With Thanksgiving week upon us, I wanted to make an easy-infused stuffing. Luckily, Santa came a little early for me this year, so I had a chance to play with my new canna-gadget, the tCheck Device. I’ve been admiring the tCheck potency tester from afar for a while. It's a device that measures the strength of your infusions and herbs, making precise dosing easier.
Making a 'Danksgiving' Classic
So with the ability to finally test my infusions, I set out to make an herb-forward Thanksgiving side dish that would satisfy both cannabis - and carb lovers! I will be sharing this stuffing with a vegan friend of mine, so I also wanted to keep this stuffing dairy-free; the result is a super flavorful dish that’s a modern take on a turkey day classic.
Start with the Basics
The basics of infusion start with decarboxylation and continue on with infusion. Read up on the basics of these two essential steps before diving into this recipe so you have a full understanding of the process. After decarbing my flower, I infused it into an extra virgin olive oil using a simple mason jar infusion technique.
With my infused oil in hand, I downloaded the tCheck app, which allowed me to connect to my device, and began walking me through testing instructions. The Potency Tester kit includes everything you need, the app is intuitive, and the entire process is fast and easy, making this a great option for even technophobes like me.
For large communal meals like Thanksgiving, I like to keep the food itself uninfused - and keep a side of infused oil on the table for custom and precision dosing based on individual preference. While my herby stuffing is uninfused, you can adapt the below recipe to feature the infused oil in the dish if your whole Thanksgiving party is down and ready to, well, party!
Infused Herby Stuffing
This vegan stuffing is flavorful and aromatic thanks to its herb-infused olive oil. You can use your cannabis-infused oil as the base for the herb oil too - see the note below to adjust the recipe.
Ingredients for Infused Herb Stuffing
- 1 sourdough baguette, cubed
- ¼ cup herb-infused olive oil*
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- *Herb-infused olive oil
- 1 cup olive oil (may substitute for infused olive oil)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Cook on low for 10 minutes. Reserve remaining oil to drizzle on dish.
- Cube baguette the night before baking and let bread sit out overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. In a saucepan, heat ¼ cup olive oil; sautèe onion, celery, until lightly browned; add onion powder, salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine bread, onion celery mixture, and ¼ cup herb-infused olive oil. Stir to thoroughly combine. Slowly stir in vegetable broth until mixture is moist.
- Bake in a greased casserole dish for 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley and drizzle with additional herb oil as desired.
About the Author
Rachel Burkons is an educator and consultant specializing in the culinary and hospitality-focused cannabis industry. She is a seasoned professional whose mission is to normalize and mainstream cannabis by using food, beverage and experiences as an educational touchstone.
After spending more than a decade working alongside the biggest names, tastemakers and brands in the world of wine and spirits as VP/Associate Publisher for national publications The Tasting Panel and SOMM Journal, Rachel was part of the team that launched The Clever Root, a national publication that brought cannabis to the dining conversation. Click here to learn more about Rachel and her offerings.
