I'm Stuffed!

By Mark Mulcahy

Melissa’s plays an important role in any holiday meal, especially many of the winter holidays. Whether it’s for Kwanzaa’s traditional African dishes featuring ingredients such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, Collard Greens, and spicy sauces, or potatoes for Hanukkah latkes (potato pancakes). Even Christmas meal favorites like Organic Sweet Potatoes for candied yams, Cranberries for sauce, Russets and Yukon’s to be mashed, Garlic to be roasted, or Pumpkin and Apples for pies or crisps, Melissa’s has your holiday table covered with a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables this time of year. This is because Melissa’s is one of the top suppliers of quality organic produce in the country. If you have ever attended a holiday meal that includes some sort of fowl or poultry you know that stuffing is an essential part of the meal. Whether you’re stuffing an organic turkey or Tofurky, or baking it in the oven, it often is the conversation piece of the dinner.

Why? Because there are so many variations of this old time favorite and if it isn’t done right it can be downright disappointing for stuffing aficionados.

So in all of my searching of food websites to find a unique recipe, guess where I found it? Right here at Melissa’s. Here is what I found to share with all my friends: a Kiwi and nut poultry-stuffing recipe that added something new and exciting to the breadcrumbs, onions, celery, and spices. It contains baby kiwi. That’s right, baby kiwi, whose tiny edible seeds contain twice as much vitamin E as avocados, a nutrient found in seeds, nuts and oil, but not usually in fruit.

This recipe will really knock the socks off your dinner guests who consider themselves stuffing fanatics at this time of year. And won’t it be fun for you and a surprise for your dinner guests when you tell them the secret ingredient they taste?

Baby Kiwi Nut Poultry-Stuffing Recipe
It’s enough for a 10-12 pound Turkey

Ingredients:

1 Organic Yellow Onion, chopped
1 cup Organic Celery, chopped
3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice
½ teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
½ cup Butter or Margarine
6 ounces Sourdough Croutons, unseasoned and toasted
1¼ cups Chicken Broth (or vegetable broth)
½ cup Organic Almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
3 Melissa’s Baby Kiwis
1 tablespoon Butter or Margarine, melted (optional)
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

To prepare:

1. In a large skillet, sauté onion and celery with sugar and spices in the ½ cup margarine until vegetables are just soft. In a large bowl, combine croutons or toasted bread cubes, sautéed vegetable mixture, chicken broth and almonds, and toss well. Gently mix in baby kiwis and spoon mixture into well-buttered 2-quart casserole or soufflé dish. Sprinkle top with 1 tablespoon melted margarine or butter and additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired. Bake in 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until heated through.
2. To Stuff Poultry: Prepare stuffing-dressing mixture as above, using only 1 cup chicken broth. Following package directions for timing and temperature. Note: Sufficient to stuff six Rock Cornish hens, one 8-10 pound goose or one 10-12 pound turkey.
3. One thing to consider with this (or any stuffing recipe) is that it can always be used as a warm weekday side dish if stuffing isn’t in any of your holiday plans.
4. When dinner is done, why not choose some easy-to-peel Organic Satsuma’s paired with a nice goat cheese or a small piece of dark chocolate for dessert. This will not only take care of that sweet tooth but also give you plenty of vitamin C and keep you on track for ending and starting the year off again with a good healthy eating plan.

As you can see, even though the holidays are hectic and it may seem dreary outside Melissa’s always has something to brighten any winter day.