Seitan chickpea sausages/patties or mince- vegan

I served them with roast potatoes, baked beetroot and a large mixed salad; you also could team them up with mash, gravy, peas and a blob of mustard for a very British supper.

I had been meaning to make these for ages, so when I found myself with a spare hour or so to spend in the kitchen, I jumped at the chance. I suspect I will modify this recipe in the future as this version is a good starting point for more experiments- but don't get me wrong; it's still a good recipe to cook per se. I looked at the ingredients to my kids' favourite brand of veggie sausage (the one that bears the name of a Beatle's late wife) and found the source of protein is "wheat protein" and "pea protein". So I decided to make my own version without onion powder, using seitan and ground kala chana (dark chickpeas). I wanted to cut down on fat and salt, too. Next time I will compromise, and add a tad more salt and perhaps throw in some shelled hemp seeds for some healthy omega oils, as the sausages were a little bit dry and crumbly on the outside once baked. (Maybe they would've been better fried, but then I guess that would have defeated the object.) This recipe will make 6 sausages/patties or you could leave the mixture loose, cut out the herbs and smoked paprika and use it in a tomato sauce or stock as mince in something like Bolognese sauce or lasagne.

300g seitan- look here for how to make it

200g cooked chickpeas (I used kala chana, the dark brown ones)

1- 11/2 tabs soy sauce

1/2-3/4 tsp seasalt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp compound hing

2 tsps paprika

1 1/2 tsps sweet smoked paprika

• Blitz the seitan and chickpeas in a blender/ food processor until they resemble a fine mince.
• Turn into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well.
• Shape into sausages/patties and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
• Bake at 200C for 10-15 minutes,or until heated through and browning, turning once.