German Sausage, Potato-Cauliflower Mash, and Sauerkraut

German sausage and sauerkraut is one of my favorite family recipes. I can remember grilling sausage outside on a warm April evening and eating them straight off the grill with warmed sauerkraut sitting next to my grandpa. 

He always drank a Guinness with it and we always had to have plenty of mustard. Most of his mustard ended up on his shirt, but who cares. He was having fun, enjoying food, drink, and life which was obvious from the smile on his mustard stained lips after each bite.

I don't mind sacrificing a shirt and a pair of pants for a great home cooked meal.

In order to "hot mess" the recipe I used mostly cauliflower instead of all mashed potatoes to add some more nutrients to the whole meal. The cauliflower added 4 grams of fiber to each serving and I didn't miss the potatoes at all. 


Even more surprising, my honey, the Lumberjack Meat and Potato-type, didn't miss them either. In fact he raved about it and went back for seconds with his mustard-stained lips smiling all the way to the kitchen.


Roasting it in the oven was fun and kept this a one-dish-wonder-meal. 

Grilling is great, but since I moved to Montana the weather this year isn't really cooperating so we are having to cook inside while the cold rain falls outside. No matter how the sausage is cooked the most important thing is that it gets slightly charred and crispy on the outside!

No exceptions! Dark, charred, blackened, and crispy. That's how the sausage should be! Then when you bite into it you get that juicy burst of hot goodness and a nice charcoal-icious crunch.


I know charcoal-icious isn't a word, but please bear with me. I make up words from time to time.

You can make the "smashed cauliflower" with anything any time you want. They can be paired with chicken, pork, fish, burgers. You get the point.

Okay, you ready? 

Let's get cookin' then! 

Bring on the recipe!

German Sausage, Potato and Cauliflower Mash, and Sauerkraut

1 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Head Cauliflower
1/2 Cup Fat Free Milk
1 tbsp. Plain Fat Free Yogurt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Onion Salt
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese; Shredded
1 Pound Keilbasa Sausage

Garnish: Enough Sauerkraut and mustard to make everyone happy


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large pot of water over high heat. Meanwhile, wash and dice the potatoes and cauliflower into small bite sized pieces. Add to the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling allow to bubble for 15-20 minutes. The potatoes and cauliflower should be soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
3. Drain the water off the potatoes and cauliflower. Then add the milk, yogurt, nutmeg, onion salt, kosher salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mash together with a potato masher.
4. Once mashed, transfer the potatoes and cauliflower mash into the bottom of a 9 X 12 baking dish. Slice the sausage into 1 inch rounds. Then lay the sausage evenly over the top of the cauliflower mash. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 1 hour. The sausage should be browned on top and the casserole bubbling.
5. Heat some sauerkraut in a small sauce pan. Serve alongside or on top and make sure there's plenty of mustard around!


Servings: 6


Nutritional Skinny:

339 calories / 24 g fat / 16.8 g carbohydrates / 4.5 g fiber / 15.3 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: Cauliflower may be slightly expensive right now, but it's worth it nutritionally. It has only 25 calories per cup and no fat and packs a whopping 2.5 grams of fiber with it! It's amazing really! And when you mash it with milk, spices, and cheese you can't even tell that you aren't eating potatoes! It's brilliant! Oh, cauliflower how I love you so. 

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

This beautiful morsel was made using rhubarb. Hense the "Rhubarb Crumb Cake" title. 

Yep, even out here in Montana we are abundant in it. Friends of ours have about eight plants that are just bursting with fresh rhubarb. They were nice enough to share and I took about 10 pounds of it.

I'm not kidding. Sounds kind of greedy. I didn't mean to take so much, but it is so much fun to cook with. 

It is this peculiar stalk that when sliced creates this tart saliva-inducing smell that gets me every time. It's weird and tart just like me, maybe that's why I like it so much. 

When I got it home I stared at it lovingly hoping for inspiration. Chopped it up, but it didn't come until I found the Splenda Brown Sugar Baking Mix that I hadn't tried yet and I found a crumb cake recipe and decided that I could add the rhubarb and omit some of the sugar and oil.

This Rhubarb Crumb Cake was so moist, gooey, and sweet, but with that little bite of tart from the rhubarb. It was perfect! I served it to guests over the weekend and no one had a clue they were eating flax (and I didn't tell them). Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now!

 I ate it plain at first, but it looked so lonely on the plate. Sort of naked and exposed.

I decided it needed a little blanket of sugar free vanilla ice cream and then a little drizzle of sugar free caramel ice cream topping were most appropriate.

