RF Friends - (visit our home page)

FOR THE NOUVEAU VEGETARIAN

Sausage !

Anyone who decides to change to a vegetarian diet may wonder how he can possibly give up the traditional foods of his friends and family, foods that have long sustained him, and so he asks, “now what will I eat?” The first recipe below for vegetarian breakfast sausage proves that it is possible to create a nutritious “meat” that mimics tradition well enough to please even non-vegetarians.

The sausage patties may be frozen and reheated in an oven, microwave or skillet. They can also be crumbled and used in soups, scrambled eggs or in any brunch recipe that uses sausage.

There is a second recipe, quite different from the first, which got high marks from others, and has simpler ingredients. Let us know which you prefer.

If you miss the meat on your pizza, start with a four-cheese rising-crust frozen version (buy the one with the shortest ingredients list) and follow the third recipe that we think is good enough to compete with the best from any pizzeria. Make the sausage Italian-style by just changing the seasonings. Keep it on hand in the freezer for pizza, lasagna, or any other Italian dishes.

Or be adventurous and invent something new, like German sausage with saurkraut. Swedish meatballs?

VEGETARIAN SAUSAGE PATTIES

Makes 12 two-inch patties

2 eggs
1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 cup grated cheese (Monterey jack)
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely ground walnuts
4 – 6 drops liquid smoke
4 – 6 drops onion juice (or 1/4 cup finely minced onion)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients together until well mixed. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a generously oiled non-stick griddle or skillet. Flatten each patty slightly and sauté undisturbed on medium heat for about 3 minutes or until slightly browned and the patty holds its shape. Then, turn the patties and sauté to brown the other side.

This proportion of spices makes a mild-flavored patty. Use more spice or add cayenne pepper to suit your taste

Substitute these Italian-style seasonings for “Italian sausage”:

1 tsp ground fennel seed
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Or for German sausage try substituting: Ginger, nutmeg, coriander and caraway.

VEGETARIAN BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

Makes 4 Large Patties

1 cup uncooked oatmeal
3 egg whites or 2 eggs or equivalent
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 – 3 cups vegetable stock

This simple recipe was adapted from a WWII recipe for meatless sausage. Mix all ingredients except the vegetable stock and form into four patties. Oil a non-stick skillet or use non-stick cooking spray and brown the patties over medium heat.

Add enough vegetable stock to cover the patties and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove patties from the liquid, drain, and re-brown before serving.

The trick to this recipe is to make the patties properly. If you pack them too tightly, the middle becomes glutinous. If they are not packed tightly enough they will fall apart. If you are not going to use the patties right away, do not re-brown them after boiling; save the re-browning until just before serving. They will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

The following was reported by a reader: Wow! I have to say, I’m impressed — and I’m not a vegetarian, but a typical “pork fat rules” kind of gal when it comes to breakfast meats/sides. My husband and I are innkeepers and fairly frequently have guests who are vegetarians. In a quest to find a substitute for bacon or sausage, I discovered this recipe. I just tried it and was very pleasantly surprised. It actually has a very similar texture as regular pork sausage. The seasonings were well balanced — though I think next time I will add some chopped fresh garlic.

I made them using Egg-Beaters Original. And, just for reference, the mixture is still quite runny when mixed together (not possible to “form” into patties), so I used a 1/4-cup measuring cup — packed them semi-tightly and then “dumped” them into my skillet — slightly flattening them with the back of the measuring cup. ….. After the first browning, I simmered them in the veggie broth on one side for 10 minutes, flipped for the remaining 10 minutes and drained on paper towels. For the second browning, I used a cast iron skillet with a little Canola oil. They came out just perfectly!!

From: http://www.bigoven.com/19411-Vegetarian-Breakfast-%22Sausage%22-recipe.html

[Your editor tried the oatmeal version of breakfast sausage using Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. The flavor and texture were both excellent. It appears that with the steel-cut oats, there is no problem with how the patties are formed. The texture will be good, but for a less chewy sausage, simmer a few extra minutes in the vegetable broth. Using extra-large eggs, one egg plus one egg white added just the right amount of binding liquid.]

SAUSAGE PIZZA

Serves 3 to 4

Quick and easy, this colorful pizza starts with a commercially-available, frozen, 28-oz. Rising-Crust Four-Cheese Pizza. Choose one with the shortest ingredients list.

1 28 oz. frozen cheese pizza (Do not thaw)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup sliced or halved black olives
1/3 cup crumbled vegetarian sausage

Preheat the oven to 400°. Remove the frozen pizza from the package and sprinkle with the herbs. Add the spinach leaves, onion, bell pepper, black olives and sausage in the order given and place the pizza directly on the rack in the oven. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until well-browned. Cut in wedges and serve. All measurements are approximate. Other vegetables may be substituted.