Vegan Spicy Italian Sausage (Gluten Free or not)

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
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. allspice

For the Sausage:

2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups cooked or 1-15 oz. can of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs. sun-dried tomato paste (*Made it myself: soaked sun-dried tomatoes in boiling hot water after a while drained the hot water and put the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor. Ta-Da!)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
½ cup brown rice flour (*I used Spelt Flour)
1 tsp. xanthan gum (*I used Flax Meal)
3 Tbs. of gluten-free, vegan Worcestershire Sauce
A few drops of Liquid Smoke (optional)

Method

Prepare spice mix in advance. Set aside.
Heat a skillet with 2 tsp. of olive oil. Sauté the onions, mushrooms, and garlic until softened. Set aside and let cool.
In a large bowl, add the black-eyed peas and mash them up. You can use a fork, a potato masher, or just get your hands in there. If you want to use a food processor, do a rough chop. You don’t want a puree. Then add the tomato paste, nutritional yeast, spice mix, and brown rice flour. Mix well.
Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the mixture and incorporate it well.
Add the cooled veggie mixture to the bowl and mix it into the dry ingredients. Add the Worcestershire sauce to the bowl and mix it all up well. If you are using the Liquid Smoke, add it in now too.
Divide the mixture into 4 parts. Shape each part into a log. Wrap the logs individually in foil and steam them for 15-20 minutes. I use a metal steamer that sits atop a large stockpot of boiling water. Let them cool. Then refrigerate overnight. This will help them firm up even more.
When ready to use, unwrap and cook/fry them however you desire!

Prepared by Sarien Slabbert – What we made for lunch today! YUM! Even Luka (2 1/2 yrs old) loved them!