Vegan Diner (10 page)
Authors: Julie Hasson
Once you start making breakfast sausages at home,
you'll never go back to the store-bought varieties again. You can use most any kind of steamer here. Your best bet is to look for a steamer with a flat base, so that your sausages have a flat bottom. Either an electric or a large bamboo steamer set over a wok or pot with added water works really well, as do the large inexpensive metal steamers found at many Asian markets.
MAKES ABOUT 13 PATTIES
1 cup vital wheat gluten
¼
cup chickpea flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
2 teaspoons dried granulated onion
2 teaspoons dried granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried ground rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
½
teaspoon dried thyme
½
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½
teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
½
teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
In a large bowl, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast flakes, brown sugar, sage, onion, garlic, rosemary, parsley, salt, thyme, black pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes.
In a large measuring cup or pitcher, whisk together 1 cup water, soy sauce, and olive oil. Using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If the dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water as needed.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons (
â
cup) of mixture for each patty, and shape into thin 2½-inch rounds. An easy way to shape the sausages is to use a mini-burger press, found at many kitchen stores.
Place the patties on 6-inch squares of aluminum foil. Place the sausages on corner of foil and fold up into a little package. Don't seal the edges, just fold over. Repeat with remaining sausages. Fill the bottom of your steamer with water, if using an electric or metal one. If using a bamboo steamer, place over a wok or saucepan of simmering water. Place the sausages in the steamer in a flat layer, although they can overlap into two layers if you run out of room. You want them to be as flat as possible, to prevent the sausages from being misshapen. Steam for 30 minutes or until firm. Remove the sausages from the steamer to cool completely. Once the sausages have cooled, remove foil. Refrigerate until ready to eat, preferably overnight.
To serve, pan-fry the sausages with a little olive oil in a hot skillet over medium-high heat, until lightly browned.
Tip:
The sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don't worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling. You can make a big batch in advance, and freeze them for later use. There are also some great electric steamers on the market, which would work as well.
Â
Â
Chipotle Scallion Double Cornbread
Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Bread
If you like your biscuits tall, fluffy, and flaky, you're
going to love this recipe. They are excellent served smothered with cream gravy, topped with sautéed spinach, tomato, and Hollandaise sauce or just slathered with vegan butter and jam. You might want to double this recipe, because these biscuits will fly off the tray.
MAKES 6
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½
teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons (
¼
cup) shortening, chilled
¾
cup unsweetened soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the shortening. Using a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour, until it becomes sandy-textured and has little bits of shortening the size of small peas. Add the soymilk and stir just until the dough comes together. It should be a little sticky.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a mound about 1-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter (or an upside-down glass), cut out 6 biscuits. Make sure not to twist the cutter or glass, just press straight down. The twisting motion will prevent the biscuits from rising high.
Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
This cornbread might be good enough to settle the long debate
between sweet and savory cornbread: it has a little spice, a little sweetness, and lots of delicious corn goodness. Add the chipotle powder to taste, as some brands can be much hotter than others.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
1
½
cups yellow cornmeal
1
½
cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon baking powder
½
to 1
½
teaspoons ground chipotle powder, or to taste
½
teaspoon fine sea salt
1
¾
cups plain, unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
¼
cup canola oil
1
½
cups fresh or frozen sweet corn, thawed if frozen