Gluten Free Southern Sausage Balls

This is one of those recipes that you probably have to be from the South (of the US) to know about. It's a well known appetizer down there and I've always loved them. My goal was to make them Gluten Free. It's an appetizer that is a cross between a Meatball and a Biscuit. It is made from Pork Breakfast Sausage, a bit of Onion and Celery, some Cheese (I used Almond Cheese to make it Lactose Free) and a Gluten Free Flour Blend (I used Gluten Free BIsquick). It's held together by an Egg and then rolled into little balls and baked. Believe me, they are much more delicious than they sound. My son said they reminded him of Stuffing, which is a good thing!  If you aren't doing Lactose Free, you can use regular Cheddar Cheese and you may not need to use the egg to bind it all together. These chewy and savory Sausage Balls are really good!

Gluten Free Southern Sausage Balls

1 pound Breakfast Pork Sausage

2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick

1 1/2 cups grated Almond Cheese (or Soy Cheese or Cow's Milk Cheddar Cheese)

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup minced Onion

1/4 cup minced Celery
4 Tablespoons Melted Butter 

Pinch of Black Pepper and Cayenne Pepper (if desired)
2 Tablespoons Almond Milk or Regular Milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix Pork Sausage, GF BIsquick, Cheese, Butter, Egg, Milk, Onion and Celery together with your hands. Then shape into walnut sized balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Five Element Analysis

Pork Sausage belongs to the Water Element as does the Egg so that Element is covered. The Almond Cheese brings in the Earth Element as does the Potato Starch in the Bisquick. It also contains Rice Flour that is from the Metal Element and the Onion brings in even more. The Celery adds just a little of the Wood Element and the Fire Element is represented by the small amount of the two Peppers. Clearly this is not a completely balanced Five Element dish, but it's close. So serve it with some other appetizers, dips or spreads that incorporate the Wood and Fire Elements to achieve balance.