Place quinoa and chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until done. Set aside.
Place bacon in a large skillet and cook until browned. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to drain.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions, celery and garlic in bacon drippings for 5 minutes.
Add butter, cranberries, apple, sausage, and seasonings and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring to break up the sausage, or until the sausage is cooked through.
Stir in cooked quinoa, toasted pecans, parsley and crumbled bacon.
In or Out of the Turkey Options
1. Stuff the turkey (or roasting chicken) if you are cooking it immediately or place the stuffing in the refrigerator overnight and stuff the turkey just prior to cooking.
2. Place the stuffing in a baking dish sprayed with a nonstick spray and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes alongside the turkey.
Makes enough to stuff a 10-12 lb. turkey.
Notes
To Toast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on cookie sheet in single layer and bake 5-7 minutes.Seasonings:You can sub 3-4 teaspoons poultry seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper for all the spices listed.STORE/FREEZE/REHEATStore: in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Freeze: in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.Reheat: in an oven-safe dish covered in foil at 350°F for about 15 minutes. You can also microwave it on high in 1-minute intervals until warm, stirring between each interval.