Gobbling up turkey sausages, the missing link between low calorie and taste

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

These little tasty treats are called sausages because we use traditional sausage spices to liven up ground chicken or turkey. Believe it or not, you will have cut the fat in half by using ground turkey instead of pork. Turkey also has even less fat and calories than ground chicken.

If you like, you can create sausage links from these ingredients as well. Simply place 2 tablespoons turkey mixture into a large piece of film wrap and roll it up, forming a link shape as you do so. Twist the ends tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes, remove from wrap and grill accordingly. Surprisingly, they keep their shape very well.

You can also serve these sausages with a side of cucumber yogurt: Mix 1 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup minced cucumber, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Next week, I will give you an extraordinary breakfast using our new-found love of low-fat sausages.

Cut the fat and calories but not the flavor with homemade turkey or chicken sausages.

1 apple, peeled, cored and minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery or fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound ground turkey or chicken
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
1/4 cup minced onion

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove, uncover and form into desired patty sizes or into links as described above.

Cook over medium heat (to prevent splattering) until well-browned and completely cooked in the center. Serve however you like, but keep an eye out for my next column for a great breakfast idea.

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.