CAJUN SMOKED SAUSAGE & SCRAMBLED EGGS With TOMATOES & CHEESE SAUCE

Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner; it doesn't make a difference. This delicious combination of creamy scrambled eggs topped with thin slices of Cajun-style smoked Andouille sausage ringed with spicy tomatoes and green chilies and dressed with a rich cheese sauce - can be enjoyed anytime of the day or night!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 cup whole milk
2. 1 TBS unsalted butter
3. 1 TBS cream cheese
4. 1 cup cheddar cheese (I used Sargento's shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar)
5. 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
7. 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (or you can use sweet paprika if you prefer)
8. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
9. 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions:

• Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add Milk to melted butter and stir regularly until mixture begins to simmer.
• Add seasonings and cheeses; whisk constantly until the sauce begins to bubble.
• Add the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and continue to whisk until sauce thickens.
• Remove from heat and keep sauce warm until ready to serve.

• Cook or grill the sausage (It only takes me about 6 or 7 minutes to grill the sausage in a small electric grill).
• While the sausage is grilling, add the can of tomatoes to a small sauce pan; bring the tomatoes to a boil; turn off the heat and set aside until ready to use.
• Let the sausage cool until it can easily be handled, then cut it on a bias into thin slices and set aside.

1. Melt 2 TBS of unsalted butter in your best omelet pan over medium-low heat.
2. Warm 2 TBS of purified water (I specify purified water because I don't any tap water chemicals influencing this recipe; no chlorine or fluoride, etc).
3. Crush about 12 saffron threads in a mortar, then add them to the 2 TBS of warm water and let them steep while you prepare the eggs.
4. Break 4 large eggs into a small mixing bowl; break them up with a wire whisk, then add the saffron water and whisk until well blended (it is not necessary to beat the eggs, just blend them well).
5. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional) into egg mixture).
6. Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the melted butter and let them sit until the bottom layer begins to set (this may take a few minutes).
7. Once the bottom layer of eggs begins to set, use a rubber spatula to pull the outer edges of the egg mixture into the center, moving the pan around in a slow circle as you do so. (As you move the pan around, pulling the egg mixture into the center, the loose eggs will fill in behind the spatula).
8. As you begin to pile up clumps of scrambled eggs in the center of the pan, gently break them up into smaller pieces (the size is up to you).
9. When the texture of the eggs being scrambled suits you (I like mine slightly moist), remove the pan from the heat and plate the eggs in the center of a suitably sized serving platter. Try to make a nice circle of scrambled eggs, with a slight depression in the center (that's were you will put the sliced sausage).
10. Add the sliced sausage to the platter, then, using a slotted spoon, carefully arrange a ring of the warm tomato-green chilies around the outer edge of the scrambled eggs as pictured ( a "ring of fire," although those Rotel tomatoes are not all that hot)!

I "drizzled" a few tables spoons of warm cheddar cheese sauce over a portion of scrambled eggs & sausage and enjoyed the dish along with a lightly toasted & buttered croissant and a cup of good coffee during a late breakfast this morning.

Bon appétit!

I have prepared the nutrition for this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer. Just click on the images to enlarge.

(I estimate that one serving of the scrambled eggs, sausage, & tomatoes will contain about 350 calories. I have found it difficult to estimate the calories in the cheese sauce; this sort of depends on whether you are"drizzling" 2 or 3 tablespoons over a plate of eggs, sausage, & tomatoes - or pouring 1/4 or 1/2 cup of the sauce over a dish of vegetables (good idea, too)! I think placing about 3 tablespoons of sauce over the eggs & sausage will add about 100 more calories to the meal).