Sweet Potato Biscuits and Vegan Gravy
Happy post-valentines day! If you/you and your loved one/you and that now-empty bottle of vodka woke up needing some comfort, make this!
Now, I'm not a vegan. Not even a full vegetarian. But for some reason, I can't help but be romanced but such concepts of stripping down ingredients to the bare bones and then building them back up with flavor that is not animal fat-related.
But this is a recipe that can be made either completely vegan, or, if you're like me and you don't like soymilk and margarine as substitutes, vegetarian. Everything is a little time consuming, very messy, and extremely worth it.
OH. I almost forgot to mention. DISCLAIMER: This is not my recipe. It comes from I Like Food, Food Tastes Good. and is the creative property of Jackie Musick from Roots of Orchis. This is an awesome book that you should pick up yourself if you a) like music, b) often cook on a budget, c) enjoy unconventional recipes and references to drinking. So as not to confuse anyone as to who wrote what (if you care), my comments will be in bold.
INGREDIENTS: SWEET POTATO BISCUITS
1 medium-sized sweet potato (or two small ones!)
1/4 cup margarine (softened or melted) (I used butter)
3/4 cup soymilk (I used regular milk)
Put a pot of water over high heat. Peel the sweet potato and chop roughly (into cubes!). When water comes to a boil, add the chopped potato and boil until nice and soft - for about 5-8 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift or mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Measure and mix the soy milk and balsamic vinegar.
Add soy milk and vinegar mixture to the dry ingredients along with the margarine and mix together (you may have to knead it all together with yer hands and add a little more flour along the way. You want to end up with a dough that is sticky but not visibly wet).
Strain the potatoes and cool them under a stream of cold water. Then mash them up in a bowl (or use the same pot you boiled 'em in to save dishes).
Fold mashed sweet potatoes into dough using your hands. The dough will become very sticky at this point (no, seriously. REALLY REALLY STICKY. make sure you have a LOT of flour on hand!), so you may want to add just a little bit more flour. (The dough will look kind of chunky, like you mixed carrot bits in. This is totally fine, everything cooks evenly.)
Cover your rolling pin with flour, then roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick on a very well-floured cutting board or counter top (if you don't have a rolling pin, use last night's forty bottle). (Don't work it too much or roll it out too thin - the thicker the dough, the puffier the biscuit.) Using a cookie cutter or a thin drinking glass, cut out yer biscuits and put them on a greased cookie sheet.
Cook for 12-18 minutes or until the bottoms are browned, but not burned.
If you haven't finished yer gravy yet, turn off the oven but leave the biscuits in there so they stay warm.
Makes 6-9 large biscuits. (Or 12 medium-sized ones, depending on your cookie cutter.)
INGREDIENTS: VEGAN VEGETABLE GRAVY
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (also called brewer's yeast) (if you don't know what this is, you can probably find it at your local health food store or co-op market. It's big, yellow, and flaky, and often comes in bulk.)
1/4 cup olive oil and a little bit more
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce (I recommend using a bit less - a whole 1/4 cup makes the end result very salty. I would add about half and then maybe use more later to taste.)
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
A splash of Bragg Liquid Aminos, if you've got it
5-10 cloves garlic (or, if you're NOT insane, 1-2)
cumin (1/2 tsp), tumeric (1/4 tsp), oregano (all to taste), and a very small dash of cayenne pepper and curry powder*.
I also used 1/2 tsp of paprika
1 medium-sized onion (chopped) (I omitted this. Just not a huge onion fan.)
1 small head broccoli (broken into small pieces) (Forgot this one.)
6-8 small white mushrooms, sliced*
1/2 avocado (cut into slices or small cubes)*
In a dry wok or large skillet, brown (but don't burn!) the flour over a medium heat. The flour should change from off-white to a slightly darker golden-brown color. Do this slowly 'cause the flour burns easily and if it does, you'll have to start over. (This is a really weird step. You're going to be staring at that flour, thinking you are going insane. Stir it constantly so everything heats evenly for about 10-15 minutes. It will slowwwwly turn golden brown, and when it does, you will be glad you're not actually losing your mind.)
Remove from heat and mix in nutritional yeast.
Add yer 1/4 cup olive oil and mix well. Resulting mixture should be a brown, crumbly substance that looks kind of like oily dirt-clods (sounds kind of gross, but you'll see what I mean).
Return to a low-medium heat and add water while mixing constantly (if you have a wire whisk, use that) until mixture reaches a desirable consistency (not watery, but not gluey, either). This should take approximately 2 cups of water, but if you add too much, don't worry, just raise the heat a bit and boil off the excess liquid.
Add tamari or soy sauce, vinegar, (Bragg's), and garlic. Bring down to a low heat.
Add spices to taste. I usually use cumin, tumeric, oregano, and lots of black pepper, but anything will do. The sooner you spice this, though, and the longer it sits on the stove, the more flavorful it will be.
Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes, adding water slowly if consistency becomes too thick (you don't have to do this, but it lets the spices set in).
In a separate skillet, saute the chopped onion in a little olive oil until brown. Throw it in the gravy.
Add vegetables, allowing appropriate cooking times for each.
Just before serving, mix in the avocado (if you've got it), adjust the spicing, and add or boil off water to adjust consistency.
Serve over a biscuit in a bowl, on a heap of mashed potatoes, or eat by itself as a meal.
YUM YUM YUM. So warm and puffy and delicious!
*Note: Any kind of vegetables and spices can be used in this gravy. These are just suggestions that I have found to work the best. Obviously, you should use what you like, whatever you've got lying around, or what you were able to Dumpster.
