Vegan/Vegetarian Sausage Patties

This is modified from http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=755, which has some lovely step-by-step photos. My meat-eating husband said, "In some ways I like these better than real sausage." They definitely wouldn't fool anybody, but they will satisfy any craving you may have for breakfast sausage without harming pigs or raising your cholesterol, and they taste MUCH, MUCH better than any vegetarian sausages you can buy in the freezer of your health food store. Enjoy with hash browns, fruit and Scrambled Tofu Mix (Vegan) for a vegan breakfast feast! You might want to double the recipe, though.

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 patties

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  textured vegetable protein
• 1⁄2 cup boiling water
• 1⁄4 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 1⁄4 cup flax seed meal
• 1⁄4 cup  oat bran or 1⁄4 cup  wheat bran
• 2  tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  crushed sage
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 3  tablespoons  Braggs liquid aminos or 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 1  teaspoon maple syrup
• 1⁄4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
•  oil (for frying)

Directions

1. Stir together tvp and boiling water and set aside to soak for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour, flax, bran, and dry spices; stir to incorporate. Stir in tvp. In a measuring cup, measure out water; add liquid smoke directly to the cup and stir, if using (this way the smoke will be evenly distributed). Stir in other liquid ingredients, then add wet to dry; mix well. With your hands, form mixture into 2" balls and flatten slightly into patties.
3. Fry in oil in an uncovered frying pan on medium heat, about 2 minutes per side (or until browned).
4. Freeze leftovers (if you have any) and microwave 1-2 minutes to enjoy on busy weekday mornings.