Vegan Thanksgiving Gravy

Thanksgiving recipes tend to be laden with butter, cream, sugar and animal fat. And not just Thanksgiving – the whole holiday season is known for indulging! During this festive time of year, it can be hard to make healthy choices.

Don’t get me wrong, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I certainly think its a day to indulge more than usual — but lately I’ve been amazed by the healthier alternatives to comfort foods that actually taste wonderful. There are many ways you can create healthier versions of holiday dishes without sacrificing taste! Here’s one to try.

Mushroom Gravy (Vegan)

I found the base for this recipe in Vegetarian Times and I modified it by adding some of my own ingredients.  Results = a savory, satisfying Thanksgiving gravy! Pictures below from Vegetarian Times. In my version, the mushrooms are sliced or chopped much smaller than in the below picture.

Ingredients for Mushroom Gravy:

2 tbs. olive oil

1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/4 lb. baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour (try it with spelt flour or brown rice flour!)

1/2 cup unflavored rice milk

1 cup mushroom stock (or vegetable broth)

4 tbs soy sauce, tamari or bragg’s aminos

1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 a large onion, finely chopped

salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add all mushrooms, onion and garlic – sautee for 5 mins. Stir in flour and remaining tbs olive oil. Reduce heat to low, cook 10 mins or until flour begins to brown (whisking constantly). Browning the flour gives the gravy a nutty flavor.

Whisk in rice milk, mushroom or vegetable stock, soy sauce, dry sherry, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes or until thickened, whisking often. Whisk in more flour slowly as needed for thickening.

Pour over your holiday meal. Happy Thanksgiving!