Grain Free Paleo “Cornbread” and Stuffing

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that can leave many who are new to paleo wondering what they’re going to eat this Thanksgiving. No worries my friends. Most Thanksgiving dishes can be made paleo including this “cornbread” stuffing.

More often than not people see corn as a vegetable when in fact it is a grain. They also think it’s gluten-free. All grains contain gluten and corn has the second highest amount of gluten protein (Zein) coming in second place behind wheat. When people entertain the idea of a Paleo lifestyle they are often a little freaked out at the thought of giving up breads and grains. In America we eat everything in, on, or wrapped in a grain so it’s understandable. When you’ve eaten Paleo as long as I have you no longer miss the starchy canvas because you realize that real food is full of flavor. But like most things there are exceptions to the rule and in this instance it is Thanksgiving dinner and cornbread stuffing.

To me it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if I didn’t have turkey with stuffing, and an obscene amount of gravy. In years past I’ve tried stuffing made out of sausage and stuffing made out of store-bought Paleo bread. I wasn’t impressed. A number of years ago I created what I though was gluten-free cornbread using cornmeal and I created this recipe from what I vaguely remembered about that one. Except of course that there wouldn’t be any corn.

What surprised me the most about this recipe is that the maple syrup combined with coconut flour kind of gave it a corn flavor. I didn’t see that coming.

The only thing I’d change in the future for myself (it was a touch too sweet for me) is reducing the amount of maple syrup to 1/4 cup or less in the recipe. (I’m married to a boy from the south who hasn’t shaken his sweet tooth despite my best efforts. He’s a paramedic so he rides the cortisol train which doesn’t work in his favor.) If you like your cornbread slightly sweetened, I think you’ll be happy with this recipe. As it’s written it’s not deep south sweet, only slightly sweet.

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Grain Free Paleo Cornbread

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1.5 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup arrowroot flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• butter or lard for greasing the pan

Instructions

1. Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk

2. Add the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly

3. Bake at 350 F in a greased 9 x 13 pan for 30-35 minutes

Recipe Notes

*reduce maple syrup to 1/4 cup or less for a more savory version

Pro Tip: Don’t clean the pan right away and use it to bake the stuffing in.

To Make Stuffing:

Print

Grain Free Paleo Cornbread Stuffing

Prep Time

3 hrs

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

3 hrs 45 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 batch of "cornbread" from the recipe above
• 3 tbsp grass fed butter or lard
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/4 tsp dry sage
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 box Pacific Turkey Broth

Instructions

1. Cut the cornbread into cubes and dry on a sheet tray at 250 F for about 3 hours. Stir it once or twice to make sure all of the cubes are dry.

2. When the cubes are dry saute the onion and celery in your fat of choice for 5 minutes or so. Add the dried sage, salt, and pepper.

3. Put the cornbread cubes back into the 9 x 13 you baked the cornbread in and mix with the onion and celery mixture. Use the turkey broth to add more moisture to the cubes. The cubes should be moist, no longer hard, but not soggy. Adjust the amount of broth to suit your taste.

4. Pro Tip: Make this a day before you need it and pop it in the refrigerator to let the flavors marry.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes. Check the moisture level about half way through the cooking process. If it is too dry add a bit more broth and re-cover with foil; if it's too wet remove the foil and allow it to bake uncovered. If it is fine, continue to keep it covered. If you'd like some drier bits on top, remove the foil after the 30 minute mark, and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

This is the turkey broth that I use:
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Try my other Thanksgiving recipes: Turkey &  Cream of Mushroom Soup (more to come)

Originally posted on December 8, 2017 @ 10:06

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