Jazzy Jamaican Stuffing

Are you looking for a different twist on the usual Thanksgiving stuffing this year?  I have created just the recipe for you!  It won a Better Homes & Gardens contest, and appeared in one of their cookbooks.  It's colorful, easy, and has just the right amount of spice to perk up those sleepy turkey-eaters!  The tasty ingredients are exotic without being too unheard-of--- goodies like mango, black beans, pineapple, and lime.





















Here's what you need:
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple, NOT drained  (or use fresh if you wish)
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (I like Schilling/McCormick)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lime peel
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 Cup butter
2 Cups cooked white rice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium mango, seeded, peeled, and chopped
1 (4.5 oz.) can diced mild green chili peppers
3 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
5 Cups soft bread cubes (7 slices)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large skillet, cook undrained pineapple, onion, Jerk Seasoning, lime peel, lime juice, and butter, for about 5 minutes or until onion is tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in rice, black beans, mango, chili peppers and cilantro. 
2. Place bread cubes in a large bowl and add the pineapple mixture.  Toss lightly to mix.  Place stuffing in a 3-quart, rectangular baking dish.  Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more, or until hot.  Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Mini Turkey Cornucopias

Okay, it is not Thanksgiving time, but I want to post this anyway in hopes that you'll save this recipe and use it when autumn rolls around.  It's my original creation (and won the Grand Prize in a cooking contest) and is guaranteed to wow your guests. 
For years I've been wrapping bread dough around a giant foil cone, and baking it for Thanksgiving.  Then I fill it with apples, persimmons, sugared grapes and other goodies that make a gorgeous centerpiece.  So why not make tiny ones that bake faster, and instead of using bread dough, how about strips of turkey?  Now you have a wonderful kick-off to that marvelous season when we celebrate the bounties of life and all our blessings.  This could be for Thanksgiving itself, for a November dinner, brunch or luncheon.  OR... for a gathering of little girls who want a Fairy Thanksgiving filled with tiny treasures?  Clip and save, folks!

1 Cup cranberries

1 Cup dried apricots, chopped

6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 Cup onion, chopped

1 Cup celery, peeled and chopped

2 tsp. ground rosemary

1 tsp. salt

1 Cup seasoned stuffing mix or bread crumbs

1 Cup chicken stock

2 beaten eggs

2-3 lbs. turkey breast meat

½ Cup flour

1 tsp. each: rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, to make spice mixture (add any other spices you like, even cayenne if you like things spicy)

1 cooked yam

8-10 red  or green grapes

 cooked purple potatoes)

chopped parsley for garnish

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil cranberries and apricots to soften.  In a large sauce pan, heat half the oil and sauté onion and celery with ground rosemary and salt.  Drain cranberries and apricots; add to onion mixture.  When onions are transparent, pour into a large bowl.  Stir in bread crumbs, chicken stock, and 2 beaten eggs.  Transfer to a sprayed baking dish.
2. Make 6 small cornucopia forms from aluminum foil (the size of ice cream cones).  Wrap each with parchment.  Slice ½-inch thick turkey strips and fasten around forms with toothpicks.   Coat with flour, sear in a hot skillet containing remaining half of oil, sprinkle with spice mixture, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until turkey strips are no longer pink.  Bake stuffing at the same time, for just as long.
3. While turkey bakes, use a melon baller to scoop balls of yam and purple potato.  When cornucopies are done, remove toothpicks and forms, then fill with baked stuffing and tuck in yams, grapes, and purple potatoes as desired. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serves 6.