It's Paella Time!!!



Okay, so my MoFo blogging hasn't been going as consistently as I would like, but I am happy to say that I have been keeping to a theme this month nonetheless.  At home, when I have had the time, I have really been trying to cook from books or recipes that I have been longing to try and this is one of them.  I have to admit that I bounced back and forth between a couple recipes for this to work and I advise you do the same.  When cooking a traditional omni dish, I usually will find a regular recipe and a veg recipe to bring together in my kitchen based on what I have on hand.  This worked in much the same fashion along with the help of a friend at work.  I also added kelp seasoning to this to give it a by the sea taste, making my chickpeas the seafood element, if you will. I have a basic step by step of what I did below, but again, this is only meant to be a guide.
Ty's Paella, Y'all

2-3 links vegan sausage (I used the Julie Hasson version, awesome)
2 Gardein scallopini Chick'n planks (I had these on hand, but chick'n style seitan would have worked)
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 tsp dried parsley (use fresh if you have it, most recipes call for it)
1 tsp dried thyme (again use fresh if you have it, I didn't and it still worked)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 to a 1/4 tsp of cayenne (you can use more, but my hubby hates kick)
1 tsp kelp seasoning or super finely chopped nori sheets should work
1 pinch saffron threads soaked in about 1/4 cup warm water to release the color
3/4 cups short grain rice (I used sushi rice because I had it on hand)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas rinsed thoroughly
~2 cups of broth (I used a combination of Edward and Sons "not chicken" bouillon and veggie broth)
olive oil for sauteing
salt to taste

It is suggested that you use a very large skillet in most of the recipes online and in hindsight, I might have used our 12 inch non-stick, but my 10 in. cast iron rose to the occasion here.

Get your little one to help.

Prep your veggies ahead of time if you can, it will make things flow so much nicer, I promise.

I sauteed both the Gardein and the vegan sausages separately in a little olive oil first. 












Remove them from the pan, slice the Gardein into strips, set aside and load in your veggies, all but the garlic. 

Drizzle the veggies with a little more olive oil to sweat out the moisture.
Also add all of your seasonings now except for the kelp seasoning and the saffron mixture.

Cook down the veggies until your onions are almost translucent-don't brown them though. Add the garlic just before adding the rice. You shouldn't need any more olive oil, but keep an eye on it.  You want to toast your rice until the grains shine and begin to become translucent.



Add in your liquid, saffron mixture, and tomatoes. Give a good mix/fold to get everything melded together, bring up to a nice simmer (not boiling) and then resist the urge to stir too much.

Keep your eye on the cooking rice.  Add more broth or even water if you need it, and you may stir very occasionally. After the rice has begun to absorb the broth, add the chickpeas and kelp seasoning.  Gently stir to incorporate the chickpeas. 

Now for the difficult part.  Just when your rice has nearly reached the texture you want dress the paella with your sausage and , resist the urge to stir at all and let a thin crust form on the bottom of your pan, be careful not to burn it but be sure not to disturb it either. Sprinkle with parsley, remove from heat and serve.

Vegan Spicy Italian Sausage

The sausages were excellent with my couscous and broccoli.

I have been wanting to do this recipe since I first saw it on Everyday Dish.  Julie Hasson is awesome and I watched the video at least three times over the last year.  I printed out the recipe months ago and I kept saying "I'm going to make that, I am really going to make that" as I thumbed past it often in my greasy blue folder full of "Gonna Try 'Em" recipes.
 Well for MoFo, it was only right to start with this.  Julie has nailed it.  I love love love these sausages!  My daughter really enjoyed them too and of course that is so important for the mom of a 10 year old who has allergies and the pickiest taste to boot.

I have used these in everything and they are so easy and inexpensive to make.  Every once in a while I use prepared vegan "meats" but I don't think I will be doing sausages from a package again for a long time.  Thanks, Julie!!