Chef Meg's Vegetable and Fruit Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 10 cups white bread, dense, cut into cubes
• 2 strips turkey bacon, stretched and dices
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, low sodium
• 1 T. butter, unsalted
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 cups fennel, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• pinch salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 6 dates, dried and chopped or 6 apricots, dried and chopped
• 1/2 c egg beaters
• 2 T. parsley, flat leaf, chopped

Direction:

• Preheat over to 350 degrees
• Toast bread cubes until light golden in color, about 12-15 minutes, set aside and cool.
• Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees
• Place turkey bacon in a heavy saucepan. On top of stove cook over moderate heat just until the fat is melted and the meat starts to brown.
• Remove from pan, chop into small dice and reserve.
• Drain off any excess fat and discard
• Melt butter in the saucepan. Add onions and saute until golden in color.
• To the onions, add the diced bacon, apples, fennel and celery. Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes.
• Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish
• Combine toasted bread, vegetables mixture, and stock to a large bowl.
• Mix in herbs, seasonings, fruit, and beaten eggs.
• Transfer to baking dish
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pan spray
• Cook 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned about 20 minutes

Makes 12 three fourth cup servings

Nutritional Information:

• Fat: 1.7g
• Carbohydrates: 16.9 g
• Calories: 88.8
• Protein: 2.7 g

Recipe from SparkPeople user Chef-Meg