Mushroom Stroganoff Gravy

Mmmm... cleaning out the fridge today I found some beautiful little button mushrooms that had survived almost a week without shriveling into dehydrated bits. Amazing.

The kids wanted baked potatoes, and what better way to serve up MORE Vegan Gravy, right?

I decided to use up the mushrooms and make some stroganoff gravy to go with. Large slices of portabello mushroom work well here too. Use what you have.

Served it with my own (slightly overcooked) custom "blend" of mixed veggies: edamame soy beans, baby carrots and few green beans left from last week's trip to the farmer's market (all rescued from the depths of the fridge).

Insanely quick, and easy, and quite yummy.

Stroganoff Gravy

• 2 - 3 cups mushrooms, sliced or cut into large chunks
• (optional: 1 cup "beef-strip" type vegetarian product of your choice - not necessary though, as the mushrooms add plenty of "meaty-ness")
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 small onion
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• pinch of powdered sage
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup white or red wine
• 2 vegetarian "beef" bullion cubes
• or: 1 Tbsp. vegetarian "beef"-style broth powder
• 1 Tb. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup vegan sour cream ("Better Than Sour Cream")
• or: use this recipe and make your own

Melt margarine in a large pot or trusty cast-iron skillet. Add mushrooms, "beef"-style strips (if using), garlic, onion, salt, pepper and sage and saute until vegetables are soft.
You may need to cover it for a few moments if they're drying out.
Add 2 cups water, wine and bullion cubes to the mixture. Cook at a a low simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Mix water and cornstarch, add to mushroom and broth mixture. Bring to simmer or low boil and stir with whisk, until thick.

Just before serving, add vegan sour cream to the mixture and heat through (do NOT boil) for about 5 more minutes on low heat.

Serve over noodles or rice (or a potato if you want!).

Roasted Garlic Gravy

Throughout my blogging for "Vegan Month of Gravy" I'm going to post a few tried-and-true gravy recipes from some of my favorite vegan cookbook authors. All of these recipes are being posted with permission from the authors, not to worry. And all of them are recipes I refer to over and over, in well-worn cookbooks I use often, by authors I respect and admire for their creativity and passion for vegan cooking.

That said, the first cookbook recipe I'm choosing to share is my "reliable old friend" of vegan gravy recipes - one I learned to make before I was even vegan! It's by Jo Stepaniak, from her wonderful cookbook "Vegan Vittles".

This makes a lovely, and VERY tasty Roasted Garlic Gravy. One I've served at many a vegan dinner to rave reviews. You can't go wrong with roasted garlic, right? And I am always asked for the recipe, from meat-eating types and vegans alike - definitely worth trying! (As a side-note, not trying to sound like an advertisement, but the entire cookbook is good - Jo always has really clear, detailed instructions. Check it out if you're looking to add to your collection!) I tend to fiddle with recipes, even already-perfect ones like this, so I've added my ideas in parentheses, feel free to ignore me if you like.

Roasted Garlic Gravy

Shared with permission from the author - Jo Stepaniak

1 large head of garlic
6 Tbs. whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbs. olive oil 2 cups water or vegan vegetable broth (I use vegetable broth and add 1/4 cup white wine here)
2 Tbs. soy sauce (I use a little less if the broth is fairly salty)
1 tsp. each: crumbled dried thyme leaves, crumbled dried marjoram leaves (I add sage too).

First, roast the garlic: To roast the garlic, peel off as much papery skin as will come off easily while keeping the head intact. Brush or rub the garlic liberally with olive oil. Place the garlic in a small, shallow baking dish in the toaster (or regular) oven, roast it at 375 until the outside is brown and the innermost cloves are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. (it usually takes a good bit longer for me, don't know what I'm doing wrong there).

Allow the garlic to cool. Then slice off the top the whole head (I find a serrated knife works best here) and squeeze the roasted cloves from the skin into a small bowl. Mash the garlic with a fork, set it aside. (I like it mashed really smooth - again, just me)

Place the flour in a dry 2 quart saucepan, roast it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is fragrant but not browned, just a minute or two. Stir in the olive oil and roasted garlic, cook 5 minutes on low heat, stirring often.

Briskly stir or whisk in the water or broth, soy sauce and herbs. Simmer the gravy for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

New Mexico's Green Chile Gravy (or Green Chile Sauce)

Forgive the long post, but today's post for Vegan Month of Gravy travels to one of my VERY favorite parts of the country, to bring you one of New Mexico's signature dishes; Green Chile Sauce, also called Green Chile Gravy, (especially by the state's "old-time" residents), as it is essentially a "gravy" with green chiles added.

If you've been fortunate enough to visit, or live, anywhere near the spectacular "Land of Enchantment", you'll have discovered that this delicious gravy-sauce and it's counterpart, Red Chile Sauce, are EVERYWHERE, even McDonald's sells green chile burgers!

But to make it right, you'll need real, genuine New Mexico green chiles. If you can't locate them locally (and few of us can) New Mexico's famous chiles are worth the trip: The fat, green chiles (sometimes called "Hatch chiles") have a distinct, fruity, rich flavor, with a fleeting but powerful heat. They've been compared to Anaheim chiles, but I tend to think there's no comparison.

