Vegan Pumpkin Drop Biscuits 'n Gravy, Hot Dog!

I really can't resist a corny post title. It's a problem.

Pumpkin biscuits & Gravy

This rainy, rainy morning was just begging for a warm and cozy breakfast. I had already made trip number two to T's elementary school to deliver warm and dry socks and shoes. It was that wet getting from car to door. Florida summers, they do linger.

Once home, I started craving biscuits and gravy. Leftover pumpkin puree from the Pumpkin Oats and Pumpkin Creamer spurred me to look up 'pumpkin drop biscuits' on the interwebs.  Not having any tempeh for fauxsage, I decided to use the remaining hot dogs I'd recently defrosted to add some protein and flavor to the gravy. A quick saute with sausage seasonings and they would transform easily enough and could be added to a simple white gravy to pour over the hot, flaky, savory biscuits to make this meal the stuff rainy day vegan breakfast dreams are made of.

Or not.

I wrote that while gathering my ideas and then headed into the kitchen.

Pumpkin biscuits

This is the recipe I used for the biscuits but subbed 3T coconut oil for the butter. I opted to barely handle the dough and place them, slightly forming them into a biscuit shape, on my no stick baking mat. I have no luck with biscuits that one must roll out. Drop biscuits work much better for me. These didn't rise really, which I found surprising due to the amount of baking powder and my very little handling. They were okay. Not dry, not overly flaky or fluffy (which I'd really been hoping for) with a hint of coconut flavor. Not off-putting coconut flavor to me, but not really adding anything to their overall taste. I'll absolutely enjoy eating the rest of them in days to come, but the recipe could use some work.  Next time I'd make pumpkin scones. No contest.

The Hot dogs I crumbled up and added fennel seed, marjoram, basil, sage, garlic, and a tsp of shoyu. (VWAV's Tempeh Sausage Crumbles is my tried and true sausage making spice blend). Once I tasted them, they tasted a bit like crumbled vegan hot dogs with fauxsage spices. Go figure. I added a tsp each of liquid smoke and maple syrup (just to see what it would do to add bacon-y flavors. At this point, why not?), and while they tasted good, they really just tasted like vegan hot dogs with fauxsage spices and a touch of liquid smoke and maple syrup. Crazy, I know. I blame the cumin in the 'dogs.

The gravy I've made before. I seem to always forget how thin it is. In the future I will knock the almond milk down to 1 cup and add any more should it need it  as it cooks, but 2 cups is too much. I prefer a thick gravy. This one was tasty, just too thin.  I did just get the last bit of gravy off my plate with my finger and ate it, so it's either a testament to how much I love gravy or it's great regardless of it's viscosity. :)

All in all, it was a good, hearty, hot breakfast on a nasty, rainy, muggy day. It's not anything I'd make again exactly this way. Next time I'd make pumpkin scones and eat them with a side of hot dog. I'd be happier with the outcome and I'd have fewer dishes!

Mmmmm, gravy.

What's your favorite hot breakfast?