Vegetarian Chorizo Potato Hand Pies

One of the most popular recipes on my blog is the vegan Chorizo sausages made with vital wheat gluten.  Since vital wheat gluten is a lot more accessible now and stocked by many health food stores across the UK, I have been making it every year, but this is not to say that we indulge in faux meat all the time, we actually don't, as I still find the texture of faux meat unusual.  However, saying all that I do like to experiment and those of you who know me now through blogging, will know that I do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with new ingredients, but always with fruit and vegetables

The recipes makes six vegan chorizo sausages and we often consume them all before the week is over incorporated into different meals.

Here is the first, vegetarian Chorizo Hand Pies as it has feta cheese in it.  My vegan readers can of course substitute the salty feta cheese with an alternative.  I have served it here with some green salad and grated beetroot.

Homemade Vegan Corn Dogs - Yes Corndogs

Drum roll please....

Here are some awesome homemade vegan Corn Dogs.

I had seen vegan corn dogs a couple of years back on a fellow bloggers blog and was mighty curious about them. I had thought it was literally sweetcorn deep fried in batter, then told it was a hot dog sausage covered in golden corn batter and then deep fried.  Very popular in parts of America. 

I have been waiting for an excuse to make them and a little while back when I had a full house of guests the opportunity to make these vegan Corn Dogs were presented to me. had not int

I do have have a deep fat fryer, I do but i don't cook in it often to merit it taking up valuable space in the kitchen.  So made these vegan corn dogs in a deep wide pan, three at a time .  My guests all stood around me and watched me in amazement as I made these vegan corn dogs and took pictures.   

These pictures belong to them, as my hands were busy. 

Vegan Corn Dog drowning in  yellow cornmeal batter

I was pleasantly pleased with the result as well as the fact, that they tasted delicious.  D wants me to make them again, and I have vowed to but I need 4 more people in the house to justify it.  Do you want to be my guest?!  

vegan Corn Dogs sizzling in the hot oil

I am sharing these with Inheritance Recipes co hosted by Solange at Pebble Soup and Coffee and Vanilla as the vegan Corn Dogs will be made every time I have a particular crowd of friends over.

Other Vegan Corn Dog recipesVegan Crunchy Corn Dogs from VegSpinz
Baked Corn Dogs from Go Vegan Meow

Welsh Bara Lawr Laverbread Seitan Sausage (vegan)

Wales is still not popular for its vegetarian cuisine, its often seen as the land of Welsh lamb, cockles and mussels, faggots - a Welsh meatball made from offal and meat off-cuts.  But what many people do not know is St David, the Patron Saint of Wales was a vegetarian.  I speculate, but its possible that St David may actually have even been a vegan as he only ate bread, vegetables, herbs and only drank water.  

The green green lush land of Wales has also given us leeks and laverbread. Laverbread or 'bara lawr' as it is known in these part of the Welsh valleys.  Laverbread is not actually a bread, its a seaweed, that is cooked down to a jet green paste famously described by the acclaimed Welsh actor Richard Burton as 'Welshman's caviar'.  Laverbread is often enjoyed with shellfish, buttered toast or as Laverbread Cakes.   The best laverbread comes from Selwyn's who are based on the beautiful shores of the Gower Peninsula. 

So today for St David's Day celebrations, I present to you an alternative Welsh vegetarian recipe that makes an interesting  change from the traditional Selsig Morgannwg - Glamorgan sausages and Welsh Rarebit - homely cheese on toast.  This recipe is made with both Welsh leeks and laverbread and also happens to be vegan.  Behold the Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage that I have created especially for the 1st March, celebrating the Patron Saint of Wales and all things Welsh. 

For those of you who are neither vegetarian or vegan, may find these vegan Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage a little difficult to process visually, but they make for a good mock meat substitute for those who do not wish to consume meat.  These Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage do not replicate the taste of meat in any way, just mimic it.  

I was inspired to create these vegan Welsh sausage with laverbread for two reasons.  One I had read somewhere in the past that someone somewhere in Wales had created a meat version of laverbread sausage; and two, I had recently had a vegan sausages made with Irish Dulse Seaweed  and that's was me on the path to making a vegan alternative of Welsh Bara Lawr with Seitan.   

We have sliced and pan fried them and enjoyed them with mashed potatoes, two veg and gravy, but you can also cook them whole.  The flavourings in these  Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage is based on my vegan Welsh Faggots (Ffagod) recipe.  I think the recipe still needs a little tweaking, but I am happy to share it with you today.

