vegetarian "gravy"

[mamabeard]

mmm mmm mmM!

so i was really hungry today and was downtown looking for a place to eat. for some reason i had a feeling to go into a place called, i think, michel's smoked meat sandwhiches, even tho i'm vegetarian. i asked if they had vegetarian sandwhiches, and was told it consisted only of lettuce, tomato, carrots and celery (hmm, no thanks, a little too weird for even me).. so i was about to leave, and the woman said they had poutine with vegetarian gravy made from veggies and spices!! yum!

i asked her for the recipe, but it was a secret.. so does anyone here have a clue what's in this stuff?

[jessikate]

Well, meat gravy is usually made with a roux (equal parts fat & flour) and pan drippings or stock. I'd figure you could make a veggie gravy in a similar way.

A place in my hometown makes a biscuits and gravy dish to die for: herb biscuits and portabella mushroom gravy. I think they do the following: cook finely diced mushrooms in butter (I'd use butter, anyhow. You use whatever fat you like) until they've given up their liquid and start to brown a little. Add a bit more fat if necessary and sprinkle a tablespoon or so of flour over everything. Stir it to make a paste of fat and flour and cook for a couple minutes to get the starch flavor out. Next, slowly whisk in some flavorful veggie stock until you've got a texture you like. Season with salt and pepper, eat.

I think mushrooms are great in vegetarian gravy. And come to think of it, our co-op sells a vegetarian gravy mix in packets, I think it's made by Hain. So that's an option if you prefer.

[seraph]

veggie gravy

Here's my favorite veggie gravy recipe, with the dairy version first and the vegan version in parentheses:

In a saucepan, slightly brown 2 Tbsp butter (soy margarine, careful not to burn it). Add 2 Tbsp flour and stir together until smooth. Add 2 cups milk (unsweetened unflavored soy milk) or you can use a cup of milk (soy) and a cup of water or homemade veggie broth if you want it to be a bit thinner. Turn the heat to medium and add 1 Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable bouillon cube (I'm not entirely sure if these are vegan - I've had one person tell me they were fine for vegans and one who said they had dairy in them. Read the label carefully, but you can substitute any kind of veggie bouillon, just use whatever the ratio to 2 c water is.) and 1 Tbsp (or more, if you like it) nutritional yeast. Whisk on medium just until the mixture comes to a boil and remove from heat. This is a very thick roux gravy, so use water and less flour if you prefer it thinner. Yum! You can also add all kinds of things to it - sometimes I saute some mushrooms or some onions first, I've had it with cashew "milk" and that was kind of weird but good, you can also add Braggs or tamari if you like it saltier or in place of the bouillon cube for a different flavor.
I'm an omnivore these days, but I was a vegetarian for a long time and that's how I learned to cook. One of my favorite things is a tofu pot pie made with veggies, tofu, and this gravy. mmm!

[mamabeard]

thankyou so much! these sound really yummy.. i'm eager to try them both out. the funny thing is, back when i ate meat, i never really liked gravy, but right before i became vegetarian i had my first (and only) poutine, and loved it.. and would get lustful longings whenever i see someone indulging. now, if only someone would invent vegetarian dry ribs!

[santosha]

what are dry ribs?

we cop out when it comes to vegetarian gravy- i am all about those hains packages! rip, stir with water and viola! gravy! tasty too.

[Viola]

I've heard that lima bean gravy is good, but I haven't tried it. There is a recipe in the Voluptuous Vegan cookbook. And the Vegan Vittles cookbook has recipes for roasted garlic, golden, rich brown, and mushroom gravies.