Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Gravy

I had purchased a lot of mushrooms at the farmer's market and knew that mashed potatoes & mushroom gravy were going to be on the menu.

The following recipe is a recipe I found in the book Main Street Vegan by Victoria Moran and Adair Moran.  It is a recipe from Ann Crile Esselstyn, wife of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.  I love how creamy these potatoes can get!

The mushroom gravy recipe is from Ann Esselstyn as well, and is in her husband's book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.

Oh-So-Good Mashed Potatoes
6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
Potato cooking water (or nonfat soy milk)
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
small pinch of cayenne pepper

Cut potatoes into medium sized chunks and boil in a covered pot for about 10 minutes (until soft). Drain potatoes but save the potato cooking water (place a bowl under the strainer).

Put potatoes in a bowl and whip up with a hand mixer. Add a little bit of the potato water, mix. Keep doing this until you have your desired consistency. You will probably use more potato water than expected. Add nutritional yeast, pepper, garlic, cayenne and mix until evenly distributed. If you run out of potato water and need your potatoes to be creamier, use regular water or soymilk.

Easy Mushroom Gravy
1 onion chopped
vegetable broth, wine or water
3 garlic cloves minced
1   10 ounce box of fresh mushrooms sliced. (I like to slice and then cut in 1/2)
2 cups filtered water
2 TBSP whole-wheat flour
1 TBSP miso, low-sodium tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos  (I use miso, less sodium)
2 tablespoons sherry (optional)
Black pepper

Stir fry onion over medium heat, adding broth, wine or water when necessary to prevent burning. Allow the onion to brown a little and then scrape the pan, add liquid and let it brown some more. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a minute, then add garlic. Stir often and cook until mushrooms are soft. Add veggie broth, wine or water as necessary to keep from burning.

Add 1 cup water to mushrooms, stir and continue cooking.

Mix the whole-wheat flour and miso in the remaining 1 cup water. Stir well, then add this mixture to the mushrooms and keep stirring. Add sherry (optional).

Continue cooking until the gravy thickens up. Add pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat until serving.

I did not take pictures when this was all finished. I forgot :(

Main Street Vegan has been a really enjoyable and informative read for me. I am about half way through it. I purchased it on my Kindle a little while ago.  The recipes in there are great (there is one at the end of each chapter).  I love my Kindle but I like hard copy books as well, especially if they have recipes. That way I bring the book right in the kitchen and not have to worry about getting it wet/stained.