Vegan Longganisa Filipino Sausage

The Filipino breakfast is usually graced by the presence of a cylindrical shaped sausage made of usually ground pork, pork fat, sugar, garlic and other spices.  It is called longganisa.  This vegan version of this popular breakfast Filipino sausage was adapted from the awesome blog Astig Vegan written by the brilliant and creative RG Enriquez. I tweaked Ms. Enriquez's recipe by substituting some of the ingredients with what I have or preferred to use.  I substituted the tofu called for in the recipe with a combination of walnuts with cauliflower which I have used previously in the past in this blog as a meat substitute, see here. For extra oomph, I substituted the chili oil or sesame oil in the list in the Astig Vegan recipe with chili garlic sauce from a bottle. I also dropped the porcini mushroom but kept the shiitake mushroom in my tweaked recipe.  I did not add the pine nuts since it is taken cared of by the cauliflower and walnut meat mixture.  Since I did not have liquid smoke I used instead smoked paprika.

The sausage is easy to prepare and involves only the mixing of all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.  The original pork longganisa are traditionally encased in a casing which is not done with this vegan version.  To keep the cylindrical shape of the vegan sausage, bread crumbs in my case panko crumbs are used.

I experimented with three methods of cooking the longganisa, namely pan frying with coconut oil, baking and microwaving. Every single method is comparable to each other in giving you the satisfaction of eating the original longganisa usually made from pork or chicken. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. If you are in a hurry you can use the microwave method.  If you do not mind the oil added, you can pan fry.  If you have time and want to skip the oil you can bake.  The most moist sausage results from the pan fry method. If you use coconut oil you have that added flavor.  The sausage had a hard time keeping its shape when pan fried.  It might be because I used less oil, one tbsp, rather than three that must have been needed.  The best shaped sausage comes from the baking method which also gives a crispy coating.  One has to be careful not to over bake or the longganisa will get dry and taste burnt. The microwave method cooks the sausage best with its shape intact. It does not have the crispy coating though.  One can combine the microwave and pan frying methods by initially microwaving the sausage and then pan fry it in coconut oil to crisp the outside.

pan frying in coconut oil

baking in a toaster oven

microwaving

When I was tasting the mixture I could not help eating the uncooked sausage since it was that good.  I would suggest microwaving a bit of the prepared sausage and then adjust the sweetness or spiciness or saltiness of the sausage. Cooking sometimes tend to lessen the sweetness or spiciness of the sausage. I decided not to go overboard with any spices in preparing the sausage in order to please most of my family and vegan friends. Next time, however I would add more than 3 cloves of garlic.  I want mine more garlicky.

This is a flexible recipe that you can make your own.  You can go with tofu like Astig Vegan or with the cauliflower walnut meat.  One thing sure, as a vegan or even non vegan, Filipino or non Filipino you will fall in love with the well loved longganisa. Now you have a healthier version to top it all.

I dedicate this recipe to my new found friend Ivy (Vivian) the daughter of my former office mate in the Philippines, the late beloved Mrs K. Ivy requested that I develop this recipe since she plans to go vegan.

Vegan Longganisa Filipino Sausage

Inspired by the recipe in Astig Vegan

• 1/2 cup walnut
• 1/4 of one cauliflower head, cut roughly
• 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in a warm water for around 20 minutes, then drained
• 1/4 cup coconut brown sugar or brown sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp balsamic or coconut vinegar
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce from a bottle
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• maple syrup to taste
• 1 cup Panko crumbs or vegan bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp coconut oil if frying

Mix all the ingredients except the last two in a food processor or blender until they are well mixed.

Transfer the mixture in a bowl and add the breadcrumbs and mix.

Score the mixture into 8 or more sections and shape each section into a cylinder or pattie.

If frying, heat the coconut oil in a cast iron skillet and fry the sausage till heated through and browned on the outside.

If microwaving, shape the cylinder into smaller sizes and microwave a few at a time for one minute depending on the wattage of your microwave.  This is a good method if you have frozen your shaped uncooked sausage.

If baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees centigrade and bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check for doneness half way through.  

The original pork longganisa is usually eaten with eggs and fried garlicky rice.  This combination is called for short Longsilog in the Philippines.  I ate mine with fresh cucumber and tomatoes and fresh leaf spinach. Later I ate it with plain cooked white rice with pickled cucumber and grape tomatoes.  

Halal Cart Flavored Cauliflower and Turmeric Brown Rice

I had Halal Cart Chicken twice when I was in New York City recently.  This is a vegan take on this my favorite New York cart food using cauliflower instead of chicken.  The Halal Cart chicken or cauliflower is not complete without the fragrant delicious Turmeric Rice.  I opted to use brown rice instead of the traditional basmati or extra long-grain rice to make this must-have accompaniment to the halal court inspired vegan version.  

