Mushroom gravy

Classic, savory gravy that goes great anywhere gravy is called for.

This is a great opportunity to showcase your homemade veggie broth, though the premade kind is also fine (and it's what I use).

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 yellow onion, diced small
2 tbsp olive oil
16 oz brown mushrooms, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp dried sage (or 1 tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tbsp fresh)

1/2 tsp salt
Fresh black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine, like a chardonnay

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the flour and half the vegetable broth. Once smooth, whisk in the remaining vegetable broth.

Preheat a 2 quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the oil for 5 minutes or until translucent, and then add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper, sauteing for 5 minutes more.

Add the wine, turn it up to boil, and reduce the wine for three minutes. Add the vegetable broth mixture, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Cranberry chutney

This is your gramma's traditional stove-top cranberry chutney.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh cranberries, rinsed

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Directions

Roughly chop the cranberries in a food processor, until there are no more remaining whole berries.

Add everything to  a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until thickened.

Remove from heat, allow to cool, and serve.

Cauliflower gratin

This recipe is a combination of PPK's Mac & Shews and cauliflower gratin recipes like this one.

It comes together incredibly creamy and cheezy. The directions look substantial, but the dish is well worth it.

The cauliflower gratin reheats well, but you can also halve the recipe and cook in a smaller pan.

<b>Ingredients</b>

2 large or 3 small heads of cauliflower, chopped into bitesize pieces and stalks thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked (at least one hour, preferably two hours, or overnight) and drained
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion diced
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
4 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp turmeric
Fresh-ground black pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

<b>Directions</b>

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Lightly grease a 11x13 baking pan or a casserole dish.

You'll need a large pot and some sort of apparatus to steam the cauliflower -- a steaming basket or a metal colander will work.

Steam the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it just starts to soften. Place the cauliflower aside while you finished preparing everything else.

Blend the soaked cashews and 2 cups of the broth in a food processor until smooth. This might take a few minutes, and you'll need to scrape down the sides of the container at least once.

Preheat a large pan over medium heat and saute the garlic and onion with a pinch of salt in a tablespoon of olive oil, until softened. Add the sauerkraut and saute until heated through.

Transfer this mixture to the blender and puree into the cashews until  relatively smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

You are now going to make a roux. Wipe out the pan and bring back to medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil and then the flour, and scrape it all together into a gooey clump. Toast the roux for 15 minutes or until it attains a roasted brown color and smells fragrant and toasty. You'll need to stir it basically the whole time so it doesn't burn or cook into a lump.

Now whisk in the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, until smooth. This could take a couple minutes.

Once that's done, stream in the cashew mixture and then the remaining ingredients, and make sure it's well blended.

Fold in the steamed cauliflower and transfer to the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil lid and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Roasted brussel sprouts

Roasting works especially well on brussel sprouts, and this easy recipe is a staple during brussel sprout season.

This goes well as a side with almost anything, or even tossed with pasta or used as a pizza topping. You can prepare several nights' worth at once and store the portions in ziploc baggies or tupperware until later in the week.

<b>Ingredients</b>

(Per person)

1 1/2 cups brussel sprouts, washed and quartered

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lemon slice (optional)

<b>Directions</b>

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Toss all the ingredients except the lemon slice. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, flipping everything once about halfway through, until everything is roasty and fragrant.

Dress with lemon juice if desired and serve.