Recipe Thu Apr 02 2009

Sausage Egg Muffin Gone Vegan

I'm enticed by the classic images of sausage and egg English muffin sandwiches. I see them on fast food billboards and in the glass cases of a certain ubiquitous coffee shop chain. I think of a soft, tender egg patty and a savory, spicy sausage. But I don't eat them. Instead, I channel the temptation into inspiration to make vegan versions - a tender tofu scramble patty and a spicy chorizo-style seitan patty, with soft avocado and hummus spread inside a toasted English muffin.

Dan from Upton's Naturals, which makes sausage and chorizo-style seitan, had emailed me instructions on how to form their seitan into patties. Grind the seitan in a meat grinder, food processor, or blender, he told me, and then mix in an egg-replacer or a mixture of cornstarch and water, plus oil, a must. "If you wanted to get really fancy you could also try xanthan gum." I went to work with my food processor, Upton's nicely spiced chorizo-style seitan, olive oil, and cornstarch and water. The seitan patties were slightly fragile, but still held together quite well after forming them with my hands. Make the tofu patties using a tofu scram recipe (recipe halfway down), increasing the amount of sauce or reducing the amount of tofu, if needed, to help the tofu stick together into patties. Heat both types of patties on a hot, oiled griddle or pan until toasty on both sides. A few minutes before they are done, toast the English muffins on your griddle or in your toaster.

Coat the bread with something smooth and creamy such as hummus and avocado. Stack on a tofu and seitan patty, perhaps with a little lettuce or soft greens. You might also enjoy shredding nacho sauce or cheddar flavored Teese on the patties when the patties are nearly done, and mixing sunflower and sesame seeds - or a sauté of the likes of garlic, jalapeño and mushrooms - into your scram. Also try substituting a flakey vegan biscuit for the English muffin, as in the vegan sausagey biscuits from Melt in Cincinnati.

— Chris Brunn / Comments (5)