Sunday, January 29, 2012

Mushroom Gravy, G's Birthday and a Contest

G's birthday was a few days ago, and once again, I made it through that sketchy period, where for two weeks I'm too old for him.  Whew!  As usual, he asked for a very simple birthday dinner - no fuss, no muss.  Everything he requested, I made for him.  I wasn't thinking in terms of posting any recipes, so I didn't take a clear shot of the gravy.  I wish I had taken a picture of it in a ladle or in a gravy boat, but eh, I didn't think about it.  But, looking at the roasted potatoes, you kind of get the idea.  It's an easy, yummy gravy, chock full of mushrooms, really!

G's birthday dinner (my) plate: Roasted potatoes with Mushroom Gravy, Boca Chik patties, green, purple and orange cauliflower.  (He asked for a vegetable medley, and I thought this looked colorful.)  On G's plate, his gravy was on his patties, too.  The boy wanted gravy!  The lighting isn't too great in this picture to show off everything as good as it was.

G's birthday lunch was at our usual go-to place for either his or my birthday.  Queen Sheba's has an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet during the week, so it's really cost-effective with five hungry mouths.  Since he works from home on Friday's, we took his lunch a day early.  Their information is: 1704 Broadway, Sacramento, ph: 916-446-1223, www.queenshebas.com .

G's birthday cake.  He told me he wanted it in Captain America colors, JK's favorite superhero of the minute, so it's a white cake with cherry and blueberry filling.  This was a hit with everyone, even my mom, who isn't crazy about sweets.

Slice of same cake.  The true color of the cake is actually reflected in the picture of the whole cake.  Again, the lighting wasn't the greatest on my table.

 
 
Also, someone nominated me to be one of the top 25 veggie mom bloggers at Circle of Moms.  I'm not one normally for self-promotion, and I'm a bit shy, but G goaded me on to accept this.  So, if you want to vote for me, you can do so once a day until February 14th.  I don't have Facebook or Twitter or MySpace to my advantage, just you, my wonderful, kind, insightful readers.  This blog is my only venture into the cyber world beyond my e-mail.  Thank you in advance!  And thank you to whomever nominated me.  :-)

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced small
8 to 10 button mushrooms, chopped small
6 Tbs. vegan margarine
4 Tbs. flour
3 cups of vegetable broth
2 Tbs. soy sauce
5 to 7 drops of liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat oil on medium heat.  When hot, add the onion and cook for ten minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes more, stirring frequently.  Move the onions and mushrooms to one side of the pan, and add the margarine on the other side.  Let it melt.  Add the flour to the margarine, and either whisk the two together or use a fork to blend them into a kind of paste.  Add the broth to the paste while continue to whisk.  It's okay if some of the onions and mushrooms sneak on over and blend in.  When all the broth is added, the whole pot of ingredients will be mixed together.  Add the remaining ingredients, and continue to stir gently with whisk until gravy comes to a boil.  It will thicken very rapidly at this point.  If it's too thick, you can add a touch more broth.  Serve hot over roasted potatoes, or anything else you like.  If the leftover gravy congeals overnight in the refrigerator, simply warm up with a little extra water, and it's good as new.  Feeds five hungry vegans and a couple of guests.

9 comments:

  1. Oh I just made a mushroom gravy pretty similar to this one last night and (my) G loooved it. The cake looks quite juicy!
    Congratulations on the nomination and Happy Birthday to (your) G.

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  2. That cake looks divine :)
    Good luck with the award!

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  3. Lately I have been craving some good vegan gravy! Thanks for the recipe, I'll definitely have to try it :)

    Happy birthday to G and congratulations to you!

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  4. You guys do birthdays right! It all looks so good; the cake is gorgeous. Good luck on the award! I saw you there when I went to vote for Dreamin' it Vegan...I didn't know you had been nominated too! I voted for both of you! :D

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  5. Fantastic looking food. Love the humongous portions. Never saw a cake like that before. No little plastic men wading through the icing towards the birthday boy/man?

    I voted for you and then noticed Jenny and a few other bloggers I recognized as well. The competition looks intense. What's to keep someone from just voting for themself a thousand times (hint hint)?

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  6. I'm a big fan of both roasted potatoes and mushroom gravy, though I can't say I've ever had them together. But, why not? I think it sounds like a great idea!

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  7. FF, for some reason I can't picture you and gravy going together. I'm so wrong! I'd love to see your version.

    Claire, thank you on both points. :-)

    Paulina, it's so easy, I think you'll like it.

    Rose, thanks, the cake was so good. I appreciate the vote, and I can sympathize with you seeing two bloggie friends in the same competition. :-) There's lots of room for multiple winners. :-)

    Millie, sorry, it was gone the next day!

    S.V., I certainly pile on when we go to Queen Sheba's. It's nice because since we don't eat there that often, it's a special treat, and all of us pig out. The cake was totally up to the imagination of the two males in the house. It turned out so delicious. I'm just going to tweak the filling and post the recipe. As far as the competition, there's lots of room, so no worries.

    Andrea, I've never had the combination before, either, but it was all G's idea, so I did it. It actually turned out pretty tasty. Who would've thought?

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  8. Best phreaking gravy... I made this without the liquid smoke and it was fine... thanks for the recipe!

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