Holiday Vegan Meal


During the holidays, adapting family recipes to a vegan's dietary needs can be a challenge especially when re-creating those delicious tasting foods that I remember as a little girl, like red mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts with garlic, and a fruit crisp for dessert.
One of my favorites that my mom would make was her southern style cornbread stuffing! It had a buttery, moist, and herb flavor that was cooked until a nice golden brown crust was on top. Although it was very much not vegan, I have made a few adjustments to make it dairy free while keeping a similar taste from my childhood, if not, tastier! 

Now, the family gatherings bring back all of the nostalgia of good times with this delicious, vegan stuffing that is perfect to pair to vegan lentil-loaf and other popular dishes used for Thanksgiving and Christmas or other family gatherings.
When you guys make this and other vegan foods, share your creations by using the hashtag #meganunbounded on Instagram! I would like to see what you made and if you added any special touches to your dish.

VEGAN CORNBREAD STUFFING


Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A yummy and healthy side dish that is full of fiber and protein with a touch of sweetness from red cranberries. My mom's tasty cornbread stuffing is now veganized! 
Creator: 
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 packs of Betty Crocker cornbread muffin mix
  • 3/4 cup uncooked green lentils
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter 
  • 1/2 cup white onions, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup celery, diced
  • 3/4 cup of dried or fresh red cranberries
  • salt & pepper
  • 3 - 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth 
  • 1 Tbsp of milled flaxseeds + 2.5 Tbsp water to a flax egg
  • 3/4 tsp dried sage, or 1 1/4 tsp fresh sage, chopped (or a mix of rosemary, thyme, & parsley to replace sage!)
Instructions
  1. If using dried cranberries, soak them in warm water and put aside while prepping the veggies and cornbread.
  2. Follow the mixing directions and bake the two packets of cornbread but, substitute the milk with coconut milk, an egg with 1 tbsp milled flaxseeds, and butter with equal amounts of extra virgin olive oil. Cook 15-18 minutes and allow them to cool.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan (or similar dish) with extra virgin olive oil or line with foil. Also, prepare the 1 Tbsp of milled flaxseeds with water to make the flax egg and set aside.
  4. In a medium pot, sauté the onion, garlic, and celery with 3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and mix in the sage (herbs) at the end. 
  5. Start to crumble the cornbread in the same pan in the sautéed vegetables with seasonings and mix them together with the flax egg and cranberries until the cornbread is well coated.
  6. Depending on the consistency, if it’s too dry, I usually add some oil to the top or if it is too wet, I mix with a bit more flaxseed.
  7. Put the bread mixture into the prepared pan and cover with foil. Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes and remove the foil to cook for 15-20 minutes more. The cornbread top needs to be crispy and brown!
  8. After, let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve!
  9. This stuffing is my favorite to enjoy with a vegan lentil-loaf and glazed carrots.
Notes
*You can make homemade cornbread and use that with this recipe as well! To save time, I used the pre-made mix above and to give it close to exact flavors my mom used when I was younger. She loves her Betty Crocker cornbread!

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