Homemade Vegan Sausage - Soy Free & Gluten Free

One of my all-time favorite treats from the market is Tofurkey Italian Sausage. These sausages are so flavorful and absolutely delicious. We love to fry them up with some onions and garlic and add it to our favorite tortellini with a homemade sauce, it’s one of our favorites. The only part that bothered me was that they contained gluten (wheat) and an abundance of soy. I've been trying to cut back on the amount of soy we take in as a protein source. It can be hard at first as most of the alternative products contain soy. The less soy and gluten we eat, the better we feel.

I found a recipe online a while ago while searching for the ultimate alternative to the Tofurkey Italian Sausage. Each time I performed my search I’d end up on the very same recipe from The V Word – check it out here. A big thank you to Rhea the creative genius who invented this wonderful recipe! The pictures look so tantalizing, it couldn’t be homemade, vegan, soy-free and gluten-free..could it? Yes! It is! I bookmarked the page, bought black eyed peas and placed them away in the cupboard. Months later, I boiled them and remembered this recipe. I couldn’t help but instantly prepare them with eager anticipation. A chance to make my husband his very favorite vegan meal? I’m in!
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With some music in the background, I pulled up my sleeves and gave the recipe a try. Mashing the black eyed peas beneath my hands combining the ingredients with love. Forming the beautiful sausages, wrapping and then steaming them for future consumption.

I’m honored to share this sensational recipe with you for you to try at home and share with your loved ones. Bon Apatite! Enjoy!

What will you need?

For the SPICE MIX:

• 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 ½ tsp. fennel, crushed
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (+++ we like it spicy and added more!)
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/8 tsp. allspice

For the SAUSAGE:

• 2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped (The original recipe calls for mushrooms, use what you have in your kitchen!)
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp. sun-dried tomato paste (*see below)
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup brown rice flour (**see below)
• 1 tsp. xanthum gum
• 3 tbsp. of gluten-free, vegan Worcestershire Sauce
• A few drops of liquid smoke (opt)

*I used homemade tomato sauce. A standard tomato paste would work fine as well.
**Make your own brown rice flour by taking brown rice, placing it in a blender or food processor, and pulsing until it is fine like flour.

Directions:

1. Prepare spice mix in advance and set aside.
2. Heat skillet with 2 tsp of olive oil. Sauté the onions, zucchini and garlic until soft. Set aside and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, add the black eyed peas and mash them up. Wash your hands, roll up your sleeves and mash with love! Or use a fork or potato masher. Leave it rough with chunks vs. a puree.
4. Add tomato paste, nutritional yeast, spice mix and brown rice flour, mix well. Sprinkle the xanthum gum over the mixture and incorporate well.
5. Add the cooled veggie mixture and mix into the dry ingredients. Add the Worcestershire sauce to the bowl and mix well, if you are using Liquid smoke add it too, along with the remaining 2 tsp of oil.
6. Divide the mixture into 4 parts. Shape each portion into a log. Wrap the logs individually in foil and steam for 15-20 minutes. I used our steamer, otherwise they could be steamed in a metal steamer that sits atop a large stockpot of boiling water. Refrigerate for 4 hours – overnight to help them firm.
7. When ready, unwrap and cook however you desire. We sautéed them in olive oil with onions and garlic and added it to our pasta, yum!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!
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With love,
Christa
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