hand-held blender / immersion blender or food processor
skillet (frying pan)
stove
Type of preparation
cook
fry
chop or grind
sauté
season to taste
purée
remove the skin
reduce (thicken)
Preparation
For the mushroom bean gravy
Peel the onions and garlic and then finely chop the onions. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the onion is translucent.
In the meantime, clean and coarsely chop the mushrooms, sprinkle with the tamari, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the mushrooms are tender but still juicy.
We have reduced the amount of soy sauce (tamari) called for in the original recipe by half. You can also use reduced-sodium soy sauces such as genen shoyu, in which case you can use the amount listed.
Decrease the heat to low and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the mixture turns slightly beige, is bubbly, and appears to have grown in volume.
Increase the heat to medium and then slowly whisk in the beans, broth, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, or until it thickens.
If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use dried. Since dried thyme has a stronger flavor than fresh, you will only need about 1 teaspoon of dried thyme to replace 1 tablespoon of fresh.
According to the author, gravy is only as good as the vegetable broth you use when making it. (See Tips). There is a link to directions for making vegetable broth under “Alternate preparation.”
Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture to the desired consistency in the pan, either leaving it a little bit chunky or puréeing until smooth.
You can also process the gravy in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a blender.
Be careful when making the gravy. Depending on the type of pan and immersion blender you are using, you could damage your cookware. You might want to consider using a different container for this step.
Seasoning and serving
eason to taste with black pepper and salt. Remove the gravy from the heat and serve hot with freshly baked biscuits, toast, or a vegan burger.
This recipe contains salt from the soy sauce and the vegetable broth. We do not add any additional salt to this recipe, but you can adjust it to suit your preferences.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Button Up: This hearty and versatile mushroom and white bean gravy with onions and garlic can be used in combination with many dishes.
According to the author: “… A necessary breakfast and brunch staple, mop it up with Fluffy Rice Protein Drop Biscuits (page 75) or Sweet Potato Pea Biscuits (page 79), or even serve on any hearty burger in this book.”
Serving size: This recipe is an accompaniment to a meal, and the photo shows just one of many possible ways to use this mushroom and bean gravy. When prepared as directed, this recipe will make approximately 600 milliliters (2½ cups) of gravy, or enough for five 120 milligrams (½ cup) servings. You can adjust it to make as many servings as you need.
Prepare ahead: “The gravy can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it over low heat, stirring occasionally.”
White beans: All of the beans in the genus Phaseolus contain phasin, a toxin that is destroyed when the beans are heated to temperatures greater than 70°C. However, several vitamins are lost during the cooking process, including vitamin C. Cooked white beans can be eaten in larger amounts, but you should be careful because beans can give you gas. The reason for this is that the beans contain trisaccharides, for example, raffinose, which humans cannot digest. However, intestinal bacteria can metabolize trisaccharides by excreting fermentation gases. Beans contain large amounts of protein and many, but not all, essential amino acids. They are also rich in minerals, vitamins, and folic acid.
Button mushrooms: Button mushrooms are the most important cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. The flesh of this rounded mushroom is white and firm with a mild flavor. Button mushrooms can be enjoyed cooked, sautéed, or raw — for example, in salads. Brown button mushrooms, also called cremini or baby bella mushrooms, are a special cultivar that is firmer and has a more pronounced flavor than white button mushrooms. Unlike wild mushrooms, cultivated mushrooms can be purchased throughout the year.
Tips
According to the author, the vegetable broth will make or break this recipe: “If you have already tried the recipe for tempeh sage gravy, then this is old news, but just in case: any vegetarian gravy is only as good as the vegetarian broth used. Make sure you use a hearty, flavorful purchased broth, or make your own tasty broth.” The link provided under “Alternative preparation” will take you to a recipe for homemade broth.
Cleaning mushrooms: You should clean your mushrooms while they are dry. Use a damp cloth or a soft mushroom brush to wipe each mushroom, one at a time, to remove any dirt. Rinse them briefly under running water to remove heavier dirt. Mushrooms are very absorbent, so it’s best not to soak your mushrooms in water. Heat and humidity will cause mushrooms to spoil quickly, so make sure you protect them from both.
Alternate preparation
Vegan vegetable broth: Access our recipe for vegetable broth using this link: Vegan Stock. This is an easy recipe for making broth, and you can adjust the seasonings to suit your taste.
Spice: If you prefer spicy gravy, we recommend that you add chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or chili peppers. The first two will add flavor immediately. However, you will need to let the chili peppers simmer with the gravy so that the flavor can develop. The cooking process will release the spicy capsaicin from the flesh of the peppers and will slowly flavor the gravy.
