Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Cranberry-pear wild rice stuffing

"Vegetarian Thanksgiving" can be a foreign concept for some families. Remember that a traditional Thanksgiving meal is a harvest feast. Focus on the bounty from the local harvest, and you'll have an amazing meal.

Today's recipe is perfect as a vegan main dish when stuffed into baked winter squash. Acorn squash is a good choice because half a squash is a good single serving, but if you have another favorite, go for it.

Don't pay for croutons or prepared stuffing cubes. Just save the heels of bread and any other slices of bread or buns as they start to get stale. Keep them in a bag in the freezer. A couple of days before making stuffing, take the bread from the freezer and set it out on clean dishtowels overnight. Then slice the bread into cubes and allow it to dry overnight again. Easy and no waste!

If you need bread crumbs, just whiz the bread in a food processor after letting it thaw and dry over one night. Keep the breadcrumbs in the freezer.

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Cranberry-Pear Wild Rice Stuffing

Green * Serves 8

2-1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2/3 cup raw wild rice

1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 large celery stalk, diced

2 medium firm pears (such as Bosc), cored and diced

4 cups finely diced whole grain bread

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

2 teaspoons salt-free seasoning (such as Spike or Mrs. Dash)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup apple or pear juice, or as needed

Bring the broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in the wild rice, then cover and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the celery and sauté over medium heat until both are golden. Combine the onion-celery mixture with the cooked wild rice and all the remaining ingredients except the apple juice in a mixing bowl. Toss gently to combine. Drizzle the apple juice in slowly, stirring all the while, until the mixture is evenly moistened.

To bake as a standalone dish: Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled, large shallow baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top begins to get slightly crusty.

Or bake acorn squash halves (seeded and scraped clean) halfway, then fill with the stuffing and bake the rest of the way. Garnish each serving with two slices of red Bosc pear, if desired.