Good Gravy!

Several months ago when I got "Vegan With a Vengeance," a recipe for chickpea gravy caught my eye as I was leafing through it. I've sort of missed a nice, steamy pile of mashed potatoes and gravy since I stopped eating all meat except for fish. And fish gravy just sounds...well, repulsive. So, I thought that when fall arrived and the weather got cooler, I was going to have to try this chickpea gravy. The actual recipe is called "Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy." While the ingredient list is long, almost everything in it I already had in my pantry. On paper, it looks way more difficult than it actually is. It came together very easily. It was absolutely delicious. Most people would just not understand how gravy could be made with no animal products. I obviously was thinking that myself since it's been years since I've had gravy.

This chickpea gravy is just so awesome. It would make a fantastic substitute for traditional sausage gravy over biscuits. It has that spiciness to it. I served it over mashed potatoes, which I just whipped up with some Silk soy creamer and Earth Balance. Salt and pepper to taste. I swear, they're better than the mashed potatoes I used to make with butter and milk. I roasted some Brussel sprouts with some balsamic vinegar, a sprinkling of sugar, a drizzle of oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. The combination of vinegar and sugar makes a nice glaze as it bakes in the oven. I just pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees, put the sprouts in, stirred them a little after 15 minutes and roasted for about 12 more minutes. It was a perfect meal for a cool, rainy autumn evening.

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to "Splendid Table" on NPR. It is a fantastic food and cooking show.

Oh, and on a totally random and unrelated note: This morning I spent five minutes searching the house for my cup of coffee (second cup of the day). I finally approached the sink, and there was my cup. Empty, washed and dried. How the hell did that happen? I must really be losing it!