WaWa's Low Carb Southern-Style Dressing (Low Carb Stuffin' for All You Yankees)

Dressing v. Stuffing - Does it REALLY matter what you call it as long as it's low carb, easy and good?



Thanksgiving at the Fluffy Chix Cook house, complete
with large roasted turkey and low carb dressing or low carb
stuffing as some of your might say.
(click to enlarge image)

 If you tuned in and read Fluffy Chix Cook’s latest article over at CarbSmart Magazine you would be very familiar with a lesser known, but no less important, war between the states, or as we DFSW’s (Delicate Flowers of Southern Womanhood) refer to as the Great Unpleasantness. Nope I’m not talking about battles about states’ rights, or taxation without representation, or about economic embargoes on cotton and sugar cane.

This cornbread dressing will
never be served at our house,
even if I did make a
low carb cornbread dressing.

I’m talking ‘bout the fussin’, feudin’, and fightin’ that occurs in the South, every Thanksgiving, right about now. I’m talking about the decision to make bread dressin’ or cornbread dressin’ to eat with the family Thanksgiving Turkey. Our blessed gran’mama had a brilliant work around for this lesser unpleasantness. Somehow, one of her people came up with the crazy smart plan to make a hybrid dressing combining equal parts bread and cornbread.

The results were no less amazing than when two guys collided and one guy got chocolate in the other’s peanut butter – or when Elvis discovered the serendipitous relationship between peanut butter and bananas. The partnership of bread and cornbread forever changed and reshaped, nay, redefined, our family’s dressing reality.

Nirvana achieved. Family harmony restored. Check.

The family Thanksgiving Roast Turkey, delicious and
naturally low carb.

I had to go an mess things up with this cockamamie low carb eating thing we do and all hell broke loose in the family once more. I suspect that same thing happened in your house and those of most low carbers in America. What the hayull (Texan for hell) is an honest, conscientious low carber to do on Thanksgiving Day? The single-most carby meal known to man, on the planet earth?

Just the mention of that day, is enough to send most people shuddering to their beds in worry and vain imaginings. But wait. People of middle earth rejoice! Low carbers unite! Because for about 6g of net carbs per serving – YOU can enjoy the wonders of our gran’mama, WaWa’s Thanksgiving dressing. I’m talkin’, legal, low carb Thanksgiving Turkey & Dressing, mashed fauxtatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry relish!

Low Carb! Do I need to shout for ya?

I’m sorry about the lack of pictures and step by step instructions. I had a choice of getting this recipe to you, or photographing it. The photos won’t happen til next summer some time…it’s that ugly around here from an energy, strength, and time standpoint…kserrrrry. But, apply your considerable skills and go to town on this dressing. Oh and if it looks like it needs another egg, add another egg or two! Make this low carb dressing your little b**ch!

Own it!

When you speak of me…speak of me well!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Gobble! Gobble!

(Oh and can we have a show of hands how many are dressing up as a Pilgrim for Thanksgiving Day?

Denny makes the joke that his people met his people on the boat comin’ over…and by the way, there was a reason they only spent one Thanksgiving together…Denny’s people are of Native American descent, but also were on the Mayflower too! Lucky Denny!)


WaWa’s Low Carb Southern-Style Dressing

Cost of Full Recipe (Serves 10-12): $8.95
Cost per Serving: $0.90

Serves: 10-12  Serving Size:  1/2 cup     Yield: 6 cups
Preparation Time: 25 Minutes
Baking Time: 1Hour
Start to Finish Time: 1Hour - 25 Minutes

A low carb dressing alternative based on WaWa’s original family recipe. This low carb turkey dressing tastes so close to the real thing, you'll wonder if you're even eating low carb!

