Grillable Vegan Sausages (non-soy!)

Calling all vegans! And vegetarians. Or just about anyone. “Frankly” speaking, these are seriously good. I mean, really really really delish. And 100% vegan (no soy involved–despite the surging popularity of soy “meat alternatives”), with a delicious, smokey aroma and  chewy texture.

Come to think of it, this is actually the best thing to do with some leftover black-eyed beans.

And I know that the word “low fat” has gotten such a workout lately, but by all means, it’s worth mentioning that these sausages are absolutely trans-fat free. Just sayin’.

This recipe was inspired by “The ‘V’ Word” version, from which I make a slight variation. There are a few “special” necessary items you need to have, however, before you start grabbing items out of your pantry: Xanthan gum, nutritional yeast, and a steamer. I’m not quite sure, but you can probably substitute xanthan gum with cornstarch. I’ve never tried making these sausages without the steamer, but I’m not sure the texture would be as firm without it. Plus, the nutritional yeast not only gives the sausages a unique flavor, but they also add a chock-full of Vitamin B-complex (including B12, good news for vegans!).

First, prepare this mixture of spices:
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp oregano or thyme
1 tsp allspice