Vegan MOFO and Vegan Sausage & Peppers

This month we’re participating in Vegan Month of Food (MOFO). What’s that, you ask? Well, it’s similar to the month of writing done every year for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), except it’s about sustaining intensive food blogging for the whole month. The rules are that we can write about anything we want, as long as it’s about vegan food and it’s written often.

So, Brandon and I set up a few themes to help inspire us throughout the month ahead.

Sunday - he’ll write about football food, since that his favorite thing to do on Sunday is eat and watch football.

Mondays - we’ll discuss our favorite cheap dinners that have gotten us through our little financial rough spots.

Tuesdays – Grocery shopping tips in Greensboro, NC and beyond.

Wednesdays – Our favorite Asian foods.

Thursdays – I’ll discuss my favorite kitchen tools. It’ll be an Ode to a Kitchen Tool, of sorts.

Friday – Comfort food night!

Saturday – Vegan Night Out in Greensboro, NC.

Since today is our kickoff, I decided not to go with one of my favorite kitchen tools. Instead, I want to share with you one of my favorite vegan pre-made grocery store buys in an easy-peasy recipe that I make all the time: Vegan Sausage and Peppers.

Before my revelation, when I was still eating animal flesh, this was my specialty. Everyone loved it. I couldn’t even cook, and it was a hit. Mainly because the key is to the let the flavors stand alone, without a whole lot of hubbub, so it was easy, easy, easy. When I went vegan, I thought, there goes that. I tried unsuccessfully to replicate it. I used Tofurky sausages, seitan, and even vegan breakfast sausages in desperation. Nothing hit that perfect note I was looking for. I finally just gave up.

Then I discovered Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage sausages.

I thought, why not try it out?

It was absolutely perfect. It doesn’t exactly taste like sausage (thank God), but it is delicious and flavorful and hits all the right notes. So, without further ado, here is the simple recipe I use to make this easy meal.

Vegan Sausage and Peppers

Tbs of olive oil

One large onion, quartered and sliced thin

Two garlic cloves (or garlic flakes or powder, whatever you got!)

Three bell peppers of varying colors, sliced and cut into thin strips (or thick, whatever you like)

Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage sausages, cut into thin rounds (or thick, whatever you like)

Pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

A little soy sauce or Braggs

2 Tbs of water

Jasmine or Basmati rice (you can use other rice variations, but this is the best for this)

Put your rice in your rice maker (or pot) and get it going.

Meanwhile, chop up your veggies and sausage and have everything at the ready. Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a big skillet, let it heat up. Throw in your onions and cook them till they brown a little. Throw in your garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Saute for a minute or two. Put your sausage in the pan and let it brown on the sides a little, or as much, as you want. Then throw in your lovely, colorful peppers. Sprinkle on some soy sauce or Braggs to add some salty flavor and loosen up any burnt stuff. Add your pepper (and salt, if you want) to taste. Throw in a couple tablespoons of water to help steam the veggies. Put the lid on for 5 – 10 minutes to let the peppers soften. It tastes the best if the peppers are a tinsy bit crisp. When it’s done, pile the sausage and peppers on top of a bed of jasmine rice and eat up. You can add some hot sauce or Braggs or soy sauce to the mix for some added flavor, if you’d like. Otherwise, enjoy!

This recipe is awesome because it’s delicious as is, but you can mess with it as much as you’d like… add spices, add veggies, change up the sausage or make your own sausage, etc. Feel free to make it your own.

Happy first MOFO day! See you tomorrow for Part 2 of our Field Roast love post.