Grits and Gravy (Of Course!!)

Because my favorite thing to put gravy on is GRITS.
Grits MUST have gravy, and because this is (in case you've forgotten or just tuned in) The Month Of Vegan Gravy , I present my favorite breakfast in the entire world.

You all know about gravy - or you SHOULD by now, (if not, where have you been the last 18 days?) so let me talk a little about GRITS (yes, I feel this is still in keeping with my theme)...

Grits are a classic breakfast cooked-cereal item in the American South. No, they're not exactly a familiar food here in the Pacific NorthWest, but we discovered them while visiting my sister in Florida many years ago and they are now, ironically, one of my kids' all-time favorites; as well as my fallback, go-to breakfast, the way some people reach for instant oatmeal...
.
For the uninformed, "grits" (or "traditional white hominy grits") are somewhat different than yellow cornmeal and it's all in the way they're processed.

Alton Brown explains it best:

"Cornmeal (like you'd make polenta with) is made from ground dried corn. Grits are made from ground, dried hominy (which is still corn, but treated slightly different). To make hominy, you start with field corn that's dried. Then the dried corn kernels are soaked in a solution of baking soda, lime, or wood ash ("lye water") for a day or two. (Sounds yummy, huh?) The kernel's shell pops off, and the kernel swells to twice its size. Kernels are rinsed more than once, then dried again, and finally ground into grits."

OK. So, they're like white, coarsely-ground cornmeal, like polenta, but not...
The directions for what to do with grits are on the box. That's the best "recipe" I can give you, because each brand and type are different.
Go buy a box and try them. Very warm, creamy, homey "comfort food" sort-of stuff, but with more texture and character than, say, Cream of Wheat....

Cook up the grits, follow the directions, and when grits are done, spoon into a bowl, and top with a TON of Sausage Gravy.

To make "Sausage" Gravy?
Use my "White Gravy" from my earlier post, and simply add a TON of smashed-up, fried bits of whatever vegan breakfast-sausage product you prefer, as you're stirring and thickening the gravy at the end.
Or, use my HOMEMADE SEITAN SAUSAGE recipe if you want.
Sausage is optional, it's good without too!

I'll leave you with this completely irrelevant, but hilarious picture of our cat... this is exactly how I feel after a breakfast of grits and gravy. Food coma...
.
.
.

White Bean Gravy

And another morning dawns in my Blogging A Month of Vegan Gravy experiment. Am I tired of the stuff yet? Not a chance!

So, "Bean Gravy".... sounds dreadfully, stereotypically vegan, doesn't it? Actually this stuff is from an old World War II cookbook (I only changed the vegetable broth) and is one of my fall-backs. A "nothing-in-the-cupboard" staple that has filled hungry tummies many times. It's also nice to share with people who think they can't find all those "weird vegan ingredients" but want a recipe anyway. Especially good over whole-wheat toast on a cold winter morning.

White (or Navy) Bean Gravy

1 Tablespoon olive oil or melted margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 Tablespoons (I prefer fresh) thyme and/or sage, chopped fine
Several dashes (or a lot more) fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup flour
1 fifteen-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
Salt, to taste (if needed)

Preheat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add the herbs and black pepper and cook for about 3 minutes more. While that is cooking, stir the flour into the broth until dissolved. Add the onion-herb mixture to the broth and whiz in blender, food processor or with an immersion blender.

Mash the beans coarsely with part of the broth mixture, they can be as smooth or as chunky as you like, I prefer some of the beans be almost whole but to have a creamy base to them.
Then add mashed beans (with remaining broth) to the saucepan. Whisk immediately and lower the heat to medium. Simmer (you should see small bubbles) and stir the gravy often for about 10 minutes while it thickens.

Once the gravy thickens, reduce the heat to low. Add water a tablespoon at a time, to make gravy the thickness you prefer.
Cook for about 20 more minutes to let the flavors deepen, stirring occasionally. Add more water as necessary and taste for salt. Keep gravy covered and warm until ready to serve.

Mushroom and Miso Gravy

Wow. VEGAN MONTH OF GRAVY BLOGGING, day 8, already! So much to share, so little time!
Today's recipe, Mushroom-and-Miso gravy, happens to be one of my favorite gravies to go over brown rice. (ALL gravy is my favorite for something, in case you haven't figured that out by now...)
Not sure when I decided that this particular gravy and rice was the way it "should" be, but I've made this combination as a fast, easy supper for years (with the help of a rice-cooker); simple, warm, filling comfort food with a slightly "Asian" twist.

