When I was training for my Ironman Triathlon in 2009, I was focused on trying to incorporate more protein into my diet. This was because after a self-analysis of my diet, I found I was not eating near enough protein.
The easiest and quickest way I found to add protein to breakfast was to have this turkey sausage recipe on-hand. I’d cook up a batch and keep them in the fridge to re-heat or grill up on my indoor grill. I’d add them to an egg sandwich or keep some in “bulk” to sauté in crumble-form for egg scrambles or frittatas. The only change I make today is that I use a pork/turkey combo because I love the flavor of pork in breakfast sausage. I still use pretty lean meats because I make this when I’m trying to add protein to my diet.
The flavor of this sausage is spot. on. Don’t let that list of spices in the spice blend fool you, you know you have all those spices collecting dust in your cabinet anyway!! So put em to good use!!
This is a healthy, homemade sausage that’s a lean or lower fat sausage recipe. The shredded apple aims to add moistness to the lean patty. Pick up most conventional breakfast sausage packages and you’ll find that they have equal or greater grams of fat to grams of protein per serving, making them yes, a source of protein, but also a decent source of fat. Sometime more a source of fat than protein. And there’s nothing wrong with fat! But when you’re trying to add protein and you get that much fat with it, you can end up packing on the calories quickly.
In addition to dictating the protein to fat ratio, the fun thing about making your own sausage is you know exactly what goes in it. No added high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, etc. Not that I avoid these things exclusively, but anytime I can eat whole, real foods I like to.
With a dash of real maple syrup I can get excited about these for breakfast! OR…for a more natural topping that’s free of refined sugar, high in fiber, and lip-smackin’ good, try them with my Chia Seed Blueberry Jam. Heck yes.
- 1 fuji apple
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey, 99% lean
- 1 pound ground pork, 93% lean
- coconut oil for cooking
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried ground sage
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- Using a box grater, shred the apple. Gather the apple in your hands or a kitchen towel and squeeze out and discard as much water as you can. Add the apple to a large mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add the egg, garlic, and Breakfast Sausage Spice Blend. Mix and combine thoroughly.
- Add the turkey and pork. Mix with your hands until just combined, careful not to over-mix the meat. Use a 3-tablespoon measure to scoop the patties. Form and shape the patties with your hands.
- Sauté over medium/ medium-low heat in a pan with a little coconut oil. Be sure to cook them all the way through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Enjoy 'em my new favorite way with some Chia Seed Blueberry Jam!
*Post updated 9-3-2015.
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