Vegetarian Research

VEGAN SHEET PAN GRAVY

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheFirstMess/~3/cmXirXdxMI4/

October greetings! I love this spooky month so much. Thanksgiving in Canada is in less than two weeks, so you know I had to come in hot with the gravy. For my American friends, consider this early planning 🙂

This is a mushroom-free, flour/refined starch-free option that’s made almost entirely on a sheet pan. Totally wild! We caramelize a bunch of onion, cauliflower, garlic, potato, and herbs, and then we blend that with miso, really good vegetable stock, and a few other seasonings.

The preparation is so simple–in line with making a basic pureed vegetable soup. The result is a slightly creamy, thick, super flavourful, umami-rich “gravy” that’s perfect for pouring over basically everything on your holiday plate. Every. Single. Thing. Gravy is in the side dish category at holiday meals and I will fight anyone about this.

I know that cauliflower as a base for gravy seems a bit outside of the box, but when it gets that deep caramelization going and you combine it with all of the other goodness here, it really works! Also, if I’ve learned anything from food trends over the past few years, it’s that cauliflower can be absolutely anything. Now you can top your cauliflower mash with, you guessed it, MORE CAULIFLOWER. Still here for this never ending vegetable revolution.

VEGAN SHEET PAN GRAVY RECIPE

SERVES: Makes about 5 cups
NOTES: It’s important to get as much caramelization as you can on the vegetables when they’re roasting. It’s what takes this recipe from soup-esque right on over to bonafide gravy vibes.
-The liquid smoke IS optional, but I’d really recommend seeking it out for this recipe and a bunch of other great things that you can add it to. I can’t make a pot of beans without it now 🙂

1 medium yellow onion, peeled
1 small Russet potato, scrubbed
4 cups cauliflower florets, from about ½ medium head of cauliflower
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
sea salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons mellow/light miso
⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour and drained
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3-4 drops liquid smoke
3 ½ cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the onion into 8 wedges and transfer to the baking sheet. Cut the potato into 1-inch pieces and transfer to the baking sheet as well. Then, add the cauliflower, garlic cloves, avocado oil, poultry seasoning, and lots of salt and pepper to the baking sheet. Toss the vegetables thoroughly to coat in the seasoning. Separating the wedges of onion to expose more edges.

Slide the vegetables into the oven and roast for 50 minutes (yes, 50 minutes), flipping and stirring them at the halfway point. You want deep caramelization and browning on all the edges.

Once the vegetables are sufficiently roasted and slightly cooled, transfer them to an upright, high speed blender. To the blender, add the miso, drained cashews, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke, and vegetable stock. Slowly bring the speed of the blender up to high and blend until your gravy is completely smooth. If you’re finding it to be too thick, add more vegetable stock until you achieve a pourable, but still thick, consistency.

Check the gravy for seasoning at this point. If it needs more salt, vinegar, pepper, miso, or even more poultry seasoning to suit your taste, adjust accordingly.

Transfer the sheet pan gravy to a medium saucepan and bring it to a light boil. Serve the hot gravy with mashed potatoes and all of your other favourite holiday foods!

Vegetarian Research

Complete List of Fruits that Start with the Letter U (#1 is so ugly!)

Ok, fruits beginning with U is a tricky one. But don’t let that stop you. Read on for the full list!

It’s a strange list, this one, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much I did putting it together! It also contains my favourite fruit of all time.

Let’s see what fruit begins with the letter U and how you can use it if it’s up for grabs in your area.

Unveil the most popular fruits that start with U!

What’s a fruit that starts with U? The type of fruit I’m going for is considered culinary fruit, either by tradition or by scientific definition.

Ugli

The ugli fruit (such a mean name!), also known as Jamaican tangelo and uniq fruit, is a hybrid of grapefruit, tangerine, and Seville orange. Its distinctive look and taste were developed in Jamaica.

The citrus fruit has rough, wrinkled skin ranging in color from yellowish-green to orange. The fruit is bigger than a grapefruit and relatively simple to peel.

The ugli fruit taste suits many cocktails, smoothies, sweets, and sauces. If you don’t like grapefruit, you might want to give this one a try because it’s much less acidic.

You can also tell people you’ve made an ‘ugli cocktail!’.

The botanical name of the ugli fruit tree is Citrus reticulata × paradisi.

Ugni

Only one letter different, ugni, commonly known as Chilean guava or Ugni molinae, is a fruit-bearing shrub from Chile and Argentina.

This U fruit is round or oval and approximately the size of a blueberry (or a tiny grape). Fresh berries are deep red in colour and have white flesh.

Taste-wise, ugni berries fall in between the sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of cranberries and kiwis. They’re used to make jams, jellies, sauces, sweets, and drinks.

Ugni also makes a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins (high levels of vitamin C), and minerals.

Umari

Umari fruit, technically known as Poraqueiba sericea, is a tropical fruit from the Amazon jungle in South America. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador are its main locations.

