Do You Have a Favorite Breakfast Sausage Recipe?

Over the past year, I have introduced some processed foods back into my diet. (Things like gluten-free chicken breakfast sausage.) It is time to cut them out again and go back to more home cooked foods. So, I decided to try out a new breakfast sausage recipe yesterday.

I found this Breakfast Chicken Sausage Patties recipe at Elly Says Opa! through this pin on Pinterest. I think the recipe intended leafy dried herbs to be used. I only had ground herbs on hand, so my sausages turned out a bit too herb-y. However, they are still pretty tasty. (There were originally 16. A few may have been devoured before the photo above was taken!) 

I discovered another recipe I plan to try next week. If you have a favorite sausage recipe I would love to know the name of the recipe and which website you found it on or which book you found it in!

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Easy Potato Sausage & Spinach Hash

Easy Potato Sausage & Spinach Hash

Eliminating eggs, oats, dairy and gluten from my diet made breakfast quite the challenge for me.

I spent the winter drinking fruit smoothies (made from frozen fruit.) I playfully made fun of myself as I shivered through breakfast which generally left my hubby chuckling at me.

For Christmas, the love of my life bought me an amazing (to me) cookbook: The Healthy Gluten-Free Life: 200 Delicious Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free Recipes by Tammy Credicott.  It was the first cookbook I had seen eliminating 4 of the many foods I had to cut from my diet. (There is also a website I should check out again one of these days called The Healthy GF Life.)

This recipe is not from that book, but it is one of several potato hash recipes I have made that were inspired by 2 breakfast recipes within the book.

I usually made this dish with fresh potatoes (baked in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, cooled, peeled and cubed.)  However, a few months ago while my mom was in the hospital (about 45 minutes away), I found myself lacking time and energy.  (I did find it interesting the hospital did not have gluten-free, dairy-free options available in the cafeteria aside from the salad bar - and I cannot eat lettuce, but that is another story...)  So, I decided to try frozen hash browns - even though they contained dextrose. (If you are like me, and wonder WHY sugar is added to frozen hash browns, apparently it assists with the browning process.) To be honest, I prefer to bake potatoes in advance to skip the dextrose and other ingredients in the frozen variety - but occasionally, it is nice to save some time.

This was quick to make, and I could easily make a big batch so there were leftovers for the next day.  Bonus!

My picky eater dislikes potatoes, for the most part, so he is not a fan of this dish.  Some days, I save a bit of the sausage and spinach and make him an egg scramble instead. Other days, he gets a small serving of the potato hash, but is able to reheat a frozen home-made waffle to enjoy with it.

The recipe below may easily be cut in half. This is great served with a fruit smoothie!

Easy Potato Sausage & Spinach Hash

Ingredients:

1 bag hash browns (shredded or diced)

1 lb. gluten-free breakfast sausage (I use chicken or turkey GF breakfast sausage)

3-4 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped

2-3 Tablespoons cooking oil (I use light olive oil, avocado oil or safflower oil)

Rubbed Sage (optional)

Directions:

1. Add oil to large pot and heat over medium-high heat.

2. Add potatoes and cook according to package directions (or until browned to your liking if using diced baked potatoes, turning after 5-7 minutes)

3. Meanwhile, cook breakfast sausage in another pan, stirring to crumble the meat, until fully cooked and browned to your liking.

4. Add cooked sausage and chopped spinach to browned potatoes.

5. Reduce heat to medium

6. Stir to mix and cook until spinach has wilted.

7. Remove from heat.

8. Sprinkle with a touch of rubbed sage for additional flavor, if desired, and serve.

VARIATIONS:  

1. Saute diced onions until transparent, but not browned, before adding potatoes. 

2. Substitute hash browns with diced baked potatoes (peeled or unpeeled.) Heat over medium to medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes (until brown on the bottom), turn with a spatula and cook another 3-7 minutes (until browned to your liking.)

3. Substitute sausage with diced ham or turkey-ham (preferably uncured.) 

4. Add shredded cheese (I use Daiya cheese shreds in either cheddar or pepper jack, as they are free of dairy, gluten and soy.) 