Dydd Gwŷl Dewi Hapus

Very Red Pepper and Kidney Bean Casserole with Vegan Sausages

It must have been a subliminal message of sorts that got me hankering for a Veggie Sausage Casserole.  For days I went onto D 'I need to pick u some veggie sausages...'  yet always seemed to forget and then I repeated myself all over again 'I have to pick up some veggie sausages', but yesterday - I remembered!  

And so here it is, a rich thyme and smoked paprika infused tomato sauce based casserole with kidney beans and Romano red peppers.  It turned out very red indeed.

You can choose to use any vegetarian or vegan sausage you like, I am not loyal to any particular brand and like to try them all.  If your not a veggie, of course you can opt the real meat variety.  The smokiness from the paprika was just right, not overwhelming at all.   I served this very red vegan casserole with some crushed roasted new potatoes.  It was grand I tell you and well worth the wait.

So some of you may wondering why do I showcase a leek here?!  Well I was going to call this Welsh Leek Sausage Casserole, but the leeks do get lost in this very red dish - so I didn't bother.  I am sharing this with MLLA #93 and hosted this mont by myself. If you want to join in follow this link. 

Very Easy Chestnut Bangers - Sausages

Sausages - vegan, vegetarian or meat-based are not the easiest to photograph, unless of course you drown them in thick muddy gravy, but I couldn't be bothered to do that - so here are my Chestnut Bangers - exposed and naked!

What's good about them though, my timing in making them - perfect for the Festive Season and for your vegetarian and/or vegan guests and even those who have a gluten intolerance.  

I was inspired to make these Chestnut Bangers whilst flicking through Denis Cotters For the Love of Food and I was reminded of Lucy's vegetarian breakfast sausages made with vacuum packed pre-cooked chestnuts,  tofu and cheddar cheese.  I also have a vegan recipe by Rose Elliot from her Vegetarian Christmas Cookbook.  Both recipes are straight-forward to make, I know this as I have made them both in the past, but I had an idea how to make a much more easier recipe relying on a couple of ingredients knocking around in my kitchen cupboard. 

I was determined to cook with my tin of Merchant Gourmet Chestnut Puree that's been sitting in my kitchen cupboard for a couple of years (and yes, its still in date) and Savoury Nut Roast.  I am already a fan, however this time round I wanted to do something different with it - make Chestnut Bangers. Half were frozen and half were shallow fried in a little oil over three days for brunch and evening meals.  

Seitan Chorizo chowder

The sun came out to tease us, but it was very quickly followed by hail stones - in which, of course I was caught - hitting my face icy cold like shards of sharp glass.

Anyway after getting home, drying my face and hair, a bowl of spicy seitan chorizo chowder was very much welcomed.
Seitan Chorizo chowder
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
450g floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward, cubed
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ pints of vegetable stock
200g - 250g seitan chorizo sausages, cut into ½ inch wide sliced. Follow link for recipe.
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan and cook the onion, garlic and potatoes for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Add the leek and cayenne and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20minutes until the potatoes are very soft and beginning to bread up into the soup. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the potatoes into the soup.
In another pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the seitan chorizo pieces and cook for a minute then flip over and cook on the other side, then add to the soup, along with the oil from the pan. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Check the seasoning, ladle into bowls. Adapted very slightly from Ainsley Harriots Gourmet Express 2

Chorizo, potato and thyme quesadillas

Did I say I was not going to eat any lazy food, well I guess I’m a fibber then.

After making the vegan chorizo sausages I had to find ways of consuming it.

First it was chorizo hash, then Quesadillas.

The chorizo sausages sliced beautifully and then upon cooking, they kept their shape well. The spicy flavour of the chorizo sausage infused the other ingredients. It was really good. I have frozen three of the sausages for when D returns, I think its only fair he tries some too.

Chorizo, potato and thyme quesadillas
Serves 2 greedy people

Ingredients
1 large potato, chopped into cubes then boiled until tender, drain and set aside
½ onion, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
200g chorizo sausage, sliced or chopped
A couple of sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 – 3 flour or corn tortilla wraps
Cheddar cheese, grated
Olive oil

MethodHeat oil in pan, add the onion and cook until soft then add in the potatoes and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the chorizo and fry for a further 5 minutes. Mix in the thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the quesadillasSpread half of the chorizo mixture on one half of a tortilla wrap. Sprinkle generously with cheese, then fold over so you have a half moon.
Heat a tablespoon olive oil in a wide frying pan, then place the tortilla gently in the frying pan and cook for a minute before flipping over for the other side to be golden and crisp. Serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining tortilla(s). Cut in half and enjoy with salsa. Adapted from Thomasina Miers Mexican Food Made Simple.