delicious vegetarian brown sauce

becoming a vegetarian helped me quit smoking because i didn't believe i could quit smoking, a belief that was easier to readjust once i lost the cravings for meat
hardest for me becoming veggie was giving up gravy. friends of library had book sale found 'the vegetarian gourmet cookbook' by paul southey and this great recipe for brown sauce which i found more satisfying than the best gravy:

Brown Sauce

serves 4

calories per portion: 140 [590 kilojoules]

 protein 3.5 grams

prep + cook: 30 minutes


1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons wholewheat flour
1 1/4 cups brown vegetable stock
a pinch of dried thyme
bay leaf 1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon brewer's yeast 
salt 
freshly ground pepper

Fry the onion in the oil until golden brown; add the tomatoes and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until all the liquid has evaporated and they have started to brown. Sprinkle on the over the flour, stir it well, then pour on the stock and bring to a boil, stirring all the time  until the sauce thickens. Add the thyme, bay leaf, red wine and brewer's yeast and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes,stirring occasionally. Strain into clean pan, adjust the seasoning, reheat and serve.



the book has 4 more additions / variations to the brown sauce: mushroom sauce, paprika sauce, madeira sauce and piquant sauce



the recipes are really good, but the photographs of  the fresh produce, grains  and completed dinners set in elegant yet relaxed outdoor settings are worth the price of the book themselves. see for yourself !




http://www.iherb.com/Better-Than-Bouillon-Vegetarian-No-Chicken-Base-8-oz-227-g/31936?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=google&gclid=CKee5faZnrkCFcyY4AodqjUAKQ



http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0890096902/ref=tmm_hrd_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&sr=&qid=

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ebayimg.com/t/The-Vegetarian-Gourmet-Cookbook-by-Paul-Southey-1985-Hardcover-/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/z/vyEAAOxyGStRu7rv/%24(KGrHqVHJ!8FGnLZKZ%2BqBRu7rvUiDw~~60_35.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Vegetarian-Gourmet-Cookbook-by-Paul-Southey-1985-Hardcover-/300946546436&h=300&w=225&sz=15&tbnid=7Bsxo7ds5k-NmM:&tbnh=186&tbnw=139&zoom=1&usg=__G8DYihE8WG7qXFGpLp3e5dlQ-WQ=&docid=tSfMR2zDzcHZYM&itg=1&sa=X&ei=KvEcUvmuE6a8sQTZu4DgCg&ved=0CDIQ9QEwAA&dur=121

  - home brew beer recipies from popular mechanics :

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McSpoon's Scotch Ale from popular mechanics.com:

Brewer: Phil Clarke Jr.
Style: Scottish wee-heavy
Competition results: Won first place in the strong ales category in the Knickerbocker Battle of the Brews (2001)

Extract recipe, 5-gallon batch size
Original gravity: 1.120
Final gravity: 1.030
Bitterness: 32 IBU
Alcohol by volume: 9.5 percent
15 pounds light dry malt extract
16 ounces 55-degree Lovibond crystal malt
4 ounces chocolate malt
4 ounces peat-smoked malt
2.25 ounces black malt
1 ounce Northern Brewer hops (10 percent AA), 60 minutes

Steep the grains in 1 gallon of 150-degree F water for 30 minutes. Sparge with 1 gallon of 150 F water. Add 1 gallon water and bring to boil. Remove from heat and the Dry Malt Extract. Bring to boil, stirring regularly. Add 1 ounce Northern Brewer hop pellets.

Boil for 60 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and cool. Add to fermenting bucket/carboy and top off to 5 gallons with cold water.

Fermentation: Aerate well and pitch two activator packs of Wyeast 1728 Scottish ale yeast. Aerate again 12 hours later. Let ferment at 60 F for two weeks. Let it sit at 60 F four more weeks. Prime with 1/2 cup of honey, dissolved in 1 cup of warm water. Bottle and sample after six weeks.

Judges' notes: "Ridiculously over the top and too big for style. More please!" 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/10-award-winning-home-brew-recipes