Fennel “Sausage”

I’m still not a fan of lab-made ‘meats.’ While I believe that one day we will figure out the taste and texture, until then the fake processed taste is unavoidable. This is precisely why I still prefer my veggie ‘meats’ to be made from real veggies and proteins, grown from soil. Today we are crafting a delicious plant-based fennel ‘sausage’ in my favorite type of laboratory — the kitchen!

This fennel sausage is made with soy curls, a meat alternative that’s rich in fiber and protein with a texture similar to chicken. The curls are made from dehydrated, whole, non-GMO soybeans that are are rehydrated with spices and herbs, then ground and mixed with rice, Just egg, and crushed white chia seeds.

There are a myriad of ways to use this fennel sausage: it can be formed into patties and baked, or pan-fried for a delicious breakfast addition. For dinner, the crumbles can be stir fried and tossed with steamed broccoli and pasta for a quick weeknight meal. This sausage also makes for a great stuffed vegetable filling. Get creative! What’s a delicious dish that you’d make with this sausage?

Fennel “Sausage”

Prepare the vegetables – Coarsely pulse the fennel and onion separately in a food processor. Scrape into a large bowl.

Make the fennel sausage – In a gallon ziploc, place the soy curls and prepared herbs and spices. Add the water and agave nector. Seal the ziploc bag and massage to combine. All the soy curls to hydrate for 15 minutes.

Pulse the soy curls in batches in a food processor until finely crumbled. Add to the bowl with the fennel and onion. Add the cooked rice, Just Egg, ground white chia seeds and xanthan gum. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Let rest for 15 minutes before using. Portion out as needed and freeze the remaining fennel “sausage”makes about 2 lbs

makes about 2 lbs

VEGETABLES

  • 1 medium fennel bulb, about 8 oz
  • half of a white onion

FENNEL SAUSAGE

  • one 8 oz package Butler soy curls
  • 1¼ cups water
  • ½ cup parsley leaves, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 8 large basil leaves, minced
  • 4 large sage leaves, minced
  • 4 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and finely ground
  • 2 tsp Aleppo chili
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tbsp agave
  • 1 cup cooked Jasmine rice
  • ½ cup Just Egg
  • 4 tbsp ground white chia seeds
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum