Before I found my joyful vegan groove, I used to love traditional Southern biscuits-and-gravy. So whenever I have time to tinker up an indulgent late breakfast or family brunch, this gravy always appears on the menu. It tickles my taste buds and makes me sigh with happiness — and with no need to chop anyone up (except maybe the biscuit)!
Ingredients
- 1 package Sausage-Style Gimme Lean (or 2 cups cubed homemade vegan sausage)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup soy milk (or other nondairy milk)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
Directions
Slice or crumble the vegan sausage into 1/2″ cubes. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown sausage cubes until golden brown on all sides, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile place all other ingredients in blender container, and blend for 5 seconds to combine well.
When sausage is browned, add liquid mixture from the blender. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the gravy thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat, and serve over vegan biscuits, toasted ciabatta bread pieces, or hash browns.
Production Notes
Vegan on the Cheap offers a great vegan sausage recipe, as does Isa Chandra Moskowitz at Post Punk Kitchen. If you have the inclination, definitely try making your own! It’s not too hard or time consuming, and you’ll reap the benefits of best flavor, less expense, and less packaging waste.
Fennel seeds are part of what makes sausage taste like sausage (vegan or otherwise). I buy the whole seeds, since they keep longer without losing their flavor. I grind a tablespoon or so at a time, for sausage or stuffing or other recipes, and store the ground fennel in repurposed empty spice or baby food jars.
Feel free to tweak the spices to your own taste — for spice-fiends like myself, it may need another shake or two of both pepper and smoke flavoring. You can also add another splash of soy milk if you like a less-thick gravy.
Enjoy!
Image by the author, all rights reserved.