Dress up Holiday Stuffings With Better Flavor and Better HealthAmerican Institute for Cancer Research WASHINGTON, DC - High in fat and loaded with refined carbs, the typical stuffing (or dressing) for holiday meals is a prime candidate for a remake. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) 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," says Melanie Polk, RD, AICR's Director of Nutrition Education. "But holiday foods can also be made more healthful without sacrificing the rich flavors we expect at a festive meal."  Four Keys to Improving Holiday Stuffings According to Polk, 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 percent whole-grain bread or with a whole grain like brown rice or bulgur." Most stuffing recipes call for sautéing vegetables, often adding more fat than is really needed, Polk points out. "If you use a non-stick pan and just enough olive or canola oil to prevent sticking, you can significantly cut calories and fat in the process." Polk also observes that "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 suggests substituting sautéed 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 holiday turkey, the additional meat won't be missed. She suggests substituting 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," Polk points out, "with a generous use of herbs and seasonings." More Whole Grains, Vegetables and Fruits Mean Better Health Protection Unlike animal meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans are packed with phytochemicals, natural substances that help protect against cancer and other chronic diseases. Researchers at AICR estimate that worldwide cancer rates could drop by as much as 20 percent if people simply ate five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day. Even larger declines - as much as 70 percent - would occur if people coupled the consumption of a primarily plant-based diet with exercise, a healthy weight and avoidance of tobacco. AICR's holiday stuffings have adapted traditional features with new flavors and textures. One stuffing is cooked stove-top, which frees up critical oven space for other holiday dishes that are baked. The two remaining stuffings are baked in a pan, following the warning of health experts to not bake stuffing inside a turkey or other poultry in order to avoid food-borne illness. Because many holiday dinners include extended family members and friends, the recipes have been designed to produce large quantities. 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. Tips for Making Stuffings Healthier from the American Institute for Cancer Research - Use whole, not refined, grains: whole-grain breads, brown rices, bulgur. - Almost any stuffing recipe can be modified to include more vegetables or fruit. Replace 1 cup of bread (or other grain) with an equal amount of sautéed diced vegetables and/or dried fruit. - Heat broth before adding to dry ingredients. This will ensure even distribution and prevent sogginess. - Use canola or olive oil in place of butter to sauté ingredients. - Sautéing can be done with less fat than most recipes call for. Preheat a non-stick pan before adding oil, and begin with a small quantity, adding a little at a time, only as needed. - Meat is not necessary to make a great-tasting stuffing. Instead, use full-flavored ingredients like mushrooms, root vegetables, nuts and dried fruits, plus herbs and seasonings. The following stove-top stuffing uses a combination of wild and brown rices in place of bread. It has the added benefit of being served without additional time in the oven. Wild Rice Stuffing with Portobello Mushrooms 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. canola oil, divided Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. (If necessary, a smaller pan may be used, but food will need to be cooked in batches.) Place 1 Tbsp. oil in pan and heat until very hot. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent and mixture is golden. Add 4 1/2 cups broth and bring mixture to boil. Add wild rice, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot, and simmer 25 minutes. Add brown rice and remaining 3 3/4 cups broth to pot. Bring mixture to boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Cover pot and continue cooking until both wild and brown rice are barely tender, about 35 to 40 minutes. While rice is cooking, heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Place 2 tsp. oil in pan and heat until very hot. Stirring constantly, sauté mushrooms, cooking in batches if necessary, depending on size of pan, so they are not crowded. If cooking in batches, transfer each finished batch to a bowl and begin process again, using a little more oil each time, until all mushrooms are sautéed. When rice is barely tender, mix in parsley, sage, green onion and nuts. Cover and cook on low heat about 5 minutes longer, or until green onion is soft and rice is tender. Remove pot from heat, uncover and allow rice to cool slightly. Add mushrooms and stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and more sage, if desired. Serve immediately or store, tightly covered, in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat chilled stuffing before serving. Makes about 11 cups of stuffing or 22 one-half cup servings. Per serving: 148 calories, 5 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 22 g. carbohydrates, 5 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 