Bryanna's (wheat-free) Fat-Free Brown Gravy

Eeek! Somehow I almost forgot to post today's lovely addition to my "Month of Vegan Gravies"!! Whatever was I thinking!!

Today's entry is a LOW FAT gravy (you knew I had to post at least one, right?) and it's absolutely delicious!!
I have to admit I'd never tried this exact recipe before today, but when I asked my neighbor to the north, the fabulous Bryanna Clark Grogan, if I could blog her Fat-Free Brown Gravy recipe, she suggested this wheat-free version instead. I jumped at a chance to try it, and it's just as good as the original!!
I LOVE that it has a "Microwave" version, I haven't tried that, but plan to soon, just 'cause I'm curious.

If you're not familiar with Bryanna's recipe blog - "Notes From a Vegan Feast Kitchen", or her cookbooks and many wonderful recipes, I suggest you check them out SOON! She has awesome Holiday ideas and a bunch of fool-proof seitan recipes (which would ALL be good with this gravy, just sayin'...) that are some of my favorites, especially.

So, back to the gravy - I was making VeggieMommy's Pecan VeggieMeatballs for dinner anyway, and while I usually make them with a Sweet-and-Sour sauce, this seemed the perfect opportunity to test out the gravy instead. I am so very glad I did, as this is going to become a regular in the gravy rotation around here.

I used some wine, which Bryanna suggests as an option, (because you know by now that I use it often in cooking). I may have 'toasted' the flours a bit over-much, as they were a darkish tan, but the gravy still turned out really, really good!

The following is posted with permission from Bryanna Clark Grogan, written exactly she sent it to me. ~YUM!

BRYANNA'S FAT-FREE VEGAN BROWN GRAVY
(MADE WITH OAT AND CHICKPEA FLOURS)

"This fat-free and delicious brown gravy will become a low-fat staple."

1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons oat flour (grind rolled or quick oats in a dry blender or electric coffee/spice mill)
4 tablespoons chickpea flour (besan)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
(optional) a few shakes of gravy browner, such as Kitchen Bouquet

**"Ham" Gravy Variation:
Add 1/2 tablespoon ketchup, 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

In a heavy saucepan over high heat, whisk the yeast and flour together until it smells toasty. Off the heat, whisk in the water, soy sauce, salt, and gravy browner, if using. Stir constantly over high heat until it thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-5 minutes. This can be made ahead and reheated.

Microwave option (this is what I use):
In a 1 1/2 qt. microwavable bowl, mix the flour and yeast. Toast this in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes, uncovered. Whisk in the water, soy sauce, salt, and gravy browner, if using. Cover and cook on full power for 3 minutes. Whisk. Cover and cook again for 3 minutes on full power. Whisk.
Note: You can make half the recipe in a 4-cup microwavable glass measuring container, and cook as above, but in 2 minute increments.

Variations:
You can use some wine instead of some of the water, if you like, and you can add steam-fried mushrooms, onions, vegetarian "hamburger crumbles" and other vegetarian meat alternates, if you wish.

Recipe Source
Author: © Bryanna Clark Grogan 2008

Bryanna's "Beefy Seitan" = Chicken-Fried Steak

Friday Night, what to make for dinner... I always debate this on the drive home from work.
It's the one night of the week my Sprouts and I are all home at dinner time - together! No basketball or choir practice, no snowboarding, no youth group, no tutoring, no working late. It's the one night I know we'll actually sit down at the table, so I like it to be, at least a little bit special...

So I decided to use the seitan I'd made from Bryanna Clark Grogan's "Beefy Seitan" Recipe a couple weeks ago, (and frozen it for future use*).

*(I'm weird about seitan that way, once I've gone to all the work to make it, I'm usually tired of looking at the stuff and not interested in eating it.)

I had been thinking about making a Brocolli-Beef stir-fry thingy, but the Sprouts had other ideas: baked potatoes and "chik" nuggets" were their request. So, no big deal, stir-fry is just as good another day and I'm usually willing to let them make menu suggestions.
Alas, no nuggets to be found in the freezer, and the seitan was already defrosted, so I decided to try my hand at turning 'beefy' seitan into good ol' American 'chicken-fried' steak.

(Not being a meat eater, I had never understood why beef was called "chicken" anything... made no sense. But I guess it's the breading, pan frying and gravy that make it similar to fried chicken? I don't know. Doesn't matter really, this may not be anything close but that's what it makes me think of... Heck, call it whatever you want, I figure anything fried and covered in gravy should be called heaven on a plate :)

"Chicken-Fried-Style" Beefy Seitan Nuggets

• 1/2 recipe "Beefy Seitan", already cooked, cooled and cut into nugget-size pieces, about 24 pcs. or so (my "steaks" always turn out pretty big so I cut them apart into 3 or 4 pieces each)
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• 2 Tb. vegenaise (or blended silken tofu)
• 1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 Tb. nutritional yeast
• 2 Tb. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. each: sage, salt, onion powder, black pepper

Cut seitan into small pieces. Pat dry. Whisk soymilk and vegenaise (or blended silken tofu) together. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients in another bowl.

Heat 1/2 inch oil in skillet. (I like coconut oil here, or peanut oil is good too). Dip seitan in soymilk mixture and then roll in crumbs. Place carefully in hot skillet and fry on medium heat until golden and crunchy - 3 - 4 minutes. Turn carefully and fry other side. Remove to paper towel to drain, keep warm in oven if doing two batches. Continue until all "nuggets" are done.

Here's the gravy I did tonight. Maybe not my favorite recipe, but I'll post it, just the same 'cause it's quick and easy. This was on a card they hand out at the co-op near the bulk bins, so I can't really give anyone credit.

Un-Chik Gravy

• 2 tablespoons soy margarine
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or sage
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• dash salt, to taste
• dash of pepper
• 2 cups vegetarian 'chicken' broth
• OR: 1 vegetarian bouillon cube dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
• OR: 1 cup broth and 1 cup soymilk for a creamy gravy.

Melt the soy margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and let it bubble a moment. Add nutritional yeast, and seasonings, stirring quickly with a whisk.
Add the broth, (and/or soymilk if you want it creamy) stirring until blended. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes, or until thick, adjust seasonings to your taste.