Vegan Sausage and Peppers with Polenta

I am on huge soy chorizo kick lately!  On a recent trip to Portland, I stocked up on vegan goods that I haven’t been able to find here in Vancouver, including a variety of vegan chorizo substitutes (you may remember my gnocchi with chorizo-style seitan). This dish I whipped up last night uses Trader Joe’s soy chorizo, although any vegan sausage or soy ground would be fine.  If you’d like to avoid soy altogether, try a sturdy legume like chickpeas, black-eyed peas or adzuki beans. This soupy-stew is a tad spicy but is nicely balanced with the sweet potato and corn.  It is deliciously paired with crispy pan-fried polenta, full of flavour and  surprisingly light.  Serve with a fresh green salad tossed in a light vinaigrette for a perfect summer meal.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1  medium onion, diced

1 1/2 cups diced peppers (I used green, yellow and orange)

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 can of corn, roasted at 375C for 20 minutes (optional)

1 package soy chorizo or veggie sausage of choice

1 can whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Green onions for garnish

1 tube of polenta, sliced into 1 inch rounds

Method:

If you are adding roasted corn, preheat your oven to 375C and place drained corn in an oven safe pan and roast for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the kernels have some colour.

In a large skillet, saute onions in olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add peppers, mushrooms and sweet potato, along with your spice mix, salt and pepper and saute for another 5-7 minutes.  Now add the whole tomatoes, crushing them in your hand as you go. Add soy chorizo or protein and protein of choice, cover and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer on medium low until the sweet potato is tender.  Add corn in the last 5 minutes, if using.

While that simmers, pan-fry the polenta medallions in a bit of olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side, until crispy.  It will stick a bit when trying to flip.  Set aside.

I a bowl, ladle out a portion of the chorizo-pepper stew, place a couple of polenta rounds on top and garnish with a generous amount of fresh green onions.

YUM!

~The Vegan Project

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