1 cup nonfat cottage cheese

1 cup skim milk

¼ cup instant nonfat dry milk

⅛ pound Peppery Turkey Sausage

⅛ teaspoon mustard powder

Pinch dried lemon granules, crushed

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

• In a blender or food processor container, combine the cottage cheese, skim milk, and dry milk; process until smooth. Set aside.

• In a large, deep nonstick sauté pan, fry the sausage until done, breaking it into small pieces with a heat-safe spatula as you fry it. Add the mustard powder, lemon granules, and olive oil; mix well and heat until sizzling. Add the flour, stirring constantly to create a roux (the thickening agent). Gradually stir in some of the cottage cheese mixture, using the back of spatula or a whisk to blend it with the roux; stir constantly to avoid lumps. Once you have about ½ cup of the cottage cheese mixture blended into the roux, you can add the remaining amount.

• Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to steam. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer (being careful that it doesn't come to a boil) until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.

Savory Sweet Sausage

A touch of sugar or other sweet ingredients added to sausage before it's cooked not only sweetens the meat, it also aids in the caramelization process that takes place when meat is seared at high temperatures. The “sugar” in such recipes can be a substitute of honey or fruit, or a sweet low-sodium condiment like American Spoon Foods (see Appendix B) Red Spoon Peppers, Mango Habanero Salsa, or Kiwi Lime Salsa Verde.