Holiday Stuffing

I like holiday time. I do. It incorporates many of my favorite things including social gatherings, gifts, unabashed positivity (also known more scientifically as "holiday cheer"), snow, and overeating. My favorite holiday dish has been, and will always be, stuffing. Since I can no longer eat the stuff that makes stuffing, my holiday cravings are out of control. Lately I've been experimenting with a lot of raw food in my diet, mostly really fantastic recipes from Gena at choosingraw.com. I've played around with a few of her recipes and adapted to the dish described below, which is super rich and fattening and everything I want from a holiday stuffing!

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped if large
2 Tbsp tamari or equiv.
2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sage

1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup currants (or raisins, or even dried cranberries)

First, marinate the mushrooms in the oil and tamari overnight or whilst at work, assuming you work a 8-10 hour day..

In a food processor, preferably a large one, process the nuts and spices until uniformly fine. Then pulse in lemon, oil, veggies, and your marinated mushrooms (drain excess marinade) until combined, but the veggies should be identifiable still, not mush. It works nicely to swap out the S blade for the shredder attachment and do the carrots, then switch back to the S blade, just saying..

If you happen to have the pleasure of living with a dehydrator (as I do now), the recipe benefits from 8 hours at 115 or so, but its not a necessity. It just can be nice to have it a bit crispy and served warmish.