Spicy Sausage Goulash and Holiday Fun!

This past week I took a few days off to go on a little break with my sister and her children to the coast! We had such a lovely time! We swam everyday, went on bike rides, and played outside with the children till it got dark! We also made lots of lovely vegan meals as there wasn't anywhere serving vegan food! But we didn't mind, we got to cook yummy things in our tiny caravan. One of the meals I cooked was the recipe I have been meaning to put up for ages! My Spicy Sausage Goulash! It is so delicious served with mashed potatoes, cous cous, quinoa or garlic bread mmmmmm! I have also included how to make the chorizo sausages at the end of the goulash recipe if you want to make everything from scratch! Enjoy!


Spicy Sausage Goulash

Ingredients:
Glug of Olive Oil
1 Red Onion sliced into rough dice
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Tsp of Smoked Paprika
1/4 of a Tsp of Cayenne Pepper
6 Home Made Chorizo Sausages or 6 Redwood brand sausages cut into thick slices
Half a Red Pepper sliced into rough dice
1/2 Can of Butter Beans drained and rinsed
1 Can of Tomatoes
1 Tbsp of Tomato Purée
1/2 Tsp of Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Half a loosely packed cup of Parsley
1 cup of Grape Tomatoes whole

It a large stock pot fry the onions, garlic and spices on a low heat to release the flavours. Add the sausages and gently fry for a further 5 mins until the sausage pieces are slightly browned. Then add the red pepper, canned tomatoes and butter beans. Then stir in the tomato puree, sugar and season with salt.The sugar is there to just take the acidity out of the tomatoes and give it a richer flavour, we do not want to make the sauce sweet! Give it a taste and see if you think it needs more salt, cayenne or paprika, this is your dish so flavour it to your pallet! You could add some stock powder now too if you like, but I love to taste the fresh flavours of the vegetables in this dish which is why I haven't added it to the ingredients list, but if you feel it needs it, go ahead! Simmer on a low heat for 20 mins to intensify the flavour. Then 5 mins before serving add the parsley. Rip it up with your hands, as I like it to be almost a vegetable in this goulash! Then add the grape tomatoes. Serve up in warmed bowls and serve with garlic bread or mash potatoes! Enjoy!

If you have some extra time here is my recipe for Chorizo Sausages. I have used flavours that will compliment the goulash, but you can mix it up and try lots of different flavour combinations. These sausages are also great the next day in sandwiches! You will need to steam the sausages for 30minutes before you cook them in the goulash, as it takes away the sometimes chewy texture of the vital wheat gluten. I use a large pan with a lid, and rest a colander on the pan and then place the lid on the top to make a steamer! So don't worry if you don't have a steamer! 

Home Made Chorizo Sausages

Ingredients:
1/2 Can of Butter Beans mashed roughly with a fork
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Stock
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Clove of Garlic Crushed
2 Tbsp of Fresh Chopped Chives
1 Tbsp of Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp of Mustard Seeds
1/4 cup of  Nutritional Yeast
1 Tsp of Tamari
1/2 Tsp of Mixed Herbs
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Sugar
1 1/2 Cups of Vital Wheat Gluten

Pop some water on to boil in your pan, but make sure the water does not touch the colander as it will make for soggy chorizo! Then in a bowl add all the wet ingredients, beans, stock, oil, spices, nutritional yeast, herbs, sugar and salt. Mix well and then add the vital wheat gluten. It will suddenly all come together and be a bit like the consistency of chewing gum, but don't worry! As I said the steaming will sort that out! Bring it together with your hands into a wet dough. Then using baking paper tear off a square and place on your side board. Then take some of the mixture (how ever big you want your sausage to be) and mould it on the edge of your baking paper into a sausage shape. The roll it up tightly in the paper and twist the ends to stop it coming undone. Repeat until you have used up your sausage mixture. Then pop in your steamer for 30mins! These are then ready to be used in the goulash!