eat a rainbow

Sausage bread that is healthy? You bet! This has become one of my favorite recipes, made with turkey sausage and low fat mozzarella…

When I saw this recipe prepared on Fine Living  more than a year ago, I couldn’t wait to try it. My version is even better; you won’t believe how tasty (and easy) this is.

This is great finger food at parties, or as a quick supper with a big salad of rainbow veggies (greens, tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, carrots).  It is definitely a keeper.

 

Healthy Sausage Bread

(Adapted from Pairings with Andrea, Turkey Sausage Bread)

8 oz. Italian-style turkey sausage, casing removed
2 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or oregano
12 oz. pizza dough*, at room temperature
egg wash: 1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Preheat skillet to medium and brown the sausage with the garlic and seasoning.
3. Cook meat fully, drain on paper towels and let cool.
4. Roll or press dough into 8 x 12-inch rectangle.
5. Place the sausage mixture and cheeses along the middle of the dough.
6. Fold long sides of dough over the sausage and cheeses, overlapping. Enclose ends and pinch all seams to seal. Invert the roll seam-side down onto parchment paper and brush entire loaf with egg wash.
7. Place on baking sheet (use cooking spray if you don’t have parchment paper) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
8. Cool slightly on a rack then cut into one-inch slices.

Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as an entree.

* The original recipe calls for a 10 oz. can refrigerated pizza crust dough, but I use fresh dough for a lot more flavor. Look for fresh pizza dough at your market…our local Trader Joe’s has a selection of white, whole wheat, low carb and herb dough in 1 lb. bags for only $1.29.

More by Dr. Pat…

Photo courtesy of fineliving.com

I often ask my younger patients if they know what it means to “eat a rainbow”. They are always intrigued, so it is a fun way to talk about healthy eating! I tell them to count the colors of the fruits and vegetables they eat every day. If you have young children, help them make a poster showing foods in each color and include their favorites as well as some new examples. Use colored stickers or markers to tally the colors they eat and try to add more each day. Aim for five colors a day, but give extra credit for trying new foods!

Get more game ideas from PreschoolRock.com. Here is a fruit and vegetable color guide to get you started:

Red: Strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, tomato sauce, watermelon

Orange: Sweet potatoes, carrots, oranges, orange juice, mangoes, cantaloupe, peaches, pumpkin and other orange squash

Yellow:Pineapples, yellow peppers, lemons, yellow grapefruit

Green: Spinach and leafy greens, beans, peas, broccoli, asparagus, green peppers, avocado

Blue and Purple: Blueberries, blackberries, dark beans, purple grapes, eggplant

White: Don’t forget white! Think bananas, potatoes, onions, white beans, apples and cauliflower.

The kids won’t be the only ones having fun… this is an imaginative way for all of us to include more nutrients in our diet. The pigments that make fruits and vegetables so colorful are actually phytochemicals that contain vital nutrients, says  James A. Joseph in The Colour Code.

A recent review of his book summarizes the benefits of the colors: lycopene, the red in tomatoes, is linked to lower rates of cancer and heart disease; lutein, which gives spinach its dark-green tint, helps fight certain types of eye disease; anthocyanins, contained in blueberries and other dark-purple and red fruit, aids memory and improves other cognitive problems of ageing, and there are immune-boosters found in white root vegetables like in garlic and onions. (Of course, don’t tell the kids all that!)

Turn some of your favorites into “rainbow recipes”, like fish (colorful fish fillets), veggie stew (ratatouille), or dessert.

And last but not least, don’t miss the song, I Can Eat a Rainbow. It’s a kick! 

More Dr. Pat…