They say that boiling miso destroys the beneficial properties, so I always add it at the end. It's good stuff, give it a try!!

Mushroom and Miso Gravy

1 cup vegetable broth (or 1 cup water if you prefer it milder and less salty)
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (I like shiitake or morels here if I can get them, but regular button mushrooms work well too)
1 -2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons white miso (or any variety)
fresh ground pepper

Combine broth, mushrooms, ginger and oil in a small saucepan. Bring to rapid simmer, then cover and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes.
In a small container, combine cornstarch with just enough water to dissolve. Whisk it into the saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook just until the gravy thickens.
Remove from heat.
Combine miso with 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir into the gravy.
Season with pepper to taste.

Classic Cashew Gravy

OK, this is my THIRD favorite gravy in my "Month of Vegan Gravy" and it may become your MOST favorite, you will NOT believe how easy it is - Every vegan NEEDS a good Cashew Gravy recipe in their collection, right?
BUT: I almost didn't post this, because friend and fellow-MoFo-blogger Megan (of the FABULOUS "Megatarian" blog) just posted the same recipe yesterday!

However; no re-write needed, she's graciously given me permission to "spread the cashew love" and go ahead. So just in case you haven't already gotten the recipe from her, you now have (at least) two sources for this easy, creamy, cashew loveliness! (Go check out her post, she has a MUCH better picture, and she's blogging all things Thanksgiving this month, so you'll get some great ideas for stuffs to put gravy ON!!)

My Mom first pointed me to this recipe, it's originally from "Fast Cooking in a Slow Cooker" with a few of my own modifications.

Interestingly, one of my modifications is the same as Megan's; you do NOT need to do this in a slow-cooker. I used to make it that way, but when my slow-cooker broke, I tried it on the stove and discovered it's JUST as good and a LOT faster! (It even works in the microwave, but I haven't done that in ages, so can't remember exactly how!!)
Enjoy any way you would cream gravy OR brown gravy. It's YUMMY stuff!!

Creamy Cashew Gravy
2 1/2 cups very hot water
(or sometimes I use part water, part plant milk, just depends on how decadent I want to be, the water needs to be as hot as your tap water gets, but not boiling, it helps the cashews blend smoother)
1/3 cup raw cashews
(you CAN soak these for an hour or overnight and then drain if you plan ahead, but I never do and it still turns out fine)
1/4 cup rolled oats
(quick or slow cooking but NOT the "steel-cut" ones)
3 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce or 1 Tbsp. Marmite
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
(This is NOT the same as bread-making yeast or brewer's yeast. Find it at your health-food store, bulk aisle or online. Look it up and read about it if you're not familiar with it, I don't want to take the time and space here to do a whole tutorial on "nooch" - as many of us fondly call it.)
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 pinch powdered sage 1/8 tsp. salt

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender or food processor, EXCEPT just add 1 1/4 cups of the water. Blend until smooth - this could take several minutes. Pour into a pan or medium cast-iron skillet.

2. Put the rest of the water in the blender. Blend again to make sure you got all the cashew mixture. Add this to the pan.

3. Turn on heat to medium, bring to a gentle simmer, whisking often (but not constantly as you need to with other gravies). Cook for about 5 - 7 minutes until thickened. If it gets too thick, add a little water or plant milk. (I usually season with a little salt and a lot of pepper, but that's just me).

That's it!! SOOO easy!!!

Crispy Tofu and Gravy

Crispy Fried Tofu and Brown Gravy

This is the simplest supper I can imagine; super-quick and I always have the ingredients on hand...

Here's how you do it:

• Cube well-drained, extra firm tofu, and toss with *seasoned cornstarch so you have it coated in a light layer.
  (*That's just cornstarch mixed with a good dose of whatever you like - we used lemon pepper, cayenne, sage and a little salt).
  
• Pan fry (yes... FRY!) until crispy and lightly browned, in a thin puddle of peanut or coconut oil, turning as needed.
  
• Keep tofu cubes warm in a low oven.
  
• Wipe out skillet to remove most of the excess oil and crumbs.