During chile season, the peppers are roasted outdoors over fire in big, rotating, round wire drums. You can smell chile smoke as they char, and hear the seeds and skins popping from blocks away. Totally an experience!! When it's time to use them, the skins are peeled off and the soft chiles are chopped and cooked in whatever recipe.
The red chile is actually the same pepper, but picked later in the season so it is red (ripe), it's not roasted, but dried, ground into powder and blended with liquid to make the earthy, spicy, red chile sauce.

Chile peppers are the state's largest agricultural crop; consumed at practically every meal, celebrated in songs and at festivals, and the subject of the Official New Mexico State Question, "Red or green". The question refers to the color of chile you want on your food and you'll get asked at every Mexican (or New Mexican, sorry!!) restaurant.

So, I think the reason the rest of us know so little about New Mexico's green chiles is because they don't transport so well. They're a fragile seasonal vegetable, (well, yes, technically a fruit) and the only way to really appreciate them is freshly fire-roasted; (though the fire-roasted,frozen variety are pretty close if that's your second choice). Tasteless, acidic, canned, slimy green chiles are not an option here.

So exciting! This past summer, our "local" (Seattle) Whole Foods brought in some Hatch chiles and an authentic roaster and I had fresh-roasted green chiles without traveling half-way across the country to get my "fix". Most larger grocery stores stock the frozen tubs of "Bueno Foods" brand frozen roasted chiles though, they'll work nicely for this sauce; but for me, there's just something magical about buying a package of smoky-hot freshly-roasted chiles early in the morning at the Farmer's Market in Santa Fe...

I tend to LOVE anything New Mexico, can you tell? This gravy-sauce (which isn't a bright cilantro-jalapeno green, but more tannish-green, by the way) is absolutely heavenly, and perfect over enchiladas, tamales, chile rellanos, burritos, potatoes or grits especially.

New Mexico's Famous Green Chile Gravy

3 tablespoons oil or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup onion , chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups roasted, peeled/seeded/chopped New Mexican green chile peppers
3 cups vegetarian chicken-flavor broth
1 teaspoon salt
(optional: a pinch of oregano and/or a pinch of cumin can be added if you prefer a bit more spice, personally I like mine plain.)

In heavy-bottomed sauce pan, saute onions in oil, stirring every now and then, over medium heat, until they begin to brown. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes but do NOT let garlic brown.
Stir flour in with onion mixture. Stir a bit and let flour "cook" for a few minutes. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in broth.
Add green chilies, salt (if needed) and oregano and cumin (if using) and mix well.
Bring to a boil, lower heat but keep at a simmer, stirring with wire whisk frequently, 20 to 30 minutes, to allow mixture to reduce.
The sauce should be like a medium-to-thin gravy and bind chilies and onions together.
Store in refrigerator up to a week if you can resist drinking it straight from the pan.

Alton Brown on Gravy, Part Two

Good morning, Happy Friday-almost-the-weekend!!

Since several of you have asked, I'm posting the second half of Alton Brown's witty, wacky, geeky but VERY scientific and accurate episode about all things GRAVY!

If you didn't Google this yourself and watch it after seeing the first half here last week, then here you go.

Watch, IGNORE the meaty parts, think "margarine" when he says "butter" (we're all mature enough to do that in an intelligent manner aren't we?) and learn some GREAT tips about how to make the BEST gravy!!

He really has some great tips, and explains what a "roux' is and about the difference between flour-based, and cornstarch-based gravies FAR better than I could. (Some of you have asked if I make gravies with cornstarch, and I do, sometimes; but listen to his little spiel. Interesting.)

Southern Tomato Gravy

In honor of our Veterans, I'm dragging out my second World-War II inspired recipe. Tomato Gravy originated in the Southern United States and apparently was a favorite with Army cooks who often served it to troops when ingredients for "typical" gravy were scarce.

Tomato Gravy is milder and creamier than a garlic and herb-flavored Italian-type tomato sauce, and not like brown gravy either. It's GOOD STUFF - if you've never had tomato gravy, it's just one more thing I highly recommend that you try.

I used to LOVE having this over at a friend's house, in high school. His Mom served it over toasty, buttered white bread (which I wasn't allowed at home - possibly why I loved this gravy so much!). She's the one who told me how her father had worked in an Army mess hall and fondly remembered this gravy being served on many occasions.
I didn't know people called it "Tomato Gravy" though, and spent years looking for a recipe for that "yummy tomato-sauce stuff". Thank goodness for the Internet, as I just re-discovered it a few years ago and have been inventing new uses (besides toasted Wonderbread) ever since!

It's also good on greens, potatoes, pasta, gnocchi, "meat"loaf or (like any gravy) pretty much anything.

Southern Tomato Gravy

2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup soy milk or soy creamer (I prefer the creamer)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch cayenne
15-ounce can chopped or sliced, stewed tomatoes


Get out your cast iron skillet again. Heat the margarine or oil over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a whisk until it is lump free. Let simmer for a moment or two, to toast the flour just a little bit, and then remove from heat, and stir in the half cup milk, a little at a time.

Put back on the burner, stir and bring to a boil, it will thicken considerably, and very fast. You’ll be left with a very thick mixture. Remove from heat, add the sugar and seasonings, whisking continuously, then slowly add the juice from the tomatoes. Put back on heat and simmer (very gentle boil).

In a shallow bowl, smash the tomatoes with your fork or a potato masher to make them sort of choppy or shredded. This gravy is not smooth, so you don't have to work real hard at smashing them. The lumpy tomatoes are actually what give it the characteristic texture.

