Rosemary Mushroom Gravy aka Liquid Divinity (vegan)

So, first off I am not a vegan. I am actively trying to eat way less meat and have in the past year dramatically cleaned up my diet (LOTS of veggies!) This from a gal who, just a little over a year ago smoked hella weed, slept in ’til late afternoon and ate about one meal a day, AND that meal was usually Taco Bell or Pizza Hut (I know, I was gross). I actually prefer vegan cooking and baking, at least when it comes to trying new recipes for the blog. Honestly, it’s more fun for me. It’s more of a challenge. I feel that vegan recipes require a lot more creativity and experimentation. Most of us know that a slab of bacon will flavor all kinds of recipes and that butter makes baked stuff fluffy, but making things delicious without meat is an art form and I feel more accomplished when I pull something off. When I eat meat at home I usually just have protein plus a salad. It’s not that exciting. When my official taste-tester who is basically a carnivore goes nutso after something veggie or vegan that i’ve made, I’m like: oh hell yeah!

So anyway, the holidays are coming up (oh hell yeah!) which makes the kitchen a much more exciting place. One thing I have been wanting to make is a homemade, from scratch gravy. I will be the first to admit, I usually just buy the gravy in a can. I’ve always been way more into making the fancy side dishes, or focusing on a perfect turkey, I didn’t want to waste time making boring ol’ gravy. My desire to make one only really started during a recent trip to Colorado where I had the best biscuits and gravy of my whole damn life (thanks Over Easy, Colorado Springs), and I decided I wanted to see if I could make a vegan biscuits and gravy that hopefully wasn’t gross.

I am very proud of how this gravy came out and it was even better and thicker the next day (when I actually used it for biscuits and gravy). The first day I used it on mashed potatoes. My taste-tester called it “liquid divinity” which I dug.

This was my first test run and I learned a lot about what I would do better next time, which i’ve included in the intructions. For example I mixed in the flour in solo without blending with a little cool water first. Which equaled lumpy gravy.  Soooooo, here’s what to do:

2 cups *lightly* sliced white mushrooms

1 onion well chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, lightly chopped

1/4 cup Chardonnay

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups organic vegetable broth

3 tablespoons organic all purpose flour

3 tablespoons non-dairy butter

3 tablespoons water

salt & pepper to taste

 

In a large skillet, on medium heat lightly brown the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Add fresh rosemary last.

Pour in the Chardonnay and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth and let simmer for 10 more minutes.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and water (should be a thin paste). Add the flour paste and butter to the mushroom mixture and stir for about 5 more minutes. I put a lid on the skillet and let it sit off the heat a while to thicken.

For the vegan biscuits I used this recipe from Minimalist Baker. I love her. http://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-damn-vegan-biscuits/

My taste-tester had the brilliant idea to put the leftover gravy in a mason jar to store in the fridge. It’s times like these when you know exactly why you chose your friends.

Like I mentioned, it’s even better and thicker the next day. Use it on everything. Everything. Not ice-cream though.

xoxoxo

KA