Spelt Bread Stuffing with Red Delicious Apples and Dried Cherries

Serves 10 / This is a perfect side dish with turkey but also works great with pork loin or chicken. Sliced spelt bread makes an incredible, moist stuffing that’s lighter than regular bread stuffing. Northern Spy apples can be substituted for Red Delicious.

8 cups spelt or whole-grain bread (about 8-9 slices), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, minced
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Red Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (preferably whole herbs, not ground)
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 1/2 cups low-sodium, hot vegetable stock or broth

1. Preheat oven to 250°. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350°.
2. Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and add butter. Add onion and shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Add celery, garlic, and apples, and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, and parsley. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat and scrape mixture into a large bowl. Add bread cubes, dried cherries, and hot stock or broth. Mix well.
3. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish (for drier stuffing) or 10-inch casserole dish (for moist stuffing) with cooking spray. Fill with stuffing mixture. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 145 cal, 8% fat cal, 1g fat, 1g sat fat, 3mg chol, 4g protein, 29g carb, 5g fiber, 301mg sodium