Savory Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Muffins

Posted on February 5, 2012 by

I am always on the hunt for interesting new breakfast ideas particularly ones that incorporate protein instead of just straight out carbs.  I found a recipe for Savory Breakfast Muffins over on The Comfort of Cooking.

I decide to healthy the recipe up a bit with a few little changes.  I swap out pork sausage for turkey sausage and used a white and wheat flour blend instead of Bisquick among a few other tweaks.  The result was a tasty cheesy sausage biscuit.

My family really enjoyed this change of pace a breakfast.  I hope yours will too.

Savory Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Muffins

Prep time: 5 minutes  -  Cook time: 35 minutes  -  Makes: 16 muffins

  • 1 lb  turkey breakfast sausage
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 cup all purpose white flour
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • 1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 375º F. Line one medium-sized-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

Saute sausage crumbling the sausage with a metal spoon as it cooks. Drain excess grease  and place in a large bowl.

Add white all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder shredded cheese and thyme leaves.  Toss together with a fork.

Add eggs and milk to the other ingredients in the bowl.  Mix well.

Scoop 1/4  cup of the muffin mixture into each preprepared muffin tin.  Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.  Serve and enjoy!

 

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy!

Multigrain Blueberry pancakes

 

Banana Oatmeal Muffin

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Pub Grub Burgers for National Wear Red Day!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by

Did you know that more women die from heart disease than all forms of cancer combined??  So today we wear red to show support and raise awareness for women’s heart health.  Happy National Wear Red Day!

Since we are talking heart disease today do you know the top risk factors?

  • High blood pressure
  • High blood cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Being overweight
  • Being physically inactive
  • Having a family history of early heart disease
  • Age (55 or older for women)

As you can see diet can play a big role in risk factors for heart disease.  The good news what we eat is almost totally within out control!

So my recipe for today is dedicated to taking care of our hearts.  I took a family favorite, the all-American beef burger, and gave it a complete overall.  The new version uses black beans, garbanzo beans and pepper jack cheese to create a savory delicious meatless-burger.  This meatless-burger recipe is largely based on the Pub Grub Veggie Burger recipe found in Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger with a few of my own tweaks.

These burgers are really versatile and they are just as great reheated the next day.  My most common method of serving them is bunless with a side salad (they make an excellent brown bag lunch this way!).  But you can always choose to dress them up more like a traditional burger with a bun and your favorite burger toppings like lettuce, cheese and tomatoes.

I am making Pub Grub Burgers for my Superbowl party this weekend.  Instead of regular size burgers I am making sliders (mini burgers) and topping them with an avocado slice and a drizzle of low fat chipotle cream.  After all I want my friends to all be heart healthy too!

Note: The Undercover Cook is a cook and nutrition enthusiast NOT a health care professional.  If you have specific dietary needs, diet restrictions or health concerns please consult your health care provider or a registered dietician for information on what foods are best for you.  Food suggestions from The Undercover Cook should not replace diet advice from licensed health professionals.

Pub Grub Burgers

Prep Time: 10 minutes  -  Cook time: 15 minutes  - Makes: 8 burgers

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 can low sodium black beans, drained, rinsed and divided in half
  • 1 can low sodium garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • 1 1/2 cup Italian panko crumbs
  • 1 cup (about 3.5 oz) grated pepper jack cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 cup canola or extra virgin olive oil
  • non-stick cooking spray

Place a large skillet on high heat.  Spray generously with non-stick cooking spray.  When skillet is hot add diced onions.  Reduce heat to medium high and saute onions for 4-5 minutes or until onions are soft.

Pour cook onions into a food processor.  (Set skillet aside to use later to cook burgers.)  Add 1/2 can of black beans, garbanzo, chili powder, salt, garlic powder and 3 whisked eggs.  pulse until just combined.

Pour mixture into large bowl.  Add remaining 1/2 can of black beans, panko crumbs, shredded cheese and fresh thyme leaves.  Stir to combine.  Divide mixture into 8 portions and form into patties.

Return large skillet to medium high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons oil.  Saute 4 burgers at a time to avoid  over crowding in the pan.  Saute burgers for 10 minutes, gently turning burgers half way through.  Burgers should be nicely browned on both sides.  Set burgers on a paper towel lined plate to drain off any excess oil.  Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan and then saute the remaining 4 burgers.  Serve and enjoy!

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

 

Black Bean Dip

Posted in beans, burger, Burgers, meatless Monday, sandwich & wraps, vegetables, vegetarian | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Spicy Mango and Cabbage Slaw

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

In this week ‘s CSA (community supported agriculture) portion I got a rather large head of cabbage.  I debated what to make with this bounty of cabbage and decided to make a little taste of summer – Spicy Mango Slaw.

   

Normally I think of slaw only in the summer and when visiting fried seafood shacks in the south.  However if cabbage is in season in January here, then who am I to put off making slaw until after the the spring thaw?

   

   

I love this recipe because it is colorful and bright.  The mango adds a wonderful sweetness while the  Sirachi (spicy chili sauce) adds just a touch of warmth.  You can always add a little more chili sauce if you want to turn up the heat, but I kept it pretty family-friendly in the version below.

I used non-fat greek yogurt in place of some of the mayo to make this version a bit lighter than traditional southern slaw.  If you wanted to lighten the recipe up even more you could substitute light or lower fat mayonnaise for the full fat stuff if you prefer.

 

Spicy Mango and Cabbage Slaw

Prep: 10 minutes  -  Refrigeration time: 1-2 hours  -  Makes: 8 servings

  • 1/2 head  medium-sized cabbage
  • 1/4 head purple cabbage
  • 2 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into thin strips
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon non-fat plain greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Sirachi (spicy chili sauce)
  • salt and pepper

Slice green and purple cabbage very thinly and place in a large bowl.  Add mango strips, rough chopped cilantro and thinly sliced green onions (green and light green parts).

In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, non-fat yogurt, apple cider vinegar and sirachi.  Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture.  Toss until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Place slaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to meld.  Serve slaw cold and enjoy.

 

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy!

Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

 

Cornmeal Zucchini Fritters

Posted in side dishes, Uncategorized, vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment