Hi there,

I would really like to make the Pumpkin & Sausage Soup, but I only eat kosher foods, so the sausage part is not doable. In addition, I cannot mix dairy and meat products. I know I can substitute veggie broth for the chicken broth, but I'm looking for suggestions on a non-meat substitute for the sausage. I don't know too much about vegatable protein, or tofu, but if anyone else does, I'd surely appreciate it. I could substitute something dairy--does anyone think that's possible?? I can't wait to make the black bean soup, and a restaurant nearby sells healthy lentil soup, so if this is not possible, won't be the end of the world. It's just that after reading all the raves about it, I'm dying for pumpkin something soup!

Many thanks for all suggestions,

In the freezer section, there are sausages made from veggie proteins. I've never tried them, but you could give it a shot to see how it comes out.

Morningstar Veggie Sausage

Karen,
My knowledge of Kashrut is somewhat limited - does Tofu count as a dairy or non-classified food so it can be had with meat or dairy? Are meat substitutes allowed with dairy?
I don't eat meat so I can't tell you what would taste 'the same' as sausage. But I know that sausage adds a lot of flavor to things. Maybe you can use some of the spices that are in sausage and then add tofu for the protein part? That said, I don't know if that is ok, by the 5 day rules!
Hopefully, someone else knows about keeping Kosher and the 5 Day Test, since I'm of no help!
Good luck.

Not sure if this helps but Marla is Jewish and may be able to give you some pointers in that direction...maybe you should pm her....I know nothing about Kosher cooking, sorry. Can you use soy milk instead of heavy cream and sour cream? Or if you can use the veggie sausage I've heard it is good. As far as the veggie broth is concerned I have used that in place of the chicken broth when I did not have any chicken broth...it tasted the same.

Blessings and bon apetit!

Thanks everyone! I think I will try the frozen veggie sausage & let you know how it comes out. I'm really looking forward to starting on Monday.

Karen, you were right in thinking that it is the flavorings in the sausage that makes the taste of this soup. Gardenburger makes the best veggie sausage that I can get around here. If that doesn't work, try using a half teaspoon of dried sage and taste it. Then add more if you need it. I think it is the combination of the pumpkin and the sage that make this soup taste so good and different.

Leaving the sausage out altogether wouldn't affect the results of the test. It just needs to be as smooth as you can get it so it is more like a cream soup than a solid.

Thanks! I'll remember the sage.