Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, Veggie, Almond, Gorgonzola Yumminess

So … I broke down finally and went to see a naturopath yesterday after three years of coaxing and berating by one of my regular doctors. Long, boring story — and not worth getting into. Suffice it to say that according to my dermatologist, something in my diet is making my body angry. When I repeated her diagnosis to the naturopath, he smiled and said that was a very poetic way of stating the situation, but that in essence, she was probably right. As I feared, Dr. Dodge (and I love him, by the way … SO sympathetic and easy to talk to) took me off the things I crave most: carbs. He said it’s experimental, but he believes my best chance at optimal health is to stop eating wheat, grains, sugar … anything that could cause an insulin spike in my system.

I really do want to get healthy, so I’m going to take the plunge. The only obstacle I see in my near future is the women’s Christmas tea I’m speaking at next Tuesday night at Calvary Fellowship. My delightful friend, Cathy Taylor, has been giving me half-hour updates on the apparently unbelievably delicious tiramisu she sampled and ordered for our tea. Tiramisu? Only my very favorite dessert in the world. So with sincere apologies to Dr. Dodge and my immune system, but I’ll be having a slice next Tuesday, thank you.

Today, though, I stuck to the plan. I haven’t yet shopped specifically for my new diet, so I had to make do with what we had on hand. Cereal and toast were out. Oatmeal, granola, farina — out, out, out. But I had some jalapeno chicken sausage, some veggies, almonds and gorgonzola cheese. So with those few things, I started experimenting.

This was so unexpectedly good, I think I could say good-bye to toast forever. Maybe.

Feel free to swap the Brussels sprouts (for those of you who haven’t yet acquired a taste for them) for broccoli or whatever else you prefer. And if you’re not a patient of Dr. Dodge, go ahead and serve this over pasta or rice. Oh, rice … how I will miss you … 🙁

Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, Veggie, Almond, Gorgonzola Yumminess

2-3 links Jalapeno Chicken sausages
1 lb Brussels sprouts (or vegetable of your choice)
handful of sliced raw almonds
about 1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
olive oil (a few glugs around the pan)
butter (maybe a TBSP)
2 cloves minced garlic

In skillet, brown jalapeno chicken sausage slices in a little olive oil. At the same time, steam the Brussels sprouts until almost tender. Drain and add Brussels sprouts to skillet and cut in half to brown.

When sausage and Brussels sprouts are nicely browned, add about a TBSP of butter, minced garlic, and a handful of almond slices. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add gorgonzola cheese crumbles and stir a few times to melt.

After scooping everything out of the skillet, deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of water. This gives you a really flavorful “sauce” to pour over the dish.

This was so delicious that I immediately made a second batch to stick in the fridge for later. This time, I added a handful of grape tomatoes when I added and sliced the Brussels sprouts. Also a very good combo!

All the ingredients used today came from last week’s trip to Trader Joe’s. I seriously love TJ’s.

Sausage …

Tomatoes …

Gorgonzola …

Guess what else I found at TJ’s? The rosemary I’d been looking for. I like to bring in a pot to winter-over in the kitchen, but I can’t find the rosemary I planted in my garden (I know. That sounds weird even to me.) and I haven’t found it in any of my local nurseries, either. But there was this perfect pot of rosemary, thyme and sage. So now I can make French chicken all winter long. 🙂