Walnut Coffee Mushroom Sauce

Saucy mushroom gravy

This is a wonderful sauce or gravy. The coffee brings a depth of flavor that some people mistake for beef stock in this vegan, nutrient-dense sauce that is also suitable for gluten-free diets.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 extra-large shallots, rough diced (about ¾ – 1 cup)
  • 4 garlic cloves, rough-chopped
  • 1 cup chopped mixed mushrooms
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 1 ¼ cup black coffee (cold is ok)
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. miso (or sub gluten-free liquid aminos)
  • 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

  1. Saute the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in a pan with the olive oil until fragrant and golden. Remove half of this mixture from the pan and save it for later.
  2. To the mixture still in the pan, add the walnuts and coffee, deglazing the pan and letting the coffee reduce a little bit.
  3. Remove from heat and let it cool.
  4. Put the mushroom/garlic/shallot/walnut/coffee combination into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth with the remaining seasonings (miso or liquid aminos, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper).
  5. Once this is well-blended, add the reserved mushrooms, garlic, and onion from earlier in the cooking process back in and check and adjust the amount of salt and pepper.