Once gravy has come to a good simmer, add the tomatoes.

Bring back to a medium simmer (but don't let it boil hard) and stir with whisk for 3 to 5 minutes until gravy thickens.

*(optional: several tablespoons of nutritional yeast, whisked in at the end, are particularly delicious if you like that sort of thing.)

**(optional: A couple shakes "Bacon Salt" or a drop or two of liquid smoke are really good here too, depending on if you want the "smoky" flavor; Southern Tomato Gravy is often, but not always, made with bacon drippings - blergh).

Serve over toast, biscuits, whatever.

Baby's First, Simple Vegetable Gravy

If you're just joining us, welcome to my blog and the tenth day of blogging for "Vegan MoFo" (Vegan Month of Food).
I know some of my blog readers are Mammas (or Dads) with little ones at home, or on the way, so I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite "Baby Food" recipes. It also happens to be called a GRAVY recipe, so fits in great with my Vegan Month Of Gravy blogging.

Actually I'm not sure this qualifies as a "gravy" though I've certainly used it as such - it's basically a low salt, preservative-free vegetable and lentil puree that's packed with nutrition, is filling and tastes great.

This was a staple when my kids were babies and they all loved it; (and as you can see, they seem to have turned out healthy enough - yes, just an excuse to post another picture of my kids - what can I say?)
I would thicken it with baby cereal, add potatoes, veggies, used it as a "base" for EVERYTHING! As they got older, I baked it into "pot-pie" fillings, poured over toast or biscuits or used as a base for stew.
You can use it plain, when your little one is starting solid foods, or add soft cooked veggies if your child is ready for them. And depending on your time and schedule, you might not have to buy as many of those odd-looking, strange smelling, jarred baby-foods.
Making my own baby food was important to me because I wanted to know what my kids were getting, (there weren't as many organic, healthy options twenty years ago) and I wanted to keep sodium and sugar ot a minimum. Low salt foods are important for babies because their salt requirements are VERY small (less than 1g per day up to the age of 12 months) - and these needs are met by breastmilk or formula.

We adults sometimes find food bland if it's cooked without salt, but remember that your baby's palate is undeveloped and that he hasn't yet acquired a preference for salty tastes. And who knows, you may find yourself preferring lower-salt foods after cooking them for your baby!!

Keep in mind too, that commercial baby foods and mashed-up adult foods often tend to have too much of those extra, unneeded ingredients like salt, sugar and preservatives. Bleh.

Baby's First Simple Vegetable Gravy

• olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium carrot, diced (peel the carrot if it is not organic)
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• (Optional: 1 beet, turnip or parsnip, peeled and chopped, definitely adds more nutrition and sweetness, but if you don't have it, no worries)
  
• 2 cups homemade vegetable stock (I prefer homemade for baby recipes, less salt and no strange ingredients, I would use a stock with no tomato or soy products for those just starting out)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup of red lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• (Optional: a couple handfulls chard or spinach - if you don't mind the color of the puree being an awful beige-khaki-green)
  
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• pinch or two oregano, sage and basil

Heat the oil and saute the chopped vegetables over medium heat for about 10 min. until they begin to soften.
Add stock, water, oats, lentils (greens, if using) and seasonings and bring to the boil.
Simmer gently, covered, for around forty minutes, checking frequently and adding more water if the mixture seems too dry.
When the lentils are cooked, transfer the mixture to a food processor or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth, thinning with as much water as necessary to achieve your desired texture.

You can now serve, or make it "chunky" by adding cubes of soft cooked potato, squash, peas, carrots, beans, rice or pasta if you wish.
It's also a yummy soup-base for the whole family, just season a bit more, and add veggies (or whatever) as desired.
This freezes great, so make a big batch - it's nice to have some small containers stashed away!

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.

Alton Brown and Gravy (Part 1)

OK, this is admittedly a BIT of a cop-out, because I'm traveling this weekend and can't do much of a blog post today, but this IS information I did want to share. Even if it isn't exactly a recipe.
And parts aren't exactly (*GASP*) vegan....

See, this YouTube clip is the first half of Alton Brown's episode on GRAVY!!! And it's a MUST SEE for all gravy-makers. Even vegans.

Now of course we know the whole rest of the world (including wonderfully geeky-science-nerd-cooks like Alton) feel you have to make gravy with "pan drippings" or "meat juices" or other grossness (and yes, you'll hear him mention them in the video clip, obviously, and there are some pork roasts and things - but it's still great info, I promise).

Here's a secret. Vegans can have "pan drippings" (or whatever you want to call them) too! Those concentrated, tasty bits at the bottom of the roasting pan...

Here's how:

In an 8 X 11 baking dish, roast:
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup favorite broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 Tbsp margarine
at 400 degrees, in a pan covered with foil, until vegetables are soft.

When vegetables are soft, remove foil and continue to roast until vegetables are almost dried out (but only BARELY sticking to pan) and liquid is evaporated to just goo in the bottom of the dish.

Remove vegetables, and there you have rich tasting "pan drippings" or juices or whatever...
Now, armed with that information, go watch the video and I bet you can think past all the meaty references and get some GREAT gravy-making tips.

Alton Brown is my science-geek-cook-HERO! He's a master of explaining exactly WHY we make things the way we do and the scientific reasons behind what works and what doesn't in the kitchen.



See you tomorrow with yet another day of VEGAN GRAVY!!

Vegan Hollandaise (It's LIKE Gravy, Right?)

