We like to practice for Thanksgiving at our house.

And what better excuse.  The Tofurky just hit the market, the red potatoes are out in full force, so why not?

So we steamed up a big pot of organic red potatoes.  Like buttah.  A beautiful mountain of steamed broccoli and kale on the side.

The only items missing were the cranberries and the pie, though we did toast with champagne just to be sure.  Practice, practice!

Plus I was inspired to make myself a gravy that is:

• easy to make
• not full of fat, or
• come out of a packet

Keep in mind I do not like to spend much time in kitchen prep.  I’m working on that.

But I do love to eat healthy, and eat well.  That’s why I’m working on cultivating some good kitchen attitude. So in the interests of Thanksgiving practice, I pulled on my big-girl chef pants and got down to business.

And I couldn’t wait to share the results with you.

Before I go any further, don’t go all Euell Gibbons on me and tell me that Tofurky is processed.  I know it is.  And you certainly don’t need a Tofurky to go with this gravy.  As a matter of fact, I’m tinkering with a veggie loaf recipe to share with you, when I get it together to make it.  I told you, I’m working on it.  Remember, drive-through anything and I’m there.  It just doesn’t work out so well when it comes to eating healthy.  The drive-through part.

Now that we’ve got that clear, here’s the gravy  recipe.  Oh, I call it ‘Forks Over Knives’ mushroom gravy as it covers all the bases:  Plant-based, low fat, no animal products…I just sexed it up a bit by calling it “F.O.K.” gravy instead of “plant-based low fat no animal products mushroom gravy“.  Does that work for you?

Fat-free ‘Forks Over Knives’ Mushroom Gravy

• 

  Shiitake-ya Gourmet Dried Mushroom Blend

  1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped

• 2 cups dried mushroom blend, soaked
• 5 cloves minced or pressed garlic
• 2 cups water (I used the water from the soaked mushrooms as part of this;  you could also use veggie broth)
• 1 Tablespoon vegetarian bouillon concentrate (exclude if using veggie broth)
• 1 teaspoon Bragg’s organic sprinkle herbs & spices seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 Tablespoon cooking wine (option)
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (oat, rice, soy)
• 2 T. flour

1)  Put the dried mushrooms ( used Shiitake-ya gourmet blend, from Costco, pictured) in a container and cover with hot water.  Let it sit at least an hour – I  just let it sit all day.  Drain just before using

2)  Steam-fry chopped onions and garlic until golden.  Add the mushrooms – chopped* if you like – and cook a few more minutes.

3)  Add 2 cups water, taking whatever came off the mushroom soak and adding either plain water or vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, herbs, and cooking wine.  If using vegetable broth, you can eliminate the bouillon and vice versa.

4)  Stir the flour and rice, oat, or soy milk to a smooth paste, then add to the pan with the rest of the ingredients and keep stirring over low heat as it thickens.

5)  Option to season with fresh ground pepper to serve

*chopped:  with the dried mushrooms, it is easy to break them up into bits before soaking, sparing you the chopping later.

A word about the mushrooms

You could also switch out fresh mushrooms for the dried, but something about the dried blend is particularly savory.

Serve over potatoes, sweet potatoes, riced potatoes, whole grains, vegetable loaf, vegetables…somebody stop me!  Take a batch to the Thanksgiving table to share this year.  After all, the other one on the table (warning, graphic in nature) is just blood and fat.  Sorry kids.  It’s true.

F.O.K. Mushroom Gravy will leave you satisified and feeling light without a monster calorie load.

If you like this article, please share it with your friends.  And have you a suggestion for my gravy recipe? Please tell me about it in comments below.

 

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Lani Muelrath, M.A., CGFI, CPBN, is the creator of Fit Quickies™ & the Body Shaping Breakthrough Kit, a FREE collection you can download instantly to learn Fit Quickie #1: ’7 Seconds to a Flat Belly‘ and your Burst Training Guide: How to fit 45 minutes of cardio into only 15 minutes.