ANDOUILLE SAUSAGES [VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE]

Andouille sausages are an immortal culinary staple down in good old Louisiana. Definitely try your hand at making this plant-based, gluten-free version of that particular delicacy before you set out to make some jambalaya or gumbo ... or just eat them on their own!

INGREDIENTS

Andouille Sausage Spice Mixture (Enough for two batches):

• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Andouille Sausages:

• 1 pound firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, diced
• Half a green pepper, diced
• Half a batch of the homemade spice mixture
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons oil (olive or even better, the oil that sun-dried tomatoes are packed in)
• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 3/4 cup coarse cornmeal
• 1/4 cup strained tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground flax plus 1/4 cup water

PREPARATION

To Make the Spice Mixture:

1. Mix together. I did mine in a mason jar, so I could seal up the second half.

To Make the Sausages:

1. Crumble the tofu into a large bowl with your hands. Add the onions, garlic, and green pepper and mix together.
2. Sprinkle spice mixture over the tofu and mix together with your hands.
3. Cover and refrigerate, so the flavors can mingle, for a couple of hours (or overnight).
4. After it has its rested, add the remaining ingredients and mix together with you hands. It should stick together when you press it with your hands.
5. Bring a pot of water to boil with a steamer fitted over top while you make the tin sausage packages.
6. Rip off 10 large squares of aluminum foil. Gather 1/2 cup of the tofu mixture and make into a log shape with your hands.
7. Fold the foil over the log, pulling it tightly into a cylinder (amazingly, that’s a sausage shape) while being sure to twist the ends and the foil is very tightly wrapped around the sausage. Fold the flappy ends in, so they’ll fit into the steamer.
8. Put in the steamer and steam over simmering water for 30 minutes, until the sausages feel firm to the touch.
9. Let them cool before you attempt to unwrap them. At this point, you can do what you like with the sausages, such as putting them in jambalaya.