A Vegan Potluck Picnic in Florence AL

I was invited to participate in a vegan potluck lunch picnic in Florence AL. It was nice to meet with like-minded people to share good food, ideas, and food-based experiences.

This was my first social event since the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic. We all met outside at the park in a pavilion, so it seemed safe enough.

Getting good photographs of the food was nearly impossible. The food was being eaten up before I could get good photographs. It all looked so good. Or maybe vegans are just so malnourished and starving from protein deficiency that we couldn't control ourselves. Ha!

Let's look at all the protein we enjoyed. Check out these two broccoli casseroles. Delicious!

There was even a vegan wheat gluten "meat loaf and gravy" available so that we could pretend not to be freaks and social outcasts.

My contribution to this social event was a huge pot of black beans and saffron rice with red pepper and onion. This simple food was prepared in just minutes. I was pleasantly surprised to see how popular my food was with the crowd. I sat down to eat for a moment and it was gone! I had only 2 servings of leftovers to take with me.

My favorite foods included the flavorful Indian sambar and the red potatoes with spinach and garlic. I had to go back for seconds and thirds.

There were two tables loaded with foods. This was a real vegan feast! People accuse vegans of having eating disorders. Okay. I confess. I binged until I could barely move.

A Vegan Lunch At Mad Munchies Food Truck in Pensacola FL

Mad Munchies food truck advertises as "100% Vegan Junk Food". How could I resist? The next location was just up the road, so I had to be there.

Mad Munchies food truck in Pensacola FL

When the truck arrived, I recognized it from the social media posts. It was like seeing a famous person in an ordinary place. The truck has a real presence and seemed completely out of place. It's huge and mysterious, the colors are a bit unsettling, the paint is drippy, and the lettering looks like a horror movie title. The logo is a big dripping smile. It was like a food truck from a weird trip whilst taking a mind altering substance. But I'm a weirdo. I love all of that. I had the munchies, and time seemed to be passing too slowly. It was time to eat some vegan junk food!

The menu was pleasantly simple with several possibly amazing vegan options. After studying it for a moment, I couldn't decide on two of my favorite foods, so I ordered both of them; the Mac-N-Chz and the Chili Chz Nacho.

It was exciting to see such beautiful foods come from that monstrous truck. Look at this food. Try not to drool.

Mac-N-Chz and the Chili Chz Nacho at Mad Munchies food truck in Pensacola FL

The Chili Chz Nacho was excellent! This was exactly what I wanted from this food truck. The chili was mild in heat but had a very good flavor. It was thick and chunky with beans. The chips were crisp and fresh. The tomato and onion chunks were a bit large but made this a perfect and complete meal. This was a bit oily, but this is junk food. It says so on the truck.

The Mac-N-Chz was also very good. The noodles were perfectly softened. The vegan cheeze was thick with a hint of smoke and a slight sweetness. It was very oily, but again, this is junk food. It says so on the truck.

I was told that the portion sizes were scaled down for this event because more children were expected at this location. I'm glad I was there for the smaller sizes. This was enough food for 3 or 4 meals. I was munching on this for 2 hours.

I enjoyed this food very much. I chose to test Mad Munchies with two of my life-long favorites. Both items were better than most I've had at higher prices. Based on food taste, portion size, and price, I conclude that this was a very good value and completely satisfying experience.

Good job, Mad Munchies! I hope to try more food in the near future.

Click here to see the Mad Munchies website

 

A Vegan Lunch at Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill in Pensacola Beach FL

Finding vegan food in Pensacola is only a slight challenge, but once you go over the bridges to Santa Rosa Island, it is nearly impossible to find something to eat. There's an abundance of seafood restaurants, and not a single one currently has a vegan meal on a menu. Herbivores are completely overlooked at the beach. Some restaurants have small vegetarian side salads with cheese, dressing, and croutons. Most of them have fries or other deep fried vegetarian items, but I assume they use shared deep fryer oil. It was a tough search, but I found something really good for vegans. Some creative thinking and a good attitude is needed for this one.

