Vegan Thanksgiving Gravy

Use this recipe for bisquits-'n'-gravy or for any other dish that calls for a gravy -- Thanksgiving stuffing, poutine, Salisbury "Steak" made with veggie burgers, etc. It can also be used as a supplement or even substitute for meat gravies. Please note that this gravy, however, is not a low-fat food -- each serving has about 2/3 tablespoon of oil.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3-6 cloves of garlic, squashed and minced very well
2-3 slices of yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons low- or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
extra flour or cornstarch (optional)

Method:

Measure the vegetable oil into a small saucepan. Cook the garlic and onion in it for about two minutes on medium or medium-low heat, until the onion is a bit tender and translucent.

Add the flour, yeast, and soy sauce to make a paste. Add the water gradually, stirring constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil on medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly -- the gravy has to boil for it to thicken. (Grandma always told me to cook gravy for a full five minutes at a boil to make sure you kill the bugs in the flour, but I don't always bother.) Add pepper. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, if desired. Add salt, if desired.

If the gravy is too thin for your taste, add one or two tablespoons of flour or small amounts of cornstarch to thicken it and add home-made-looking lumps. Use a wire whisk to eliminate lumps.

Serve piping hot.

Notes:

This gravy takes about ten minutes to prepare.

Poutine: Stir some chunks of fresh cheddar cheese curds into a serving of hot french fries. Cover with gravy, prepared a bit more thinly than the recipe above (use more water) and without mushrooms. It's impossible to find the truly authentic fromage en grain outside of Québec, but diced Colby or mozzarella works well, even if it won't squeak when bitten into.

Flavor tip for the gravy: take a package of dried shiitake mushrooms and reconstitute them with about a cup and a half of very hot, but not boiling, water. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then strain -- use that mushroom juice plus enough water to make 2 cups of liquid for the recipe.

This gravy refrigerates well. Freezing is not recommended; unused, undesired quantities should be discarded rather than frozen (the ingredients are inexpensive). The cooled gravy re-heats well in the microwave or on the stove.

As shown, recipe makes roughly a quart. Recipe can be halved.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.