Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Breakfast Links

I first started making my own breakfast links about a year ago.  I was curious to see if I could save money by doing so.  What I found out was that I could make about 75 links for the same amount of money that it cost to pay for one pack of six vegan breakfast links at the store.  That was a no-brainer: no more store-bought breakfast links for us!  I played around with different ingredients until I finally created a recipe that mimics the taste of the store-bought kind pretty darn closely.  My secret ingredient, to get the texture just right, is tofu.  As far as I know, I have never seen tofu used in a seitan recipe before.  So, if I'm right about that, and then you see tofu-seitan recipes popping up all over in money-making cookbooks, tell them to throw ol' BlessedMama a dime or two.  :-)  (I was actually advised to hold on to this recipe, but who am I kidding?  I'll never have a cookbook.  So, I'm sharing!)  Having the gluten flour, tofu and beans makes for a really tender piece of seitan.  You can serve these as an accompaniment to a breakfast meal, or you can make them for my Brothy Beans with Sausages dish.  We love these, and they can freeze well.  Hope you save money and like them too.


Breakfast Links


I make my links about three to four inches in length.



Once rolled out, they get twisted up into their own foil packets.


Here's a big pot of them, getting ready to get steamed.

Breakfast Links

Ingredients:

1 pkg. extra-firm tofu, water-packed, drained
1 cup of slow-cooked pinto beans
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 and 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 and 3/4 cups gluten flour
Canola oil

Directions:

Put the first six ingredients (tofu through pepper) into a blender, and blend until smooth.  Pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add the gluten flour, and stir until well mixed.  Knead (you can do it right in the bowl) for about three to five minutes, to make sure there are no super wet or super dry spots.  Pull off a small ball of dough, smaller than a golf ball, and roll out to a sausage link size, about three to four inches in length.  Prepare a large pot with a couple inches of water in the bottom and a steamer basket inside.  Once you have several links rolled out, put each one at the end of a small strip of aluminum foil.  Roll the link up, so it makes at least two complete turns, and twist the ends closed.  Start filling up your pot.   Complete this cycle for the rest of the mix, until you have a pot full of foil-wrapped links.  Cover with a lid.  Turn the heat on to medium, and steam for 40 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Heat up about a tablespoon of oil in a large pan.  Unroll several links and put them in the pan.  Fry them for a minute or two, turning them, until they are browned on all sides.  Do this with all the links, adding a bit of oil, as needed.  Can be served alongside pancakes or tofu scramble for breakfast.  Freeze unused portions.  Simply thaw and reheat in microwave or oven.  So tasty.  Feeds five hungry vegans for several meals.

13 comments:

  1. Your breakfast links look awesome! I am actually planning on trying to make a seitan log today or tomorrow. It's gunna be my first time. You look like a pro with those links!

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  2. You gotta add in the cost of a 75-foot roll of Aluminum Foil to your calculations there.

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  3. Thanks, Carissa! Good luck, I'm sure you'll do fine! Just play around with ingredients if it doesn't work out the first time.

    S.V., I use a fraction of a roll. It's just pennies, to be sure.

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  4. Wow, that's quite the savings! I have a feeling that this recipe is going to go over very well with many!

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  5. yum! i used to love sausage. i need to try this recipe. thanks for sharing!

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  6. 75 for the price of maybe 8 or 10 you get in the store...awesome!!! They look great! I'm definitely giving these a try, and in addition to being cheaper, I bet they're tastier and healthier than store bought ones too.

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  7. Molly, it sure is. And, we can use any savings we can get!

    Kelli, let me know if you like it. :-)

    Rose, the packs are actually sold as six sausages, so the savings is even more! And, my ingredient list is shorter, that's for sure. :-)

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  8. You are SO good!!!! My hubby would love these, but I don't have the patience to wrap them up. But so great that they are very economical.
    And there are no weird ingredients!

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  9. Wow, that's awesome....big time savings! I'm all about saving, and I'm for sure all about great recipes. Your links sound and look great. I'm with Molly, I have a feeling this recipe is going to go over very well. I know I can't wait to try them. :o)

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  10. That's some sweet pile of links. I love the way they got all nice and brown. I'll be watching for a Web explosion of secret ingredient vegan sausage. :)

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  11. Get Skinny, thank you! C'mon, girl, wrapping only takes about ten minutes or so; you can do it. :-)

    Michelle, we love the savings here! If you try them, let me know if you liked them.

    Andrea, frying them a touch really makes a difference. Thanks for having my back - I know I could count on you!

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  12. These look great and I love the idea of them being cheaper than shop-bought! Thank you so much for the recipe! x

    Penny

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  13. Those look amazing. I love the simple ingredients. I know my husband would love it if I could master these.

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