Spicy hemp breakfast sausage

Kara's excellent vegan breakfast sausage, loosely based on an old Vegetarian Times recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 4 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp masa harina
• 1 cup shelled hemp seeds
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 15 oz can pinto beans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Add maple syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke and seasonings to 1 1/3 cups boiling water. Set aside for a few minutes.

Add 1 cup of this spice liquid to masa harina and let stand 5 minutes to rehydrate the masa harina, then stir in hemp seeds.

While the masa harina is rehydrating, drain and rinse pinto beans, pour into a bowl and mash the beans (a fork or potato masher work well).

Add mashed beans to masa harina and hemp seed mixture and mix well- the mixture should be slightly sticky and overall smooth, studded with hemp seeds. Taste the mixture and add additional seasoning as desired. I tend to go heavier on black pepper, sage and crushed red pepper flakes than the recipe suggests.

Once the mixture is seasoned to your liking, form patties by taking a wad of the mixture and shaping it into a ball, then flattening it between your hands. The mixture should make 8-10 patties. Place each patty on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. The patties will brown a little and should be firm and dry to touch when baked.

Particularly nice served alongside pancakes or waffles with some extra maple syrup.

Notes

• This recipe originally called for pan-frying these patties but I found this impossible and unnecessarily complicated.
• To make this recipe soy-free and gluten free, you can sub out the soy sauce with additional water and salt to taste. You can also make this recipe gluten-free by substituting tamari for soy sauce.