Sausage Gravy

For years, I've been hunting for a restaurant with absolutely killer biscuits and gravy, and while I've found a few that come close, there's just something missing. I decided to create my own. I had a craving for it today, so I made it and decided I absolutely had to share it with you. Here it is (typed while eating an extra biscuit smothered in butter and honey and drinking coffee!!)

(makes 4-6 servings)

1 lb mild breakfast sausage (or make your own)
1/4 c flour
4 c whole milk
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, brown the breakfast sausage until no longer pink, breaking it into smaller chunks as it cooks.

Without draining the fat, sprinkle the cooked sausage with the flour and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, or until all the flour has cooked into the meat and the drippings.

Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly while scraping the bottom of the pan to remove all the bits of cooked sausage. Add the pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper.

Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens enough to coat a spoon...about 2 minutes.

Remove the gravy from the heat and serve. I prefer this served over a biscuit with a few scrambled eggs, but you do you. Put it on an omelet. Eat with a spoon. But please enjoy it nonetheless.

Side note: because I'm avoiding dairy at the moment, I made this with unsweetened almond milk this morning. And while the flavor was still on point, the thickness left a bit to be desired. So if you decide to make this with something other than whole milk, please note that you may need to use more flour or even a cornstarch slurry to achieve your desired thickness.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

I mentioned in my last post that I'd made a pot of soup to be eaten when I wasn't in the mood to put something together. This soup is delicious, easy, and made with whole food ingredients, and it can be made on the stove, in a Crock Pot, or in an Instant Pot, if you've jumped on that bandwagon (I own two!). If you want to simplify the recipe even more, use a rotisserie chicken.

(makes 8 servings)

1 lb chicken, grilled and shredded

2 tbsp. lard (or other whole, clean cooking fat)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, sliced

3 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

8 cups chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, melt the cooking fat over a medium heat, and gently cook the onion, garlic, and chicken for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is nice and tender.

Add the rest of the vegetables, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley, and cover it all with the chicken stock.

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Adapted from paleoleap.com.