Vegan Dirty Rice with Vegan Ground Sausage and Mushrooms

No, this dirty rice isn’t that dirty. No animal livers will be found here. Don’t worry. That omission doesn’t impact the amazing flavors of this side dish–that’s perfect for a Mardi Gras celebration. I just substituted mushrooms for the chicken livers and made a TVP sausage to replace the pork sausage. Thanks, Emeril for the inspiration!

Vegan Dirty Rice

Source: Emeril’s Dirty Rice, adapted

Yield: 8 servings (or more)

1 ½ cups long grain rice
3 cups water
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cups vegan ground sausage, prepared
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves

1. Put the rice and the water in a pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Cover the rice, turn the heat down and simmer it for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and keep it covered for 5 minutes.
4. In a large, heavy saute pan or stock pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the mushrooms, the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, Essence, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
6. Add the stock and bay leaves.
7. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Add the TVP sausage and stir everything together.
9. Then add the rice and stir thoroughly.
10. Cook until the rice is heated through, about 5 minutes.
11. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

*Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning)

Yield: about 2/3 cup

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

1. Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Recipe from New Orleans Cooking by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Vegan Ground Sausage

Source: VegWeb’s Sausage Crumbles, adapted

Yield: 2 cups sausage

1 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)

1. In a saucepan, add the water, the soy sauce and the spices.
2. Bring it to a boil and remove the pot from the heat.
3. Add the TVP, mix well, and let it stand for 10 minutes.
4. Fluff it with a fork.