How to make walnut and apple stuffing

Easily available, apples offer many nutritional benefits and may even help to sharpen mental alertness. They also contain plenty of soluble fibre that can contribute to lower blood cholesterol. And, with an average of only 65 calories, an apple is the perfect healthy snack.Apples have been called nature's toothbrush. While they don't actually cleanse the teeth, biting and chewing an apple stimulates the gums, and the sweetness of the apple prompts an increased flow of saliva which reduces tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in the mouth. Here's a simple recipe to add apple to your holiday dinner menu.

Preparation 10 minutes

Cooking 40 minutes

Serves 4

• 15 g (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• Stale whole-grain bread
• 2 red apples
• 45 g (3 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley
• 15 g (1 tbsp) chopped fresh sage
• 30 g (2 tbsp) chopped walnuts
• 30 g (2 tbsp) dried cranberries
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 vegetable stock cube

1. Preheat the oven to 176°C (350°F). Heat 30 grams (one tablespoon) olive oil in a frying pan and cook one large finely chopped onion over a medium-low heat for five minutes, or until softened.

2. Meanwhile, process enough slices of stale whole-grain bread in a food processor to make 120 grams (1/2 cup) of bread crumbs.

3. Finely chop two red apples, leaving on the nutritious skins, and add them to the pan. Stir for two minutes, remove from the heat and add the whole-grain bread crumbs, chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh sage, chopped walnuts and dried cranberries. Mix and let cool for one minute before stirring in one beaten egg yolk.

4. Season to taste then spoon the mixture into a shallow ovenproof dish. Dissolve one vegetable stock cube in 75 millilitres (1/3 cup) boiling water and pour it over the stuffing. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden.

If you don't have a food processor, use a blender to make the bread crumbs, or rub the stale bread against the coarse side of a grater until it crumbles.

Nutritional information: 148 calories • 5 grams fat • 1 grams saturated fat • 24 grams carbohydrates • 4 grams protein • 4 grams fibre