Vegan with a Vengeance

margarine or whatever else you want. The gravy is a modified version of a recipe submitted to my Web site by someone named Lisa. Thanks, Lisa.
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    5 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoons salt
    3 tablespoons nonhydrogenated shortening
    2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine
    â…” cup rice or soy milk
    Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
    Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the shortening and margarine into the flour with a pastry knife or your fingers. Add the rice milk to form a soft dough. Mix well and pat out on a floured countertop until about ½ inch thick; cut out 2-inch rounds with the rim of a glass or cookie cutter. Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

White Bean and Tempeh Sausage Gravy
    MAKES ENOUGH TO COVER 12-14 BISCUITS
    Tempeh Sausage Crumbles (page 22)
    2 cups cooked white beans (or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
    2 tablespoons olive oil or margarine, softened
    Â¼ cup vegetable broth or water
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    A few dashes fresh black pepper
    10 to 12 leaves fresh sage, chopped
    Prepare the Tempeh Sausage Crumbles and keep them warm in the pan.
    Puree the white beans with the olive oil and vegetable broth in a blender or food processor until relatively smooth. Add to the tempeh crumbles along with the salt and pepper. Heat through for a few minutes. If you want to make the gravy thinner, add a little more vegetable broth. Mix in the sage and cook for another 2 minutes.

“Fronch” Toast
    MAKES 12-15 SLICES
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    I couldn’t tell you what it is about chickpea flour but this French toast looks and tastes just like the “real” thing. Chickpea flour is quite easy to find these days—if you don’t have a Middle Eastern grocery store nearby, try a health food store or one of those “gourmet” markets. I like to use a nice crusty baguette for this recipe, but if you want to use sliced bread, make sure to lightly toast it first (see below). Serve with fresh berries, sliced bananas, and pure maple syrup.
    Loaf of Italian or French bread, baguette shaped, preferably stale
    Â½ cup soy creamer (rice or soy milk would make a good substitution, preferably rice)
    Â½ cup rice milk or plain soy milk
    2 tablespoons cornstarch
    Â¼ cup chickpea flour
    Several tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
    Slice the bread into 1-inch rounds. The bread should be a bit stale; if not, leave the slices out overnight or put them in a 350°F oven for 3 to 4 minutes to dry them out—you don’t want to toast them. (If you’re in a rush, feel free to skip this step—the French toast will still taste good.)
    Pour the soy creamer and rice milk into a wide, shallow bowl. Mix in the cornstarch and stir until dissolved. Add the chickpea flour and mix until it is mostly absorbed; some lumps are okay.
    Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to create a thin layer on the bottom (a tablespoon or two).
    Soak the bread slices (as many as will fit into your pan) in the mixture and transfer to the skillet. Cook each side for about 2 minutes; if they are not brown enough when you flip them, heat for 1 or 2 more minutes on each side. They should be golden brown with flecks of dark brown. Serve immediately.

    Perfect Pancakes
    There is nothing like a stack of pancakes dripping with maple syrup, served with some smoky tempeh bacon on the side. Although pancake ingredients are fairly simple, the combination of flour and water seems to have an uncanny ability to stress a person out. I’m no motivational speaker, but trust me—it may take a couple of tries to get perfect pancakes but you can do it. Here are some tips to guide you along the way. (If it helps, picture my head in a dream cloud floating above your left shoulder, guiding you on. If that doesn’t help and only serves to freak you out, then just follow these guidelines.)
    âœ— The amount of water you need depends on several factors including altitude and the humidity in the air on any given day. I suggest using the liquid quantities I give as a guideline. First, add ¾ cup of water. If the batter looks too thick, or if your first pancake doesn’t bubble up, add the remaining liquid.
    âœ— Don’t overmix the batter. You want a couple of lumps in the flour; overmixed batter results in rubbery pancakes.
    âœ— You may notice that pancakes get lighter and fluffier as you get to the end of the