Savory Pumpkin-Chestnut Stuffing

Who needs to eat the turkey when you can still have the stuffing? I need to come up with a new name for dishes like this, though, since obviously I never intend to stuff them into anything that was once alive. Suggestions?

Cut 4 ounces of white bread into 1 inch pieces and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for about an hour or until dry (I gave mine closer to 50 minutes), stirring occasionally. Drying the bread first means it won't fall apart once combined with the other ingredients! I used regular sliced white bread from Matthew's All Natural bread, but you could also use a heartier fresh loaf such as French bread or country white.

Meanwhile, melt 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms and 1/2 cup chopped celery; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped Granny Smith apple and 1/4 cup dried cranberries; saute for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chopped bottled chestnuts and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup vegetable broth, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and the equivalent of one egg using egg replacer (such as Ener-G). Canned pumpkin should be easy to spot on the grocery store shelves this time of year - just make sure to buy one that's 100% pumpkin puree, and not mixed with other ingredients for pumpkin pie filling.

Stir the mushroom mixture and the bread pieces into the pumpkin mixture, stirring gently to combine. Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake a final 15 minutes.

You'll have 4, one-cup servings of 230 calories each.

Cost:
onion $0.72
cremini mushrooms $1.05
celery $2.50
Granny Smith apple $1.30
dried cranberries $5.49
bottled chestnuts $9.99
flat-leaf parley $1.69
canned pumpkin $2.33