I found myself at Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill. It's a nice place right on the beach, and I mean it is ON THE BEACH with beach sand all around and dining tables in the sand! Very cool. The bar is on a concrete pad under a big beach hut. It's very casual and comfortable. I chose the beach hut during this visit. They have all kinds of beautiful foods for omnivores. The adult beverages looked amazing, especially the one that's served in an actual pineapple. This place is so cool!

Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill

 

The menu includes an appetizer called Joe's Pile of Nachos. It usually comes with tortilla chips, queso, shredded cheese, spicy beef, beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapeños. Be very friendly and nice to the server. Ask if they can make a vegan version with tortilla chips, black beans, guacamole, lettuce, pico de gallo, and jalapeños.

 

Vegan nachos at Whiskey Joe's

 

This was smaller but at the same price as the big Joe's Pile of Nachos. The quality and flavor was very good. This wasn't a vegan feast and it wasn't cheap, but this was the best vegan food on the island. Every part of this was fresh and flavorful. Order this with a good draft beer or fancy drink and you will be in paradise.

Remember, this is not on the menu. Don't go in there acting like you're special. Whiskey Joe's is very popular and has plenty of other paying customers. I'm not sure how they feel about special orders. It worked for me, and I hope to order this again next time. It was very good!

Bacon Avocado Club Sandwich at End Of The Line Cafe in Pensacola FL

I returned to End Of The Line Cafe for more amazing plant-based food. This time I got a daily special. The Bacon Avocado Club was perfect in every way. This may have been the best sandwich I've eaten in years, and I frequently eat sandwiches. This was loaded with flavor and had a good variety of textures. This included maple hickory "bacon", avocado, lettuce, tomato, vegan mayo, grilled peppers and onions, and knuckle sauce, served on multigrain bread. Mmmmmmm. So good!

Bacon Avocado Club Sandwich at End Of The Line Cafe

Because I've been a vegetarian or vegan for so long, this was my first club sandwich, so I can't personally compare this to a tradition club sandwich. This sandwich was excellent all the way through.

Peace and love to the crew at End Of The Line Cafe. They were very friendly and helpful, and the food was awesome. This visit was great!

Click here to see the End of the Line Cafe website

Vegan Cocktail; A Margarita at El Olmeca in Huntsville AL

El Olmeca doesn't have much for vegans. To keep things safe and simple I just got this awesome margarita. Oooooh. This was good!

Margarita at El Olmeca in Huntsville AL

Home-made Vegan Vegetable Echiladas with Black Beans and Seasoned Rice

Take a look at this cheap home-made vegan meal. I wanted a classic meal often found in Mexican or Te-Mex restaurants but I didn't want to spend $18 plus a tip. I made this myself for a fraction of the price, and I had left over ingredients to repeat this meal again.

Vegan Vegetable Enchiladas

These included flour tortillas with roasted potatoes, garden-grown poblano peppers, and white onion. Fontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce. Daiya Mexican 4 Cheeze Style Blend Vegan Cheese Shreds was added to hold it all together.

Black Beans 

This was canned Simple Truth black beans, mashed and cooked dry with a bit of olive oil

Seasoned Rice

This was simply white rice, 3 packs of left-over Taco Bell hot sauce, chili powder, and a small amount of olive oil

 

I topped it all with more Daiya shreds and put it in the oven to melt it together, then garnished it with a quarter of an avocado

Vegan Lasagna at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

I went back to Sunflower Cafe to enjoy one of my favorite foods, lasagna. Vegan lasagna is not so easy to find or make. It's a time-consuming food to prepare, and finding the right vegan ingredients is a challenge. But Sunflower Cafe never lets me down. 

Lasagna at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

This was a really good vegan lasagna all the way to the end! It had the expected layers and flavor. But omnivores would recognize differences in flavor and texture from the traditional lasagna. This was a lighter, milder version, but the flavor would satisfy almost anyone. I personally prefer a crunchier toasted top layer and outer edges to give more variety of texture. This was consistently soft throughout. Maybe it sat covered for a while. But that's just a minor issue that I mention just to prove that I'm being fair. Overall, this was excellent! I hope it remains available. Just looking at the photo makes me want more.

My meal didn't end there. I could not stop myself. I also had the Asian Slaw and Potato Salad, both of which were excellent!

