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When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m all about the gravy. Mashed potatoes just wouldn’t be the same without it. I can make a lowfat turkey gravy, but the others at the table want the real (fat) thing, so I’ve started making a separate vegetarian gravy instead. This healthy vegan gravy is as flavorful as the turkey version – maybe even more so – thanks to pureed roasted shallots and garlic and marsala wine (madeira would be a nice substitute.)

I find that a lot of vegan gravy recipes are overwhelmed by too much nutritional yeast, so I’ve just used a tablespoon here to add a subtle poultry-like flavor. I also tried using dried porcini mushrooms in this recipe, but preferred the milder flavor of fresh mushrooms.  I’ve also kept this fairly low in fat per serving. So feel free to pour it onto your mashed potatoes and stuffing with abandon. It’s Thanksgiving, after all!

Vegan Gravy

6 medium shallots, unpeeled
4-6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces cremini (a.k.a. baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup madeira wine (or dry port or marsala)
2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Toss the shallots and garlic with a teaspoon of oil and place in a baking dish. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes. Remove garlic, but if shallots are not completely soft, roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool, then squeeze the soft insides out of the skin into a food processor. Deglaze the roasting pan with a tablespoon of water or additional marsala and add to the food processor. Puree until smooth. In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms and thyme until mushrooms are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the marsala and mix well, then whisk in the vegetable broth. Add remaining ingredients, including the pureed shallots and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Note: if reheating later, you will need to add additional wine or vegetable broth to thin the gravy out.

Serves 6-8