In keeping with my "30 DAYS OF VEGAN GRAVY" quest for Vegan Month of Food Blogging, I'm re-posting one of my most-requested recipes: Vegan Hollandaise!!

Hollandaise is food of the gods, I'm sure, and it's almost "gravy"-like, I figure, right?

I have been on a quest for the perfect vegan Hollandaise for several years now and I think this is close to perfect, but now, I have to admit I don't remember what "real" Hollandaise tastes like.

I can assure you it is buttery-lemony-eggy delicious though, (OK, tooting my own horn, sorry) but if you're missing Hollandaise, give this a try.

First of all, though, ya gotta make my "Cashew Alfredo Cream Sauce" which is SORT-OF a "gravy" too, right? (Yes, I tend to hate multi-step recipes that require several different sub-recipes before you get to the main point, but you wanted vegan Hollandaise, that's no easy task!!)

This is a great way to use up leftovers of the "Alfredo" sauce. What, you never have leftovers? Well, neither do I, but I was trying to make you feel better about having to make TWO entire recipes. OK, so quit whining and make the Alfredo Sauce already (with maybe less garlic if you want though, it doesn't matter, really).

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

3/4 cup Cashew Cream Alfredo Sauce
1/4 cup soymilk (optional)
3 T. Earth Balance or Soy Garden Natural Buttery Spread, melted and kept very warm
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp India Black Salt (kala namak or sanchal)*
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard (like French's or any generic stuff)
pinch of white pepper or a dash of hot pepper sauce
tiny pinch of turmeric (less than a 1/16th of a tsp—more makes a phony-looking color)

Heat the Alfredo sauce until simmering (add some soymilk if it's horribly thick) —pour into the blender container along with the Black Salt, pepper or hot sauce, and add the lemon juice and mustard.

Blend well, adding the melted Earth Balance slowly through the hole in the lid while the machine is running. Blend until the mixture is completely mixed.

Taste and adjust seasonings (usually more lemon or mustard, though if it's too strong, add some more soymilk). Pour into saucepan on stove and stir with wire whisk until heated thru.

*This salt has a slightly sulphuric or "eggy" taste. It is an important ingredient for the traditional flavor in the sauce. Most Indian/Asian markets sell it, or you can get it online. It's a staple in our scrambled tofu as well! Good stuff!

If it DOESN'T THICKEN satisfactorily for you, add 2 teaspoons cornstarch to a little soymilk and mix in to sauce, stir with wire whisk over heat until it thickens.

=====================

For the above, I lightly steamed some spinach, put it on toasted English Muffins with some of my favorite tofu scramble (any recipe you like). Cover with Hollandaise and serve.

Homemade Vegetable Stock

While we're on the subject of gravies (in case you missed it, this is my personal attempt to blog A MONTH OF VEGAN GRAVIES for the "Vegan Month of Food" project) I'll share my favorite vegetable stock recipe.

I admit I use a packaged or boxed or powdered bullion or broth just as often for convenience, but when I have homemade stock in the freezer, it's definitely my preference. The vegetables vary according to whatever vegetables (and scraps!!) I might have around, but this is the basic outline I work from. Use whatever you have, but try and have some onions, mushrooms and root veggies, don't worry if it's not quite 2 cups of this or 1 cup of that.
Once cooked and cooled, this freezes well, and I often freeze in 2-cup containers so it's convenient for gravy-making.

BASIC VEGETABLE STOCK

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries, dried juniper berries OR pickling spices
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped (no leaves)
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium leek, chopped
• 10 medium mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 cup chopped turnips, parsnips or rutabaga
• 1 small fennel bulb, chopped, optional
• 1 Tablespoon Marmite or other concentrated vegetable broth base
• 2 cups red wine
• Aprox 3 quarts water

Place the herbs and peppercorns in a tea-ball, or a 10-inch piece of cheesecloth and tie with a 3-inch piece of butcher’s twine to make a sachet; this makes removing them much easier.

Heat a large stockpot over medium heat and add the vegetables and oil. Cover and "sweat" the vegetables until soft: (cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until the vegetables are softened, 5 - 10 minutes, a little browning is OK though too). Add the herb sachet to the stockpot and the water and wine - should be enough to cover the vegetables by several inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 2 hours, skimming off impurities if needed.

Strain the stock through a colander lined with cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. The cheesecloth makes for a clearer broth.

Use the stock immediately or cool in 'fridge. The stock will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

I like this for soup base and for gravy, adjust the seasonings to your taste (I always say that, I know, but MY tastes are not the same as yours, you may have to play with it a bit, that's the fun of cooking!)

To make gravy with this stock, just use it wherever your favorite recipe asks for "broth or stock".

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!!!

Basic, Brown, Cow-Free Gravy

In my opinion, the two "basic" gravies are White (or cream) Gravy and Brown Gravy, along with a billion other equally wonderful, slightly "less basic" gravies....
Learn to do these two first though, and do them well; Then you can change up the ingredients to make just about ANYTHING!!

It takes a little practice, paying attention to details and being sure you're using the best tasting ingredients for the recipe - but it's NOT DIFFICULT, I promise.
I am leaving a lot of that "taste" factor up to you, because you know what works for your kitchen, ingredients you have available, your taste preferences, your kids taste and texture preferences, and your life!!

So we've tackled the basic White Gravy.
Here's my take on Brown.

