Lentil Sausage Patties

Vegan Mofo Theme: Healthy Vegan Brunch (and Breakfast) from A to Z

Lentils are one of my favorite protein sources because you can use them in so many different ways.  I tend to make a big batch at the beginning of the week and use them for multiple recipes in the days to follow.

Back when I first became vegetarian, and even years after that, one of my favorite go to breakfast and brunch foods was those Morningstar Farms Sausage patties. I was obsessed with them! I'd just pop them into the microwave, or toss them in a frying pan and voila, minutes later, a delicious, comforting breakfast was waiting for me. Of course, as I started to become more health conscious and learned about processed foods and how to read labels, I was shocked at just how terrible the ingredients in my beloved patties were. They are filled with a long list of ingredients, most of which look like something that was written as part of a science experiment, or as part of a Breaking Bad script. Not to mention, they contain egg and dairy, so not even remotely vegan friendly! They've recreated the recipe to contain organic and fewer, more natural ingredients, but still not vegan, and still loaded with soy.

When I discovered the magic of tempeh, I started to incorporate Isa's Tempeh Sausage Crumbles recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. However, even those were lost to me when I had to cut soy out of my diet.

What's a girl to do? Well, create her own vegan sausage recipe, of course! So these lentil sausage patties were born. These are very simple and basic, and I do believe that sausage patty recipes are always and forever a work in process, even when they seem near perfect. That's because there are just so many flavors available when we're talking sausage. But for now, I'll stick with this smoky version and continue to add and/or subtract from it.

I'd love to hear about your favorite variations, so please share in the comments below!

Lentil Sausage Patties 
Ingredients
1 Cup cooked lentils
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or use chipotle for spicy patties
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 Tablespoon coconut aminos, or half Tablespoon tamari or Braggs
1 Tablespoon rolled oats
olive for cooking

Directions
1. Combine everything, except the oats in a food processor and puree until well combined and mostly smooth with a little texture remaining. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the oats.

2. Form the mixture into balls and then flatten into patties about 2 inches in diameter.  Use a scooper for uniform sized patties.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and brush on a small amount of olive oil, or use olive oil spray. Cook patties for five minutes on one side, or until lightly browned. Flip and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes, or until browned.  Transfer to a plate. Patties will firm up as they begin to cool.

Makes about 5 patties 2" in diameter.