I recently invested in a new vegan cookbook, The Happy Herbivore, and I could not be happier. Not only do I have hundreds of new recipes to choose from, but the author, Lindsay S. Nixon must be a Southern girl…

…because the pages of Herbivore are filled with Southern and Creole style dishes (veganized) that would make any natives drool.

(Editor’s note: I have only lived in the South for roughly a year and half — I do not claim any Cajun street cred yet!)

Here is a dish I recently tried and loved — and it’s super simple, even to make the vegan sausage from scratch. You could also make this with red beans and rice, another Louisiana staple.

Happy Herbivore‘s Maque Choux

(Pronounced: mock shoe)

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
4 garlic gloves (I buy the giant jars of minced garlic to save time)
1 bell pepper (green is usually cheapest), seeded and diced
1-2 tsp Happy Herbivore‘s Cajun Essence (see page 2 – You can also just buy some good ole’ Louisiana-style seasoning powder like Tony Chachere’s)
2-3 celery stalks
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg frozen corn
hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup kidney beans OR
Happy Herbivore‘s Spicy Sausage, sliced (see page 3)
Directions:

1. Put water in medium saucepan.
2. Cook onion in high heat in saucepan. Once translucent, add garlic, bell pepper, Cajun Essence and celery. Cook until peppers are bright green, but still crunchy to taste.
3. Add tomatoes and corn, reduce heat to medium. Add seasonings as desired.
4. Serve over cooked brown rice and toss with kidney beans or Spicy Sausage.
Serves 2. (And a serving is only 215 calories!)

Happy Herbivore‘s Cajun Essence

Combine:

2 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp granulated garlic powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp granulated onion powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Store in a jar if you don’t use full amount. It keeps well in your spice rack!

Happy Herbivore‘s Spicy Sausage

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked pinto beans
1 tbsp fennel seeds (You can just buy ground fennel if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.)
1 tbsp cayenne powder
1 tsp rubbed sage (Not powdered)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
1 tsp granulated onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup TVP (For newbies: Textured vegetable protein – you can get it at a Whole Foods or health food store, in the bulk aisle.)
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten (Look in the bakery aisle)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (Look in the bulk aisle, otherwise it’s over-priced)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (or more, depending on taste)
Directions:
1. Pulse pinto beans in food processor, or mash with a fork. Set aside.
2. Grind fennel seeds into thin powder (or shake it out of your store-bought container).
3. Combine fennel with all other spices.
4. Put beans and spices in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and add 1 cup water.
5. Stir, then proceed to combine with your hands.
6. Knead for a minute or so, pushing out bubbles. You don’t want it to be “spongy,” Happy Herbivore says.
7. Shape into a ball and break into even segments (about 4).
8. Shape each segment into a log. (Remember Playdoh.)
9. Wrap dough tightly in aluminum foil and twist the ends “like a Tootsie Roll.”
10. Place sausages into a steamer and cover for 40 minutes. (You can make your own steamer by putting a pot of water on the stove and putting a strainer on top of the pot, then placing sausages into strainer to let the steam in. Still, remember to cover.)
11. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours — better if overnight.
12. When ready to use, you can warm them in the oven or a skillet.
Enjoy!

Source: GO MEDIA: Writen by Jessi Stafford - Image Credit: Flickr Creative Commons, chick_pea_pie (Disclaimer: The photo pictured is not a vegan dish, and in fact appears to have shrimp in it.)