One of the secrets to good brown vegan gravy is finding a stock or bullion you really like. Check out your regular grocery store, health-food store, online, whatever is available to you; Read labels, buy stuff, try it, until you find the vegetable-based broth or bullion or stock base that gives the best flavor in your gravy. You may have to experiment a little at first, or actually combine several to get exactly what you're looking for - but that's OK, do what YOU like!
I don't like to suggest too many brand-names, because each person's tastes are different, but I know 4764784848 people are gonna ask anyway, and that's OK :), I'll mention some that I like, and are available around here, so they're what I use, if I don't make my own (more on that later): Bill's Best"Beaf", Better Than Bullion "No Beef" Base, and Imagine Foods "Beef-Style" Vegetarian Broth.

Brown gravy seems to be better interpreted in the vegan restaurants I've visited, though it still ends up a bit on the bland side at times; maybe most people like it that way, who knows. Don't be afraid to add herbs, seasonings, whatever YOU like!! (A tip: If you find something you like but still feel it isn't "rich" enough, try adding a little concentrated yeast extract like Marmite or Vegemite or soy sauce as a last resort.)

The following recipe is one I've posted before, but another one of those "basics" I use often - it's a little more involved, time-wise, than the White Gravy, but still simple, and the results are well worth it. This is a very flavorful "Brown Gravy", the comfort-food stuff my family likes best on mashed potatoes or with meatballs, a lentil loaf, nut burgers or seitan/gluten.

Rich, Brown, Non-Cow Gravy

• 28 oz. Vegetarian "beef" or vegetable broth (I usually use "Imagine Foods" in the aseptic box, but you can mix your own from bullion and water, or do whatever you want to get the flavor you want, just have 28 oz. of liquid to start out with.)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 2 Tbs. red wine (the alcohol cooks off, or just use apple cider or more broth)
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 tsp. sage (1 Tbsp. chopped fresh is awesome here if you have it)
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other margarine
• 2 T. all-purpose flour

STEP 1. Combine first 8* ingredients in a medium saucepan.
*NOTE: For even richer flavor, brown the mushrooms and onions in a pan with a little oil first, THEN add to saucepan and continue. The browning step is not necessary but definitely amps up the flavor!!

Bring to a boil; cook at a low-to-medium boil for about 15 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 2 cups (I just eyeball it, it needs to reduce somewhat, but isn't a huge deal if it's a little more or less)

STEP 2. Strain broth mixture through a sieve into a bowl; press vegetables to get all the juice out and then discard solids. (I know, I know!! This step sounds sounds wasteful, but it results in a nice silky-smooth gravy - if you want chunky vegetable gravy just skip the 'straining' step and chop the vegetables finer).

STEP 3. While broth cools a bit, melt margarine in large cast iron skillet; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add flour, and mix to make a paste
Cook 2 minutes or until a bit browned or tannish, stirring constantly (This is your thickener or "roux").
Take off heat and allow to cool a bit.

STEP 4. While off the heat, SLOWLY add 1/4 cup broth mixture to roux, little by little; stirring well with a whisk. Slowly add in remaining broth mixture, still stirring well with a whisk.

STEP 5. Turn heat back on to medium-high.
Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer (just barely bubbling) for 3 + minutes, or until thick, stirring (with a whisk) constantly. I can't emphasize the stirring part enough. Gravy takes attention, so don't try it the first few times when you have toddlers, kittens and gerbils running amuk in your kitchen. Not that I would know, just sayin'....

Adjust seasonings to taste (more salt or pepper maybe?).

Serve with potatoes, noodles, dumplings, meatballs, over toast, straight from the pot with a spoon, whatever... YUM.

Basic White (or Cream) Gravy

So here I go, off to blog A MONTH OF VEGAN GRAVIES. This should be fun, interesting and.... yes.... a challenge (for me anyway!!).
But, first, a disclaimer - Please understand, I AM ALL ABOUT COMFORT FOOD and plan to blog as such. There are no requirements that every vegan recipe also be 'health' food; it's all about balance - and we all need a little variety (and gravy) now and then!!
But no, this will NOT be a low-salt, low-fat, high-fiber, vegetable-and-vitamin-and antioxidant-filled month of recipes. If you're looking for those, there's a whole list of other vegan bloggers HERE.

That out of the way, I'm going to jump right in with my personal favorite here, and one that many places can't quite seem to get right.
Basic White gravy, also known as sawmill gravy, country gravy, milk gravy, and sausage gravy (if you add sausage - obviously).

This is the gravy most popular in the American South and typically used on top of those meaty favorites (all of which can be veganized easily) like biscuits and gravy, "SOS", Chicken fried steak, grits and gravy, or eggs and gravy. It's basically milk, fat and flour. Comfort food at it's best.
Let me just say a word to the many vegan restaurants out there: Good gravy can MAKE OR BREAK YOU! Learn to do it right!
Too much flour and your gravy will get thick and pasty. Too little fat and the flour will taste "raw" and the gravy will not thicken right. Not stirring CONSTANTLY will cause lumps, or cause it to scorch. Not adding a bit of salt with the milk before cooking will make it bland, the salt needs to "cook in" to the gravy.

White gravy has a very mild flavor which is enhanced by whatever you might add to it (like sausage) I promise it's not hard though. I'll post a slightly more involved recipe at a later date - one that uses cashews or almonds. Yum.

