VeganMoFo: Iron Chef Challenge #2

October 15, 2008 at 1:33 am · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged brussels sprouts, gravy, my recipes, pears, potatoes, sausage, tempeh, vegan, VeganMoFo, VWAV

I found out about the first VeganMoFo Iron Chef Challenge after the fact, since I came in late on VeganMoFo.  I was excited to participate in the second challenge, but I had no idea that the whole thing happened over the weekend!  I already had food and plans set for the weekend.  But the secret ingredients for Don’t Eat Off The Sidwalk’s Iron Chef Challenge #2got inside my head, and I came up with what I thought was a pretty good idea.  So even though I’m way too late to enter the challenge, I give you “Roasted Pears & Brussels Sprouts with Sausage, Mashed Purple Potatoes & Miso Cashew Gravy”.  It’s pretty much fall on a plate.

This was my first time eating purple potatoes, and by golly are they fantastic.  I’m normally a chunky mashed potato type of girl, but I was feeling smooth today, and when whipped in the food processor they took on this gooey texture that worked really well.  And the gravy is kind of amazing, I think at least.  If you’re not up for the whole recipe at least give the gravy a try!  It kind of almost tastes like turkey gravy, I had bf try it to double check.  He says it’s kind of sweet, which I didn’t notice.  I used a mild, sweet miso so I’m sure different misos would yield different results.  Oh, and it’s okay if the pears aren’t completely ripe, they’ll soften up in the oven.

Roasted Pears & Brussels Sprouts with Sausage, Mashed Purple Potatoes & Miso Cashew Gravy

Notes:  The VWAV tempeh sausage crumbles are pretty heavily spiced, so if you prefer a milder sausage use Gimme Lean or reduce the spices added to the tempeh crumbles.  If you like chunky mashed potatoes then just mash manually instead of processing.  I made this for lunch, so it makes four servings of a smaller sized meal.  For a full meal serve with a soup or salad, perhaps my Roasted Garlic, Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Caramelized Onions?

1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 bartlett pears, cored & cut into roughly 1/2 to 1-inch pieces
2 Tbs olive oil
1 lb purple potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
1/2 c almond milk
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 recipe VWAV tempeh sausage crumbles or 1/2 tube Gimme Lean Sausage, prepared
1/2 c cashews
1 c water
1 1/2 c almond milk
2 Tbs miso
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tbs cornstarch or arrowroot
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Put brussels sprouts and pears in a bowl, drizzle olive oil over them and stir gently to combine. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and pour in the brussels and pears, spreading to a single layer as much as possible. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
2. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes or until done. Drain, put potatoes in a food processor and let sit a few minutes to cool. Add 1/2 c almond milk and 3/4 tsp salt and process until smooth.
3. Place cashews and water in a blender and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (1 1/2 c almond milk through 1/2 tsp salt) and blend to mix. Pour gravy into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high. Cook until reduced, whisking often.
4. Transfer brussels, pears and sausage to a bowl and stir to combine. Plate with mashed potatoes and cover everything with gravy.

Serves 4.

Permalink