Healthy swap: chicken sausages

Do you guys have any foods that you hate to love? One of those foods like crispy chicken skin or bacon, that you tell yourself you hate because it's so unhealthy, but deep down you know you love it?

For me it's sausages. I've tried to deny it, but the truth is I love their greasy, salty goodness. It's too bad their nutrition information makes me cringe!

But then over the Christmas holidays I was introduced to chicken sausages and my world turned upside-down. They taste like sausages. They look like sausages. They smell like sausages. The only difference? You can actually feel pretty good about eating them!



The nutritional stats are pretty good as far as sausages go. Yes, they may be high in sodium and cholesterol, but other than that, they're not too shabby. The calorie and saturated fat content are really reasonable! And when paired with some whole grains and vegetables, they make a great healthy dinner.



Roasted brussels sprouts, parsnips and chicken sausage over quinoa
Serves 1

~10 Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 parsnip, sliced
2 tsp olive oil, divided
Pinch of salt
1 chicken sausage
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup sliced yellow onion
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 cup cooked quinoa

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the Brussels sprouts and parsnip with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and place in oven on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping once after 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a nonstick pan, brown the chicken sausage on all sides, then remove from pan and slice. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of olive oil and saute the garlic over low heat. Then add in the onions, the sliced chicken sausage, and red pepper flakes and continue to saute until onions are translucent.

Mix the roasted vegetables into the pan and then serve it all over quinoa. Top with parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.



What's your guilty pleasure food that you hate to love?