Quoting Wikipedia:

"White gravy is essentially a béchamel sauce with the roux (thickener - more on that later) being made of meat drippings and flour (Don't freak out, of course I'm going to make this vegan!!)
Milk or cream is added (calm down) and thickened with the roux; once prepared, black pepper and bits of sausage or other meats are sometimes added."

So how in the world to make this stuff vegan? This one's easy!!

If you've never made gravy, or had bad luck in the gravy-making area before, read my "NOTES", hopefully, they may prove helpful.

BASIC CREAM (WHITE) GRAVY

• 1 1/2 T. vegan margarine of your choice
• 1/4 cup flour

(NOTE: I prefer white flour here, makes a whiter and smoother gravy, but use what you want)

• 2 cups unsweetened rice milk or oat milk

(NOTE: any other UNSWEETENED AND PLAIN non-dairy milk are fine, though rice or oat milk seem to give the most accurate taste without any other flavors coming through. MAKE SURE you are using PLAIN AND UNSWEETENED plant milk. Anything else will give your gravy a sweet or possibly "vanilla" taste. Not Good!)

• dash of salt, sage and black pepper

Place iron skillet on medium-high heat for about one minute to heat it up. Add margarine and melt to cover bottom of skillet. NOTE: Any skillet will work, I just tend to like my cast iron one for this. ALWAYS use a balloon-shaped wire whisk for gravies. There is no substitute here, and you need the whisk to mix the fat and flour particles into the milk evenly.
Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 1 minute. NOTE: I do not brown the flour here (or make a roux), as it makes the gravy more brown or tan, I just stir it into the margarine, let it sizzle and bubble JUST a few seconds and then stir in milk.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time. Add 1/8 tsp (pinch) of salt at this point.
Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer (bubbles form and break, but not boiling violently) and thickens.
Stir continuously working lumps to the side and bottom of the skillet until few or no lumps remain and gravy thickens. This stirring and thickening is important to cook the flour into the gravy, so the gravy doesn't taste like raw flour.
When it's thickened and simmered for a few minutes, turn off heat. Taste and add just a shake or two more of salt, rubbed sage (dry) and pepper to taste. NOTE: The seasoning part is up to your individual preference. Usually I add a little more salt, but that's all.

At this point, you can serve the gravy as is; or think of it as a basic canvas to create a masterpiece - add cooked, crumbled "sausage" (any vegan variety of your choice will do) beans, mushrooms, or any cubed veggie or veggie-meat that you like, anything's good with gravy. We'll talk about some variations later on...

Pour over biscuits, toast, grits, breaded-fried seitan cutlets, nut burgers, savory waffles, or whatever....

VEGAN MOFO CHALLENGE: "A Vegan Blogger's Month Of Food" (Or in my case, GRAVY!)

Yes, you read that right. I've changed my mind. Or had it changed for me. Or... maybe I've just LOST my mind.

Not only will I be participating in this month's web-famous "VEGAN MOFO" Month-Of-Vegan-Food Blogger's Challenge, but I've also accepted a further (and crazier) challenge from the lovely and über-talented super-blogger Jess Scone (Of "Get Sconed" and "Stumptown Vegans" fame) : To blog 30 DAYS OF VEGAN GRAVY!

And I know you're saying "What? 30 days of gravy? Is that possible?"
Yes, as HUGE fan of all things gravy, I can tell you it is, indeed.

My (very NON-vegan) heroine Paula Dean has more than 25 gravy recipes herself, and while I have no desire to inflict all of those upon you, I do have quite a repertoire that I feel as qualified (or moreso) than Paula to share.

Keep in mind that Indians make curry gravy, Italians have their tomato ragu gravy and New Mexico's famous green chile sauce is also known as "green chile gravy". You'll have lots to choose from. Stay tuned for awesomeness.

So why do I feel I am eminently qualified to share thirty days of gravy nirvana with you? Several reasons. Hear me out.

One: I like all things smothered and gravy and sauce-like. On pretty much everything. At any time. (Yes, I'm living, breathing proof of this lifelong obsession. Enough said)
Two: I make REALLY good gravy. Lots of it. Often. Good enough (in my mind) that it's become the standard by which I will judge all other gravies. Sorry, my opinions may differ from yours, but that's how I roll.
Three: I am very picky about restaurant- and ready-made gravies. And now that I only eat vegan gravies, my opportunities are much more limited.

But not as limited as some.
I am blessed with an extraordinary number of vegan friendly restaurants in the not-too-far-off Seattle and Portland environs, so when I can afford it, I have more than my fair share of options (both good and bad) to sample public vegan gravy-making. (I'll discuss some of those later).

I figured the interwebs are being bombarded with millions of incredibly tasty ideas during this month of Vegan Blogging, and what would go better with all those scrambles and patties and cutlets and loaves and burgers than... gravy!?!

So, keep your eyes opened, your computers fired up and your gravy boats polished, a MONTH OF GRAVY awaits.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Last weekend was our family's yearly pilgrimage to the Pumpkin Farm, (of which there are many in this area, pumpkins being a popular local crop), and we came away with several HUGE beasts for our jack-o-lantern carving enjoyment.

Upon returning home, we immediately set up a pumpkin-cleaning-seed-retrieval station on the backyard picnic table and ended up with several cups of beautiful seeds to roast for our most favorite and anticipated snack EVER!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!!

