Recipe: Gluten-Free Stuffing with Chickpeas, Mushrooms and Sage

Photos by Phil Crozier
Recipes by Jayme MacFayden

This is not your typical stuffing recipe. It’s packed with protein and sneaky, healthy foods and will leave you and your guests feeling well-nourished and cozy from the inside out. I use the sourdough to create croutons and toss them with the roasted veg and tofu at the last minute, making this almost a cross between a panzanella salad and a stuffing. Although great as a side dish, this can also be served as a main course with a nice green salad.

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 2 small bunches whole fresh sage leaves, divided
• 1 block medium-firm tofu
• 1 red onion, chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow onion, chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced into ½-inch pieces
• 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
• ¼ cup dried currants, barberries or cranberries
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 whole nutmeg, grated with a microplane
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 tsp pink Himalayan salt, divided
• 1 loaf gluten-free sourdough, chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 1 bunch Lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• ½ cup raw walnuts or pecans, lightly chopped into good-sized chunks
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, thinly sliced
• Maldon salt, for finishing

TIP: If necessary you can substitute the whole nutmeg for 1 tsp of ground nutmeg (though the freshly grated approach will add more flavour).

Method

Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper for the bread. Thinly slice one bunch of the sage, reserving the second for later. Rinse and press the tofu. (I use a tea towel and cookbooks versus a tofu press. It only takes about 15 minutes for the water to release from the tofu, which is the secret to making it crispy and tasty.)

Position a rack on the lowest rung of the oven. Grab a large, oven-safe dish (minimum 9-by-13: you don’t want the vegetables to have too little space or you risk steaming them instead of roasting, so the bigger the better; even a cookie sheet or roasting pan will work). Crumble the tofu into bite-sizes pieces and combine with the onions, mushrooms, chopped sage, chickpeas, currants, coriander and nutmeg, tossing with 4 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of Himalayan salt. Spread out on your baking dish or sheet along with the tofu and bake together for 30 minutes, stirring a few times to ensure even cooking and browning.

Meanwhile, make the croutons. In a large bowl, toss your sourdough bread pieces with the last 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp of Himalayan salt and remaining whole sage leaves. Ensure all pieces of the bread and sage leaves are coated with oil. (You can always use a bit more to make sure.) Spread out the bread onto the parchment lined cookie sheet (you may need two, depending on the size). Set aside.

Once the veg and tofu are ready, remove from the oven and add the kale and nuts. Stir together well and pop it back in the oven for 20 more minutes.

Place the cookie sheet with the sourdough in the oven at the same time as the veg and bake for 20 minutes. (Check on the bread a few times as some brands toast up quicker than others—remove when they are brown and toasty.)

In a large bowl, combine the croutons with the roasted vegetables and tofu and toss with the chopped parsley. Sprinkle on your Maldon salt and serve.

TIP: I often use Alkeme’s gluten-free sourdough bagels in place of a loaf—one whole package is about the same amount.

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