Summer Pasta Salad

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Tofurky has these artisan sausages, and I had to grab a couple of them. I knew what I would do with the first one right away, but the other one stumped me. So I went to the Tofurky website and found the perfect recipe!

Summer Pasta Salad

1 package bow tie pasta
1 package Tofurky Spinach Pesto Sausage, sliced into coins
2 T. olive oil
One red onion, sliced
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
One yellow bell pepper, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
1/3 c. balsamic vinaigrette dressing

 

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse and set aside.

Brown the sausage for a few minutes in the olive oil. Remove sausages and drain on a paper towel, set aside. Cook the onion for a few minutes stirring often and brown lightly. Remove pan from heat and add spinach, stirring until the spinach wilts lightly. Transfer onions and spinach to a bowl. Add peppers, tomatoes, vinaigrette and pasta. Add the sausage to the bowl and mix all together. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve. Enjoy!

 

The original recipe can be found here.

I also got the Tofurky Chick'n and Apple Sausage and used it to make Sausage and Sauerkraut. It was fantastic!

 

Texas Twister Hot Dogs

My daughter moved out recently and while visiting, she wanted to show me the fabulous vegan section she'd discovered at a grocery store near her. I have to admit, I was impressed! There I found, for the first time, the Tofurky Jumbo Hot Dogs as well as the regular Tofurky Hot Dogs that we like. I bought one package of each.

Of course this meant hot dogs would be on the menu, but I didn't want the usual: a simple hot dog with mustard. I do make an excellent Wolf Brand Chili knockoff (you can find it here), if I do say so myself, but I wanted to try something different. I consulted my recipe collection and found one I had cut out from a newspaper years ago. It was different but surprisingly good.

Texas Twister Hot Dogs

One can pinto beans
1/2 of a green bell pepper, chopped
One onion, chopped
1/4 c. ketchup
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. garlic salt
One package of hot dogs

In a pot, combine the undrained beans, green pepper, onion, ketchup and seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes. Cook the hot dogs according to package directions. Put the hot dog in a hot dog bun and top with the bean mixture. Top with vegan shredded cheddar, if you'd like. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Sausage

Growing up with a German father and living in an area surrounded by towns founded by German immigrants, I've had a lot of sausage. It was always one of those foods that I ate because I liked it, then when later I would feel nauseated could only think of the last food I ate - sausage - and swear to never eat the stuff again. Such is the life of a meat eater.

So I became vegan and naturally those cravings would arise. Fortunately, I have alternatives that are not only delicious and cruelty-free, but don't make me feel icky later. I call that a win!

Brown Sugar Sausage

One package Tofurky Kielbasa
3/4 c. brown sugar
One individual serving container of applesauce
2 T. Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced

Cut kielbasa into bite sized pieces. Place in a skillet with the remaining ingredients and heat over medium until brown sugar has dissolved. Stir well, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

This dish even passed the test of my non-vegan daughter-in-law, who proclaimed it delicious. And it was. I served it with baked potatoes.

Tofurky Thanksgiving

This year we decided for the first time to have a Tofurky roast for Thanksgiving. We decided on the Tofurky Vegetarian Feast. It came with the roast with stuffing, gravy, chocolate cake and little wishstix.

Because I had never made it before, I figured I should look around for tips on how to best do it. I came across several recipes, but the one that caught my eye was the one from the website Meet the Shannons. Their Betty Crocker Project has wielded a wealth of yummy, yummy, yummy veganized recipes. I chose the one that uses rosemary and dark beer to baste the Tofurky. You can find the recipe and their blog here.

My dish came out looking like this and was DELICIOUS! Even my non-vegan daughters-in-law proclaimed how good it was!

Tomorrow I'll share the recipes for the various sides.

Kielbasa and Potatoes in Foil

My dad is German, so I grew up eating sausage. You know how when you get sick, you seem to most remember the last food you ate, and feel even worse? That's what always happened to me with sausage.

And yet, I became vegan and wanted sausage. Go figure. Which is why it pleases me enormously that when those oddball cravings hit, I can either make my own, or more likely, pick up a package of Tofurky or Field Roast sausages.

So the other day the hubs wanted to grill out. Whenever he is so motivated, he always asks me what I'd like him to throw on the grill. Well, that aforementioned oddball craving tickled my tastebuds, so I told him that's what I wanted.

Kielbasa and Potatoes in Foil

For the Kielbasa, we used Tofurky and grilled it according to package directions.

Five large potatoes
One onion, sliced
4 T. vegan butter
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. caraway seeds

Wrap all the ingredients in a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Place the packet on the grill over medium hot coals and cook about 35 minutes. Check for tenderness and put back on if the potatoes aren't soft enough. Watch out you don't burn the potatoes!

I like to slice the sausage and serve it with a German mustard.

And the best part? No icky feelings afterward! Must be that whole cruelty-free thing, huh?

Enjoy!