Apple Peanut Butter Quinoa Flakes

Last year after learning I should stick to a gluten-free diet, I frequently turned to oatmeal for breakfast. During that time, I discovered The Oatmeal Artist (I believe through Pinterest.)

In October or November, I was told I also needed to cut oats from my diet. Although I could not eat them, I prepared a couple of baked oatmeal dishes to add to our traditional Christmas morning brunch. One variety I fixed was Apple Nut Butter Baked Oatmeal.  It sounded SO good.

In January, I tried making quinoa for breakfast - in hopes it would satisfy my oatmeal cravings.  However, the texture was not a big hit in my household. Then, I discovered quinoa flakes.  (My husband picked some up for me at Whole Foods Market.  I also found them at Fred Meyer, but they cost a couple dollars more.)

Quinoa flakes cook a lot faster than oats, so I am making some adjustments as I try adapting some of my favorite oatmeal recipes.

Variations: For those with nut allergies, I am sure this would be great with Sunbutter (I cannot eat sunflower seed products either...)  You can also omit the cinnamon or cut it to 1/4 teaspoon.  (I am supposed to increase my intake of cinnamon, oregano, and garlic, so I actually used about 3/4 teaspoon in mine.) This would also be great with a mashed ripe banana instead of the maple syrup (but, you guessed it, no bananas for me.)

Apple Peanut Butter Quinoa Flakes
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (milk or milk substitute)
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1 small apple, diced (I peeled mine, but you do not have to)
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup (honey, or favorite sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Place diced apples and almond milk in a small or medium saucepan.
2. Bring almond milk to boil.
3. Add quinoa flakes and stir or whisk into almond milk.
4. Continue to boil for 90 seconds.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Stir in cinnamon, peanut butter and maple syrup.
7. Enjoy!

Almond Butter Chia Pudding

Almond Butter Chia Pudding

Through The Daring Kitchen, I stumbled across Shelley's blog, C Mom Cook.  Her recipes looked amazing - and they were dairy-free, so I had to follow her blog.  (Had to - it was a compulsion.  Take a peek and you may feel the same.)

Yesterday, I read Shelley's post from Monday about Chia Pudding.  Her recipe was inspired by and slightly adapted from Katie's Chi Chi Chi Chia post on her blog, Betcha Can't Eat Just One.  (And Katie has a label for pumpkin recipes, so you know I just have to follow her blog now!)

I am beginning the 5th week of my doctor's 6 week diet - eliminating a slew of foods I normally eat.  This list includes chocolate, coconut, and agave.  But, I really wanted to try this pudding and was sure I could make something work.

I opted to substitute almond butter for the cocoa powder and maple syrup for the agave.  I am still adjusting to almond butter.  The pudding did not taste bad, but my boys were both right, it was not very sweet.  I did not want to add more syrup, so I sliced a banana and stirred it in after the pudding chilled.  (It was devoured before I could take a picture.  Oops!)

Chia Seed Benefits and Risks

Huh.  I planned to find a great link touting all of the wonderful benefits of eating chia seeds and I stumbled upon sights warning of side effects.  My curiosity got the best of me.  I found some info at the webmd.com website.  However, I found the info at seed guides far more informative.  

I encourage you to check out the sites above.  Below, I tried to summarize what I learned...  but I may not have caught all of the info.

There are a ton of benefits to eating chia seeds.  Check out the benefits here. 

As for the side-effects... the following information was paraphrased from webmd.com and seedguides.info.

You should limit the amount of these seeds you consume (for adults it sounds like 2 Tbsp. per day should be the limit - less for children.) 

Pregnant or nursing?  You should avoid chia seeds.
High triglyceride levels?  I recommend checking with your doctor.  Although other websites indicate chia seeds may lower triglyceride levels and raise HDL levels, webmd.com states that some types of chia seeds actually raise triglyceride levels. (This may be due to the high alpha-linolenic acid levels.)   According to webmd, you should only use chia called "Salba," as it does not significantly increase triglycerides.  
Hemophiliac? On blood thinners?  On an aspirin regimen? Preparing for a surgery? Check with your doctor first.  The omega-3's in the chia seeds can cause the blood to thin. 
High risk for prostate cancer? Check with your doctor first.  High levels of alpha-linolenic acid may increase your risk with this type of cancer. (According to webmd, the jury is out on this as studies have shown increased risk and no changes in the risk - but they recommend avoiding alpha-linolenic acid supplements.)
Low blood pressure? Ask your doctor first.  Some research indicates you should steer clear of chia seeds as they could drastically lower your blood pressure.
Take B17 supplements? Adding chia seeds to your diet could cause an overdose.
Allergic to mustard or mustard seed?  High protein levels in chia seeds can contribute to allergic reactions in some people.  Sounds like the risk is higher with allergies to mustard seed.