I was posting about it later that evening on Facebook and was surprised when several people mentioned they'd never made or experienced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

If this is a new idea, you simply MUST try it, whether it's seeds from a squash you're baking, a pumpkin you're roasting for pies, or your kids' jack-o' lantern project - all of these seeds work!

These are not the bland, unsalted, unroasted, green (shelled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas) you see in the store; Homemade roasted seeds are the whole, white, in-the-shell pumpkin seed, roasted until crispy and toasty-browned, sprinkled with salt and eaten just like that, no cracking, no shelling needed. And they are OH-SO-VERY good.

So..... if you haven't had the pleasure, or even if you have, here's our VERY simple recipe.
Enjoy.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
1 Tablespoon good olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Spread seeds on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. With your hands, mix seeds until all have oil on them. Spread evenly on sheet in a single layer.

Check seeds EVERY TEN MINUTES to make sure they're not over-browning, and stir on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes total, checking frequently towards the end, until seeds are toasty and medium brown in spots.
(Taste a few, they should be crisp on the outside, but still just slightly soft and nutty inside).

Remove from oven when browned to your preference, sprinkle with salt to your taste (other seasonings are good here too - curry, cinnamon sugar, cayenne, lemon-pepper, etc..).
Enjoy warm or cooled.

Have a GREAT, and very "PUMPKIN-Y" Weekend!!

Oktoberfest: Tofu-Schnitzel Cutlet with Gingersnap Gravy

There are numerous places around here advertising "Oktoberfest" Menus, all as an excuse, I'm sure, to sell more beer! Not that this is a bad thing, but I admit I get tired of the very heavily meat-centric (though somewhat traditional) menu offerings all in the name of a German beer-and sausage fest.

In the days before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to brew quality beer during the hot summer months. The answer, then, was to work overtime in March and April, making barrels and barrels of stronger, slightly hoppier beer and storing them away in ice-filled cellars or mountain caves to keep them cool.
In those days, barrels were precious commodities. So to free up the casks for the new batches of fall beer, folks would gather around harvest time for a Fall festival and harvest celebration to finish off the spring (or "March" beer), at this point mellowed and clarified by its cool summer-long rest, thus allowing barrels to be reused for fall brewing. And there you have my one-minute history lecture on Oktoberfest. Yum.

Being of German heritage, I decided this was a good afternoon to make something remotely Schnitzel-ish, yet vegan, to go with a good gingersnap gravy and a bottle of Cascade Brewing Company's Apricot Ale.
Yes, cookies in gravy, apricots in beer.

Sounds crazy till you try it! I admit it took me a while to try the gravy especially (as gingersnaps are my LEAST favorite cookie in the world) but this spicy sweet-and-sour sauce (not so much gravy really) is actually VERY good! (So is the ale, but I don't have a recipe for that)!!

Tofu-Schnitzel Cutlet

2 pounds extra-firm tofu, sliced in 3/4 inch sliced (frozen-thawed-pressed is best here, but regular firm, straight form the package works too).

Marinade:
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup broth
1 tbsp marmite or soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (or Bacon Salt)
- - -
1/2 cup whole-wheat (or rye) flour
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed if possible
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup dry whole grain breadcrumbs
oil to fry, I prefer coconut oil here

Slice tofu approximately 1/2″ thick. Marinate overnight in Marinade.

On a plate, mix together flour with spices.
In a bowl, stir together milk and liquid smoke.
Place breadcrumbs on another plate.

Drain tofu slightly, leaving it a bit damp. Dip tofu in flour mixture, then milk, then breadcrumbs, coating on all sides. You may need to press the coating on a bit.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes, until golden. Repeat with remaining tofu.

Keep warm in a single layer in the oven.
When all are finished, serve with Gingersnap Gravy.

Surround with steamed new potatoes dressed with margarine and parsley and some good (NOT canned, acceptable from a glass jar, but the 'fresh' stuff straight from the deli is my preference) sauerkraut.
Alternatively, I love this with steamed, broccoli, kale and beets and a fresh carrot salad. Any of those fall veggies work well here.

Gingersnap Gravy

1 small onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp margarine
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup brown sugar
10 vegan gingersnap cookies, crushed
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder

In a small skillet, cook onion in the margarine until very soft, put a lid on the pan if onion starts to brown too much.

Meanwhile bring tomato juice and broth to a simmer in medium saucepan. When onion is very soft and somewhat browned, add to saucepan and broth. Add brown sugar, cookies, vinegar and onion powder. Simmer on medium, stirring with wire whisk frequently, until cookies have dissolved and thickened sauce. (If you want to run through a blender at this point, for a smoother gravy, that's your choice - it's good either way).
Pour over 'Schnitzel' or German veggie-meaty item of your choice...

EXTRA GOOD Crispy-Rice-Cereal-Bars

The lovely people at Chicago Soy Dairy recently sent me TWO packages of their lovely Dandies vegan Marshmallows to experiment with. My kids were overjoyed, as they LOVE all things "marshmallow-y" and probably feel more deprived over the lack of marshmallow-y goodness in their diet than most kids would over a cheeseburger.

I have to admit (sorry Dandies) that I was never a fan of any type of marshmallows, so the only thing I had ever done with them was make Rice Krispies Treats^tm or S'mores for my kids. And a lack of good vegan marshmallows never seemed to be a problem for me. (Apparently I was very, VERY wrong!!)
Nevertheless, I was more than willing to make use of these babies to give all the marshmallow-lovers out there yet one more wonderful way to enjoy vegan marshmallow-y-ness - including my kids and their slightly warped palates.

