Breakfast Sausage

I am always encouraging my clients to know where their food (especially meat) came from, and what’s in it. Sausage is both delicious, quick and easy to make ahead of time, and a great source of protein. The down side, is it’s usually filled with crap and made with poor quality meat. It’s tough to find a sausage I can feel good about eating! Sausage is really just ground meat and certain spices, so I figured, why not make it? It’s just like making burgers, really. I prefer to bake these on a sheet tray, just for the sake or time and ease. You can also pan fry them, or brown it as loose sausage.

FYI- this spice mix makes a great little gift!

Recipe by Karen Sorenson’s “Awaken: 30+ Egg Free and Grain Free Breakfasts”

Italian Breakfast Sausage

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork, beef (grass fed if possible), chicken or turkey
2 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
1 1⁄2 tsp dried sage
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp black pepper
(I usually make this recipe x5 or 10 and just keep the spice mix so I can throw in about 2Tbs per pound of meat)

Directions:

Grind the fennel seed and the Italian seasoning in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to break down the spices (recommended). I just put the seeds in a bowl and smash them around with the bottom of a shot glass.
Combine all of the spices together.
Incorporate the spice mixture into the pork.
Form into 10 equal patties.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat and brown the patties for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. OR you can lay them all on a sheet pan and cook at once in the oven at 400.
Serve with your favorite vegetable (this can be on top of some spinach, arugula, steamed broccoli, frozen veggies that you heat in the microwave, leftover stir fried veggies). Think of making these 2 things ahead of time and at once. For example, one sheet pan of sausages and one sheet pan of broccoli in the oven at 400. If you have made this with very lean meat, add some guacamole or some avocado.