Beading Frenzy!

WOW! I sold so much today on Etsy! Probably more in a single day than in any previous entire week. And the odd thing is, I don't have any idea why. Ah, the mysteries of retail selling. It was fun though! Yay me! Yay people who bought my stuff!!! Okay, no more exclamation points.

My grandparents came over for dinner tonight and I cooked biscuits and gravy. It was good, except I totally burned the second batch of biscuits, which was oh so very sad. Here's the recipe, which I adapted from a recipe on VegWeb.com.

Vegan Southern Biscuits & Gravy

2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 medium onion, chopped
One 9-ounce package Gardenburger breakfast sausage patties (or other vegan brand), thawed and chopped
3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
3 cups plain vegan soymilk (Silk is my favorite brand)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and saute for a few minutes. Add chopped breakfast sausage and cook until slightly browned and heated through. Set aside skillet.

In a large saucepan, make a roux (I know, fancy schmancy) by mixing 3 tablespoons of flour with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to make a heavy paste. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for a few minutes, then slowly add soymilk to the mixture, stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer, stirring often, until mixture just begins to thicken. Add sausage mixture and stir a bit longer. Add salt and pepper to taste (you may find that it needs more than you expect).

You can use any biscuit recipe you like, or if you're lazy, buy some of the premade ones (are any of those vegan? I don't know), but if you really want a super yummy meal, make these:

Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 cups unbleached white flour (I wish they were as good with whole wheat flour but they're not. sorry.)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unrefined sugar
5 tablespoons cold vegan margarine
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (I use just a little less than one full 14-oz. can)
1/3 cup soymilk

Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the margarine and use a pastry cutter to mix until the chunks are smallish. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix mashed sweet potatoes and soymilk, then add to flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix) and turn onto a floured surface. Knead just a few times and flatten the dough to 3/4" thick. Cut into circles and bake on a greased cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. mmmmmmmmmm...............