You guys aren’t still juice fasting and new year’s detoxing, are you? Good. I made biscuits with sausage and gravy. Remember this tasty black chickpea magic? Today it has transformed itself into the most delicious (vegan!) sausage patties. This stuff is so good. It begins with a blend of spices and herbs – cumin seeds, hot chilis, fresh parsley and ginger. Next up, smokey sauces – worcestershire, tamari and liquid smoke. Then a simple wave of your magic wand/food processor to bring it all together. Seriously, the hardest part is waiting for the bean-soaking fairy to come the night before. The mushroom gravy is a recipe staple. My mom has been making it since we were kids. It’s nice with potatoes, pasta or a hearty crust of bread. January is made for warm belly meals and snuggling. Have a good weekend my friends!
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Step 1
Grind up the onion, garlic, cilantro, ginger, spicy chilis, spices and salt in your food processor.
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Step 2
Next add the soaked and drained black chickpeas and the smokey sauces – process until you start to see the crumbs really sticking together.
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Step 3
Get your frying pan ready with high heat oil. Form patties with your hands. Fry until golden brown – a few minutes per side.
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Step 4
Clean the mushrooms with a dry cloth. Chop them up.
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Step 5
For the mushroom gravy start by sautéing onions with a bit of olive oil and butter until fragrant. Add the chopped mushrooms, spices and salt and sauté some more.
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Step 6
Add the flour to the pot and really let that get all toasty before adding your liquids. Stir and sauté some more with the flour coating the mushrooms and onions and thickening the whole thing up. Next, slowly add the liquids, stirring well to avoid clumps. Let this simmer for a while.
Ingredients for the Spicy Chickpea Patties
1 cup black chickpeas, soaked overnight
half an onion
1 garlic clove
1 inch fresh ginger
2 spicy green thai chilis
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 handful fresh cilantro or parsley
2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tamari or good quality soy sauce
dash of liquid smoke (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
grape seed oil for frying
Ingredients for the Mushroom Gravy
20 ounces mushrooms
half an onion
1/2 cup milk
1/2 vegetable broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
fresh ground pepper
parsley for garnish
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ingredients for the Kefir Salad Dressing
1/4 cup kefir
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 shallot
generous pinch of salt
fresh pepper
Directions
Grind up the onion, garlic, cilantro, ginger, spicy chilis, spices and salt in your food processor. Next add the soaked and drained black chickpeas and the smokey sauces – process until you start to see the crumbs really sticking together. Get your frying pan ready with high heat oil. Form patties with your hands. Fry until golden brown – a few minutes per side.
For the mushroom gravy start by sautéing onions with a bit of olive oil and butter until fragrant. Add the chopped mushrooms, spices and salt and sauté some more. Add the flour to the pot and really let that get all toasty before adding your liquids. Stir and sauté some more with the flour coating the mushrooms and onions and thickening the whole thing up. Next, slowly add the liquids, stirring well to avoid clumps. Let this simmer for a while. Taste for salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.
For the salad dressing just chop up the shallot and whisk all the ingredients together. Serve with your favorite greens.
Notes
Biscuit recipe can be found in this book. These were the ‘quick and easy cream biscuits’. No butter – just cream and so easy and delicious.
Black chickpeas can be found at your local ethnic foods market or online.