Instant Gravy Mix (Vegan)

 

Make sure you make up a large jar of this mix. 
It makes great instant gravy!

Here is the gravy made with the Instant Gravy Mix
served over boiled potatoes I mashed. 

Here you see mashed potatoes
(just boiled potatoes mashed up...no milk or butter or salt);
Crispy Air-Fyer Tofu;
and a green salad with a drizzle of Homemade Yum Sauce.

Recipe from High Carb Hannah

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

After having made this and tasted it on mashed potatoes, I wish I had made even more mix for future dinners.  So, if I were you, I'd go ahead and double or triple the recipe for the mix.  Then you'll always have gravy at the ready!  My husband said, "This is magic!"  I agreed.  This was scrumptious.  Make the mix up and store it in an airtight jar in your pantry.  Then when you wish to make gravy, scoop out a bit of the mix and add water and soy sauce (directions below the recipe) and voila! You have gravy!

Instant Gravy Mix

4 Tablespoons flour (substitute arrow root powder for gluten free)

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon mushroom powder OR poultry seasoning (I used Trader Joe's Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend, which includes dried mushrooms plus other herbs & spices.)

To Make the Gravy:

Add 2 Tablespoons Instant Gravy Mix to a small saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup water and 2 Tablespoons soy sauce.  Whisk together until smooth.  Turn on the heat to medium and stir constantly.  (You can add more water until you get the consistency you like.) When the mixture comes to a simmer, it will begin to thicken.  When it looks like the consistency you like, remove from the heat and serve.  

*To make a more salty gravy, you can add more soy sauce.  To make a smokey gravy, you can add a little liquid smoke.

Cashew Cheese Sauce (Vegan)

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Recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes about 1 cup sauce

Other than soaking the cashews overnight, this recipe takes just minutes to make.  You will be amazed at how “velvety cheesy” this vegan sauce tastes.  This is the sauce that holds Broccoli & Cashew Cheese Burritos together.  It’s also fabulous drizzled atop nachos (pictured above) made with whole-grain tortilla chips, Pinto Bean Taco filling, fresh corn kernels, black olives, chunks of avocado, minced red onion, you’re your favorite salsa. Use this sauce for anything that requires a creamy, cheesy sauce. 

¾ cup raw cashews

1 clove garlic

½ cup unsweetened almond milk

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice

¼ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

Place the cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover.  Soak the cashews for at least 3 or 4 hours, preferably overnight.  Drain and rinse the cashews.

Place all the ingredients in the order listed in a food processor or high powered blender.  Process until smooth.  The sauce should be thick, almost like a light cake batter.

Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Recipe from  http://www.100daysofrealfood.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4-6

For those who love the slow cooker, this is an easy and tasty way to cook a whole chicken.  The meat will be fork tender, perfect for eating as is with a sauce or to use for soups, salads or casseroles. 

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon garlic powder (I used 1 whole garlic clove, minced.)

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 onion

1 large chicken (2 ½ to 4 pounds)

2 Tablespoons flour (for sauce)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

This is all you'll need to make a tender, flavorful chicken.

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.  

Make an extra batch of spices for another time.

Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker and cover it.  

Turn the slow cooker on high. There is no need to add any liquid. Cook on high for 4 – 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone.   

Carefully put the chicken on a platter and then make the sauce. To make a sauce, remove the onions from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon.  Set aside to eat or discard.  Pour the liquid into a gravy separator.  Let the fat rise to the top.  

Carefully spoon out 2 Tablespoons of the fat and put in a saucepan over medium heat.  Sprinkle the fat with 2 Tablespoons flour. Whisk to blend.  Cook, whisking, for about 1 minute.  Slowly pour the drippings (not the fat) into the saucepan, whisking all the while.  Cook until the sauce thickens a bit.  Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.  Serve with the chicken.  

Note:  If you don’t have a gravy separator, pour the liquid in a large glass jar and use a turkey baster to suck out the drippings from the bottom of the jar until the fat is all that’s left in the jar.

Here is the chicken and sauce served with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, lima beans and a simple salad.  Yum!!