Chickpea Miso Gravy Bowl with Sweet and Tangy Portobello Mushrooms
YIELD
2-3 SERVINGS

Ingredients:
FOR THE GRAVY (MAKES 3/4 CUP):
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I used soy-free)
2 tablespoons sorghum flour
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chickpea miso, or to taste
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
Fine grain sea salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE SWEET POTATO AND QUINOA:
1 large sweet potato
1 cup uncooked quinoa

FOR THE MUSHROOMS:
4 medium/large Portobello mushroom caps (or 4-5 cups sliced cremini mushrooms)
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
fine grain sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
For the gravy: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low
heat. Stir in the sorghum flour (it will form a chunky paste,
but that's normal). In a small bowl, whisk the broth, miso, and
potato starch until completely smooth. Pour it into the
saucepan and increase heat to medium-high, whisking vigorously
until smooth and no lumps remain. Whisk in coconut aminos,
salt, and pepper, to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low to avoid
burning. Once thickened, remove from heat until ready to use
(you can quickly reheat before serving). You can always add a
bit more broth if it's too thick for your liking.

For the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking
sheet with parchment paper. Slice a large sweet potato into 1-cm
rounds. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss
to coat and spread out into an even layer. Season with salt and
pepper. Roast for 20-35 minutes, until tender and lightly golden
in some spots, flipping once half way through roasting.

For the quinoa: Add 1 cup of quinoa into a pot with 1.5 cups of
vegetable broth or water. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to
medium-low and simmer, covered, for 13-16 minutes, until the
water absorbs and the quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat,
season with salt, and keep lid on until ready to consume.

For the mushrooms: Remove stems from Portobello mushrooms by
twisting them off. Discard stems or save for future use. With a
small spoon, scoop out the black gills and discard. With a damp
cloth, wipe the cap to remove any debris. Slice into long,
1/2-inch wide strips. In a large wok or saucepan, whisk together
the vinegar, garlic, and coconut aminos. Add sliced mushrooms
and toss until coated in the liquid. Turn heat to medium-high
and cook down the mushrooms for 10-15 minutes, stirring
frequently and reducing heat when necessary. You want to cook
the mushrooms until all the water cooks off the bottom of the
pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble: Add a couple scoops of cooked quinoa into a bowl.
Layer on roasted sweet potato rounds. Top with mushrooms and
drizzle on gravy. Season with a herbed salt (such as Herbamare)
and black pepper to finish.

notes: 1) In the gravy, you can probably sub regular all-purpose
flour for the sorghum flour with similar results. Add more
broth if it's too thick. Other flours may work too. 2) You can
probably sub low-sodium Tamari for the coconut aminos and
cornstarch for the potato starch. I haven't tried these yet, but
I can't see why the swaps wouldn't work! 3) The amount of
mushrooms might seem like a lot, but remember the mushrooms cook
down and reduce in size a lot! You don't want to use anything
less than 4 cups of sliced mushrooms.