Portobello Steak with Vegetables (Photo by Jaime Hall)

In this week’s recipe, ‘meaty’ portobello mushrooms are generously smothered in gravy and served as a main course surrounded by farm fresh vegetables. Versatile and delicious, this 10-minute gravy can easily accompany many rich ‘meaty’ dishes to increase the flavor factor.

Commonly used as a flavoring ingredient, locally harvested garlic and shallots provide this dish with an extraordinary relish. Garlic, onion, shallot, leek, and scallion are all Allium vegetables with many health benefits, including antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal and antitumor causing effects.

While there’s every reason to include these vegetables in your daily diet, fresh breath is not one of them. Rest assured that eating fresh parsley will alleviate this problem.

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Local farms such as Breckenfeld Family Growers and Forever Young Farm are currently providing Tucsonans with over a dozen varieties of garlic and onions to choose from, so be sure to stop at your local farmers markets for the best quality you can buy.

For those of you that want to grab a meal on the go with all the similarities to this mouthwatering dish, stop by downtown’s Sparkroot for the Portobello Burger. It’s marinated, grilled, and topped with homemade walnut pesto.

Many thanks to Native Seeds/SEARCH, Food Conspiracy Co-op, Incredible Snacks and Breckenfeld Family Growers for making this meal possible.

Vegan Gravy Recipe

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar*
• 1/4 cup olive oil*
• 1 tbsp aminos*
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp minced garlic*
• 1 tbsp minced shallots*
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns*
• 2 dates* (Be sure to soak in warm water for 15 minutes, then blend well into a syrup.)
• 1 tsp potato starch*
• 1 tsp thyme*
• 1/4 tsp  ground ginger*
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard*
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon*

Place all ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool.

Roasted Portobellos and Vegetables

• 4 large portobello mushrooms (stems removed)*
• 3 potatoes*
• 6 small carrots*
• 2 medium onions*
• 4 bay leaves*
• 2 tbsp parsley*

1. Slice potatoes and onions in four. Dress all vegetables well in gravy. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Add marinated portobello steaks and bake an additional 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle fresh thyme and parsley on top. Serve.

* Indicates Organically grown