Veg'ed up biscuits and gravy

My mom made the best biscuits and gravy and the secret was always the hot sausage. Since I can't find spicy veggie sausage, I decided to mimic the sausage seasonings in the gravy itself. The result is a dead ringer for my mom's recipe. Even my carnivorous dad can't tell the difference!

Spicy Veggie Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits - make 'em or buy 'em, your call
2 T Crisco
1/4 c white flour
3 cups milk - ideally room temperature
salt, pepper, ground sage, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper
3 veggie sausage patties

While the biscuits are baking, melt the Crisco over medium in a large pan. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a light boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened. While the gravy simmering, cook the veg sausage patties in a small skillet. Once done, dice and add to the gravy. Season to taste with salt, pepper, sage, cayenne and crushed red pepper. Serve over split biscuits.

Surprisingly, this heats up well in the microwave, so be sure to save any leftovers. I tried this once with veg sausage crumbles and the result wasn't nearly as good. I think the crumbles are too small and throw off the texture. I'm sure this could be made with real sausage, but you'll have to figure that out yourself.