Umari fruit is usually 2 to 4 cm in diameter. It has smooth and glossy skin that has a green or yellow color when unripe and turns a brilliant orange or red when completely ripe.

This unique fruit has a very creamy texture and buttery flavor. In fact, locals use it like butter to put over their bread. How cool is that?

Umbu

Spondias tuberosa, known as imbu, umbu, or Brazil plum is a Brazilian tropical fruit. It’s popular in the northeast of Brazil for its refreshing taste.

The round or oval Umbu fruit has thin and smooth green-to-yellow skin. Its sweet and tangy flesh combines pineapple, mango, and citrus burst of flavor.

Fresh umbu fruit is eaten by peeling the skin and eating the flesh or squeezing out the juice. Various drinks, ice cream, and pastries employ the juice.

Umbu jams and jellies can be smeared on toast or eaten as a topping or dip.

Umbra

Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands are home to the fruit-bearing tree Umbra (Spondias dulcis). You can also come across the names ambarella, June plum, and golden apple.

Umbra fruits are round, like little mangoes or apricots. Their ripe skin is smooth, yellow or golden, and somewhat fuzzy.

This U fruit tastes like a fusion of mango, pineapple, and citrus. It’s eaten raw or added to salads, sweets, and chutneys. Some cultures pickle young, immature fruit as a condiment.

Ume

Ume fruit also goes by the names Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. It’s a tree species native to East Asia and popular in Japanese dishes.

Its thin, fuzzy skin is green to yellow when unripe and crimson to orange when ripe. It has luscious, acidic flesh.

Ume fruit is culturally significant in Japanese cuisine and is used to produce umeboshi, a traditional condiment.

Umeboshi are pickled ume fruits preserved in salt and occasionally scented with shiso leaves. These sour, salty pickled fruits are consumed as a side dish or in rice balls (onigiri).

Umeshu, a Japanese liqueur, is also made from ume. It’s a sweet and fragrant drink created by soaking the fruits in alcohol, usually shochu or sake, and sugar.

Ume has potential health benefits in addition to its culinary usage. It may improve digestion, promote liver function, and supply antioxidants and vitamins.

This species is a member of the Prunus genus which includes plums, peaches, and cherries. It goes by the scientific name Prunus mume.

Usakhelauri grape

Usakhelauri, a rare Georgian grape variety (Vitis vinifera), makes excellent red wines. It’s mostly grown in Lechkhumi and Racha in western Georgia. Every year for my birthday I have red wine and cheese, and this one is my next plan. Roll on summer!

Usakhelauri grapes are dark purple or black and tiny. Their flavor profile and high sugar content create sweet and fragrant wines.

Usakhelauri grapes are notoriously low-yielding, making them a difficult variety to grow. Grapes are normally harvested with the utmost care and hand-picked.

Wines made from this grape are highly sought after by connoisseurs because of their rarity and high quality.

Uva Rara grape

Uva Rara is a red Italian wine grape varietal grown in Lombardy. Italian “Uva Rara” means “rare grape” due to its rarity compared to other grape varieties.

Uva Rara is typically blended with other red grapes to provide richness and depth to wines. It can include red berry, flowery, and spice notes.

Uva Rara grapes can also be developed into varietal wines. These medium-bodied wines with mild tannins include red fruit, herb, and earthy characteristics.

Uva Rara is also known as Bonarda Novarese.

Uva Tosca grape

Uva Tosca is a red wine grape produced in Emilia-Romagna, east-central Italy. It contributes to local wine production in Forlì-Cesena.

This type of grape was one of the few red wine grapes that could regularly mature in the foothills of the Apennines.

Uvalino grape

Uvalino is a red wine grape produced in Piedmont, northwest Italy. It contributes to Piedmont wine production despite its lesser fame.

Due to its high antioxidant resveratrol content, Uvalino has garnered notice in recent years for its health advantages.

As we’re starting to learn, many grapes start with U!

Uvilla

Uvilla (Physalis peruviana) is a fruit-bearing shrub endemic to Chile and Peru. It’s also commonly referred to as “Peruvian groundcherry,” “Cape gooseberry,” or simply “golden berry.”

Uvilla looks like a yellowish-green miniature tomato inside a husk, similar to a paper lantern, which turns from green to a golden or orange hue when the fruit is fully ripe.

The fruit has a nice sweetness-acidity balance. It’s frequently juiced, jammed, jellied, baked, or eaten fresh.

Uvilla or golden berry contains vitamin C, antioxidants, and dietary fiber.

This is my favourite fruit of all time. I love the sweet bite with just hint of a sour behind it. In Germany, where I live, they are called Physalis and are relatively popular. In English-speaking countries they have various names, including cape gooseberry.

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11 Surprising Fruits That Start With U: 2025 Edition!

Discover a world of extraordinary fruits that start with U. Explore their flavors, origins, and culinary possibilities in this captivating fruit guide.

Type round-up

Author Dave