A Twist on Comfort Food - A Recipe

YES!  That would be the Pillsbury Doughboy you see.  What place does the Pillsbury Doughboy serve in a blog about healthy living and eating?  Well, he is the key to this next recipe! 

Let's get real here, we all have our comfort foods.  Whether we are 600 lbs or 106 lbs - we ALL have them.  We turn to them when we are overtired, sad, angry, or need a little extra squeeze of love.  Some people turn to chocolate and others to a slice of hot and gooey pepperoni pizza - I tend to turn to entire entrees...... Just another one of the habits I have had to kick to the curb over the last few years.  So, the question becomes - how do I get my comfort?

Food "make-overs" have become one of my favorite challenges to tackle.  First, I find a comfort food (...or entree) that I want and then I challenge myself to make it healthier AND to taste better than the original.  I find cutting out all of the crap and sticking to whole foods generally makes for lighter and more flavorful creations.  A recent study  concludes that the body is better able to use the calories from whole foods versus processed foods.... SORRY Twinky Diet - but you have been rebuked!

So - I encourage everyone to use whole foods as much as possible, but know that this is sometimes impossible - I do cook for six every night so I get it!  This recipe uses both whole and processed foods (thank you Pillsbury) and the filling can be prepared in advance!

Sausage and Veggie Turnovers

Spinach - fresh or canned

Onions - chopped

Portabella Mushrooms - discard stem, clean, and chop

2 pieces Alfresco Chicken Sausage (I can't get enough of it!) - diced

*****(optional) Feta or asiago or other desired cheese

Pillsbury Pie Crust

Spray Butter

Cooking Spray

In a skillet - combine the spinach,onion, portabella, & sausage - saute in the spray butter. Remove from heat and let cool.  I place it in the freezer if I don't cook it early.  Not letting it cool will melt your crust and you will have a giant mess on your hands.....TRUST ME.....!!!!! 

Roll out your dough on a cookie tray that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Place half of your saute mix in the middle of the dough and top with some feta or other desired cheese (optional).  Fold over the crust & pinch together.  I then fold the extra pinched dough up and pinch again. Spray the top with spray butter and cook at 400 for 23 minutes. Do the same thing with the other dough - fill, pinch, and cook.


You can take beaten egg whites and brush on the top of the dough as well.  This will give it a nice shiny look. 

Have fun and enjoy!!!!!