Asparagus and Sausage with Rice

While most vegetarians might hate living with a meat eater, it actually comes in handy. Hey! Don't get me wrong, I still hate when I have to be around when he's cooking pork chops, but being exposed to different foods has given me some great ideas (plus I like having a taste-tester to tell me if my veggie meats taste like real meat).

Since I have zero experience with sausage, it seriously confuses me.  My supermarket carries a few different kinds of vegetarian sausages, and I want to try them all, but I don't really know what to do with them. I tried some on a bun, but I wanted some new ideas. Ben recently made a make-shift jambalaya with rice, sausage, and potatoes. There it was, the perfect opportunity to vegetarianize! (I might have just made that word up).



What you need:



1 pound of vegetarian sausage, sliced
1 1/2 cup of rice
3 cups of veggie broth
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
oil for cooking
celery salt
parsley flakes
pepper
chipotle Tabasco (or you can use any hot sauce plus liquid smoke)

What to do:
Begin by cooking  the rice according to the directions on the package, however boil the rice in the veggie broth, rather than plain water.
While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Saute the garlic, asparagus, and sausage.
Add the celery salt, pepper, parsley, pepper, and Tabasco to the saute.
Saute until sausage browns and asparagus softens.



Once the rice is cooked, combine with the sausage and asparagus.













The first thing I noticed was lots of spice! The sausage was meaty and very flavorful, and I loved the soupy flavor from cooking the rice in broth. This turned out to be surprisingly comforting! I loved the hint of smokiness from the Tabasco.

Now I have a confession about asparagus. This is only the second time I have ever eaten it! It used to totally gross me out, and I had been too scared to try it. I bit the bullet (and the veggies) and actually tried a bite of asparagus that came as a side to a meal Ben ordered in a restaurant a few months ago..and I actually liked it.

If you have been following around here, you'll notice that there is no shortage of broccoli on this blog, but not too much other variety in veggies. I have been trying to expand my veggie horizons and try cooking different kinds. I ended up liking this asparagus too! It had a nice softness with a hint of sweet and a fresh veggie flavor. I wouldn't say asparagus is a favorite food of mine, but I did like it and I am going to try and make it a regular in my diet.

Do you try to expand your veggie menu too? Do meat meals inspire you to create veggie options?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Veggie Sausage Stuffing

Thanksgiving might have come and gone, but that doesn't mean I'm done eating my favorite holiday foods. Lucky for me, all those favorite foods are now on sale at the supermarket!  On a recent shopping trip, Ben noticed that my favorite Thanksgiving food, stuffing, was on sale. I snatched it right up, but I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to eat it. At Ben's family's dinner, they had sausage stuffing, which everyone seemed to love. I was sad that I wasn't able to enjoy my Thanksgiving favorite because it was tainted with meat.  But you all know that my favorite thing to do is take meaty foods and vegetarianize them. There was a brand of veggie sausage, Frieda's, that makes a vegetarian chorizo, called Soyrizo I have been wanting to try, and vegetarian sausage stuffing was born!



What you need:



1 Bag of seasoned stuffing
5 Tablespoons butter
1 Soyrizo sausage
Salt to taste

What to do:
Start by cooking the Soyrizo according to the instructions. IMPORTANT: the casing that the Soyrizo is in is made of plastic, so you need to squeeze the veggie sausage out to cook it.



Cook Soyrizo over high heat until it is brown and crispy, about 10 minutes.
When the Soyrizo is almost done cooking, cook the stuffing according to the package. You can either use salt butter, or sweet butter and add the salt in yourself.
Then just mix the sausage into the stuffing and enjoy!





I ate my sausage stuffing with a side of roasted garlic lemon broccoli.







The Soyrizo had a pretty strong veggie flavor with just the right amount of meatiness and just a hint of tang. It had a tasty Mexican flavor with a little bit of spice. The Soyrizo had a nice, chewy texture, while the stuffing was perfectly fluffy. The stuffing has a great flavor on its own, but it also absorbed the flavors from the sausage, and it all came together really nicely. This is warm, hearty, and filling!

Have you tried to make veggie sausage stuffing? What do you like making with left-over Thanksgiving favorites?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Sausage on a Bun

Now that I go grocery shopping for myself, I have discovered lots of gems that I never knew existed. There are so many awesome foods tucked away and I want to try them all.  Sadly, they are usually on the pricier side, but that doesn't stop me from indulging once in a while (plus I feel like I deserve it after buying 77 cent pasta).  I am often buying foods in the small soy section of the supermarket, and while I usually just stick with tofu and soy crumbles, they have lots of other foods that I would love to try.  I saw a package of Lightlife Smart Sausages Italian Style, and my mind instantly wandered as I tried to figure out all the ways I wanted to eat them.



I decided to go with sausage on a bun sandwhiches.  I have seen Ben make them before, so I turned to my resident meat-eater to figure out what else to put on the sandwich. I had to ask Ben what people eat with sausages, because I honestly didn't know! He said usually peppers or onions...both of which I'm not a fan of. After thinking a while I decided on sauteed spinach. I thought it was kind of like onions and peppers...right?

