Tofurky Italian Sausage vs. Field Roast Italian Sausage

Tofurky and Field Roast are big names in meat alternatives, both offering a variety of flavors of vegan sausages.  I have always been a fan of Tofurky’s Italian sausages, but on a recent trip to the Follow Your Heart market, I wondered if that was only because Tofurky was available at most grocery stores.  I decided to test the theory and pick up a package of Field Roast Italian Sausages.

One weekend morning, I cooked up a bowl of both, along with some red bell pepper.

All of the Field Roast Italian Sausages were individually wrapped and I could immediately see why.  They were pretty delicate and came apart a bit as you can see in the photo above.

Here’s a photo of the sausages cooked and looking quite tasty.  My opinion was that the Field Roast sausages were heartier and more meaty and would probably be great crumbled up and used in a dish.  I still favor the Tofurky sausages, though.  They were easier to keep together when cooking and had more of an Italian flavoring.  Don’t go by my opinion, though… give them a try because everyone’s tastes are different.

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Artisan Tofurky Andouille Cajun-Style Sausage

The new flavors of Artisan Tofurky sausages were at the top of my list when I walked into Viva La Vegan Grocery in Santa Monica.  I love their classic Tofurky Italian sausages, but they have a strong tomatoey Italian flavor.  I often think that I could add them to so many more recipes if they were less specifically Italian.  Enter the Artisan Tofurky Andouille Cajun-Style Sausage!

This sausage has a more versatile flavor and is just slightly spicy.  I browned some and had it with some accidentally vegan apple cinnamon pull apart bread that Eric found in the bakery section at Sprouts as well as some sliced apples.  Yum!  I’ll be buying these again.

Vegan Recipe – Tempeh Bacon

I never realized the delicious smokiness that is Tempeh Bacon until a visit to Venice Ale House in February.  This weekend, I found myself craving some kind of vegan meat, but without any Tofurkey sausages on hand.  After a quick search, I found this recipe on Chez Bettay.  It seems like something that would be tough to make yourself, but it was actually surprisingly easy.  Give it a try.  If I can do it, anyone can!

Tempeh bacon

The following is the recipe from Chez Bettay, modified for my preferences (I often refer to my blog for ingredients when cooking and grocery shopping later).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package tempeh of choice (sliced in long thin slices)
• 1/8 cup organic maple syrup
• 3 teaspoons liquid smoke (I prefer it smokier rather than sweeter)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• dash of cayenne pepper (I would leave this out if cooking for Eric – too spicy)
• 1/8 cup tamari
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon organic extra virgin coconut oil (melted)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large non-stick skillet until coconut oil melts, then add tempeh strips.
2. Bring contents of the pan to a simmer over low heat and cover with a lid.
3. Cook for about 5 minutes and then slip each tempeh bacon strip over and cover the pan for another 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook over medium-high heat and flip as necessary until both sides are a crispy carmelized brown and the marinade is completely evaporated.

Vegan Recipe – PPK Fronch Toast

Breakfast can be difficult for new vegans.  So much of what we are used to eating for breakfast involves some type of animal product or another.  It’s a very tough meal to eat out at a restaurant without resorting to fruit or potatoes only.  However, at home, it’s a different story.  There’s a variety of meal options that aren’t difficult to make yourself.  One of my favorite easy recipes is Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Fronch Toast from the Post Punk Kitchen website.  Click here for the recipe.

You can use many types of vegan bread, by my favorites are sourdough and French bread.  They take the batter well without getting soggy.  When I was a kid, my mom always made French toast using an egg and milk wash as opposed to a flour based batter, but this is a great version as well.  In fact, Eric prefers it!

Also pictured are some slices of Tofurkey Italian Sausage.  They are really tasty and go well as a side to Fronch Toast.  I have since found that slicing the sausage in larger chunks works better.  Slicing too thin causes the sausages to overcook.

Try this out with some orange juice.  It makes a terrific weekend meal!

Vegan Recipe – Soy Chorizo Skillet

I realize that have been sorely behind on my posts of vegan recipes that I have tried.  I haven’t had much time or need to cook recently, but here’s a simple recipe that I adapted from my husband’s breakfast skillet recipe.

Action shot – you can see the steam coming off of it!

Funny enough, he’s the Mexican one, but I like things a lot spicier than he does.  I would say that this recipe comes out to medium spiciness.  If you like medium strength salsa, you will probably like it.  Feel free to adjust it to your tastes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 russet potatoes
• Olive oil – enough to coat the bottom of the pan
• About 1/3 of a bell pepper, chopped
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach (I only used one, but it shrinks a lot, so a second handful would have been good)
• About 1/3 of a package of soy chorizo (a textured vegetable protein with Mexican spices)
• 1/4 cup of chunky salsa (I used Trader Joe’s chunky salsa)
• A sprinkling of Chef Merito Chicken Seasoning, which is actually vegan (I purchase this at the local Vallarta Supermarket, found only in California, but any Mexican market would likely have it)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add oil to the pan and let it heat up while you peel and cube the potatoes.
2. Add potatoes to the pan and stir.
3. Sprinkle Chicken Seasoning over potatoes, stir them so that all potatoes get a golden tint.  You don’t want more than that because the seasoning is pretty salty.
4. Add chopped bell pepper.
5. Toss spinach in skillet and stir.
6. Taste-test a piece of potato.  If it is soft, mix in the chorizo and salsa, if it is still firm, let it cook a while longer.
7. Wait for chorizo and salsa to warm up to the temperature of the potatoes, then serve.

This makes a delicious, slightly spicy breakfast that is great in a bowl with a glass of orange juice.  I would imagine that it would also be great wrapped in a tortilla.