Tofurkey + Sausage Balls

This right here is the story of a trip to Mississippi, sausage balls and a crazy vegan Thanksgiving.

I was unable to make it to Mississippi to see my family on Thanksgiving Day. My wife and I decided to make a day of it and hit the road this Sunday instead. My family all gathered at my uncle's house for a nice, couple days late, Thanksgiving lunch. I made my much talked about sausage balls and my wife made broccoli salad. Upon arriving, the feast didn't look exactly like any Thanksgiving dinner I had ever seen.

The part of the story you must understand is that my cousin and his girlfriend, who recently moved home from many long years in Los Angeles, are vegan. Some new selections added in were lentils (wha?), some kind of black bean, corn, and avocado concoction and then there was a loaf called tofurkey. I laughed when I first heard the name and repeated it again and again as my laugh got louder. I said to myself, "Dude, you've gotta try something named tofurkey. You gotta, and then you gotta talk about it on the radio!"

So, I tried it. Hmmm. How do I describe it? First let me tell you I am not an eater of tofu nor am I usually drawn to anything that resembles a "loaf". It did not taste like turkey. I tasted more like pork but seemed to have a flavor that was not all too bad. It was one of the first things I have ever eaten where I didn't know if I liked it or wanted to throw up. I understand that tofu, the main ingredient, takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with so I was having a hard time determining what was giving the tofurkey its hearty flavor. I don’t think I really wanted to know.

Needless to say, I finished my small piece of tofurkey and gobbled up the nice selection of mashed potatoes, pork loin, and rolls. Then I proceeded to munch on sausage balls for the remainder of my day.

I had a great time with family Sunday. I enjoyed trying a few new things and having stories I can now tell to my few, now fully entranced readers. But, and there's always a but, I wanted to provide my sausage ball recipe for any of you out there who might encounter a tofurkey at your next family gathering.

1lb. of Hot sausage
1lb. of Mild sausage
3 cups of Bisquick
4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
Roll into balls, place on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown.

Enjoy and happy late Thanksgiving! Love, Monk