Meatless Monday with Mindy #23 Chickpeas in Gravy with Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Welcome to the 23rd Meatless Monday with Mindy!

I had planned to miss another Meatless Monday post this week as I originally had plans to be busy all day again today.  But early this morning my plans were changed for me and my whole day opened up.

I began searching for inspiration based off of the food we already had in the house that I knew needed used up. I didn't want to have to go to the grocery store to buy anything, so I figured I'd have to substitute and/or change a recipe. No biggie.  I enjoyed having the day to clean up catch up on email and work on a few small projects that had long been neglected.

Just as I was beginning to prepare dinner Kidlet #1 texted and asked if she and her husband could stop by.  Of course we offered to have them stay and eat with us, but they wanted to load their car with things we have been babysitting in the basement for them for quite some time, then get back to their own home.  Typically we do eat later than most folks, but tonight was really late due to the visit.  And because we do a photo shoot for Meatless Monday everything must flow like clockwork for photos or the food starts to look less than appetizing when taking shots.  I prepped as much as I could but had to wait to put it all together so that honey could be there to get the pictures as I prepared the food.  

All in all, it was a quick meal to put together. As the food was mostly familiar I actually had to stop and think about what steps needed taken in order to share them here.  I was getting anxious to have it done as I was hungry, so I hope I don't leave any steps out for you.  The new part for me was the Vegan gravy for the chickpeas, which I must say, turned out really yummy.  I hope this inspires you to translate your traditional meal with meat, into a meatless one.  It's a win-win!  You get the yumminess of a familiar meal with the health benefits of making it meatless.  Are you ready?  Then let's get started.

First off, make your favorite mashed potatoes. 

I made mine with the peel on to add as many nutrients as possible.  Because I eat meatless and dairy free, I need to be conscience about getting all my nutrients in.  One of the vitamins vegetarians have to make sure they get enough of is B-complex vitamins, specifically B6 and B12, as plant food doesn't naturally make those.  A great way to add those is to supplement and using Nutritional Yeast Flakes helps do that job. B12 is often added as a supplement in most brands, but read the back to make sure before you buy if you are watching out for that. 

Yeast flakes taste slightly buttery when added to foods and can often substitute for butter and cheese flavor. Others have described the taste as cheesy, nutty and savory. All I know is when I put it on potatoes, I don't need to add butter or cheese to get that same satisfying taste.

So when I make mashed potatoes, I use Nutritional Yeast Flakes, non-dairy milk, a little salt and pepper and call it done! All the goodness of traditional mashed potatoes without all the fat and calories.

Next decide what veggies you want.  Make sure you have green veggie.  I used Italian style green beans and fresh corn cut off the cob.  

I did use a dressing on the veggies tonight and I'll share that recipe here, but know that if I do this meal again, I would skip the dressing. With all the gravy going on, a fresh clean taste to the veggies would have been preferred.

With that said, I whisked together 1 tsp of cornstarch, 1 cup of vegetable broth and1 heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I put that in a small saucepan and added 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 heaping teaspoon of PartyLite's Outrageously Garlic blend, (or use dehydrated onion and garlic mixed) 1 teaspoon of a mixed herb blend (or use a pinch of several of your favorite dried herbs) and salt and pepper to taste.  I brought that to a boil and let it reduce just until slightly thickened.

Drizzle that over your veggies.

Stir it all up and set it aside.

The recipe for the gravy I used was from *The Happy Herbivore, her first book. The only thing I did differently was to add more milk. The original recipe was too thick for what I wanted so I thinned it out. Here is the recipe:

Thanksgiving Gravy

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

1/4 whole-wheat pastry flour or other (I use a mix of flours)

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used Silk brand Almond Milk)

1 small onion, diced

8 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced 

- My fresh mushrooms were past the point of good, so I used some I had previously frozen. I cut up and freeze aging mushrooms when I buy more than I use for a recipe and they need to be used before going bad. Just as an FYI, I did  not have 8 oz, and they were not sliced.-

2 Tb soy sauce

1 tsp rubbed sage, not powdered ( I didn't have rubbed.Mine was powdered and we liked it just fine)

1 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Set out all your ingredients for the gravy as this dish moves fast.

Start by whisking the nutritional yeast, flour and milk and set aside.

Line a skillet or large saucepan with water and cook onions and mushrooms over medium-high heat until the mushrooms start to soften and turn brown.

Cook, stirring until most of the water has evaporated

Add the nutritional yeast milk mixture to the pan,

Add the soy sauce.

Add the dried herbs and stir.

This is where I decided the gravy was too thick for what I intended to use it for so I added roughly about another cup of non-dairy milk. Add a little at a time to get it to the consistency you want.

I added a can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), that I had drained and rinsed, to the gravy.

Stir the chickpeas into the gravy and simmer just until the beans are heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Plate your mashed potatoes and veggies then ladle the gravy with chickpeas over your potatoes. This is a very satisfying and filling meal.

I hope you stop back by and let me know how you like this Meatless Meal. 

Enjoy!

*The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon 

Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free & Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

Thanks to my honey for taking pictures for me.  See more of what he loves to do over at his blog Photography Musings by Dave

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