BISCUITS AND GRAVY WITH SPICY SAUSAGE AND CORN

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

WHEN I WAS LITTLE, MY GRANDPA used to take me out to the Lions Club fund-raiser breakfasts where the menu options were delightfully predictable: pancakes or biscuits and gravy. I suppose I was similarly predictable as I always chose the latter, and while I realize you weren’t there, I’m sure you can imagine that classic country gravy and those baking powder biscuits. Today these are really nostalgic for me, but that sausage gravy can get boring, so I put a Tex-Mex spin on it, subbing in our Oaxacan Chili-Spiced Sausage (here), and tossing in a little corn and smoked paprika. I’m not sure the Lions Club members would agree, but I assure you that dressing these up with a little hot sauce, salsa, and fresh avocado is always a good idea.

1 tablespoon safflower oil

1 medium-size shallot

2 cloves garlic, minced

7 ounces Oaxacan Chili-Spiced Sausage (here) or 2 links Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage, crumbled

¼ cup vegan butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2½ cups unsweetened plain almond milk, warmed

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Leaves from 3 sprigs thyme

½ cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh, removed from the cob

4 Genesee Biscuits (here)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the safflower oil. Add the shallot, garlic, and sausage. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the shallot is translucent. Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to the heat and add the butter and flour. Using a wooden spoon, move the mixture around, as it cooks, for 5 minutes, then add the milk. Begin whisking the mixture; as it starts to thicken, add the sausage mixture back to the pan. Add the salt, Worcestershire, paprika, thyme, and corn. Stir, and lower the heat to low.

2. Warm the biscuits and split in half. Top each with a generous portion of gravy and garnish with green onions.