Tasty Healthy Sausage Rolls (vegetarian)

Vegetarian sausage rolls (they’ll never know)

This is a recipe from Lindy a fabulous ayurvedic cook that I have served up at parties to ardent meat eaters who never guessed they were meat free.

Tempeh is a fermented soy product which acts as a prebiotic, improving the balance of your gut bacteria.

Makes 15 small sausage rolls.

Filling:

1 tbs olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

200 – 250 gms tempeh ( I often use a mildly marinated tempeh for more flavour)

2 tbs tamari

Generous 1/2 teaspoon of fresh sage, majoram, thyme and oregano. ( Again I use more – usually a good heaped teaspoon of each, sometimes more)

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp fennel seeds ( again I use more as I love fennel)

1 1/2  tbs flour

1/2 grated medium carrot

1 and 1/2 butter puff pastry sheets

Method

Preheat oven to 200

Cut the sheet of pastry down the middle – you should now have 3 sheets 4 – 41/2  inches wide and 9 1/2  inches long. The pastry needs to be very cold to work with otherwise it is very difficult to roll when too soft. I normally  work with it semi de frosted.

Place pastry on baking tray lined with baking paper and keep pastry well chilled until ready to use.

Filling:

Heat olive oil and gently saute onion for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook gently for another minute until onion has softened. Tip onion/garlic into food processor and add remaining ingredients and pulse until just combined, taking care not to overmix.

Divide the filling into 3 portions. Mould each portion into a sausage shape and lay down the middle of each pastry half. Gently fold the pastry over, making a nicer tight roll.

Cut each log into 5 smaller rolls and spread lightly apart on the baking try. Bake 20- 25 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

Serve with tomato chutney.

Hot sweet & spicy tomato chutney

( Makes about 2 – 2 1/2  cups)

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil or ghee

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 5cm piece cinnamon stick

1 dried red chilli crushed (delete if making for children)

1/2 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds,

2 tins of organic chopped

1/4 cup raw sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sultanas ( optional)

Method

Heat ghee or oil in large heavy fry pan over moderate heat. Saute mustard seeds until they begin to crackle. Add the cumin and cinnamon. When cinnamon darkens, add the chilli bits, turmeric and fenugreek ( don’t overcook fenugreek as it gets too bitter if it becomes too dark).

Add tomatoes and,stir occasionally, cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes or until chutney begins to thicken.

Stir in sugar, sultanas and salt. For a moist chutney cook for another 5 minutes.