Fluffy vegan drop biscuits - for when you want that craggy dough with lots of crunch on the outside
I'm not a vegan. I secretly wish I was. I haven't found the discipline yet to completely walk away from dairy products, honey and fish. And Bacon. LoL. Fine. I'm not even close to a vegan, but I find myself moving towards a vegetarian lifestyle and eventually a vegan diet.
Aside from all the socially conscious reasons that support Veganism, my body craves vegetables and I find my digestion is happier and healthier eating less meat. So I made the decision to just incorporate at least a couple vegan meals a week, and at least one vegetarian meal (or more) a day.
So... back to this recipe. This gravy - is made with cauliflower. Its basically the same as my Vegan alfredo sauce, which, when served on fettuccini - I swear to god you wouldn't miss the heavy cream. You DO need tohave a Vitamix to get the silky mouthfeel. I made this batch in the food processor and wasn't as happy with the texture, but it will do in a pinch.
Vegan Drop Biscuits & Gravy
by Chef Heather Mader
For the White Sauce:
1 small head cauliflower, broken into flowerettes and stem chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
1 tbsp white miso
1 heaping tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp Franks Red Hot sauce
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
sea salt
pinch of sugar
white pepper & black pepper
dash of nutmeg
Vegetable broth or plant milk to thin gravy
For the Gravy:
2 tbsp cultured Vegan Butter (Miyoko's is awesome) or Earth Balance
12 oz brown button mushrooms, chopped
2 stalks celery, minced
2 carrots, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
dash of sage
sea salt & pepper
A few dashes Franks Red Hot
Drop Biscuits:
Your favorite vegan biscuit mix substitute Earth Balance or Miyoko's for butter, and plant milk for buttermilk. I use Bob's RedMill Gluten Free Biscuit Mix and bake according to package directions.
Steam cauliflower and place in a Vitamix. Add onion through nutmeg, and add enough vegetable broth to blend into a thicker style "gravy" and make sure it is very silky. Set aside.
In a heavy dutch oven, brown the mushrooms through onion in vegan butter until golden brown. Stir in the cauliflower mixture, season with sage, salt and pepper and Franks Red hot sauce and simmer over medium to low heat, covered, stirring occasionally and adding veggie broth if needed to thin the gravy.
Taste! Taste and adjust seasonings for salt and pepper and depth of flavor and cook until all vegetables are soft. Pour over hot, split biscuits and garnish with fresh herbs or an egg. :)