Almond Butter Chia Pudding

Almond Butter Chia Pudding (Dairy-Free) - Please Read Chia Seed Benefits & Risks 1st.

3/4 - 1 cup almond milk (I used original, unsweetened)*
1 Tbsp. almond butter
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 banana (optional)

1. Blend together almond milk, almond butter, and maple syrup.  (I used our immersion blender with the tall cup it came with.)
2. Stir-in chia seeds.  Bananas may be diced and added at this point.  Or if you do not want them to brown at all, wait until the pudding has chilled.
3. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
4. If desired, add sliced or diced banana.  
5. Enjoy!

*NOTE: The longer the pudding chills, the more liquid the chia seeds will absorb.  I used 3/4 cup almond milk and it was perfect an hour later.  If you plan to chill overnight, you may prefer to use closer to 1 cup of almond milk.

I look forward to trying more varieties of this delicious dairy-free "pudding."

The Daring Cooks' July 2013 Challenge: Get Your Yogurt On!

The lovely Cher of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler was our July Daring Cooks’ hostess and she asked us to create homemade yogurt in our own kitchens! No incubators needed, no expensive equipment or ingredients, just a few items and we had delicious yogurt for a fraction of the cost and a whole lot healthier than what you buy in the stores!

Coconut Yogurt with honey, blueberries, and homemade granola

I encourage you to stop by Cher's website to see more options for making yogurt from milk or milk substitutes using other thickening agents and cultures.  CLICK HERE for the full challenge and a lot more helpful information.

As I have to completely cut dairy out of my diet, this challenge arrived at the perfect time.  I miss yogurt and hate spending nearly $2.00 on 6 oz. of coconut yogurt.  This method took some time, but was not horribly difficult.  And the coconut flavor and creamy smooth texture of this yogurt far surpassed the expensive coconut yogurts I bought at the store.

Coconut Milk Yogurt

My Ingredient Choices:
1. "Milk": 2 13.5-oz. cans organic coconut milk (not to be mistaken with the beverage in a carton)

2. Culture:  PB8 Pro-biotic Acidophilus for Life Vegetarian Capsules.  I used 6 capsules but should have used 4 (I overestimated the amount of yogurt this would make.)

3. Thickening Agent: 1 packet Knox Unflavored Gelatin  (I wanted to use Agar-Agar Flakes, as I read they thicken the yogurt a bit better; however, the stores I went to did not carry this product and I had the gelatin on-hand.)

4. Sweetener: None (although non-dairy milks will turn out thicker with a sweetener for the pro-biotics to feed on.)

Equipment You Will Need:
• A double boiler or a bowl that can be nested in a pot without touching the bottom or a microwavable glass bowl*
• A whisk, for stirring together ingredients*
• Food thermometer
• A large bowl (or other container) for an ice bath (2-4 cups of ice and 1-2 cups of water – depending on the size of your bowl. You want to be able to cool the bottom and sides of the bowl you cooked your milk in)
• A smaller bowl non-glass bowl that will hold at least one quart if you do not want to put the hot glass bowl into the ice cold water.* 
• A heat source for incubating yogurt - I used my crock-pot
• Glass jars (five to six ½-pint (400 ml) jars) or a glass bowl for culturing yogurt*
• Liquid measuring cup*
• Measuring spoons*
• Pot holders

*IMPORTANT NOTE:  All equipment that will come in direct contact with the yogurt should be thoroughly washed before using, to mitigate the potential of any non-beneficial bacteria entering the equation. I run my equipment through the dishwasher and use the heated dry cycle. Some sources recommend sterilizing in boiling water.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 13.5-oz cans organic coconut milk (not the beverage in a carton)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp Sweetener (if using)
• 4 PB* Pro-biotic Acidophilus for Life Vegetarian Capsules (or read the label of your pro-biotic capsules and use enough to have about 25-30 billion pro-biotics for this quart-sized batch of yogurt.)
• 1 packet Knox Unflavored Gelatin