There, isn't that better? My spoon even slides through this super gooey cake even easier it seems. 

Yum Yum Yum... I really like Rhubarb Crumb Cake... Yum Yum Yum.

And with no butter or extra sugar, I can feel really good about my decision to choose dessert.

And if you have nuts feel free to add those to the crumble topping as well. Chopped pecans, walnuts, or even macadamia nuts would be extra delicious!

Note: You don't necessarily need the Sugar Free Splenda Baking Blend, it didn't really end up saving that many calories and only saved about .5 g carbohydrates per serving. So you can use regular brown sugar if you have it on hand!

Happy Rhubarb Hunting Season!

Now on with the recipe!

Rhubarb Crumble Cake

1/2 Cup Sugar Free Light Vanilla Yogurt
1 1/2 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Baking Mix
1 Egg
2 tsps. Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or 1 cup each all purpose and whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Cup Lowfat Buttermilk
1 tsp. Cinnamon
4 Cups Finely Chopped Fresh or Frozen Rhubarb

Topping:

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts (Optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the vanilla yogurt and brown sugar and cream until smooth. 

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until it is smooth and shiny.

4. Then in a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until evenly incorporated. 

5. Then add half of the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, then add half of buttermilk and stir to combine. Then add the remaining flour and buttermilk and stir until the batter is smooth.

6. Add the rhubarb to the batter and gently fold it in. Then pour the batter into a greased 9 X 12 batter.

7. In a small bowl combine the sugar and flax seed. Then sprinkle over the top of the cake evenly creating a crumble layer. You can add a 1/2 cup chopped nuts to the topping if you want as well. 


8. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Slice and serve!

Servings: 24


Nutritional Skinny:


133.5 calories / .9 g fat / 26.2 g carbohydrates / 1.7 g fiber / 2.3 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: Did you have any idea that one cup of rhubarb contains 105 mg of calcium, which is about 10% of what an adult needs each day? It's also a great source of lutein which helps protect our skin and eyes. It's also loaded with Vitamin K which helps our blood clot when we get a cut which helps us heal faster and it also has lots of antioxidants from the lycopene when cooked to help us boost our immune system. 


Get that rhubarb out of the garden and get cookin'!

And here's another great rhubarb recipe to check out!

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Spaghetti Squash and Prosciutto Frittata

In case you haven't already picked up on this... I love Spaghetti Squash. Have you tried it? 

I sure hope so. If not, I'd like to offer a suggestion...Maybe today is your day for spaghetti squash cooking-palooza! Sounds almost as fun as a rock concert, right? What else are you doing on a Saturday anyway? 
Bare with me... When cooked it literally comes out in long juicy strings just like spaghetti (hense the name). Except instead of being chewy it has a sweet juicy buttery flavor that melts in your mouth. 


Simply heavenly. 

I often use it as a substitution for pasta. It makes me feel less guilty than eating a whole plate of spaghetti. Am I the only one who feels slightly guilty after indulging in a huge plate of pasta?

If you are looking to reduce your carbohydrate consumption this is the perfect solution. You still get to twirl your fork around something delicious without sacrificing your itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini (or speedo for the gentlemen in the audience).

Two nights ago though I decided to do a little something different and make a frittata. I looked in the fridge and found some of my favorite ingredients: prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and this beautiful spaghetti squash. I exclaimed "What are you all doing here!" 

Then I realized two things: 1) I was talking to food (I do this a lot), and 2) I do the grocery shopping so of course my favorite things are on hand.

Life is sweet and juicy!

A few minutes later! Viola! Instant Spaghetti Squash and Prosciutto Frittata!

My honey and I had it for dinner, but this could definitely be breakfast or even lunch! Hell, why not make a brunch out of it! 

He made fun of the name saying, "Isn't it just an egg bake.. What's with the cutsie name?"


To which I responded, "It's a fritatta! Whatevs. It's more, you know, chef-y that way." I think he rolled his eyes and walked away and I don't think 'chef-y' is a word. But he ate it and liked it despite the cutsie name. 


It would also be great served for brunch with the Lemon Blueberry Muffins. Just a thought...

So, let's get started shall we?


The first step is roasting the squash... This can be done ahead of time if you want.