223 mg. sodium. The following cornbread stuffing with kale and green chiles is an updated version of a classic southern stuffing. Cornbread made from water- or stone-ground cornmeal - and some instant cornbread mixes - offers extra nutrition, since much of the germ and bran is retained in the processing. Cornbread Stuffing with Kale and Green Chiles 1 Tbsp. canola oil Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Place oil in pan and heat until very hot. Add onion and celery and sauté until onion is transparent and mixture is golden. Add kale and stir until wilted (if using fresh) or until hot (if using frozen). Stir in parsley, thyme, cilantro and Liquid Smoke (if using). Cook mixture until kale is bright green. Remove from heat. Place crumbled stale cornbread (or cornbread stuffing mix) in large bowl. Stir in vegetable mixture, chiles and nuts until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Tossing gently so stuffing does not get compacted. and constantly so liquid is evenly distributed, add enough hot broth until mixture is moist but not wet. (Depending on type of stuffing mix used, additional broth may be needed.) Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. If stuffing seems dry, add more hot broth, if desired. To bake stuffing, lightly coat a shallow baking pan with canola oil spray and transfer stuffing to 9x13" pan. Using canola oil spray, lightly coat the dull side of a sheet of foil large enough to seal pan. Cover and seal baking pan with foil (shiny side out) and bake about 1 hour. If less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top is desired, remove foil halfway through baking time. Serve immediately or store, tightly covered, in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat chilled stuffing before serving. When ready to serve, remove stems from whole kale leaves and arrange along sides of serving dish. Spoon stuffing in center of dish so it is slightly mounded. * Two 8-oz. boxes of a commercial cornbread mix may be needed to produce enough cornbread. Crumble baked cornbread and allow crumbs to completely dry before measuring. If using fresh kale, wash it well and discard stems before chopping. If using frozen kale, defrost and squeeze out excess moisture before chopping. Makes 7 cups of stuffing or 14 one-half cup servings. Per serving: about 153 calories, 4 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 23 g. carbohydrates, 4 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 607 mg. sodium. (Calculations based on use of a commercial cornbread mix with 2 cups milk and 2 eggs.) At an AICR recipe tasting, one staff member said the following stuffing was "good enough to be called dessert." Whole-Grain Stuffing with Cranberries and Walnuts 1 24-oz. loaf sliced 100% whole wheat bread, one day old Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Arrange bread slices on oven rack and leave in oven until very dry but not brown, about 30 minutes. Shut off oven and allow bread to cool until easily handled. Transfer bread to large bowl. Turn oven back on and preheat to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, place dried fruit in large, heat-proof bowl and cover with very hot water. Let stand until water is lukewarm. Drain and set fruit aside in large bowl. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Place oil in pan and heat until very hot. Add onion and sauté, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent and golden. Stir in scallions and thyme. With slotted spoon, transfer mixture to bowl containing drained fruit. In a large bowl break bread into coarse crumbs. Mix in dried fruit and sautéed onions. Mix in walnuts, parsley and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Tossing gently so stuffing does not get compacted, and constantly so liquid is evenly distributed, add enough hot broth until mixture is moist but not wet. (Depending on type of bread used, additional broth may be needed.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, adding salt, pepper and thyme, if desired. If mixture seems dry, add additional hot broth, as desired. To bake stuffing, lightly coat a shallow baking pan with canola oil spray and transfer stuffing to 9x13" pan. Using canola oil spray, lightly coat the dull side of a sheet of foil large enough to seal pan. Cover and seal baking pan with foil (shiny side out) and bake about 1 hour. If less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top is desired, remove foil halfway through baking time. Serve immediately or store, tightly covered, in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat chilled stuffing before serving. Makes 9 cups of stuffing or 18 one-half cup servings. Per serving: 175 calories, 4 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 28 g. carbohydrates, 6 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 293 mg. sodium. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the nation's third largest cancer charity, focusing exclusively on the link between diet and cancer. The Institute provides a wide range of consumer education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided over $60 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR's Web address is www.aicr.org.
For more information, or to contact American Institute for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.aicr.org |
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