Vegan MoFo Day 3: Apple-Sage "faux"sages

I am sure most of you have seen or heard of the gourmet sausages that they are selling at some of the stores these days. They've got everything from Thai Curry sausage to Mexican Chipotle and everything in between. Back in the day, sausage used to be one of my husbands favorite food, so upon going veg, sausage was one of the first things I learned to recreate. Keeping with my thing of "Go Veg, you won't miss a thing", today I present you with sausage (the original from Isa's blog and my gourmet apple-sage variation).

I've been making these Italian sausages from VeganDad (via Isa) for awhile now. They are always a big hit. I get 6 sausages from the recipe and it only costs me about $2.00 to make them. A good deal compared to the nearly $6.00 I'd pay for a package of 4 Field Roast Italian sausages. And to be completely honest, I think the homemade version beats the store bought version any day. Field Roast are good, and convenient for when you are short on time, but these sausages will have you quickly finding the time to steam some up. They take only minutes to throw together, then you just pop them in the steamer for about 45 minutes. Once they've steamed they can be eaten right away. They are good sliced into pasta sauces, lasagna, or on pizza. Our favorite way to eat them is thrown on a heated grill just long enough to impart some of that delicious smoky grill flavor.

The awesome thing about this recipe is you can take the basic idea and turn it into whatever gourmet variation you desire. With fall coming I decided to use the basic recipe for sausages and change the seasonings to make an apple-sage variation:

Apple Sage Fauxsages

1/2 cup pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cold vegetable broth
1 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs pure maple syrup
1 small apple, diced very small
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Before you get started, get your steaming apparatus ready, this recipe comes together quickly. Have 6 squares of aluminum foil ready as well.

In a large bowl mash the beans until no whole beans are left. Add all of the other ingredients, and mix well with a fork. I finish off by squishing it all around good with my hands. Then divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Place one part on each square of foil and mold into about a 5 inch log (don't worry about making it too perfect, they expand into perfect sausage shapes as they steam). Roll the log up in the foil, twisting the ends to seal (like a Tootsie Roll). Place in steamer and steam for about 45 minutes, until they feel firm to the touch. Remove from steamer, and unwrap to cool.

For a perfect autumnal meal I served these with roasted butternut squash and roasted beets, with a side of sauteed red chard and caramelized onions. Veggies roast up largely unattended and the chard cooks up in minutes. With a little planning, and a little hands on time you too can enjoy this delicious meal.