homemade vegan sausage (the savior of vegan month)

as a fresh start to the new year, and a bit of a cleanse after a full-fledged, meat-filled trip to atlanta and new orleans - daniel and i declared the start of vegan month. the goal was exactly as it sounds, one full month eating as vegans.  

i can't say i was excited about the idea from the start, but soon it became somewhat of a fun challenge in the kitchen! We were always looking for ways to satisfy ourselves in the manner we had when we were eating anything we considered to be "real food."  these vegan sausages were somewhat of a breakthrough in vegan deliciousness - the perfect discovery to add a meat-like flavor and good source of protein to breakfasts. 

plus, they are much cheaper than other sausage substitutes from the store, and contain only simple, whole ingredients! 

side note: don't be scared away by the ingredient list! it's long, but a lot of these are things you're likely to have around the house. if some of the more unusual ingredients aren't something you would normally buy, look for them in your local health food store in bulk to buy just what you need for this recipe (but consider buying extra nutritional yeast - it's a great source of vitamin b12 and delicious sprinkled on popcorn, pasta, and lots more!). 

ingredients: 

1/2 cup textured vegetable protein 

1/2 cup boiling water 

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1/4 cup oat or wheat bran (we simply blend rolled oats in the vitamix to make oat bran) 

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp fresh ground flax seeds

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

dash cayenne (or more, if you want a little spice)

1 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses

directions: 

in a medium bowl, stir together textured vegetable protein and boiling water, let soak for about 5 minutes. 

add flour, bran, and all dry spices to the bowl and mix until combined. 

add remaining water, soy sauce, maple syrup, and molasses. stir to combine into a thick paste-like substance. 

in a small pan, heat about 1/4 inch of a high heat oil (like canola) over medium heat.

drop dollops of batter into the pan and flatten with the backside of a spoon to create patties 2-3 inches across and about 1/2 inch thick. 

cook patties until browned. this will take a few minutes on each side. 

remove from pan and place on a plate with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. repeat with the rest of the batter. plate of finished "sausages" can be placed in a warm oven to keep hot until served. 

spiced maple granola

recipe adapted from American Spoon 

granola from the store can be expensive, and often is really high in sugar and other additives. so for quite some time i've chosen to make mine at home. it is one of those really simple things that so many folks haven't even thought to try. so, i dare you - give it a shot with these exact ingredients. next time, mix it up! as long as you have the right amount of dry ingredients, it really doesn't matter much what you put in. i'm known to open the cupboard and use whatever nuts & dried fruit we have. if i'm feeling extra extravagant, i use cocoa nibs. and i almost never measure the spices -- any warm flavors will work just great! 

ingredients: 

2 cups thick rolled oats 

1 cup rolled barley (or just add another cup of oats!) 

1 cup pepitas 

1 cup pecans 

1 cup unsweetened flake or shredded coconut 

1/4 cup dark brown sugar 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon vietnamese cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground ginger 

a few shavings of whole nutmeg (or a pinch of ground nutmeg) 

1/2 cup maple syrup (it has to be the real stuff) 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

a cup or more of dried fruit - cherries and blueberries are my favorite! (optional) 

directions: 

- in a big bowl (or in a stand mixer, which makes this incredibly easy), stir together all of the dry ingredients (except the dried fruit!) to evenly distribute the spices. 

- add the syrup and vegetable oil and give it a good stir until all the oats and nuts are evenly coated. 

- cover two baking sheets in parchment paper, and spread the mixture evenly divided between the two. 

- bake at 225 F for about one hour, or until golden brown, stirring every 15-20 minutes. i often bake mine for just under an hour, stirring after 20 minutes, 20 minutes, then 15. 

- let it cool on the pans, then sprinkle your dried fruit over the top. 

-transfer to a sealed container for storage (after nibbling a few handfuls). the recipe will fit perfectly into a half gallon ball jar! 

see, perfectly! 

apple and cardamom brown butter cakes

makes 10 small cakes

6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter
3 cardamom pods, cracked
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 cup (100 g) almond flour
1/2 cup (60 g) GF oat flour or brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 eggs
1/3 cups (70 g) natural cane sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
2 lady apples, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and cook until milk solids are brown. The butter will boil for a few minutes before it starts to brown. Remove it from the heat once it starts to smell nutty. Set aside. Add the cardamom pods and vanilla seeds. Let steep for 10 minutes. Then remove the pods and pour into a clean bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, baking powder and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. Fold in the cooled browed butter.

Pour the batter (3/4 of the way up) into silicone baking cups (or in a muffin tin!). Top with a couple of thin slices of apple.

Bake the cakes for 18 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool and remove from molds.

These are awesome when they're still warm!