Asian Slaw at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

Potato Salad at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

 

It's difficult to avoid becoming gluttonous at Sunflower Cafe. The food is right there behind the glass. It all looks so tasty, and it's all vegan. There are so many great options for vegans!

Click here to see the Sunflower Cafe website

Home-made Vegan Pozole Rojo

Pozole is an old dish from the Aztecs. I wanted to make a vegan version. I am very pleased with my creation. 

This pozole rojo was slow cooked and included hominy, chile peppers, pinto beans, sliced pieces of Field Roast Spicy Mexican Chipotle vegan sausage, roasted onions, garlic and tomato. I garnished it with sliced avocado.

Home-made vegan Pozole Rojo

This was fantastic! This was like my regular chili but with many more layers of flavor. The hominy really made a difference. I'm so sorry for not sharing the recipe. I was freestyling this one and did not take notes.

Vegan Thanksgiving 2021

Another vegan Thanksgiving is here. It's a day to be grateful and appreciative for the simple things in life. I prefer to focus on things like silent moments, gentle breezes, my favorite jacket, memories of life on the beach in the winter, the good people who are part of my amazing life story, and good plant-based foods. I shared my food with the family. Here is my part of the celebratory meal.

 

Chunky Vegan Mashed Potatoes

This is simply boiled and mashed potatoes with salt, oat milk, and Earth Balance buttery spread. A home-cooked meal is not complete without mashed potatoes. Always good.

Vegan Onion and Mushroom Gravy

I cooked diced onions and mushrooms in the skillet with soy sauce, then cooked them in water with spices. After it cooked down I blended it until mostly smooth and added oat milk. It tasted very much like beef gravy. 

Fried Tempeh With Gravy 

I lightly browned some Lightlife tempeh in the skillet and poured the vegan gravy over it. Excellent!

Green Beans with Potatoes

The green beans were cooked southern style with olive oil and potato chunks.

 

Seasoned Rice

I used white rice and added olive oil, red and yellow pepper, celery, garlic powder, spices, and salt.

Steamed Broccoli

At the last minute I threw a steamer bag of broccoli into the microwave. Steamed broccoli is great!

Vegan Avocado Hors d'oeuvres

These Simple Truth crackers are topped with Treeline Herb Garlic plant-based spread and chucks of avocado. This tasty vegan snack is a very easy way to get the party started. Your non-vegan guests will think you've fallen off the vegan wagon, because Treeline plant-based spread tastes very much like the real thing.

 

Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

I decided to try the Mexiville restaurant on Market St in Chattanooga. I already posted about the Cherokee Blvd location.  Mexiville is one of the very rare Mexican restaurants with a vegan menu. The server at the Cherokee Blvd location was confident that the vegan food was actually completely vegan. I assumed the visit to this location would be similar.

This location is easy to find, but the small Mexiville sign is not. Go to the intersection of Market St and W. 8th St, then look in a southwestern direction. Find the attractive building with Art Deco detailing. There it is!

The first thing I saw inside was a full bar. The ceiling is very high with highly decorative antique ceiling panels. The other areas were simple with plenty of wood furnishings. There's a bench running along the left side. I assumed that's used as seating at night when the tables are pushed away and the dancing starts. Mexiville looks like it's just as much a bar as it is a restaurant.

When visiting non-vegan restaurants I often ask about what is vegan even when there's a vegan menu because many people think vegan and vegetarian are synonymous. At Mexican restaurants I must ask about the use of butter in fried foods and rice, lard in the beans and chips, chicken fat in the rice, real cheese as a garnish, etc. The server was unsure about what was and was not vegan. After asking the server to check on some things, I was told the following meal was vegan. But the server was not as confident and convincing as I would prefer.

I enjoyed the good sweet tea, chips, and salsa as I waited. I forgot to ask if the chips were vegan, but the other location told me they are, and I didn't taste anything that would make me think they were cooked in lard. The salsa was mild with mostly tomatoes. It was good.

Veggie Fajitas Lite

Sauteed broccoli, zucchini, onions, carrots. Served with rice, beans, guacamole salad, and corn tortillas.

Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

 

This fajita meal was very good! All the old veggie favorites were in there. They went heavy on the onions, but I would never complain about having too much of that. The broccoli and carrots really gave this the garden flavor that I hoped for. This had a nice skillet char flavor. The serving size was very large, enough for 2 people to share. I do prefer a less oil, but over all this was great. I loved it!

 

Side of Beans, Rice, and Guacamole Salad at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

 

The beans, rice, and guacamole salad came in a separate plate and was also a generous portion. The rice had a nice mild flavor and light texture. The beans were very blended and mild with a light heat after taste. The smell made me nervous and reminded me of Vienna Sausages. I went easy on those just in case. I was hoping to be completely convinced that they were vegan. The guacamole salad was standard with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. The guacamole was smooth and had a nice sting from jalapeno peppers.

 

Unfortunately, this guacamole salad came with stray pieces of cheese in the diced tomatoes.

 

 

Over all, this meal was very good. I do wish I could be more confident in the vegan status of the food. I like the vegan menu and the fact that the vegan menu seems to only have vegan foods listed. It appears that they know what vegan means. The smell and flavor of the beans did concern me. The server said they use soy based butter for grilling the veggies. From my experience in the food industry, I know that's the cheaper more common option for restaurants, so that does make sense. At this time, with what I do know, I can recommend this place to vegetarians and casual vegans. Very strict vegans and those with specific allergies may want to be very cautious and ask plenty of annoying questions. Check your tomatoes for cheese. But don't worry about the flavor of the food. So far, I can say it's really good.

Home-made Vegan Crumpet with Tea

I made home-made vegan crumpets from a recipe I found online. This was very spongy with a crisp ring on the edge. Very good! I used an egg ring to make it look nice and pretty. I topped this crumpet with 100% real maple syrup and a small scoop of Earth Balance Buttery Spread.

My tea was Tetley British Blend with raw cane sugar and almond milk.

 

Vegan Nachos at Moe's Southwest Grill in Cullman AL

Moe's Southwest Grill was celebrating Nation Nacho Day with $4.99 nachos. I stumbled onto this deal by accident. I didn't know there was a Nation Nacho Day. I had no plans to be in Cullman AL or at Moe's, but good things happen when you relax and go with the flow of the universe.

The ladies at Moe's let me choose whatever I wanted as toppings. I chose black beans, pinto beans, seasoned rice, onions, tofu, lettuce, and cilantro. I got some salsa on the side from the salsa bar.

According to my research and past experience, everything presented here is vegan and absolutely delicious. The serving size was more than enough for one meal. The service was great.

This was another positive experience at Moe's. The people of Cullman AL are always so nice.

Staff of Life Vegan Cafe / Kara's Kitchen and Bed and Breakfast in Cherokee AL

This entry is photographic documentation of my first visit to Staff of Life Vegan Cafe, also know as Kara's Kitchen. In the small town of Cherokee AL, hidden inside this early twentieth century mansion called the Easterwood House, amazing vegan foods are carefully crafted and served by kind and welcoming people.

The Easterwood House in Cherokee AL was originally built in about 1905 on a 12 acre lot as a wedding gift from Dr and Mrs William Cross to their daughter and son-in law Mannie and Herbert Harris. Now it is a bed and breakfast with most of the first floor being used as dining rooms and kitchen for Staff of Life Vegan Cafe. The house is amazing with large rooms, tall ceilings, and wood detailing everywhere.

The smokey smell of fireplace and home-cooked foods made the old mansion feel like home. The air was a bit chilly in some areas, but the fireplaces were alive and warm in the two front rooms.

Soothing jazz guitar music played as I appreciated the beautiful mansion and the view of the pond through the window. There was a wait time of about 20-30 minutes. Hand-crafted food made from scratch takes some time. Everything at Staff of Life is vegan. The chef is talented and experienced with knowledge of not just vegan food but also nutrition.

Black Bean Soup

To start the meal, I warmed up with a huge bowl of steaming hot Black Bean Soup. They seem to have been perfectly seasoned with mild chili spices and onion with a drizzle of olive oil. This was the best black bean soup I can remember eating. I know black bean soup is usually good, but the flavor was absolutely perfect.

