Yesterday we had "chicken", today it's "sausage"

When I finally made the switch to a vegetarian lifestyle, I never had the problem of "missing" the meat that had formerly had a place at the dietary table. I had never really been a big fan of meat, except for seafood, so it wasn't like there was a hole on my plate that had to be filled by something that looked like meat.
For some people, that's not so much the case. They want vegetarian food that looks like meat and has the texture of meat.
Obviously, there is a lot of call for that sort of meat substitution...look at the grocery where you can buy vegetarian burgers, hot dogs and sausage patties. There is textured vegetable protein. All sorts of things that look like meat, but for which no animal has been slaughtered.
I discovered this recipe a while back and had intended to try to fool Steve with it one morning at breakfast. I couldn't seem to make them greasy enough to be believable so I gave up. I put one on his plate with the meat links and when he was done, half of that one was left on the plate. He said, "That one was a little dry."
It tasted fine, he said.
Another time, I added some "Liquid Smoke" to the mix so it smelled more meaty. One of the girls wandered through the kitchen and grabbed one off the plate. "Smells good" she said and wandered off munching on it. I asked her about it later and she said it was good. When I told her it was vegetarian, she did not believe me.

Meatless Sausage Links

1 15 ounce can of  black-eyed peas, un-drained
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped very finely
2 teaspoons of onion powder
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of crushed fennel
1 or 2 dashes of crushed red pepper flakes (how hot do you want it?)
1 teaspoon of basil
a few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of crushed rosemary
1 teaspoon of sage
1/2 teaspoon of salt

• Mash black-eyed peas and  flour in bowl.
• Add mushrooms.
• Roll the mixture into about 10 to 12  sausage link shapes.
  Put the remaining spices on a clean surface, and roll the "sausages" over them, making sure they are well-coated.
• Fry the links over medium to low heat, in a little oil, carefully turning as they brown.

Vegan.