Chickpea Cutlets & Baby Potatos

I adore baby potatos. Every year I wait eagerly for the first batch to show up at the farmer's market. So on Saturday I nearly squealed with delight when I saw bags of them. I nearly fainted when I heard the price, but I had to have them. In my pre-vegan days, I would make a heavy cream gravy to go with them (inherited from my cream-loving Ukrainian ancestors). I came home and flipped through my vegan cookbooks, trying to think of something that would live up to the cream sauce memories. That was when I got the bright idea to make the mushroom gravy from Veganomicon. But with a twist. At the very end we added about 2 tsp. of fresh dill. Oh man. I thought that gravy was good before, it was amazing with the dill. I have to give credit to the bf though, he's the sauce whisperer. He just stands around the stove and somehow his magic powers make sauces taste good.

To go with it, I also wanted something that was delicious smothered in gravy. And so I turned to my old friends, chickpea cutlets, also from Veganomicon. Now I realize these cutlets get some criticism here and there, but if you herb them up they are so good! I ignore the herbs/spices in the original recipe and added a bunch of fresh herbs from my garden: parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil. I also bake them for about 5-10 minutes longer than the recipe states, until they are nice and crispy. Mmmm....

So there you have it. A meal just as delicious as a plate of cream, yet a LOT healthier for you and a LOT friendlier to our bovine friends.