Roasted Spaghetti Squash

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
2 tsp. Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Garlic: minced
2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1 tsp. Onion Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cut the squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. 
2. Place each half cavity side up and sprinkle with olive oil, minced garlic, fresh or dried rosemary, onion salt, and pepper. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 45-55 minutes. The top of the squash should be brownish and flake easily with a fork when done.
3. To plate, scoop out portions of the spaghetti squash onto each plate using a fork. The spaghetti squash will flake out like noodles. You can eat this alone with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top or with your favorite pasta sauce to keep it simple... Or make a fritatta (keep reading)!

Servings: 4 ( approx. 1 cup)


Nutritional Skinny:

62 calories / 2.6 g fat / 10 g carbohydrates / 2.2 g fiber / 1 g protein

Now on to the Frittata part...

Spaghetti Squash and Prosciutto Frittata

1 Whole Roasted Spaghetti Squash (using recipe above)
½ Red Onion; Diced
5 Cloves of Garlic; Diced
1 Cup Prosciutto; Diced (you can use ham if you can't find this too)
1 tbsp. Dried Thyme
1 tbsp. Dried Marjoram
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese; Shredded
2 Eggs
1 Cup Egg Whites
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Shred the roasted spaghetti squash into a bowl.

2. Dice the onion and prosciutto. Heat a large saute pan with a splash of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and onions. Once the onions become translucent mix in the diced ham. Sprinkle in the thyme and marjoram. You can use basil, oregano, or parsley if you have that instead.
3. Spray a 9 X 12 baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the spaghetti squash on the bottom of the dish smoothing it with a spatula. Top with the prosciutto and onion mixture. Then add the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and egg whites and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk together then pour over the top of the squash mixture allowing the egg to flow through the squash and massaging with a spatula as needed to ensure all the squash is covered with egg.

5. Then place in the oven heated 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes.

6. Take out and let cool at least 5 minutes and serve with a few smears of low fat sour cream. It adds the creaminess that is the perfect compliment to this light and refreshing egg treat!


Servings: 8



Nutritional Skinny:

135.2 calories / 5.9 g fat / 8.3 g carbohydrates / 1.4 g fiber / 12.1 g protein

Mental Health Benefit: Squash including spaghetti squash are a nutrient powerhouse as well. They are packed with carotenes and vitamins B1, C, folic acid, and fiber. Due to the high amount of carotenes squash has should to have protective immune boosting factors that help prevent certain cancers, especially lung cancer. It also has an extremely low glycemic index making this a great food for diabetics! And with only 42 calories per serving and no saturated fats there is nothing to loose except weight!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries...   Lemons... Muffins...

Is anyone else intrigued yet? 

The inspiration came when I found out company was coming and staying overnight. lI panicked! What would I feed them? I had visions of sleepy friends waking to an empty cupboard and fridge. They would surely leave and never come back, right?

I searched through the house rummaging through every cabinet looking for something I could just whip up fast.. They could arrive any minute!

That's when I found the blueberries in the freezer and the lemons in the fridge and a light bulb went off! Lemon Blueberry Muffins! Of course!

I pulled these little muffins together in minutes and managed to shove the dirty laundry in the closet and slam the door just before the guests arrived.


In the morning there were muffins and grapes to munch on and all of my nightmares were dissolved... and my guests had no CLUE these were a health food!


But seriously.. these muffins are delicious.. Go ahead and try them yourself! And there isn't even one whole gram of fat and less than 100 calories! Like I always say.. this way you can feel good about what you are putting in your body and the bodies of your loved ones!


Enough of my foolishness.. on with the recipe!



Lemon Blueberry Muffins

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
2 tbsp. Raw Natural Honey
1/2 Cup Egg Whites
1 Cup Baking Splenda
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Fat Free Milk
1 Cup Frozen Blueberries
2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. Lemon Zest


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
3. In a separate bowl add the apple sauce, honey, egg whites, baking splenda, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
4. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the sugar mixture. Then pour half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.

5. Add half of the milk and continue stirring. Finish with the rest of the flour and the remaining milk. Stir to combine until it's smooth. Then add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter.

6. Using a 1/4 cup measuring spoon, fill each muffin cup until they are full. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes. Remove and devour!


Servings: 12


Nutritional Skinny:


99 calories / .27 g fat / 19.7 g carbohydrates / 2 g fiber / 3.2 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: These muffins are so much lower in fat and calories than other blueberry muffins. Take your local coffee shop muffin.. it has about 400 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 57 carbohydrates! Compare that to ours and you save over 300 calories, nearly 18 grams of fat, and over half the calories! If that doesn't sound like a good deal I don't know what does. You can also make a double batch and through a bunch in the freezer and just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds and you have a warm Blueberry Lemon Muffin ready to go!