Spicy Chorizo Sausages

I have been getting so many great recipes from the book Vegan Brunch that I may just have to purchase it to add to my small cookbook collection. However, despite the many great recipes this is definitely one of our favorites. I was initially skeptical because my initial forays into "fake meat" making had been disastrous (Tempeh Crabcakes were a huuuuge disappointment and had to be thrown out. This is coming from someone who HATES to throw away food. If I can reuse it or improve it I will do it.) But I am very comfortable with beans and the recipe looked so easy and didn't have any one-time use ingredients so I decided to give it a try. Wow, did it pay off. These were excellent and so versatile. We ate them with brunch AND dinner. As my friend Mike discovered they taste amazing dipped into Sriracha (his condiment of choice). In the interest of full disclosure, I have never had any pork products before I do not know how they compare to "real" Chorizo sausages.

Ingredients
(Makes 4 large sausages)

1/4 cup cooked pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dry rubbed sage (not powdered)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenn

Getting ready to be steamed

After steaming

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients until well mixed
• Form into 4 sausages (they don't have to be perfect)
• Wrap in foil like a tootsie roll (see photo)
• Steam for 40 minutes
• Let cool and grill or saute for a little bit before serving

Sauteed in olive oil

Completed sausage slices

Brunch! Paired with Cheesy Grits, Smoky Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

Dinner! Paired with Sauteed Vegetables, Potatoes and Sriracha to dip.

Weekly Meal Planning

Breakfast: Plum-Pear Applesauce


6 apples
2 pears
2 plums
1 c water

I had an abundance of leftover fruit from MJ's birthday party and I decided to make an applesauce type breakfast. I've seen similar recipes that include sugar, but it really isn't necessary and in fact may be overkill. Paired with oatmeal it is a sweet and hearty breakfast.

The most difficult part about applesauce for me is the peeling & coring. If MJ had some teeth I'd leave the peels on for the nutritious value their skin contains. Put in pot with water and simmer for 20-30 minutes until soft. 

Simmering Fruit

Mash to an appropriate consistency or put in food processor for a less chunky texture.

Served on top of oatmeal.

Lunch: Green Pigeon Peas & Coconut Brown Rice

2 cans of Green Pigeon Peas
16 oz Brown Rice
3 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 1/2 c Water
2 Spring Vidalia Onions
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
sprinkle of sea salt

Saute onions, garlic and rice in coconut oil

Add spices, coconut milk, water & pigeon peas

Simmer for 45 minutes

Ready to dig in!

Dinner: Vegan Mac & Cheese w/ Spinach

Adapted

Sauce

1/2 c nutritional yeast
1/2 c mozzarella Daiya
3 tbsp potato starch
sprinkle of sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp curry
1 c rice milk
1 1/4 c water
1 tbsp olive oil

8 oz spinach
16 oz pkg brown rice pasta

I originally made this on Saturday night for myself and followed the original recipe I adapted MJ's recipe for. It was pretty good, but the flavor of the nutritional yeast was a bit too strong for me. MJ and I both love Daiya so I figured I could combine the two and still have a nice cheesy taste. I think that the Daiya would work better with a baked macaroni and I will probably try this recipe again with those adjustments made.

Saturday's Mac & Cheese

I gave MJ some and I think it might have been too starchy on it's own so I added some spinach as well and to give him a green veggie for the week.

Combine all ingredients for sauce, blend and then simmer

• The sauce will thicken up as you cook it, don't be worried if it looks thin initially.
• Be sure to blend sauce ingredients in blender, food processor or using an immersion blender or ingredients will separate while cooking.
• I suggest starting with a smaller amount of nutritional yeast and adding more as it cooks and you taste to get a happy medium.

Add cooked noodles and steamed chopped spinach

Cheesy & Nutritious

Nutrition Facts:
<approx. nutritional intake per day>
Calcium: 501 mg/400 mg
Vit. D: 100 iu/200 iu
Zinc: 3.8 mg/2 mg
B12: 0.7 mcg/0.4 mcg
Iron: 7 mg/7 mg
Protein: 30 g/11 g
Omega 3+6: 5 g/5 g

In order to provide the necessary highlighted nutrients throughout the day MJ drinks at least 1 c of rice milk (Calcium, Vit. D), takes a daily Iron drop and has 1 tbsp ground flaxseed added to a meal (Omega 3+6)

Black bean & Chickpea Cakes

I had half a can of black beans leftover from a midnight black bean quesadilla (don't judge me!) so I decided to make black bean burgers for lunch. Turns out half a can wasn't enough for me AND greedy :). So I mixed in a can of chickpeas too to make chickpea-black bean burgers.

I started off by mashing all the drained/rinsed beans together and added cumin, garlic powder, chile powder and pepper.

Then I separated the mixture into my burgers and MJ's. I added panko and wheat gluten to hold my burger together, but since MJ hasn't been introduced to wheat I used brown rice flour for his (I also added salsa to mine--yum!).

I decided that perhaps a whole burger might be a tad overwhelming for him, so I made what I called "cakes" in my mini cupcake pan.

Going into the oven

Finished product:if I didn't know better I'd think they were chocolate chip cookies (minus the chunks of chickpeas!)

Did he like them?

I don't particularly love rice flour the texture is weird to me, so when I tasted the cake they were a bit grainy. He loved them though. Next time I will probably use oat flour instead. They were also pretty messy (why i envisioned him eating them bite by bite I don't know....). 

All those crumbs---UGH!