RECIPE DOCTOR
Slow-cooked stuffing light on butter

By Elaine Magee
Knight Ridder News Service

Q. I have this recipe for slow cooker stuffing that I made around the holidays. I would love to make it more often because it is easy to fix, and the whole family loves it. Can you make some adjustments so it isn't as bad for us?

A. Bread stuffing recipes are notorious for calling for multiple cubes of butter, and this one is no exception, calling for two cubes. But the butter is really only used to sauté the onion and celery, so we can get away with using 1/4 cup. And we don't have to use butter, we can use a "no trans" type of margarine or even canola oil. To compensate, add a little bit more lower-sodium chicken broth.

We can add some fiber and nutrients by using half whole grain bread and half rosemary potato French bread (or sourdough) to make the bread cubes, which also adds color contrast.

The original recipe has 415 calories, 26 g fat, 15 g saturated fat and 3 grams fiber. This recipe has two-thirds less fat and saturated fat, 150 fewer calories and 2 grams more fiber per serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Slow Cooker Stuffing

• 1/4 cup butter, "no trans" margarine, or canola oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 6 cups light whole grain bread (about 10 slices toasted and cut into cubes)
• 6 cups rosemary potato bread or sourdough (about 10 slices toasted and cut into cubes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup egg substitute (optional)
• 3 or more cups of lower-sodium chicken broth

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and parsley and sauté until onions are soft (about 5 minutes).

Add onion mixture to a large bowl and blend with the bread cubes. Add sage, thyme, marjoram, poultry seasoning, pepper and salt to taste, and toss well.

If you are opting to add eggs, beat the egg and egg substitute together and stir them into the bread cube mixture now. Pour in enough broth to just moisten (3 to 4 1/2 cups, depending on how moist your bread cubes are).

Spoon the stuffing mixture into your slow cooker, cover, and set to high for 45 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 to 6 hours.

Per serving: 260 calories, 9 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat, 2.7 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 527 mg sodium. Omega-3 fatty acids 0.2. Omega-6 fatty acids 0.6. Weight Watchers points, 5

Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook." Reach her through her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses cannot be provided.