Spicy Almond, Chickpea & Kale Stew with Vegan Chorizo

This stew is rich, and spicy and full of flavor. The addition of almonds adds an unusual, light crunch you don't usually find in stews. Almonds and Chorizo are a natural pair in Spanish cuisine so it's no wonder they work beautifully in this dish. The taste of this dish will vary greatly depending on what type of vegan chorizo you use. I used Field Roast which is slice-able and stays firm unlike most vegan chorizos that are meant to crumble and lean towards more Mexican flavors. Serve with a crusty baguette to sop up all the broth and you've got yourself a meal you will be making over and over again.

Spicy Almond, Chickpea & Kale Stew with Vegan Chorizo
serves 4
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, small dice
1 red chile pepper, seeds removed, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
3 Field Roast chorizo sausages, 1/2" slices
1/4 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 head kale, stems removed, chopped into medium sized pieces
4 cups vegetable broth
1-15oz can tomato sauce
1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

In a medium sized pot, combine the olive oil and garlic and turn the heat on medium to allow the garlic to slowly infuse the oil.
Once the garlic starts to lightly brown, add the onion, red chile and season with salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes.
Add the sausages and almonds and saute 3-4 minutes.
Add the kale, broth, tomato sauce and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25 minutes.
Taste and season with salt if necessary.

Sausage Dogs with Corn Chili, Jicama Slaw & Lemon Salt & Rosemary Shoestrings

If I were Rachel Ray, I would call this Corn Chili, Salsi, because it is more of a chili and salsa combined. But I am not a completely obnoxious person who thinks it's clever to simply mash two words together so I will refer to it as chili because it is cooked and served warm. Take that Rachel!


Grilled vegan sausages piled high with warm corn chili and cool jicama slaw. Serve these dogs with shoestring potatoes smothered in lemon salt and fresh rosemary.

Sausage Dogs with Corn Chili
serves 4
3 corn cobs (or 3 cups kernels)
4 Field Roast Sausages
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, small dice
1/2 green bell pepper, small dice
4 oz can fire roasted green chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes, small dice
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup water
3 tbl roughly chopped cilantro
4 hot dog buns

Grill or broil the corn and sausages until you achieve dark char marks.
Saute the red onion, bell pepper and green chilies in olive oil until tender and caramelized, 10 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, corn kernels, chili powder, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Let simmer for 10 more minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve over grilled sausages with slaw.

Jicama Slaw
1 cup shredded jicama
1 cup shredded napa cabbage
2 tbl lime juice
1 tsp sea salt

Combine and let sit at least 10 minutes before serving to allow the lime juice to break down the vegetables.

Lemon Salt & Rosemary Shoestrings
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbl coarse sea salt
1 lb frozen shoestring fries
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450.
Use a mortar and pestle to crush the lemon zest and salt together into a paste.
Toss the potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, pepper and lemon salt. Arrange in a single layer on one or two baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn on the broiler and cook for 1-2 minutes (keep an eye on it!) until crispy.

Braised Braeburns & Greens, Tarragon Mash, Sausage

Tender-crisp Braeburn apples braised in cider and maple with swiss chard and Field Roast Apple-Sage Sausages. Served on top a heaping pile of tarragon scented yukons mashed with buttery olive oil and dijon.

Braised Braeburns & Greens with Sausage
2 tbl earth balance butter
2 braeburn apples, 1/4" slice
1 bunch swiss chard, stems-small dice, leaves-roughly chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
3 tbl maple syrup
salt and pepper
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbl water
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
4 apple-sage field roast sausages

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the apple slices, chard stems, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 tbl of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Saute over medium heat for 7 minutes until the apples start to become tender. Add the remaining 2 tbl of maple syrup and simmer 3 minutes more.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the apples and chard from the pan. Add the apple cider, vegetable broth and cornstarch and whisk to combine. Add the chard leaves and bring to a simmer to cook the leaves thicken the sauce, 5 minutes. Add the apples back in and toss to reheat.
In a small saute pan, crisp the sausage in olive oil until golden brown. Serve with apples, chard and tarragon mash.

Tarragon Mash
3 large yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, medium dice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbl dijon mustard
2 tbl minced fresh tarragon
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and bring the potatoes back to the pan. Add the oil, milk and mustard and mash. Stir in tarragon and salt and pepper to taste.