Although Thanksgiving is a time of indulgence, you can keep yourself lean with lots of vegetables and reasonable portion sizes.

Pancetta, Apple and Onion Stuffing

1 (570 g) loaf 60% whole wheat bread 1
185 g pancetta or smoked ham, diced 6 oz
30 mL Western Family butter 2 tbsp
1 onion, diced 1
1 celery stalk, diced 1
175 mL celery tops, diced ¾ cup
6 apples, peeled & diced (about 5 cups/1.25 L)
250 mL fresh parsley, chopped, loosely packed 1 cup
30 mL fresh rosemary, chopped 2 tbsp
(or 10 mL/2 tsp dried)

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

2. Slice bread into cubes and place on a large baking sheet. Toast bread cubes in the oven, stirring often. You may need to do this in two batches. Bread cubes should measure about 14 cups (3.5 L). Place cubes into a 9 x 13 inch (23cm x 32.5cm) baking dish; cover and refrigerate.

3. Place diced pancetta in a skillet. Add butter, onion and celery and saut until onion is soft. Add diced apples, parsley and rosemary; cook together over medium heat just until slightly warmed. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Refrigerate until ready to bake near the end of the turkey's roasting time. Spoon apple and pancetta mixture over bread cubes and fold together until blended. To bake, drizzle with 1/2 cup water or turkey juice and bake covered along with the turkey, during the fi nal 45 minutes of roasting.

Makes 8 cups (2 L).

Nutritional analysis ½ cup (125 mL) serving:
Calories 172 Protein 5g Carbohydrates 26g Fat 5g Fibre 3.8g