Biscuits & Gravy
In the early 80’s, two life changing events happened almost simultaneously. Tom Cruise had his breakout role in Risky Business, and I spent the night with a buddy up the street. The first makes sense although some may argue Mr. Cruise’s performance in the Outsiders catapulted him to superstardom. The second is a bit more obscure. However, my buddy had cable television, and on that night, he had figured out how to unlock the parental block on the cable box. While his parents were out playing bridge, we spent four glorious hours watching R-rated television.
Now, you are probably asking, “was your 4 hour HBO-athon really life changing, Bob?” Actually, “NO” is the answer. But, as a sheltered child of the catholic educational system, this newly minted teenager got his first glimpse of things I had only heard or read about: prostitution, sex, nudity, drugs, alcohol, wild parties, and fast cars. Ironically that night, it was Mr. Cruise’s breakout performance that provided me a secondary education if you will. And it was his iconic line that provides the inspiration for my next delicious vegan recipe: BISCUITS AND GRAVY.
You see, to paraphrase and keep this blog “G” rated, Mr. Cruise states in Risky Business, “Sometimes you just gotta say, what the Heck.” Because that is what you need to do tonight. Sure, eating vegan is healthy, but occasionally, you need old-fashioned comfort food. Say “what the heck,” and put away the kale, the sprouts, and the wheat grass. Cash in your savings bond at the bank and head to the store to pick up the ingredients below. You won’t be sorry. Just make sure you leave dad’s Porsche in the garage.
Gluten Free / Soy Free
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
- 1 Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 Cup Cooked Lentils
- ½ Cup Rolled Oats
- ¼ Cup Gluten Free Flour
- ½ Tsp Fennel Seed (ground)
- 1 Tsp Dried Sage
- ¼ Tsp Dried Thyme
- ¼ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ Tsp Onion Powder
- Dash of Smoked Paprika
- Salt & Pepper to your taste
- ½ Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 Tbs Shallots (minced or grated)
- 1 Tsp Dried Sage
- ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
- 3 Cups Almond Milk
- ¼ Cup Potato Starch
- Salt & Pepper to your taste
- 2 ½ Cups Gluten Free AP Flour
- 1 Tsp Sugar
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 ¼ Cups Almond Milk
- 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Vegan Butter (melted)
- 2 Egg Replacer Eggs
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Preheat you oven to 400 degrees. Begin making the sausages by rehydrating the TVP. Just heat the broth in a microwave safe dish on high for 3-4 minutes or until boiling. In a large mixing bowl, pour the broth over the TVP and mix to combine. As for the cooked lentils, I had some left overs which I re-purposed. Otherwise, cook them per the directions on the package or buy some pre-cooked lentils. They are easy to find. Add the lentils, oats, flour, and spices and mix to combine. Season to your taste with salt and pepper, then leave the mix alone for 5 minutes. This allows the oats and flour to absorb all the remaining liquid so the sausages stick together. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop out the sausage mix and form them into patties. This will ensure you have even sized patties. Place the patties on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them for 12-13 minutes, flip, and bake for another 12-13 minutes or until they are nicely browned and crispy on the outside. This recipe makes 12-14 patties. Double the recipe and freeze the remaining patties as they are awesome in a breakfast sandwich or alongside a tofu scramble.
While the sausages bake, make the biscuits. Don’t worry if you are not a baker. This recipe is easy and even I can pull off this one. Measure out the almond milk (rice milk works as well if you have nut allergies) and add in the vinegar. Set this aside to let the vinegar curdle the milk (vegan buttermilk, my friends). Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish for about a minute on high. Follow the directions on the box for the egg replacer. Mix the faux egg and butter into the buttermilk. Pour the liquid mix into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. You should have a nice thick batter similar to pancake batter. Leave the batter alone for three minutes as this allows the baking powder and soda time to create air bubbles. Spoon out the batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet into 6-8 even mounds. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they begin to brown. These are gluten-free biscuits so they will not get completely browned all over. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
**Feel free to double the above recipe as the biscuits freeze well
**BTW this recipe works great with AP flour and even whole wheat pastry flour if Gluten isn’t an issue
Now for the best part, in my opinion, the gravy. In a medium sauce pan, cook the shallots over medium heat in the vegetable broth for 3-5minutes. You want the shallots to soften and most of the liquid to evaporate. Now add in the sage and thyme. While the shallots cook, whisk the potato starch into the almond milk making sure you have no clumps. Reduce the heat to low and add the milk to you sauce pan. Whisking often to eliminate any clumps, slowly cook the milk until it thickens (about 4-6 minutes). The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become. I like my gravy nice and creamy (think ranch dressing) so I cooked mine for the full 6 minutes. Season to your taste with salt and plenty of pepper.
http://www.grassfedcarnivore.com/vegan-biscuits-and-gravy/
Vegan / GF Biscuits
Lentil Sausages
Split the biscuits in half. Top each half with a sausage patty and ladle on the gravy. Don’t be stingy with the gravy because you doubled the above recipe and will have extra biscuits to mop up any remaining liquid. Breakfast, dinner, or a late night snack is ready. Enjoy this recipe without any guilt because sometimes you gotta say “What the Heck!” Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
Leave a Reply