Tempeh Sausage Patties 

Often sausage has fillers that contain gluten. Also in general it's 
just not very good for you, and is certainly not vegetarian. Here is 
a great vegetarian version that you can make that solves all of that:

2 TBS Miso mixed
8 TBS boiling water 
1 TBS Canola Oil for vegan (or 1 Egg, beaten for ovo)
8 ounces of tempeh (I like using "flax tempeh" as it gets you lots of
 good Omega 3 fatty acids)
3/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 TBS ground dried sage
1 tsp. dried majoram
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste

Mix miso and boiling water.  Add canola oil or egg and set aside.

Cut the tempeh into small chunks (around an inch or so in size). Steam 
it in a steamer basket or double boiler for about 10 minutes. Let it 
cool until you can handle it then crumble it up.

Combine the tempeh with everything but the miso and canola oil. Mix well.

Add the miso miso mixture and canola oil mixture. Mix until all ingredients 
are wet.

Take heaping tablespoons of this mixture and roll into a ball in your hands.  
Then press into a patty about 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Cook these patties on a 
skillet or griddle for about 4-6 minutes per side until browned the way you 
like them.

Note: If you don't have Miso you can use tamari soy sauce and water - try a 
50/50 blend and then tweak it next time if you want it saltier or less. But 
miso is better for you, and you can make soup out of it too, or add it to 
just about any kind of soup or broth or sauce you make vs. adding salt. 

If you want it spicy, toss in a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste. If you 
like your sausage "thymey" vs."sagey" then reduce the sage to 1 tsp, and 
increase the thyme to 1 tsp.

These are excellent sources of high quality vegetarian protein because they 
are loaded with soy and quinoa (quinoa is an ancient grain with a great protein 
makup, it's gluten free, and it complements soy protein very well).

Note that once cooked you can crumble these up and make awesome sausage gravy 
from it if you have a bit of Southern in you.