“To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.” — Bette Davis

Each of these recipes are from the wonderful new cookbook Cookin’ Crunk, by Bianca Phillips. The Country Fried Steak with Soy Milk Gravy are on page 94, and the Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits are on page 136.

This meal was just too decadent and delicious! What says “comfort food” more than batter-fried tempeh steaks with a creamy sage gravy and warm, buttery biscuits?

Served with a side of pureed, roasted turnips topped with dairy-free butter. You could also serve this with pureed, steamed cauliflower or mashed potatoes.

We added a bunch of chopped chives to the biscuit dough because we had some in the fridge. We also substituted hemp milk for soy milk in the gravy recipe.

Country Fried Steak Facts: The precise origins of the dish are unclear, but many sources attribute its development to German and Austrian immigrants to Texas in the 19th century, who brought recipes for Wiener Schnitzel from Europe to the USA. Lamesa, the seat of Dawson County on the Texas South Plains, claims to be the birthplace of chicken fried steak, and hosts an annual celebration accordingly. John “White Gravy” Neutzling of Bandera in the Texas Hill Country also claims to have invented the dish.