I’m always bummed out that I don’t get to be with my family up north for Thanksgiving any more; it’s just too far to travel for the weekend, especially so close to Christmas. I know you hear me. A lot of my friends in LA are transplants too, so we end up doing a friendsgiving which is just as fun. I’m most thankful for my family AND my friends!

Being an adult means creating your own holiday traditions. So when I started hosting Thanksgiving dinners, Stuffing was one of those new to me traditions. I quickly realized, though absent from all my family Thanksgivings, stuffing is a staple at most holiday dinners. I like to balance a savory holiday menu with a little sweetness, so I combined a lightly sweetened cornbread with butternut squash–the perfect foil to herbaceous turkey and gravy and spicy mac and cheese.

Coconut Oil Cornbread and Butternut Squash Stuffing

Cornbread Ingredients

1 c yellow cornmeal

1 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 c LouAna Coconut Oil, melted

Stuffing Ingredients

2 tbsp LouAna Coconut Oil

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 sage leaves, chopped

2 tsp thyme, chopped

2 tsp parsley, chopped

1 c roasted butternut squash

3 c crumbled Coconut Cornbread

1 c vegetable or chicken broth

salt and pepper

Directions

For the cornbread:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk, coconut oil, and egg. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Pour into a greased 8″x8″ casserole dish or 10″ cast iron skillet. Bake about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

For the stuffing:

Heat coconut oil over medium heat and saute onions and celery until softened, about 6-7 minutes. Add herbs and butternut squash.  Stir in crumbled coconut cornbread and then add broth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer stuffing to a greased casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and crispy on top.

Serves 8