Make gravy:

• Melt 2 Tbsp. margarine in the same skillet.
• Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. flour over margarine, cook and stir over medium heat until tan-brown.
• Turn heat OFF and gradually stir in 1 cup soymilk.
• Season with 2 tsp veggie buillion powder ("beef" flavor if you have it, though veggie flavor is fine too), 1/2 tsp. sage and 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.
• Stir (a wire whisk is best) until all browned flour is well incorporated.
• Whisk in 1/2 cup water.
• Turn heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 7 minutes.
• If it boils too hard, turn heat down a little.
• Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle (or better yet, POUR) gravy over tofu. Enjoy.

Christmas Dinner with Family

Christmas Dinner was at my parents', as usual. Plenty of siblings, spouses, sisters and yummy food (don't know how much shows in the picture, but you sorta get the idea). My family is mostly vegetarian anyway, so we all contribute vegetarian food for large get-togethers such as this. And lucky for me, most everyone brings at least one vegan dish as well, so I'm always well-fed. (Yeah, like that's a problem!!).

This year's spread included stuffed mushrooms, a centerpiece dish of vegan "meatballs" with gravy, a beautiful salad with shredded carrots, jicama and beets as garnish, ranch dressing (made vegan just for me thankyou!) several types of rolls, mashed 'taters, fresh cranberry-tangerine relish, sweet potato gratin, green beans, orange-sauce beets, holiday wild rice pilaf, and a "relish tray" with veggies, assorted pickles and olives and stuff...

Whew! I gained 10 pounds just re-reading that paragraph!

OK, so this Christmas, I collected a couple recipes to share: My Holiday Rice, my Mom's Non-Meat Balls and Mushroom-Wine Gravy, and my sister's Stuffed Mushrooms. All of it yum-a-licious and wonderfully vegan, here you go....

Holiday Rice

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
3 cups vegetarian un-chicken broth, divided
1 cup apple juice
3/4 cup uncooked jasmine rice (white or brown)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios or hazelnuts
2 Tb. minced fresh sage
1 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tb. brown sugar

Rinse wild rice in fine strainer under cold running water. Drain. Combine wild rice, 1-1/2 cups veg-chicken broth and apple juice in 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain.
Meanwhile, combine jasmine rice and remaining 1-1/2 cups broth in separate 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 12 to 15 minutes. (I just cook the white rice in my rice-cooker with broth)
Stir apricots and cranberries into white rice; simmer 5 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand covered 5 minutes or until fruit is tender; set aside.
Melt Earth Balance in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes until tender. Stir in nuts and sage. Cook and stir 2 minutes.
Add rice mixtures to skillet. Add remaining ingredients; cook and stir over medium heat about 2 minutes or until heated through, taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Non-Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

1 cup firm tofu, mashed (not the silken variety found in vacuum-packed cartons)
½ cup wheat germ
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
½ Tbsp. onion powder
½ tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. each - oregano, garlic powder and sage
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and roll into small balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Spray oil over the top of the balls for a more crispy texture. Bake for 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

Gravy

2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup onions, chopped
2/3 cup flour
½ tsp. ground sage
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 ½ cups water
¼ cup dry red wine
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms, sauteed in margarine until soft
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium saucepan and sauté onions and garlic. When onions are tender and translucent, stir in the flour, nutritional yeast and sage to form a paste. Slowly add water, soy sauce and wine, stirring constantly. When gravy starts to thicken, stir in the mushrooms, salt and pepper.
Add more water if necessary to thin the gravy. Pour over "meatballs" and heat in a casserole dish and serve.

Stuffed Mushrooms

16 large button mushrooms (or other mushrooms of choice), washed well
3 T. olive oil, divided
8 oz. firm tofu, frozen, and thawed
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1 T. garlic, minced
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes
2 T. freshly chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lightly oil (or spray with vegetable oil) a large baking dish and set aside. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, roughly dice the stems, and set aside.
In a non-stick skillet, place 1 T. olive oil and the mushroom caps, and saute for 2 minutes per side. Remove the mushroom caps from the skillet, transfer to a large plate, and set aside.
Using your fingers, crumble the thawed tofu into a small bowl and set aside. In the same non-stick skillet, saute the reserved mushroom stems, onion, celery, and green onion in the remaining olive oil, for 5 minutes to soften.
Add the crumbled tofu, garlic, and thyme, and saute an additional 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the remaining ingredients, stir well to combine, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Fill the mushroom caps with warm filling, slightly mounding the tops, and place them in the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the mushroom caps are heated through and slightly browned on top. Transfer to a decorative platter for service and serve immediately. Yum!