It has been about 8 months since my last post mainly because I an teaching 3rd grade now and have 0 time to be creative in the kitchen AND because we pretty much eat the same things over and over again.
I woke up this Sunday morning craving a southern favorite. Being a daughter of an Akers, I was really wanting some biscuits with sausage white pepper gravy. Being dedicated to a clean eating lifestyle, I couldn't bring myself to eat the simple carbs of a white flour drop biscuit (my absolute FAVORITE homemade biscuit) and the saturated fat of sausage (which I don't have in my apt anyway).
SO, I began to think of ways I could twist this meal into my favor. The recipe I share is NOT what I would consider clean but rather a cleaner version of this southern breakfast. It is a tasty favorite of mine, but also reminiscent of both grandmothers and my grandfather's wife, Maxine. So here's to Grammy and Nanny and to all those who wage war on unclean foods.
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound lean, ground beef or turkey
- 1 tablespoon crab boil
- Cajun seasoning
- 4 pieces of whole wheat bread
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon, Light Smart Balance or yogurt butter (again I said cleaner not clean :)) see note
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup of milk
To prepare beef to taste like sausage
Brown in skillet with crab boil and cajun seasoning. Be sure to drain any grease
White Pepper Gravy
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, continuing to stir. Remove gravy from heat and add to beef.
Toast the bread and pour the gravy over it.
Pure southern greatness without the yucky feeling.
I have quit using Smart balance and other butter "products" because they contain partially hydrogenated oils (aka TRANS fat) and a list of other foreign ingredients I can't pronounce. USE REAL BUTTER where the ingredients are cream and salt. If you live and eat a balanced life, 1 T of natural butter that people have been eating for thousands of years is not going to hurt you.
A quick word of hydrogenated oils and the claims of trans fat free foods- the FDA allows a producer to claim no trans fats as long as there is less than 0.5 grams per serving. If you have more than one serving, guess what? You are getting grams of trans fats. yikes.