Black Bean Soup at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

 

Sweet Potato Biscuit with Vegan Sausage 

The Black Bean Soup came with a sweet potato biscuit and vegan sausage. The biscuit was softer but tastier than expected. The vegan sausage was mildly spicy and slightly crisp. The flavor and texture was enough like real sausage to please any vegan, but meat eaters would notice the difference. This was very good for such a simple side item. I would have wanted another, but I knew more delicious plant-based foods were about to come out of the kitchen.

Sweet Potato Biscuit with Sausage at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

Double Decker Chicken Sandwich

The main dish for my day was the Double Decker Chicken Sandwich with Fries. The two "chicken" fillets were actually triple battered, hand-crafted seitan. They were double stacked on a bun and covered in three hand-made sauces with tomato and lettuce on the side.

 

Double Decker Chicken Sandwich at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

This was fantastic! The textures and flavors were all so varied and harmonious. The consumption of this dish was joyous. Vegan food this good is a very rare treat in this part of the country. I highly recommend this plate of heavenly food as a guaranteed winning starting point for new visitors to Staff of Life Vegan Cafe. This will please any person with a normal, functioning sense of taste.

Butter Pecan Cake

The meal ended with this slice of vegan Butter Pecan Cake. This was also made from scratch. The flavor and texture of this cake was more like a traditional cake than any other vegan cake I've ever had. This was perfectly sweetened, very sweet but not as sweet as normal cake. This cake was loaded with pecans. I'm no longer a huge fan of sweets, but this cake was amazing!

Butter Pecan Cake at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

 

I shared this meal with a member of my family. We were able to split each part of the meal. During the last half of the meal, the chef came out to meet us. Talking with her was like being with family. She was very kind, friendly, relaxed, and welcoming. After the meal we were able to walk around the mansion, study the art and antiques, and chat again in the lounge near another warm fireplace. 

Everything was very clean and neat, which is not always possible in places of this age. I inspected the dishes, bathroom, and most of the public rooms. The mansion does show its age in places, but it's very clean.

 

The price for this meal was much more than I would usually pay. But this was all hand-made food from scratch, prepared by a real chef with decades of vegan cooking experience. And the environment was unforgettable. There is a fair expectation to pay more for real food, especially food this good. There are a few lower priced items on the menu, such as chili dogs and soups. I'm not sure why the talented chef is not more regionally known. I'm hoping to help spread the word.

 

Vegans, vegetarians, and herbivores have dozens of menu options at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe. While eating at this quality level may not be financially possible for some people, I do recommend a visit. Save up some money and have a special day, or spend the night there and wake up to the smell of vegan sausage and gravy.

My lunch at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe was excellent. I hope to return soon.

A Vegan Breakfast at Dunkin Donuts

Because my body is most balanced and satisfied with plant material as fuel, I don't often eat popular  breakfast foods. Typical breakfast food in the US consists almost entirely of fried dead animals and various other concoctions involving body fluids or reproductive tissues. If I have breakfast at all it is usually something like peanut butter on saltines or just black coffee.

I wanted to try something new for breakfast. Dunkin added vegan items to the menu, so I figured I'd give them a visit.

My vegan breakfast order included:

1. A large coffee with oat milk

2. Avocado Toast

3. A plain English muffin with strawberry jam

This was a really good meal. I was very impressed by the flavor of the coffee with oat milk. It's the best coffee I've had in a while. It seems that Dunkin knows coffee. The avocado toast was very good. The tangy, lemon-garlic avocado spread was a treat. The sourdough bread had a really nice yeasty flavor. It was chewy around the edge, as it should be. The English muffin was bland. I guess its placement on the menu is mainly to support the heavier, non-vegan toppings. The strawberry jam made it worth the price as a secondary item.

Overall, this was all much better than expected. Dunkin is becoming more inviting to vegans with these breakfast options. I plan to return for more, whenever they aren't so crowded.

Vegan Halloween 2021

Happy Halloween to all. Once again, I have created home-made vegan Halloween foods to share with you. I enjoyed these tasty treats at my own spooky party, this year including only me and the dead.

I started with Avocado Monster Toast. It's simple enough to see how this was created. Even a zombie could make this.