Let me say, these little gems delivered in both taste AND texture. My kids were perfectly happy and insisted the Dandies were JUST as good (obviously better, since they're animal free, right?) as the gelatin-filled, jet-puffed counterparts. And cooking with them seemed just the same, no weird vegan-only directions needed to conjure up a quick gooey, sticky marshmallow-based snackky things!

The first bag was immediately made into the standard Rice Krispies Treats^tm that we all know and love. And devoured just as quickly. No pictures taken, I suppose I could show you the empty pan, virtually licked clean by several teenagers and their friends...

The second bag, I determined to make something a little more "original' than your standard back-of-the-box Rice Cereal Treat. I have to admit, my treats still have similarities to the original, because just as I pulled out the whole grains, nuts and dried fruits, my kids squawked that they wanted MORE marshmallow-y Rice Krispie Treats^tm treats, so we compromised. Just a bit. I am pretty sure health-conscious parents AND marshmallow-cereal-bar fans alike will be happy with the end result!!

EXTRA GOOD "Marshmallow" Rice Cereal Treats

* 1/3 cup REAL maple syrup
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
* 4 cups Chicago Soy Dairy's DANDIES Vegan Marshmallows
* 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
* 1/2 teaspoon maple-flavored extract
* 5 cups Crispy Rice Cereal of your choice
* 1 cup granola
* 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
* 1/2 cup chopped dried apricot
* 1 cup chopped or sliced almonds

Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or oil, and set aside.
In a large saucepan set over low heat cook the maple syrup and coconut oil until melted and bubbly.
Add the marshmallows, extract and nut butter and cook, stirring often, until melted.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring until combined and well coated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press into place with a large square of wax paper or a buttered spatula.
Cool completely. Cut into desired size bars.
Store in covered containers between layers of wax paper in the fridge or a very cool room (like the garage).

Simple Autumn Cabbage Soup

I was visiting my parents this weekend and they have the most lovely garden.
Sadly, most vegetables are 'over' for the season, but I still came home happily loaded down with cabbage, onions, potatoes and carrots.

Probably due to my German Grandma's cooking influence, I tend to LOVE cabbage in soup especially, and this invention of mine is VERY simple, fast, easy and perfect for fall.

Add some seitan/gluten "beef" chunks if you want it a bit more hearty, but it's good either way.

Simple Autumn Cabbage Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped coarse
2 cups sliced sliced carrots
3 - 4 cubed white potatoes, I like the "waxy' white potatoes but any kind works, even half sweet potato and half white
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups liquid, I use mostly vegetable broth with about a cup of wine added
1 medium head cabbage, chopped coarsely
OPTIONAL: 2 cups seitan/gluten "beef chunks (like gardein or Morning Star Farms) browned in oil in a skillet
1/2 tsp. dill
few shakes Tabasco or other hot sauce
salt & pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large stock pot, add carrots, onions and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes.
Add liquid, bring to a boil, add potatoes and cook till almost tender.
Add cabbage, dill and Tabasco. (add "beef" chunks here too, if using).
Bring the soup back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley and serve.

Also good garnished with (vegan) sour cream!

Cheap, Fast , Easy TVP Vegan Tacos

This taco filling is made with TVP, also known as Textured Vegetable Protein. We buy the stuff dry in 25# bags for only pennies a pound - one bag easily lasts over a year (I keep it in the freezer).

Reconstituted, it has a texture sort-of like ground beef and you can flavor it however you'd like. If you've never tried it, it's easy and pretty much fool-proof. You can purchase TVP in plain, tannish, unflavored crumbles, or in dark brown "beef" or "sausage" flavors. I always use the plain, unflavored, so vary the seasonings here according to what you have.

These tacos are one of our weeknight staples; fast, easy, cheap and my kids love them! For even more of a short-cut, leave the onions and peppers out, dump in a cup of salsa instead and serve over chips as a "Mexican Sloppy Joe" sort of thing.

Fast, Easy, TVP Taco Filling

• 2 cups plain, unflavored TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup tomato juice, V8 juice or watered down tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp olive oil or margarine (for some reason, I prefer margarine here)
• 1 package or 3 Tbsp. your favorite taco seasoning/spice blend (I buy mine bulk and it's spicy but not overly salty, you may need to adjust to your preferences)
• 1 green, red or yellow bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 jalapeno, finely minced (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 1/2 can corn, drained (optional)
  
• 1/2 can black beans, rinsed (optional)
  
• flour tortillas or taco shells

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat the water, juice, soy sauce, ketchup over medium heat to almost boiling.
Add the dry TVP granules, stirring well. Turn off heat and cover. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 5 - 7 minutes. If any liquid is left, you can drain it off.

Turn heat back to medium, add oil, then peppers, onions and taco seasoning, stirring well. Allow to cook for another 5 - 7 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables soften and cook, and taco "meat" begins to dry out and clump and even stick to the pan a bit. Add optional corn and beans if you want them in the taco meat mixture (or just add to the taco later). Stir around to warm slightly.

Serve wrapped in a flour tortilla or hard taco shells with all the trimmings. We like our tacos piled high with "extras", it varies depending on what time, budget and the garden allow; favorites include avocados, onions, romaine, black beans, corn, sliced olives, shredded cabbage, cucumbers, vegan cheese and especially the heirloom tomatoes and cilantro that our garden is full of right now!