Nothing beats a delicious vegan, gluten-free spicy italian sausage. A barbecued spicy Italian sausage reminds us of summer, baseball games, cool lemonade and running through the sprinklers. We found this delightful recipe on The Vee Word blog and knew as soon as we saw it that it would be simply scrumptious. As the author points out, the key to this recipe is Xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is commonly used as a food thickening agent and is both vegan and gluten free. It is also commonly used as a stabilizer in cosmetics. Xanthan gum is a great investment for vegan, gluten-free eaters because it is frequently called for in these types of recipes.

Ingredients:

Spices:

• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 ½ tsp. fennel, crushed
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• ¼ – ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 1/8 tsp. allspice

Sausages:

• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided in half
• ¾ cup mushrooms, chopped
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups or 1-15 oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. sun-dried tomato paste
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup brown rice flour
• 1 tsp. Xanthan gum
• 1 Tbs. gluten-free tamari
• 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (2 Tbs. of gluten-free, vegan Worcestershire Sauce can be used in place of the tamari and vinegar)
• A few drops of Liquid Smoke (optional)

Directions:

Prepare the spice mix in a separate bowl and set aside.

Saute the onions, mushrooms and garlic in 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a frying pan, until softened. Let cool.

Mash the pinto beans in a separate large bowl. Add tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and brown rice flour and mix thoroughly. Add xanthan gum and mix thoroughly. Now incorporate the cooled onions, mushrooms and garlic. Then mix the tamari and balsamic vinegar (or Worcestershire Sauce) to the bowl and mix it all up well. If you have decided to use liquid smoke, you can add this as well.

Divide the sausage filling into 4 equal logs and wrap them in individual foils. Steam them for 15-20 minutes and then refrigerate them over night.

When ready to use, unwrap and cook in your preferred way – barbecued, pan-seared or baked! The most popular topping for Italian sausages are sauteed red and green bell peppers and onions. Slices of this would also be a great way to dress up a pre-made vegan, gluten free pizza. And thank you the Vee Word blog for bringing us this delicious recipe!