Whole Wheat Biscuits with White Gravy

As I may have mentioned before, I grew up on a farm, in the middle of the woods, in the middle of nowhere, in a 600 square-foot house where the electricity worked - sometimes.

Going back to visit my parents occasionally, I'm still often surprised to find the electricity functioning flawlessly, the floors redone, or other upgrades slowly introduced as my parents build their beautiful, "forever" home out of the quirky little farmhouse I called home as a child.

Years later, regardless of the urban home where Zach and I now live, with a garage, I still occasionally catch myself noting an otherwise subconscious, pervasive awareness of my "farm girl" roots. Whenever I'm helping a post-op orthopedic patient out of their wheelchair when they return from the OR, and I catch a skeptical glance directed at my genetically small-boned frame from a big burly guy when I motion to him to lean on me, I always reply, without thinking or hesitation, "I'm a farm girl - I'm stronger than I look." My patients always, invariably, break into laughter, and then, reassured somehow, fling their weight unhesitatingly onto my shoulders. And, thankfully, we haven't fallen down yet.

I'm a farm girl. I'm stronger than I look.

I savor long hikes or or runs in the mornings, across pavement now, yes, but I still fix us biscuits and gravy for our weekend brunches - healthy, light biscuits and gravy, but Southern, down-home farm biscuits and gravy still!

Whole Wheat Biscuits with White Gravy

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup 1% milk or soymilk
1/4 cup butter or light vegan marg, melted

1 lb. lean turkey sausage, casings removed, OR 1 lb. "sausage style" soy crumbles, such as Morningstar Farms brand
2 T dried onion flakes (very useful for a good little burst of intense onion flavor)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour, rounded
4 cups 1% milk
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning, rounded
Dash of hot sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

~ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
~ For the biscuits, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the milk, and stir until just combined. Stir in the melted butter or vegan marg, again until just combined. You will now have a very light dough - I usually give it a very gentle knead or two just to bring the dough together.
~ Scoop the dough by 1/4 cup-fulls onto the baking sheet. At this point, I set them aside until the gravy is nearly ready. When you're ready to bake the biscuits, transfer them to the oven and bake for 15 minutes - until golden brown.
~ For the gravy, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and brown the turkey sausage or soy crumbles over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break up and crumble the sausage into small pieces.
~ When the sausage or soy crumbles are browned, reduce the heat to low and stir in the onion and flour, just until well combined.
~ Pour in the milk, poultry seasoning, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring well and using the wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. (This is usually the time I slide the biscuits into the oven...)
~ Increase the heat to medium, and stir the gravy constantly until thickened.
~ Serve the biscuits topped with a generous helping of glorious gravy!