What do you eat? Vegan sausage edition!

I have this thing about fake-meat; I love it, but I don't mistake it for meat. Nothing tastes like a steak except for steak. No veggie burger on earth will taste like a real burger. Enjoy fake meat for itself, not because it will remind you of any meat you've ever tasted. And I do enjoy veggie burgers, vegan sausages, all of that stuff - I enjoy them a bunch. But they're pricey and loaded with fakey-stuff, and pretty hard to find here in Panama (and costly when you do).



 Before we moved down here, I made a list of projects I've been dying to work on but haven't really had quite enough time to sink my teeth into. Making my own seitan was one of them and I think I've made a good start. Stewart says this is now his favorite dinner, and the boys and I enjoy it a bunch as well. It freezes beautifully so I'm able to pull these sausages out of the freezer for an easy fun dinner. The only thing I haven't tried is grilling them; I'm keeping some in the freezer now for the next time someone has a barbecue on Friday night.

This recipe is taken from Vegan Dad's version of Isa's vegan sausages. I followed it almost exactly; my only changes are to use half the amount of pepper (it still had good heat for us with half), no paprika, and a bit less nutritional yeast than called for (it was too noochy the first time I made it).



This recipe is really easy and takes only a few minutes of prep. The ingredients are simple, and it takes very little TLC. Definitely worth trying. See Vegan Dad's site for ingredients and instructions. Here's how I do it (I double the recipe and make 12 big sausages:)

Whir the fennel seeds in the food processor to break them down, then add some of the veggie broth (out of 2 cups total) and all of the beans to get them nice and smooth.



While they're whirring, add the spices and the nooch and the rest of the ingredients to a bowl EXCEPT for the wheat gluten. Hold that back.



Add the bean mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Add the wheat gluten and mix immediately. It will turn into a floppy dough.



I usually separate into 12 even chunks but next time I'm going to try 16 slightly smaller ones. Anyway, use a knife to cut into even pieces. Form each piece gently into a sausage shape and roll up like a tootsie roll in some tin foil.





Steam for 45 minutes until they're spongey but firm. They should hold their shape when you poke them.





You can eat them as is, but they taste especially fabulous fried in a TINY bit of oil in a pan. The sides crisp up and they're really great. Today I served with rosemary roasted potatoes; Saturday I will serve with the traditional classy crinkle cut french fry.



Yum. Very curious what my omni family will say about this one when they come down for Thanksgiving. Jason, you're my official test subject. Get ready!