Meat and Potatoes

I am often asked If I ever crave meat or more specifically a nice, juicy steak. The answer to that question is YES! I know I might be looked down upon in the vegetarian community for saying this but I feel that life is too short to deprive yourself from what your body is asking for. My blog is based on the premise that anyone and everyone can cook vegetarian dishes on a daily basis. You don't need to have a vegetarian friend show up for dinner to finally embrace a meal without meat. I think that incorporating more vegetarian dishes into your week not only makes for a healthier lifestyle but a healthier planet. Since I have embraced vegetarian cooking I find myself craving meat less and craving some of my favorite vegetarian recipes more and more often. With that said I will admit that when I can't seem to get steak of my mind I will go ahead and eat that steak (feel bad about it) and carry on with life! I consider myself to be mostly vegetarian since 93% of the food I eat does not include meat.

I titled this post "Meat and Potatoes" because that's exactly what this dish poses as. The patties are actually chickpea patties from my favorite cookbook "Veganomicon" drizzled with an outstanding mushroom gravy which I have provided below and completed with a side of parmesan garlic roasted potatoes. I recommend baking not frying the patties as I have tried both methods and find the baked version to be far better then the fried.

Mushroom Gravy

• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried sage
• pinch of freshly ground salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp cooking sherry

1. Mix the flour into the broth until dissolved and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp grapeseed oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Sauté shallot in frying pan, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender.
4. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper and sauté for another minute.
5. Deglaze the pan with sherry and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. 
6. Stir in broth and turn down heat to medium and cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.