Vegan Braunschweiger

(pictured: vegan braunschweiger on wasa crisp with dijon and pickled red onion)

Credit for this concept goes to Bryanna Clark Grogan and her recipe posted on August 6, 2009. I am very excited about this recipe. Topped with Dijon and onions this reminds me so much of liver without the negative health impact.

I made some changes to the Bryanna’s original recipe; most noticeably I swapped out the silken tofu and sunflower seeds for the pulp that is left when I make almond milk. I make almond milk so often I always have the pulp on hand and wanted another way to use it. There are only so many veggie burgers I can make with the almond pulp before I have a freezer full. I thought this recipe would be a good way to use the almond pulp, and it was!

The texture of this loaf is firm, but spreadable. Texture is one of those things that I think is critical in cooking and this one turned out really well. This is so good spread on a hearty bread or cracker with a little mustard and pickled onion.

Vegan Braunschweiger
Serves 8 – ½ or each small loaf

Ingredients:

wet strained pulp from making almond milk (recipe here)
4 ounces of Yukon Gold Potato, scrubbed and cut into small chunks (peel on)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of onion flakes
¼ cup of nutritional yeast flakes
¼ cup of whole-wheat flour
¼ cup of liquid aminos
2 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon of thyme, dried
½ teaspoon of oregano, dried
5 allspice berries, ground (approximately ¼ teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
8 ounces of almond milk, unsweetened

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put everything in the blender with half the almond milk and puree until everything is combined. If the mixture is too thick add the remaining almond milk 1 tablespoon or 2 two at a time until the mixture will pour (mine was still somewhat thick).

I used four small loaf pans (4 ½ by 2 ½ by 1 ½) and the mixture filled each to within ¼ inch of the top of the pan. Place the pans in another pan and add water so that it comes half way up the sides.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the mixture is beginning to set, but is still somewhat soft. It will firm significantly as it cools.

Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator. I plan to freeze half of mine like Bryanna suggested on her site, assuming it lasts long enough to make it to the freezer.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 80.32
Calories From Fat (37%) - 29.41

Total Fat - 4.62g
Saturated Fat - 0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 832.11mg
Potassium - 388.89mg
Total Carbohydrates - 9.41g
Fiber - 1.01g
Sugar - 0.55g
Protein - 3.6g

Comments:

It has been a few years since I have had brauschweiger, but I think this is a reasonable approximation. The flavor is quite good, and as I said earlier the texture is great.

If you make almond milk and are looking for a way to use the leftover pulp this is great option. There are so many options for where you can take this base. I can imagine many different pate varieties in the coming months.

Update:

I took this to cooking class tonight, and please note this is not a vegan class, and ..... it was much better received than I expected. The men definitively seemed to like it more than the women. But, overall I think this is a winner. The texture is definitely dead on. Most people thought the flavor was good, although I did get a few suggestions that I will try to incorporate into the next batch.