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the coconut milk, ½ cup (120ml) of water and sweetener in a bowl and stir until well blended.
2. Combine 2 Tbsp boiling water with 2 teaspoons (1 packet is a smidge over this) Unflavored Gelatin.  Stir until gelatin has dissolved.
3. Prepare the ice bath - combine 2-4 cups of ice in 1-2 cups of water, depending upon the size of your bowl.
4.  BE CAUTIOUS USING THIS STEP!  Using the microwave to boil liquid can be tricky.  The liquid may not appear to be boiling until it moves around, when it may bubble and splatter up and out.  I used a larger bowl than I needed and carefully placed it on the counter after each minute to stir it with a rubber spatula.  When it was done, the liquid erupted into bubbles as the spatula entered the liquid.  Place the bowl in the microwave and heat in one minute intervals until the mixture comes to a boil. (After each minute, remove bowl from microwave and stir). Depending on the strength of your microwave, this may take 4-7 minutes. (Alternately, you can heat the mixture using the double boiler method).
5. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the microwave and place the bowl in an ice bath. (NOTE: I poured the mixture into a clean non-glass bowl and then set it into the ice bath, as I recently had a coffee cup sitting on a cool tile counter crack in half when I added hot water for tea...) Stir until the temperature of the mixture drops 90°F/32°C if you are using a pro-biotic starter. 
6. When the liquid cools to 110°F/43°C, stir in the starter. (If you are using a freeze-dried culture or pro-biotic capsules, make sure the liquid has cooled to the temperature recommended for that particular culture).  NOTE: my culture did not specify, so I cooled to 110 degrees.
7. Ladle the yogurt mixture into ½ pint glass jars (should be ~5-6 jars depending on how full you fill them), secure the cover.  
8. Incubation:  I chose to use the crockpot method.  Our directions read: Slow cooker – This is the method that I use the most. To use a slow cooker, place the cooker on its “warm” setting and pour in enough hot water to come half way off the jars. Place the cover on the cooker and check the temperature of the water every ½ hour to hour to make sure it isn’t getting too hot (actual temperature range will depend on the starter type you chose). If the water starts to get too hot, unplug the machine and wrap the crock pot in a large towel to hold the temperature for the rest of the incubation period. However, my hot water was WAY too hot, so I removed the jars and cooled the with cold water until it reached 105.  Then, I returned the jars to the crockpot, making sure the water level was about mid-way up the jars.  My crockpot's warm setting was too warm, so I turned it off, unplugged it and wrapped it with a towel.  I checked the temperature every half hour and turned it on warm briefly if it began to drop.
9. Incubate the yogurt for about 5-8 hours. Longer incubating times will result in a tangier yogurt. The optimal incubating temperature is ~122°F/50°C for yogurt starters (if you are using a freeze-dried starter or pro-biotic capsules, follow the recommended temperatures for those starters). Ideally, you want to keep the temperature as close to that as possible for the incubating period. Realizing that may not be possible – I try to target keeping the mixture between 115°F/46°C and 125°F/52°C (95°F/35°C to 105°F/41°C if using pro-biotic capsules).
10. Once the yogurt is done incubating, carefully transfer the containers to the refrigerator and chill for at least 8 hours. This step helps to thicken the yogurt and lulls those ravenous friendly bacteria back to their sluggish state.  Note: To avoid putting the hot jars onto the cold glass shelf in my refrigerator, I folded a kitchen towel in half and put on the shelf first. 
11. After the cooling period, the yogurt is ready to be enjoyed.  
    
    Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:
    Once processed & tightly sealed, most yogurts will keep, refrigerated for one to two weeks. I have had success with some yogurts keeping for longer, but it usually doesn’t last long enough for me to test that theory.

This is how my yogurt looked after the incubation stage, I panicked until I read on another site that this can sometimes happen.  So, I stirred each jar prior to refrigerating, and they turned out fine!