I bought some vegan Halloween candy, not for the kids, because there are no kids, but for me to enjoy with my fortunately unseen dead companions watching. I did not share. They no longer can enjoy such pleasures, so no hard feelings exist on my part.

The big finale for the evening included the enjoyment of home-made vegan pumpkin muffins with vanilla icing. I added spooky lighting to get the mood right. A party for one complete with decorative lighting sounds quite sad, doesn't it? But what a perfect holiday for creative melancholy.

I cheated. My home-made muffins were made with Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin & Bread mix and icing. Both are vegan. I made this just as instructed, except I replaced the eggs with a vegan egg substitute. This ended up being a good choice. The icing is a bit too sweet though.

Gina's Stovetop Vegan Mac and Cheese

Kroger sends a coupon book with recipes to those on their mailing list. I found a great vegan recipe in there. It says Gina F. submitted the recipe for this delicious vegan mac and cheese. It's also found on Instagram at @HealthyLittleVittles. When I saw the recipe I knew I needed to try it. Here's what mine looked like.

Gina's Stovetop Vegan Mac and Cheese

Surprisingly, it doesn't have that much vegan cheese in the recipe. It includes 1/4 cup vegan parmesan, but I didn't even have that, and it still tasted like real cheesy mac and cheese. The cheesy flavor and creamy texture comes from nutritional yeast, tapioca flour, pimientos, and coconut milk. Even without the cheese listed in the recipe, this was better than most vegan mac and cheese I've tasted in vegan restaurants. 

This did have a very subtle sweetness. Next time I make this I'll go heavier on the pimientos to balance it out. This would be even better as a baked dish.

Because this was so good, I may try some other recipes found at @HealthyLittleVittles.
 

Dr. Praeger's Buffalo Chick'n Sliders

This is documentation of my first experience with Dr. Praeger's Buffalo Chick'n Sliders. This was very easy to prepare. I added mixed greens and Follow Your Heart Vegenaise. 

Dr. Praeger's Buffalo Chick'n Sliders

These sliders were very soft and moist. The flavors were mild but satisfying. There was a gentle lingering heat after eating, but just enough to notice. This seems to be mild enough for kids, and the size is perfect for small hands. The serving size was perfect for a light lunch. Overall, this is a good vegan, soy-free product. I do prefer more variety of texture, but this was microwaved. The uniformly soft texture was no surprise. Next time I may use the oven instructions for something slightly different.

This is another winner from Dr. Praeger's. Very good! I will buy this again!

Piñata Quesadilla at Fire & Spice TexMex Smokehouse in Huntsville AL

Here's another good choice from the ironic but greatly appreciated vegan menu at Fire & Spice TexMex Smokehouse. The Piñata Quesadilla is vegan! It comes with one side. I chose the one side I knew was vegan, the Charro Beans.

Piñata Quesadillas at Fire & Spice TexMex Smokehouse in Huntsville AL

This was excellent. The quesadillas are made with vegan cheese. I was told this was cooked in a separate area from the meats. The flavors were so bright, layered, and harmonious. The portion size was enough for a big guy or for splitting into two smaller meals. The outer tortilla was perfectly crisp.

I do wish the vegan cheese was melted more, but vegan cheese just requires higher heat for melting, and that would possibly burn the other parts of the meal. So that was almost expected. This was quite oily once I started digging in. No big deal. They had rolls of paper towels at the table. The price was a bit high for quesadillas, but the awesome flavors and great service made it worth the price. Overall, this was great, and I'd like to order it again in the future. Vegans, just remind the server that you'd like to be sure everything is vegan safe. They know the V word at this smokehouse.

Another great thing about Fire & Spice is the cleanliness of the kitchen. I rarely find cleaner restaurants. If you sit at the bar, you can watch them make the food. 

Click here to see the Fire & Spice website

A Simple Home-made Vegan Dinner: Asparagus, Garbanzo Beans, and Biscuits with Gravy

This was so easy and cheap, but surprisingly tasty! I used canned asparagus and garbanzo beans to save time. I lightly sprinkled my favorite seasonings on the beans. The biscuits were made with just flour. water, salt, baking soda, and olive oil. The gravy was leftover home-made mushroom gravy.