Vegan Sausage Cheese Appetizer – Bangin’ Balls!
Oh boy, how is it December? I haven’t posted in a bit (won’t bore you with excuses) and I sincerely hope all you kiddies had a fabulous Thanksgiving!! And, with barely time for a breath, we are now diving head on in to the rest of the holiday season.
Holidays=gatherings=eating=appetizers galore. What better way to tease (nay, sate) the appetite than with a warm savory pop in your mouth morsel? I served this vegan sausage cheese appetizer as a prelude to our Thanksgiving dinner for 35 (yikes!) and they were devoured before everyone got to try them. (My bad- I’ll certainly double the recipe next year…)
Sausage cheese balls have been part of my family’s appetizer rotations for a long as I can remember. My mom and sister Kitty would make these using sausage, cheddar cheese, milk and Bisquick. As I have said in earlier posts, creating vegan recipes is about capturing flavors and textures pleasing to the palate. There’s clearly no point in harming a sentient being when amazing foods can be created-when tastes and mouth-feels can be captured -with different (and usually healthier) ingredients. In this vegan version, I have sought to recreate the savory, sagey cheddary goodness essential to these balls and (pat on my back) I believe I have succeeded.
These bangin’ balls are crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside and, thanks to the addition of savory spices, really capture the flavor of the ones my mom used to make.
I started with Gimme Lean Sausage , 
sauteing this veggie protein in a tablespoon of Earth Balance. I added crushed fennel, sage, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a few drops of liquid smoke while crisping it up.
Sauteing Gimme Lean until slightly crispy. The Liquid Smoke, fennel and sage really enhance the savory flavor.
Without draining the “sausage” I placed it in a large mixing bowl and added Daiya cheddar, homemade “bisquick” ( see Sound Bites in the recipe) , fresh sage and soy milk.
All ingredients in one bowl!
The ingredients mix together well, becoming an easy-to-mold dough,
which is formed into balls, brushed with melted Earth Balance and baked.
These balls are ready for some oven-lovin’!
In 20 minutes you have crowd-pleasing, palate-teasing delicious morsels of goodness! You can even make these bad boys ahead of time, cool and freeze, then simply bake for 10 minutes before serving.
Come to Mama you sexy little balls!
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- 1/2 package about 7 ouncesLightlife Vegan Sausage
- 1 tsp ground fennel seed
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons Earth Balance divided
- few dashes liquid smoke I used Colgin
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 cup grated vegan cheddar
- 1 cup baking mix see Sound Bites below
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
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Preheat oven to 375 F.
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Prepare baking sheet by covering with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
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In medium cast iron pan melt 1 tbsp Earth Balance over medium heat.
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Break up sausage and add fennel, sea salt, sage, garlic powder, liquid smoke and pepper to cast iron pan.
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Saute until lightly brown.
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In large mixing bowl add undrained cooked sausage and remaining ingredients.
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Mix until soft dough forms.
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Melt remaining Earth Balance in small ramekin.
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Roll dough into ping pong sized balls and arrange on baking sheet as shown.
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With pastry brush lightly coat balls with melted Earth Balance.
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Bake until golden for 18-22 minutes.
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You can also cool, then freeze in freezer bag. When ready to eat, let come to room temp and bake for 10 min at 350F.
This recipe uses a homemade "Bisquick" recipe. I started to making this because it's super easy and, made with vegan shortening, contains NO TRANS FATS! Bisquick and many other processed cakes, cookies, etc. contain "partially hydrogenated oils", a synonym for trans-fats, those nasty bad-cholesterol raising bugaboos.
A simple homemade baking mix:
In food processor combine:
4 cups flour,
2 tablespoon baking powder,
1 1/2 teaspoons salt,
1/2 cup vegan shortening- I used Spectrum
You can store in fridge up to 3 months!
