Making stuffings healthier and tastier - Your Life

High in fat and loaded with refined carbohydrates, the typical stuffing (or dressing) for the Thanksgiving meal is a prime candidate for a remake. The American Institute for Cancer Research has retooled time--honored holiday stuffings so they are more healthful, yet retain their "family favorite" taste.

"Holiday dishes are special, part of cherished family traditions we look forward to each year," Melanie Polk, the AICR's Director of Nutrition Education, indicates. "But holiday foods can also be made more healthful without sacrificing the rich flavors we expect at a festive meal."

She suggests that the first, easy way to improve the healthfulness of stuffings is to use whole grains. "Most Americans eat only half the servings of whole grains recommended, shortchanging themselves in health-protective dietary fiber and nutrients. But this is a problem easily remedied when making a stuffing. Just replace refined bread with 100% whole-grain bread or with a whole grain like brown rice or bulgur."

Most stuffing recipes call for sauteing vegetables, often adding more fat than is really needed, Polk points out. "If you use a nonstick pan and just enough olive or canola oil to prevent sticking, you can significantly cut calories and fat in the process." Moreover, "many stuffings call for onion and garlic, but little else in the way of vegetables. Yet, there are many other vegetables, leafy greens like kale or root vegetables like parsnips, that work well in stuffings." To boost the health-protective content of a favorite stuffing, she recommends substituting such vegetables or dried fruit for some of the bread used.

Stuffing recipes sometimes call for meat, but Polk notes that, when stuffing is served with the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, the additional meat won't be missed. Substitute full-flavored, "meaty" vegetables like mushrooms, some toasted nuts for extra texture, or dried fruits for a tangy-sweet flavor. "Extra flavor can also be added with a generous use of herbs and seasonings."

Leftover stuffing can be stored two days in the refrigerator or frozen for several weeks. (Longer periods in the freezer will cause flavors to dissipate.) Experts on best safety practices for storing large amounts of stuffing recommend using several small containers, rather than one large one.

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