When this is served in the styrofoam containers by the cart vendors, a side of lettuce with tomatoes, doused with white sauce or hot sauce, (which was over the chicken and rice also) goes with the order.  For the white sauce I used Ranch dressing which I have a vegan version of in this blog.  You can add sriracha to the dressing to make it a bit spicy but not quite as hot as the hot sauce they pour over the chicken.  

The list of ingredients for this vegan recipe which I obtained from the one for Halal Cart Chicken, copy cat version, featured in this site is short but still gives that bold spicy flavor.  The list of ingredients for the turmeric rice is also short but full of the characteristic flavor identified with this popular accompaniment to the Halal meats.   

Halal Cart Flavored Cauliflower

Adapted from this site

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 whole head of cauliflower, cut into chunks including stem and leaves
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water (optional)

Heat the oil at medium heat in a saute pan and then add the coriander powder and oregano.  Heat the spices till they shimmer.  Add the garlic and continue to heat till the garlic is cooked.  Add the cauliflower and lemon juice and continue to cook with stirring till the vegetable is cooked but still crispy.  Add vegetable broth or water if necessary.

Turmeric Brown Rice

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
• 4 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan and add the spices.  Heat the spices with stirring till they shimmer and give off their aroma.  Add the rice and stir until they are coated with the oil mixture.  Heat for about 4 to 5 minutes till the rice is toasted or lightly brown.  Add the broth and allow the mixture to boil and then cover the sauce pan and simmer for about 45 minutes till the brown rice is cooked.

Assembly

Place the rice on a plate and top it with the cauliflower.  Serve with a side of lettuce with tomatoes salad doused with Ranch dressing (vegan version recipe is here).  You may add sriracha if you want to the dressing. Top the cauliflower and rice with the dressing also.

Slow Cooker Cauliflower with Curry Almond Sauce

I would admit to being addicted to vegan dishes with thick spicy sauces.  I have posted recipes of this nature in the past (here, here, here, here and here) using vegetable combinations and sauces.

I decided to try adapting a red curry paste almond chicken dish from this recipe and came up with a plant based version without the use of red curry paste that was in this original recipe.  It called for three tbsp of this spice mix and is the major flavoring component aside from the curry powder.  After looking up the homemade recipe of this paste, I incorporated some of the ingredients that were closed to them.  I added the juice and zest of one lemon for example to approximate the lemon grass component plus the spices cumin, cinnamon, coriander powder and cardamon. At the end when the taste was not quite there, I decided not to increase the salt but instead used Sriracha to intensify the flavor of the coconut almond combination.  Wow it worked.

For me success means I would want the dish morning, noon and night and I did.  The almond gives only a very subtle taste of itself to the dish but it does thicken the sauce. I like eating the dish with quinoa or rice with the suggested sides of fresh vegetables like grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber and fresh spinach.  I used the slow cooker method for convenience but the stove top one pot method will also work.


Slow Cooker Cauliflower with Curry Almond Sauce

(Adapted from this recipe)

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 onion, sliced

• 2 tbsp ginger, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp coriander powder

• 1/4 tsp cardamon powder

• 2 tbsp curry powder

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1/4 cup almond butter

• 2 cauliflower, cut into florets

• 1 green pepper, sliced

• 1 yellow or red pepper, sliced

• 1 cup baby carrots

• 1 tbsp sriracha or to taste

• 1 tsp salt or to taste

• grape tomatoes, cucumber and fresh spinach as sides

1. Heat the coconut oil at medium heat in a saute pan or in the slow cooker bowl itself if the slow cooker has a saute mode.  Add the onion, ginger and garlic till they are cooked.  
2. Add the cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cardamon, curry powder and red pepper flakes and heat them through.  
3. Add the sauteed mixture if using a saute pan and the rest of the ingredients except the sides to the slow cooker. 
4. Cook for 3 hours at high setting or 6 hours a low setting.  I used Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker and cooked the dish for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.
5. Serve over rice with sides of grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and fresh spinach.  

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Indian Stew

I like the pairing of the two vegetables in this Indian flavored stew, the crispy cauliflower and the sweet potato.  The cauliflower pairs with the sweet potatoes as well as it does with potatoes in the popular Indian dish Aloo Gobi. And it being more nutritious than the potato is an added bonus.

I have posted a similar dish before using cauliflower with eggplant and green and red pepper.  I used coconut milk from a can and a ton of curry powder.

In this recipe I wanted also a sauce that is thick and spicy but this time I avoided using high fat canned coconut milk and just used non dairy milk and vegetable broth in its place.  I thickened the mixture with cornstarch and guess what else? Mashed previously cooked sweet potato. I used the usual spices found in most Indian dishes using less curry powder than before to round up the wonderful sauce that coated the cauliflower and sweet potato pieces.

