Lunch: Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Crimini Mushrooms, Apples

Health and fertility benefits of Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples

Crimini mushrooms are a tasty way of loading up on vitamins B2. Vitamin B2 plays an integral role in normal thyroid function and metabolism, which is vital for those with PCOS, as those with the disorder also tend to have a thyroid that doesn’t produce sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in sufficient quantities (Reference: http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatment/vitamins.html). Getting sufficient Vitamin B2 allows androgen and testosterone to be better restrained, preventing them from causing a whole host of undesired symptoms from thinning scalp hair to acne. Apples will improve your body's sensitivity to insulin (Reference: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full)

Ingredients

32 ounces, weight White Button Or Crimini Mushrooms
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 cups Cornbread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes
4 cups French Bread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes
4 cups Artisan/crusty Bread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
2 cups Diced Onion
5 whole Granny Smith Apples, Large Dice
5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 cup White Wine
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
32 ounces, fluid Low (very Low) Sodium Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric (more To Taste)
2 teaspoons Rosemary, Leaves Minced
1/2 teaspoon (additional) Kosher Salt
Black Pepper To Taste
Fresh Parsley, Minced

Instructions

Allow diced bread to sit out on cookie sheets for several hours or overnight, until dried out.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Wash mushrooms thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Toss in a bowl with canola oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mushrooms will be very coated, but that's good! Divide mushrooms between two sheet pans and roast in the upper half of the oven for at least 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through roasting. Remove from oven when mushrooms are deep brown. Set aside.
In a large skillet, crumble and brown sausage over medium high heat. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside. Without cleaning the skillet, add in diced onions and brown for five minutes. Increase heat to high and add diced apples, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
Decrease heat to medium and pour in wine (be careful if you're using an open flame). Stir and cook to reduce liquid by half, about two to three minutes. Pour apple/onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Return skillet to medium heat (again, without washing) and add thyme, turmeric, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Heat for a few minutes, then set aside.
Add bread to a large bowl, then add browned sausage, mushrooms, and apple/onion mixture (and juice that might have accumulated.) Next, add broth mixture gradually as you toss the ingredients, being prepared not to use all of the liquid according to your taste.
Check seasonings at the end and add in minced parsley. Pour into a large baking dish (I used an iron skillet) and bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. (Or you can stuff the turkey if you're into that kind of thing.
Delicious!

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