Maple Sage Breakfast Sausage
About Recipe:
As a Nutritionist, I’m often advocating for clients to make sure they are getting enough protein and fat in the morning. Most people’s minds go automatically to eggs. And while I love a good pasture raised egg, I know that eggs can get boring and not everyone likes eggs. Spice up your breakfast (literally) with the maple-spiced chicken sausages.
These are a great option when you wanna change up your breakfast, and get in some healthy good quality protein. The best part, is that these are not processed, like you would find in a Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, so they don’t have inflammatory oils, low quality meat, refined sugars, excess sodium and other preservatives. They are simple, whole food, real ingredients that are flavorful, and nourishing.
If you don’t have ground chicken, another great alternative is to use ground turkey. Make sure to pay attention to the quality of the meat you buy. If you can always choose organic, pasture raised with no antibiotics or hormones.
Hope you enjoy!
Tips and Tricks:
Meal Prep: Meal prepping theses will make ,high quality protein packed breakfast options, a breeze for the rest of the week! They are so easy to make, and they store for up to a week in the fridge. If you want to meal prep a larger batch, or for the family, you can make more and store them in the freezer too. Making them easy to reheat, or pop in the microwave for a no-hassel breakfast option.
Pair with fiber and greens: One of my favorite ways to create a satisfying and delicious breakfast with these is to chop sausages up and sauté with chopped veggies and greens. It’s an easy way to make a nutrient dense breakfast, and increase your vegetable intake for the day! What a great way to start the day :)
Key Nutritional Players:
One of the best ways to start the day is with protein, healthy fats and fiber. When we start with these macronutrients, we can start our days with more stable blood sugar. Meaning we can avoid blood sugar ups and down throughout the day, have more stable energy, and less cravings! These sausages are a perfect way to add in a good source of protein. Especially if you are tired of eggs or are sensitive to eggs!
The addition of spices and herbs to these sausages add flavor, but also health benefits as well! While you may not use these herbs for specific ailments, I think it’s interesting to see that they have high phytochemicals that can help fight oxidative damage and confer health benefits!
Sage: Sage is rich in phenolic compounds that possess properties of anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, relaxant stimulating digestion and pancreatic secretion, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic and more! (Nida, 2020)
Rosemary: Rosemary is another herb that is high in phenolic compounds with high biological activity. Research suggest properties observed have been hepatoprotective, anti-fungal, insecticide, antioxidant and antibacterial. (Nieto, 2018)
Fennel: Fennel seeds are rich in polyphenols and flavonoids. Traditionally fennel has been used for digestive, endocrine, reproductive and respiratory symptoms. The phytochemical compounds have been shown to have properties such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antitumor. (Badgujar, 2014)
Maple Sage Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb of ground turkey (or ground chicken)
- 2 T Maple Syrup
- 2 T dried sage
- 1 T chopped rosemary
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
- For Cooking:
- 1 T Avocado oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- 1. Combine all ingredients (except the avocado oil) in a mixing bowl. Thoroughly combine and mix the ingredients. Take roughly 2 T of the mixture and form into patties.
- 1. Once all the patties have been formed, on medium-low heat, heat the Avocado oil in a cast iron skillet. Once pan is evenly heated, cook your sausage for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip. Once the sausage has browned and the middle is fully cooked, remove sausages from the skillet, let cook and enjoy!
Notes:
I used ground turkey meat to make these, but you can use different types of ground meat.
References:
Badgujar, S. B., Patel, V. V., & Bandivdekar, A. H. (2014). Foeniculum vulgare Mill: a review of its botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, contemporary application, and toxicology. BioMed research international, 2014, 842674. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/842674
Nieto, G., Ros, G., & Castillo, J. (2018). Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, L.): A Review. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland), 5(3), 98. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines5030098
Nida Tabassum Khan (2020) Pharmacological Importance of Sage and Oregano . Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Science And Technology - 2(2):13-17.