It is a simple one pan dish to go to when you have a craving for something with the rich flavors of India. Was I happy eating this dish? Oh yes.  Did I eat it morning, noon and night? Yes. You would to. Addictive sauce.

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Indian Stew

Adapted from this past blog post.

• 2 tsp plant oil or 1 tbsp vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 dry red chilies or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/2 cup plant milk
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 tbsp sugar (optional)
• 1 sweet cooked potato, mashed
• 1 tbsp cornstarch in 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 cauliflower head, separated into florets
• 2 sweet potatoes, uncooked and cubed

Saute in the oil or vegetable broth the onion, minced ginger and minced garlic till they are cooked.  Then add the tomato paste and heat through.

Add the garlic powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder and turmeric and heat the mixture.  Add the red pepper flakes, salt, plant milk, vegetable broth, sugar, mashed sweet cooked potatoes and corn starch in water to the mixture and heat through.

Add the cauliflower and uncooked weet potatoes to the mixture and allow the mixture of the sauce and vegetables to boil gently till the sweet potatoes are cooked but still firm and the cauliflower still crisp.

Serve over rice of your choice or quinoa or with Naan bread.

Slow Cooker Tomato Cauliflower Quinoa Bowl

This is an easy stew that is perfect when you are running around all over town for your errands, a meeting and exercise at the gym. It is a slow cooker version of two very similar recipes I have posted in this blog,  Mediterranean Chickpea Ragu and Vegan Pantry Friendly Black Olive Stew.  I used kidney beans instead of chickpeas and introduced celery and cauliflower as parts of the main ingredients.  I also skipped the olives which were in the other two recipes this one is based on. It results in a less salty healthier version and still as delicious.  I made sugar optional since it depends on your taste and the brand of the ingredients you used.  

My picky taster, my husband, ate this and gave a thumbs up and so did my daughter who I shared it with. They ate it over white rice but I prefer to eat mine over quinoa for added protein.  Here is the busy day friendly recipe.

Slow Cooker Tomato Cauliflower Quinoa Bowl

(inspired by this past post)

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1-15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1-15 oz can corn, drained
• 1 green pepper, cubed or 2 pieces roasted pepper from a jar
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces 
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1 tbsp dry garlic flakes
• 2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp dry oregano (optional)
• 2 stalks green onion for garnish (optional)
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional)

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker except for the quinoa and cook for 5 hours at low setting, and 2 hours at high setting. I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker for two hours at slow cooker setting.  Serve over the cooked quinoa.

Oil Free Roasted Cauliflower with Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

I roasted the cauliflower using the oil-free method given by the wonderful and highly informative website Vegan Coach.  Tossing the cauliflower in vegetable broth twice, once before and another time during the 30 minutes of roasting at 450 degree Fahrenheit oven kept the cauliflower moist despite the high temperature.  Roasting does give the cauliflower a better flavor than just basting it in the broth in a saute pan.  Who could resist some burnt taste.  Right?

One can eat the roasted cauliflower as is seasoned with salt and pepper at the end but I opted to take it one more notch.  I drizzled it with Spicy Gochujang Sauce.  I based the recipe of this sauce from this other delightful website, Cheryl's Food. I have some kind of love fest going on with the gochujang sauce I recently bought from the Asian Store.  I have been using it in salads, chicken and tofu etc etc. I prefer it mixed with other ingredients instead of straight up like some Koreans do with their native dishes. You can too but I prefer to add something sweet and sour to offset the spiciness of the red pepper that was the main ingredient in the the store bought gochujang sauce.

I love this dish and all others that I have concocted using gochujang sauce my new food obssession. You will see more in coming blogs.

Oil Free Roasted Cauliflower with Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

Oil Free Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or more as needed

Sweet Spicy Gochuchang Sauce

• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp gochujang sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/3 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (Note 1)
• 1/2 tbsp dry garlic flakes (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (Note 2)

Oil Free Roasted Cauliflower

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a pan with aluminum foil not parchment paper.  I did not spray it all.  

Toss the cauliflower florets in the vegetable broth in a bowl.  Allow to drip in the bowl before you place the cauliflower florets in the pan with as much breathing space in between to properly roast.  Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Take out of the oven and turn over the pieces and bake again for another 10 minutes.

After the second 10 minutes of roasting, remove from the oven and wet the cauliflower with the remainder of the vegetable broth and return to the oven to roast for another 10 minutes.

Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

Mix all the ingredients (Note 1) in a small bottle with a lid and thoroughly shake it with lid on till totally blended.  Use as is over the cauliflower.  Save the leftover for other uses which I will show you in future blogs.

Enjoy!

Notes

1.  You can adjust the amounts soy sauce and maple syrup and other ingredients for that matter according to your taste.

2.  You can use 1/2 tbsp fresh minced garlic and 1/2 tbsp fresh minced ginger.  I am pretty lazy and opted for the dry ones.