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. 

not your grandma's chocolate chip cookies

ever so slightly adapted from Joy the Baker (the baking goddess)

for quite some time I've been looking for a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, and i think i've really found it with this one. these cookies may be extremely unique, with their sesame seeds and soy sauce, but they still hold the same joy of a classic chocolate chip cookie. plus some for the added joyful crunch of sesame seeds in your cookies! 

just try them - i promise you won't regret it! 

ingredients: 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup cane sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon soy sauce (really!) 

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (the ghirardelli ones really are the best, their shape makes for the perfect strand of chocolate when baked) 

at least 1/2 cup black sesame seeds for rolling  

coarse sea salt for topping (i uses a pink himalayan salt, but use what you have) 

directions: 

in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes (if you don't have a stand mixer, use a hand-held one or your strong arms and a wooden spoon). stop the mixer and clean the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  add the egg and egg yolk and beat on medium speed until mixture is fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.  beat in the vanilla and soy sauce.  stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients, all at once to the butter mixture.  beat on low speed until just combined.  remove bowl from the mixer and add the sesame seeds and chocolate chunks, and fold together with a  spatula until well combined.  cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, two hours is even better.

just before you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

put remaining black sesame seeds in a small bowl to use for coating the formed cookies. 

cover two cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

scoop cookie dough by the heaping tablespoonful into your hand. roll into a ball, and toss around in the black sesame seeds then place on cookie sheet. this will use a lot of sesame seeds. if you don't have an excess, press one side of the ball into the seeds, and place seeds up on the cookie sheet. flatten each cookie slightly with three fingers, and sprinkle with salt. bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.  remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

try not to eat them all in one sitting. it'll be hard - i know.  

cauliflower puree with roasted chickpeas

adapted slightly from www.loveandlemons.com 

this simple dish highlights the subtle delights of roasted cauliflower, while packing in plenty of protein and lots of veggies, plus it is low in fat and delicious! we served it over a bed of israeli couscous to round out the meal, but it would be great as a side or with any grain. 

ingredients

for the cauliflower purée:

3 cups cauliflower

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked & drained

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lemon, plus some zest 

milk or water to thin

for the roasted chickpeas & cauliflower: 

1.5 cup cauliflower, broken into small florets

1.5 cups chickpeas, cooked & drained 

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

salt & pepper

a few pinches chopped rosemary

for plating: 

a sprinkle of capers

an extra drizzle of olive oil

a few pinches of red pepper flakes

directions: 

place a few inches of water in the bottom of a large pot, and fit a steaming basket into the pot. steam (with a tightly fitting lid covering the pot) three cups of cauliflower (for the puree) for about 15 minutes, or until tender. you can do this in a few batches if you have a small steamer. if you don't own a steamer, just boil the cauliflower in a large pot of salted water. 

while cauliflower is cooking, start on the roasted cauliflower and the chickpeas. cover two baking sheets with silicone baking mats if you have them, or parchment paper. you'll use one for the chickpeas and one for the cauliflower. separately toss the chickpeas and cauliflower with a little olive oil (just enough to coat), one clove garlic with each, rosemary, salt & pepper. (you can even do this on the baking sheet to save on clean-up). roast both in a 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 25-35 minutes. you'll want to check them a few times, stirring and alternating which shelves they're on in the oven. 

once your cauliflower is steamed, transfer it to a high speed blender (we use a vitamix which gets things super smooth, but you can use any blender or an immersion blender). add a just little milk or water, lemon juice, the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. blend until smooth. next add the chickpeas and blend until smooth. starting with less solids will help your blender handle the load. you may also need to add a little more milk or water to thin. use your best judgement, and just add some more chickpeas if it gets too thin!  

plate with a generous scoop of the purée topped with the roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil, capers, a few small pinches of red pepper flakes, and another pinch of rosemary. and an extra squeeze of lemon if you want!