showed us how to make the perfect turkey – Apple-Thyme Roasted Turkey with Creamy Pancetta Gravy – pictured below.

They also made amazing potatoes – Yukon Potato Gratin with Parmesan Rosemary Béchamel – and delicious stuffing, which was Carmelized Parsnipand Farro Dressing with Sage Browned Butter that’s pictured below on the bottom left.

Simple Gourmet’s Thanksgiving dinner

After watching the Simple Gourmets make the food we got to try everything. The turkey was cooked perfectly and the side dishes were very good.

The Farro Dressing was tasty, but Farro is a type of wheat and isn’t gluten-free. Melanie and Taji said quinoa, which is gluten-free, would make a great substitute.

I’m obsessed with red quinoa right now. It’s tasty and easy to make. The class was so inspiring that I decided I needed to get out of my rut of making the same dishes all the time and cook up a trial run of Simple Gourmet’s stuffing, but with quinoa.

I didn’t have any parsnip or white onion like the recipe called for so I took Melanie and Taji’s advice from the class and used what I had on hand, which was carrots and red onion.

Here is the recipe I came up with and it came out delicious. I have to admit that I made half the recipe, but used the same amount of butter and cheese that you would use for a full recipe. I served it with scallops topped with browned butter and sage.

Gluten-Free Red Quinoa Dressing with Sage and Browned Butter (Adapted from the Simple Gourmet Caramelized Parsnip and Farro Dressing)

3 Tbls butter

1 red onion

4 cups finely diced carrots

1 Tbls fresh chopped thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cups cooked red quinoa (follow directions on the box except sub chicken stock for water)

2 Tbls poultry seasoning

1 egg

1/3 cup chicken stock

½ cup grated parmesan

6 Tbls butter

2 Tbls chopped fresh sage

Melt 3 Tbls butter and add onions, carrots and thyme. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium-high heat until vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize. Remove and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, vegetables, and poultry seasoning. Taste and adjust salt and paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, stock, and parmesan. Pour the egg mixture over the quinoa and toss to combine.

In a small pan cook 6 Tbls butter and sage over medium heat and cook until golden brown (be careful not to overcook. Can burn easily!). Remove from heat and set aside.

Butter a 9×13 casserole dish and fill with the quinoa mixture. Drizzle brown butter and sage evenly over the quinoa. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes until golden on top. Serve warm with turkey gravy.

Red Quinoa Dressing with Sage and Browned Butter served with scallops.

(Tip: I’m channeling Paula Dean here, but if you’re making this for Thanksgiving, the more cheese and butter you add the better!)

For more recipes visit Simple Gourmet blog.