Miso Mushroom Gravy

 

MISO MUSHROOM GRAVY is good on brown rice. Miso was thought to protect against radiation sickness in Japan after the atomic bombings. Some people have found it helps them after radiation treatments. It is also a delicious salty condiment with the added benefit of friendly bacteria, and it should be added at the end of cooking when the gravy is warm, not hot, to keep the friendlies alive.

Ingredients

1/2 pound — mushrooms, sliced

1 — onion, chopped, optional

Olive oil to fry in

1/2 cup — whole wheat flour

1 tsp — garlic powder

1 tsp nutritional yeast

Sprinkle — dried basil

2 1/2 cups — hot water

1/4 cup — miso 

1/2 — squeezed lemon

 

Method

Heat a kettle of water.

Slice half a pound of your favorite mushroom. I used white. In a frying pan, saute the mushroom slices in two tablespoons of olive oil until they are limp and slightly reduced in size.

Mix half a cup of whole wheat flour with a teaspoon garlic powder, a teaspoon of nutritional yeast, and a sprinkle of basil. Stir in with the mushrooms. It will be crumbly. Keep it moving as you brown the flour for a minute or two.

Very gradually add hot water to the pan. Altogether it will be two-and-a-half cups of water. The slower you go and the hotter the water, the less likely the gravy will be lumpy. Let it cook down to a gravy consistency. This may take fifteen minutes or so to thicken. You can use a spatula to stir it every now and then to keep it from sticking. The mushrooms might get stuck in a whisk.

Remove a little gravy to mix with a quarter cup of red miso, or whatever miso you prefer. I also added half a squeezed lemon. Add this paste back to the gravy when it has cooled slightly, so as not to kill off the friendly bacteria in the miso or dim the brightness of the lemon.

How to Serve

This would also be good made with onions along with the mushrooms. I served it with the brown rice I made in my rice cooker, some steamed kale, some more of the outer crunch tofu — though it was more chewy this time than crunchy: I baked it at 425F degrees, and I had marinated it in water to cover, two tablespoons tamari, and half a teaspoon of garlic powder — and a salad made with red lettuce, scallions, avocado, grapefruit, shredded carrots, and dried cranberries.

The boys all vied to have their plate of food be the most photo-worthy. I wonder whose I will pick?

Outer Crunch Tofu, Biscuits, Gravy, Collards, Carrots, Peas

Method for Tofu

This TOFU was cut in large rectangular pieces and dipped in whole wheat flour, nutritional yeast and some seasonings (garlic powder, salt and basil), then roasted at 425 degrees on an oiled cookie sheet, with a spray of oil over the top. Turned after thirty minutes, roasted another fifteen. Had a nice crunch. Might have had more flavor if the tofu slabs were marinated first. I'll try that next time.

Ingredients

1 block — tofu

1/2 cup — whole wheat flour 

1/4 cup — nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp — garlic powder, salt (if not using marinade), dried basil

Up to you — spray of olive oil on pan and top of tofu

Optional — marinate tofu first in a seasoned brew (use up the end of a vinaigrette, for instance)

 

Method for Gravy

The GRAVY was made with the leftover flour I dipped the tofu in, stirring it over heat with some olive oil, adding some more nutritional yeast, and slowly whisking in hot water. Added tamari and then lemon juice at the end of cooking.

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup — leftover seasoned flour

1/8 cup — olive oil

1-2 tblsp. — nutritional yeast

2 cups — water, as needed 

1 tblsp. — tamari, at end

1/2 — lemon, squeezed, at end

 

Holiday Meal

Check out my last March's entry for SAVORY ROAST GLUTEN AND GRAVY as the centerpiece of a holiday meal. You cook the double batch of a rectangular slab of seasoned gluten the day ahead, and then lay it over the stuffing, also surrounding it with the stuffing. 

I know this doesn't sound very good in the telling, but those of us who can eat and enjoy seitan or gluten enjoy this dish. You can carve it up and use a knife to cut it into smaller pieces on your plate. It is chewy and not made up of anybody's muscle and flesh.

 

The GARBANZO FLOUR GRAVY has a yummy piquancy and rich flavor that enhances the mashed potatoes. You might be able to find garbanzo flour where gluten-free baking products are sold. Conversely, the gluten powder may be found in a larger natural foods or co-op store or where baking products are sold.

 

Make the recipes for the gluten and gravy, and then read on for all the other parts of the meal — the stuffing, creamed onions, mashed potatoes, mashed carrots and turnips, and cranberry relish.