Low Fat Buttermilk Wholewheat Biscuits With Sausage Gravy

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup low fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 F. and spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Mix flour together with baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and sift into a medium size bowl. Using a pastry cutter or wire whisk, cut shortening into flour until the mixture becomes the consistency of fine crumbs. Pour buttermilk into dry ingredients all at once and mix together with a fork. As soon as mixture holds together, turn out onto a floured work surface and knead lightly.

Roll dough gently out into a ½ -inch thickness and cut into 2 ½-inch rounds with a floured cutter. For crustier biscuits, place rounds about 1-inch apart on baking sheet. For softer sides, place biscuits touching or ¼ -inch apart. Dust tops lightly with flour and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

Yield 14 servings at approximately 90 calories; 2.2 gram total fat; 0.5 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 15.5 grams carbohydrate; 0 dietary fiber; 2.4 grams protein; 192 milligrams sodium.

Traditional biscuits have 150 calories and 8 grams total fat vs. 90 calories and 2.2 grams total fat

SAUSAGE GRAVY

1 cup nonfat evaporated skim milk of fat free half and half

1/2 cup flour

2 cups nonfat skim milk

½ lb. 93 to 98% fat free turkey or turkey and pork breakfast sausage, cooked and drained of any excess grease using paper towels if necessary

1 ½ teaspoons chicken or pork soup base

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Molly McButter or similar butter seasoning – optional

Pour evaporated skim milk into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Adding about a third of the flour at a time, whisk briskly into milk until blended. Whisk remaining 2 cups fresh skim milk into the evaporated skim milk and flour mixture or “slurry”.

Bring mixture to gentle boil over medium heat; whisking constantly continue to cook 10 minutes or until gravy thickens. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in soup base, pepper, butter flavoring and sausage. Simmer for 5 minutes until sausage is heated through stirring often. Adjust seasonings and serve over fresh baked biscuits or set aside; covering surface of gravy with plastic wrap or wax paper to prevent a skin from forming. Reheat over medium heat stirring often,

Yield: 4 cups or 8 ½ – cup servings at approximately 122 calories; 2.3 gram total fat; 0.6 gram saturated fat; 22 milligrams cholesterol; 13 grams carbohydrate; 0 dietary fiber 11.3 grams protein; 435 milligrams sodium.

Traditional sausage gravy contains 350 calories and 28 to 30 grams total fat vs 122 calories and 2.3 grams total fat.