Category Archives: Dressings, Sauces & Toppings

Addictive Vegan Gravy

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Nom nom nom! This vegan gravy is so good you will want to put it on everything. Every person who has tried this is hooked including non-vegetarians.

Do you remember that friends episode where Ross’s turkey and gravy sandwich was eaten by a coworker and he lost his cool, resulting in him loosing his job…well this gravy would make you react the same way if someone took your Tofurkey gravy sandwich. So beware!

vegan gravyIngredients:
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cubes garlic or 2 garlic cloves diced
- 1 small white onion, diced (if medium use 1/2 of it)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Red Star Nutritional Yeast
- 1/4 cup flour (or less)
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup water

Servings: 8

Prep Time:
2 Mins		 Cook Time:
15 Mins		 Total Time:
17 Mins

Directions:

Dice the onion. Pour the oil into 2qt saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Heat the pan on medium and stir constantly until the onion turns translucent. This should take about 8 minutes. Be careful not to burn the onion. If needed lower the heat.

step 1

While this is going on in a separate pot dilute the 3/4 vegetable stock with the 3/4 water. Bring it to a cook boil. Remove from heat.

Returning to the saucepan, once the onion is translucent, reduce the heat to low and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon stir until it turns into a thick paste. Add the soy sauce. Stir.

Next add 1 cup of the water/stock mixture. Stir well. If you think the gravy is too thick, add the addition 1/2 cup of the water/stock mixture. I prefer it this way, as I do not like my gravy uber thick.

The last step is add the nutritional yeast. If you haven’t used nutritional yeast before it can be found at any Whole Foods. Add the nutritional yeast and stir well.

add nutritional yeast

Then let it heat for about 4-5 minutes while stirring, and then you are done!

gravy final

Note that the gravy thickens when not hot. This is more than fine. Simply reheat in the saucepan on the stove and stir. It will return to the same smooth consistency.

vegan gravy

Tips:
- Elevate a potato with local fresh veggies topped with this gravy
- In the mood for comfort food? Make “Disco Fries!” Fries smothered in cheese and gravy
- Instead of condiments, add this to your favorite sandwich
- Throwing a party? Add this as a dipping sauce option to your spread

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Walnut Kale Pesto

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A few weeks a go a coworker of mine who has been following my food budget challenge came across a recipe for kale pesto & knew it was a “must create” for me. I’m a huge fan of kale (kale chips – nom nom!) and was curious as to how this would taste. Well to my delight, delicioso!

So you may ask why Kale is all the rage these days and no longer just the garnish we put on platters? Well it’s because it is a the superstar of the vegetables. A cup of kale has 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. Holy vitamin K! Vitamin K helps reduce the risk of cancer. Kale is also a good source of copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Kale also lowers cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. So in short, I’m glad Kale is now all the rage and excited for this new way to incorporate this superstar veggie into my diet.

I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe from The Full Plate Blog as I wanted a touch of acid and heat in mine. And for the best part…this recipe is fool proof and ready in a snap!Walnut Kale Pesto

Ingredients:
- 3 tsp chopped garlic (4-5 cloves garlic)
- 1 lime or lemon squeezed
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lb kale (1 large bundle)
- 1/2 cup walnuts

Makes: 1 serving

Prep Time:
5 Mins		 Cook Time:
3 Mins		 Total Time:
8 Mins

Directions:

Remove the leafy part of the kale from the stem. The stem is too tough to eat.

Remove leaf from Stems

Squeeze out the juice from the lime or lemon into a food processor. Add the oil, garlic, salt, walnuts, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 of the kale. Blend. Then add the rest of the kale. You are done!

Walnut Kale Pesto

I served it over whole wheat pasta with broccoli.

Pesto Pasta

Tip:

  • If your a big fan of basil pesto, you can add about 5 leaves of basil to this
  • Mix is up for a BBQ. Make a Caprisi platter (mozzarella and tomato) and drizzle this pesto on top.

Baked Chickpeas

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Add some crunch to your salad with these baked chickpeas. These chickpeas will give you the protein you need and also add a bit of heat to any salad. This is a Claire Robinson Food Network recipe.

Chickpeas BakedIngredients:
- 1 cup dried chickpeas (2 cups cooked)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked or spicy paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- kosher salt

Makes: 5 servings

Prep Time:
2 Mins		 Cook Time:
40 Mins		 Total Time:
42 Mins

Directions:

**If using dried chickpeas see my post on how to cook them. The dried chickpeas must be soaked and boiled before completing this recipe.

Combine the oil and spices in a large bowl.

spices in bowl

Then add chickpeas and toss until evenly coated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the chickpeas out in an even layer. Bake until crispy at 400 degrees, about 40 minutes. I used a spatula to toss the chickpeas around at the 20min point. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.

Chickpeas Baked

Serve over salad.

Chickpeas over salad.

Tip:

  • Another great way to serve these is over warm hummus. Warm the hummus in the over, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Then put a 1/2 cup of these chickpeas (warm as well) in the center. Serve with pita.

Miso-Ginger Dressing

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I could eat this dressing with a spoon! Ginger has positive effects on digestion and is also an antiseptic. Miso is recommended for vegans to eat because it is high in protein, iron, vitamin K, and B12.

Miso Ginger DressingIngredients:
4.5oz chopped/diced ginger (i use the diced in the glass jar)
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp red miso paste
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp ketchup (I use heinz)
1 tsp soy sauce*
*If you are gluten free make sure you purchase a soy sauce without wheat

Directions:
Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend for no more than 1-2 minutes and done! Oddly it is the ketchup thats the key to giving it the “orange” color and that tangy, sweetness. This keeps for up to 1 week.