Category Archives: Home Health

Sausage – Vegan and Gluten Free

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Sausage holds a special place in my heart, but I stopped eating it years ago. I tried the commercial vegan brands but they are still very processed and not all that healthy. So I started looking for ways to make a delicious version of sausage that is still healthy.

A healthy breakfast is important but sometimes a smoothie or a bowl of oatmeal just isn’t that appealing. After doing some research, I found that our grandmothers had solved this problem back in the 40’s. It’s called oatmeal sausage. I’ve tried a number of different recipes and this is my version. Now I know that you can make something as hard as you want to, but I’m going for quick and easy.

Oatmeal Sausage

  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
  • 2 Tbs vegetable stock concentrate or powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground fennel
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely minced (or use garlic powder)
  • 1 Tbs (generous) dried onion flakes (or use onion powder)
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (if you like it spicier, add more)
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
  • 1 tsp (generous) mushroom powder (if you have it)
  • 2-3 Tbs ground flax
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbs olive oil

The seasoning is totally up to you and your taste, so use your favorites and leave out anything you don’t like.

In a sauce pan, combine water (plus stock), all seasonings except flax. Heat for about 5-7 minutes. Stir in oatmeal, nutritional yeast, ground flax and cook until the oatmeal becomes very thick. Remove from the heat, cool, and then chill up to overnight.

When chilled, the oatmeal should be very thick so it does not pour from the pan. Stir in the olive oil.

Divide the mixture into even portions and form into balls. Then form patties. I used an ice cream scoop to keep the patties uniform but you can make them any size you want. You can also form some of the mixture into small sausage links. Chill for an hour.

For the sausage links, form the sausages, roll them tightly in parchment paper and again in aluminum foil. Roll tightly and twist the ends. Chill once more for about 10 minutes. When chilled, place the sausage rolls into the steamer and steam for around 20-30 minutes. Remove from steamer and briefly chill once again.

When the sausage rolls are chilled remove the wrappers and put on a tray and place in the freezer. When frozen you can put them into a ziplock and store in the freezer.

For the sausage patties, chill them briefly and then place in to a pan and lightly brown them in a small amount of oil. If you are going to eat them right away, just brown them thoroughly and serve. To store, place the lightly browned patties on a tray and place in the freezer. Once frozen you can store them in a ziplock.

Using the two different methods worked better for me and I like the texture better for the sausage links. You can also use this same method to make larger sausages like hot dogs and bratwurst.

I like this method because it eliminates unnecessary steps. There’s no baking or boiling and the seasoning is cooked right into the oatmeal. It’s important that the oatmeal mixture is very thick. This is the reason for the ground flax meal.

There are hundreds of recipes out there that use these ingredients for everything from breakfast sausage to hot dogs to brats. Try it. I think you’ll enjoy it and it’s a great way to get your daily oatmeal.

Elderberry Syrup

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Cold and flu season has arrived and one way to fortify your immune system is elderberry syrup. Elderberry (sambucus nigra) is one of the oldest remedies known to man. And the great thing is that it works. You can find numerous research studies on the effectiveness of elderberry in treating colds and flu. Let’s hear it for old wives. They knew what they were talking about.

Making elderberry syrup is very easy. I order dried elderberries online because I’m not a knowledgeable forager, and better safe than sorry. 

Here is my recipe for making elderberry syrup.

  • 2/3 cup dried black elderberries
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons dried or fresh ginger root
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cloves (2-3 whole)
  • 1 cup raw honey

In a saucepan, combine water, elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half (about 45 minutes). I like to use the crockpot. When the liquid has reduced, allow it to cool to lukewarm. Carefully mash the berries and pour the liquid into a glass container, then discard the berries. They have done their work.

Add the raw honey (you could also use sugar, or maple syrup) and stir to dissolve. Store in the refrigerator.

The standard dose is 1/2 teaspoon for children, or 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon for adults daily. If you do get sick, take the the standard dose 2-3 times daily. Elderberry syrup can shorten the duration of your illness by up to four days or more, and is useful in reducing mucus, cough, sore throat and more.

As with any medication, don’t exceed the recommended dosage especially with children. However, it does taste a lot better than cough medicine, and it’s great on pancakes.

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