Even without a sweetener, I loved the smooth texture and amazing coconut flavor!

It was even better with about a Tbsp. honey and 1/4 cup frozen blueberries blended in.

Homemade granola made the perfect addition!

Yummy!

As for my pickiest eater?  He is not a huge coconut fan, and felt the coconut flavor was a bit too much for him; however, with the addition of blueberries, honey and granola, he said he would eat it anyway.

Just for my picky eater, I attempted making yogurt with regular milk, but my warm setting on my crockpot took the temperature over 150 degrees within a half hour.  It must have killed the culture.  It ended up as a liquid with a tad of thickness at the bottom.  I plan to try it again with Lactaid for the non-coconut lovers in my home and with almond milk as another dairy-free option for myself.  (Hmmm... maybe I will make that today...)

Cher, thank you for this amazing challenge!  I was absolutely giddy with excitement about how yummy and relatively easy (thanks to your amazing information) this was to make.

All other readers, I strongly encourage you to use the Daring Cooks July '13 Challenge: Yogurt! post at The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler if you plan to make your own yogurt.  Cher has oodles of information, links to other resources and options to choose from!

To see more fun yogurt creations, visit The Daring Kitchen.  I was amazed at the creativity.

Thank you for visiting!
-Renee

Strawberry-Apple Granola Cooked on the Traeger

Strawberry Apple Granola cooked on the Traeger

I have been trying to pull my family away from store-bought cereals by making and freezing pancakes (2 recipes will be posted soon!)  However, cereal is the breakfast of choice in my home.

During the winter months, I like to make homemade granola.  However, as we only have a window air conditioner, I generally avoid using our oven during the summer - unless it's a nice, cool, rainy day.

While cooking our meatballs for the June Daring Cooks' Challenge, I wondered if the Traeger would work to bake my granola.  The answer is YES!

I found my favorite granola recipe at fatfree.com quite some time ago.  It is listed as "Granola-4 Recipe" and was submitted by Tammy Kimbler.  Click HERE for the original recipe.  Ordinarily, I make it using pure maple syrup as the sugar and dried figs as the fruit.

This time, I wanted to make granola without the ginger.  So, I changed things up a bit.

Strawberry-Apple Granola

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups rolled oats (I buy them organinc in the bulk-food section for about $1.49/lb.)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup (Costco usually has great prices.)
3 egg whites
1/4 - 1/2 cup sliced almonds - optional
1/2 cup freeze-dried apples, chopped
1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. If using an oven, preheat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  If using a Traeger (I used Cherry pellets), open lid and set on smoke for about 5 minutes.  Then close the lid and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine oats and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well.

Oats and cinnamon.

 3. In a smaller bowl, lightly whip egg whites.  Stir in maple syrup and vanilla.  Then, add to oats and cinnamon and mix well.

Oats, cinnamon, maple syrup, egg whites, and vanilla.

Dry and wet ingredients combined.

4.  Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Arrange oat mixture in a single layer.

5. Place cookie sheet in Traeger.  (Or in oven.)

Granola going onto the Traeger.  See the smoke from the cherry pellets?!

6. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.  (I like my granola crunchier, so mine cooked about 40 minutes.  However, I always check it 30 minutes in to make sure it is not too dark.)

7. If you want to add almonds, they taste best toasted.  (Like how I decided that for you?!)  Place sliced almonds in a single layer in an oven-safe dish.  Place on Traeger for 5-7 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes.  Watch closely, so they do not burn.  (Or broil in oven, still watching closely so they do not burn - they will probably brown faster.)

Slivered almonds before and after toasting.

8. When cooked to your liking, remove granola from the grill and turn the Traeger off.

9. Allow granola to cool completely.  (I set the pan on a wire rack and clean up as it cools.)

10. Stir in apples, strawberries and almonds (if using).

Recipe used about 1/3 of the bag of strawberries and the full bag of apples.

11. Store in an airtight container.  (As you can see, I folded the long edges of my aluminum foil in toward the center, rolled one short end closed, and used the open end to funnel the granola into the jar.)

Easy-pour lining!

Strawberry Apple Granola cooked on the Traeger

 12. Enjoy!

We love our granola with almond milk or coconut milk for breakfast.  How do you like yours?