Ingredients

8 slices Low Carb, White Sandwich Bread with Psyllium

6 servings Corbread - Low Carb

½ large onion

5 large green onions

½ medium green bell pepper -- seeded

2 stalks celery

1 cup Italian parsley

6 tablespoons butter

4 chicken livers, R-T-C

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 cups Turkey Stock With Taylor Dry Sauterne -- or substitute chicken broth

4 large eggs -- lightly beaten

This recipe can be made up to two days ahead - up to the point of adding the eggs. If making ahead, add eggs just prior to final pre-mixing and baking.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly toast and dry out bread. The drier it is, the more liquid it will absorb. Make a full recipe of cornbread. You will use a 1/2 recipe in the dressing. Freeze the other half and eat it with a bowl of chili or some other Texas Comfort Classic.

Tear up bread into small, dime or quarter size pieces. Crumble cornbread into bread mixture. Toss to combine.

Finely chop onion, green onion, green bell pepper, celery and parsley. WaWa and Mama always insisted we do it by hand, but this works just fine chopped in the food processor fit with a knife blade - just make sure to pulse it in order to achieve a fine chop.

Sauté veggies in butter over medium low heat until tender, but not browned.

Clean veins from chicken livers, wash and dry with a paper towel. Coarsely chop chicken livers with a sharp knife and add to sautéed veggies. Cook for about 2 - 4 minutes until blood is "taken off" and liver is lightly cooked. Don't overcook the liver or it will taste bitter and become mealy in texture. It's ok if the liver is still a bit raw, because the dressing cooks fully in the oven.

Add veggie-liver mixture to the bread mixture. Season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
Add broth to the dressing by look and feel (it might not be exactly 2 cups). Use a folding motion to preserve texture and keep dressing lighter. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. At this point you may cover and store the dressing for up to 2 days.

(Note about chicken broth: We make our own turkey broth or stock using turkey or chicken parts and simmer it with a little Taylor Dry Sauterne, celery, onion and carrots. If you don't want to take this prep step, the boxed broth tastes very good and will fool almost everyone! Also, dressing will take different amounts of liquid based on the dryness of the bread and cornbread. Your dressing should feel, look, and taste very moist but it should not look water logged or like a complete, soggy mess.)

When ready to cook dressing, add lightly beaten eggs and combine. Place dressing in a buttered Pyrex or glass casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 450° for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking and allow top to brown slightly. Serve with turkey and gravy.



Per Serving: 267 Calories; 20g Fat (66.7% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 10.8g Carbohydrate; 4.8g Dietary Fiber; 224mg Cholesterol; 981mg Sodium; 6g Net Carbs.


Serving Ideas: Serve with roasted turkey, chicken, pork or ham. Make sure to serve gravy up with it to truly get the flavor of a down home Southern classic.

4 out of
4 FORKS

SUSIE T’s NOTES:
This Southern dressing recipe saved the family by uniting bread dressing with Southern cornbread dressing. The addition of the chicken livers and vegetables results in a moist and richly flavored dressing that will end up being the star of your Thanksgiving show year after year. Fluffy Chix Cook morphed WaWa's Southern-Style Dressing into a low carb Southern-Style dressing with real taste chops, man!

Our sainted gran'mama, WaWa in all of her glory. I
still remember her standing in the kitchen cookin' and
singin' "Way Down Upon the Swanee River".

One of the delicious differences in this dressing is the addition of chicken liver and also the inclusion of some of the cooked wing and neck meat into the dressing by way of the Turkey Stock with Taylor Dry Sauterne. If you find either ingredient unappealing, simply omit, but I swear, you'll be leavin' out the best parts!

Oh and if you don't have time to make homemade bread for the dressing and can tolerate gluten, use one of the low carb breads on the market or make Basic Revolution Rolls and use them as the bread element. Chicken Lady's Golden Cornbread is a highly rated low carb cornbread alternative if you can handle almonds. If not, feel free to experiment with my Low Carb Cornbread, linked in the recipe.

WaWa’s Low Carb dressing freezes great and reheats easily when covered with aluminum foil. Make sure to serve with homemade turkey gravy and Steamed Winter Mash to get the full effect of a high carb Thanksgiving meal!