Blueberry Sausage & Egg Bake


Today, I’m leaving for my last semester as an undergraduate. It’s surreal to think that in just 3 ½ months I’ll be employable –becoming an actual Registered Dietitian is still another year away with my internship, but with my undergraduate I can actually earn a salary instead of a wage. It’s very bizarre. When did I get to be so old? When did I turn into a – gulp! – actual, bona fide adult?

In honor of my embarking on my last semester as a college student, I have an egg recipe to share with you. I’ll bet your wondering where that bridge is, the one explaining why eggs have anything to do with leaving college (no, I’m not going to try to make some analogy, I promise). You see, when I first got my own apartment and suddenly had to cook for myself more often than not, I discovered the beauty of a good egg dish. Inexpensive, easy, fast, and stress-free, egg dinners are ideal for college. It started out mostly with omelets, but I’ve recently been branching out into egg bakes. They take a little bit more time since they need to, well, bake, but they’re still ridiculously easy, forgiving, and versatile enough so you don’t feel like you’re eating the same thing day in and day out. Take that, Ramen.

This egg bake is spongy and light, but don’t let that fool you – it’s also really filling. You could even halve the recipe if you pair it with a side dish; or, turn it into a quiche by adding some milk, cream, and/or a crust. The added dairy would give it a denser texture, and I do like the airiness that this recipe has on its own, but it could still be good. Also, if you’re wary of the ingredients, don’t be, they work really well together. The ginger gives the dish a fragrance but in terms of flavor, it and the lemon zest really just enhance the blueberry flavor from the chicken sausage. They aren’t superstars on their own in this recipe. Adding a nice vegetable salad or side dish would do this dish some good, since unlike most dishes that I create, this one isn’t loaded with fruits or veggies to begin with. I ate it with the lemon and parmesan kale salad I told you about a little while back, and it was wonderful.


One Year Ago: Taco Pasta Toss

Blueberry Sausage & Egg Bake
Yield: 2 servings

The Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup egg whites
3 blueberry chicken sausages1
⅔ teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon lemon zest

The Method
Lightly coat a small frying pan with nonstick spray and place over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook to sear and thaw, rotating every one or two minutes. When browned on all sides, remove from the pan. Dice the sausages and add them to a medium mixing bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Whisk together to incorporate, then divide the egg mixture evenly between two small ramekins. Bake in a toaster oven (or regular oven if making more than 2 servings) at 350° for 20-25 minutes. When they look just about done – that is, puffed up and relatively firm to the touch – switch the oven’s setting to broil and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove and serve.

Notes:
1I’m not really sure how common “blueberry chicken sausage” is. I found it in a local supermarket under the brand “Al Fresco –“ it’s a whole line of chicken sausages that are low in fat and totally devoid of science experiment-sounding ingredients. Just be sure to check the ingredients if you have some dietary restrictions – I noticed some had pork casings (the blueberry one did not). Aside from that little snag, I think these sausages are great!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

0 comments:

Post a Comment