Have you ever gone out to eat, ordered something and thought…I bet I can make that better?  That happened to me today and of course I felt compelled to recreate and perfect it immediately just to see if I could.

My family received a gift certificate for Christmas to a local veg friendly restaurant that I have been really looking forward to trying.  I subjected myself to an early morning, horrifying, torturous, and completely embarrassing, hour and a half hot yoga class at my favorite studio which is just across the street from the restaurant and arranged for the hubby, kids, and mother to meet me there after class to go to their Sunday brunch buffet.  Nothing compliments a crazy workout like unlimited food, right?  I will say…it was good.  Darn good.  And not to mention so refreshing for me to be able to go somewhere and eat pretty much anything I wanted from the menu…usually unheard of in my case.  We will definitely go back, but that being said…on the menu was vegan biscuits and gravy.  I am not typically even a fan of biscuits and gravy, but since there was a vegan option, I felt inclined to try.  Now, while it wasn’t bad…it wasn’t great, and my mind immediately began racing thinking of all the ways I could try to make it better or really just re-vamp the whole thing altogether.

So naturally, I got home and went to work.  I pretty much force-fed my family biscuits and gravy until they agreed it was as delicious as I thought it was.  Sorry, Loves!  I have said this before and it rings true for this recipe as well…usually I don’t have an issue swapping out ingredients, for instance, using rice milk instead of almond, etc., but for the success of this recipe it is imperative that you use the ingredients listed, particularly the bouillon and sausage.

I believe I have already professed my undying love for all things Edward and Sons many times over.  I literally buy cartons of the bouillon cubes from Amazon to keep my pantry stocked and panic if I open my last box without ordering another carton.  Seriously, try them.  Life changing.

I have used the Lightlife Sausage in other recipes and it is pretty much my go-to for any recipe that requires a sausage replacement and can be found in most grocery stores.  I have tried many vegan sausages, but I really like this one a lot.  First, the flavor is super yummy.   Obviously.  It also browns well and has a good texture.  Most importantly, it maintains moisture when it cooks, unlike so many other brands that can become dry and hard when sautéed.  Please see the end of the article for a bit more info about Lightlife.

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Place cashews in an bowl and fill with water. Let soak while prepping the rest of the recipe.

2. To roast the garlic, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove all cloves of garlic from the bulb, trim and remove the skin. Place the cloves in tin foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the cloves. Close the foil around the garlic and oil creating the closest you can get to an air tight seal. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes (place a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the foil bowl to catch any leaking oil or place the tin foil bowl in a small pyrex casserole dish). Roast until the cloves are soft enough to skewer with a fork. Once soft, open the tin foil bowl to expose the cloves and bake for another 5 – 10 minutes until golden brown then remove from heat. Once cool, mash to create a paste.

3. To begin preparing for the gravy, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high in a large frying pan. Add the Lightlife Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage and with a spatula, break up the sausage into small pieces. This will take some time and effort to break them down to size. Continue to break up the large pieces and sauté in the oil until the sausage browns, approximately 10 minutes, at which point remove from heat and set aside.

4. Once the garlic is finished roasting and has been removed from the oven, increase the heat to 450 degrees and begin to prepare the biscuits. Combine the milk and lemon juice and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to mix well. Add 4 tablespoons of cold earth balance and use a knife and fork to ‘cut’ the butter into the flour mixture. Continue to ‘cut’ the butter into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly like sand. Slowly pour in the milk and stir until combined and a sticky dough is formed.

5. Grease a medium cookie sheet. Divide the biscuit dough into 10 portions and place onto the cookie sheet making two rows close enough to each other so that they touch. Press into the middle of each dough ball creating a small indent. Use the remaining tablespoon of melted Earth Balance to brush the tops of the dough balls. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

6. Drain the cashews. In a high powered blender or Vitamix, add the cashews, milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the roasted garlic paste, the Edward and Sons Not-Beef Bouillon cube, 1 cup of the sautéed sausage crumbles, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until the mixture is creamy and smooth. I like my gravy thicker, however if you prefer a littler thinner, add a bit more milk. Pour the gravy into a serving bowl and add the remaining sautéed sausage crumbles and mix well. Add additional pepper to taste. Heat in a saucepan or microwave until warm.

7. To serve, cut a biscuit in half and spoon the sausage gravy on top. Enjoy!

(Serves 10)

Vegan Sausage and Gravy Recipe Card

Lightlife Products have been dedicated to making great tasting vegetarian food since 1979 and since origination, giving back to the community has been a priority.  The Company contributes 5% of their profits every year to organizations that support their mission of providing vegetarian food options to the population as well as promoting eco-friendly products.  The Company also makes numerous different kinds of plant based meat substitutions such as tempeh, sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, breakfast meets, chicken, beef, and burgers.

Did you make this recipe?  Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture using #gingerveganista on Instagram and tag @TheGingerVeganista or Twitter and tag @GingerVeganista or Facebook and tag The Ginger Veganista.  Can’t wait to hear from you!