Biscuits & Gravy

Photo by Steve Legato

I want to share a couple of recipes with you from Vegan Diner. It’s the ultimate in diner-style comfort food. Biscuits and gravy! Sometimes nothing hits the spot like some good-ol’ comfort food. So here you go!

Biscuits & Gravy
These two recipes are from my recently released cookbook, Vegan Diner.
Make these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Serves 2

For the Fluffy Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) shortening, chilled
3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut shortening into the flour, until it becomes sandy-textured and has little bits of shortening the size of small peas. Add soymilk and stir just until the dough comes together. It should be a little sticky.
3. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a mound about 1-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter (or an upside-down glass), cut out 6 biscuits. Make sure not to twist the cutter or glass, just press straight down.
4. Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet about one-inch apart. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Halve warm biscuits, and serve topped with Creamy Sage Gravy.

Perfect for pairing with fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits, this gravy is utlra-comforting.

Creamy Sage Gravy
This recipe is from my new book, Vegan Diner. Top all your biscuits with this rich, homey gravy.
Serves 2

What You Need:

1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cups plain unsweetened soymilk
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

1. In a large saucepan, whisk together flour and nutritional yeast. Whisk in soymilk until the mixture is very smooth and there are no lumps. Whisk in sage and onion. Add salt, black pepper, and white pepper to taste.
2. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and whisking continuously, bring to a simmer. Whisk in margarine. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue whisking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the gravy is thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

Adapted from VEGAN DINER, by Julie Hasson, 2011, Running Press.