I love sauteed spinach, its so easy and fast to whip up, and its a great way to use up the not-so-fresh spinach you might have left over.



All you need is spinach, a little olive oil, a couple cloves of garlic, and some salt & pepper.

Heat up the oil in a pan over medium heat, add in the garlic and spinach. Saute until spinach wilts.



Then I cooked my sausage according to the directions on the package, put it on a bun with the spinach, and topped with mustard.





I ate my sausage on a bun with a side of potato chips, for that All-American cookout effect.





The sausage itself had a nice texture, and a mild, meaty flavor filled with Italian spices.  The flavor of the sausage went really well with the garlicy spinach. The garlic complimented the sausage and the spinach added a great veggie flavor.  Everything was tied together with a nice, toasty, crunchy bun and a bit of mustard for some heat. This meal actually made me happy. It was so good and I loved trying something new!

Have you tried these Lightlife Italian Style Smart Sausages? What is your favorite thing to add to a sausage on a bun?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Morning Star Maple Flavored Sausage Patties

OH HAPPY DAY!

Remember this post when I talked of the magic of Morning Star Maple Flavored Sausage Patties?  They were the first vegetarian sausages that I have ever tired.  I kept hearing meat-eaters talk about maple flavored sausage and ham and how good it was. When I saw a veggie version I did a little happy dance. But then horror struck! I couldn't find them in stores any more. But guess what I found!!



YAY!



I just love these little patties. They have a nice meaty flavor with a hint of maple sweetness. The perfect combination of salty and sweet, and the perfect addition to any breakfast!





I am so happy I get to enjoy my favorite little sausages again!

Have you tried these maple sausages? Are there any foods that you love but can't find in your supermarket anymore?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

A Cozy Little Breakfast

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to show you guys my favorite quick breakfasts.  I normally don't eat "traditional" breakfast foods, especially when I go out to a restaurant, since I either can't eat, or don't like most of the foods.  I don't eat meat, so that knocks out sausage and bacon, eggs creep me out, so no omelettes, most yogurts have gelatin in them, and I don't like overly sweet foods like pancakes and waffles.  However, when I am in the comfort of my own kitchen, I have the ability to experiment more with breakfasts, and I finally found one that I love!



I have recently rediscovered my love for oatmeal.  I used to love it as a kid, but for some reason I stopped eating it.  My friend at work is gluten free, and she got me hooked back on to the warm oat cereal. In order t make this breakfast more "traditional", I added Morning Star Hot Spicy Sausage Patties. I love how spicy and savory they are to cut the sweetness from the oatmeal.



 Finally I finish off this spread with some cinnamon toast.  It's a really simply concoction that I found floating around on Pinterest.



All you need is some butter, cinnamon, sugar, and a slice of bread.  I used oatmeal bread for this, but any kind would work.



Instead of cinnamon and sugar, I used my Trader Joe's Cinnamon Sugar Grinder.  It has cinnamon and large chunks of sugar in a grinder just like a pepper grinder. It is really cool, and easy to add a bit of cinnamon and sugar to anything you want.

Just mix the butter, cinnamon, and sugar together in a small bowl, spread it on the bread, and broil it until golden brown.

That's it, super easy and really tasty!  And what I love about this is that I can add as much or as little sugar as I want, so its not overly sweet.

What is your favorite breakfast? Are you going to try this easy cinnamon sugar toast?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Morning Star Hot & Spicy Sausage Patties

Good morning! Today i have a great vegetarian breakfast option to show you (just in case you haven't eaten yet).  I am talking about Morning Star Hot & Spicy Sausage Patties.  This is one of those foods that I never ate at a meat eater. Yep that's right, I never had real sausage in my life.

This actually all started when I saw Morning Star made maple sausage. Yes, MAPLE! I have heard many wonderful things from meat eaters, that maple ham and sausage are amazing.  Well I just took their word for it and moved on.  When I saw Morning Star maple sausage I bought it right away, and it was amazing! I used to buy it all the time, but unfortunately  I stopped seeing it on the shelves, instead I saw hot & spicy.  I love spicy food, so I gave it a try.  While it was not as magical as the maple flavor, it was still pretty darn good!





I can't tell you how they compare to actual spicy sausage, but I call tell you they are delicious   They have a soft center with a chewy outside and an amazing flavor, full of spice! These are great to add to any breakfast, or brinner for that matter. Sometimes I think I should use them to make sausage egg, and cheeses...but then I remember I don't eat eggs.


Yum!

If you guys can find the maple flavor, I would say pick it up right away (and a second box to send to your favorite blogger) but while you are looking, try these guys too! Especially if you like some heat with your breakfast!

Have you tried these before? If not, are you going to get some for your next breakfast (or brinner)?

Bye from the Veggie Side