Pot Pie... made from scratch and vegan, too!

This is an easy pot pie recipe that is almost naturally vegan. I made this last Sunday when we had dinner company. It's a crowd pleaser, and is pretty much fool proof. Use common sense though. I tend not to measure the flour and almond milk ratio, so basically try and make a one pan white sauce and you'll be okay.

First the crust:
2 cups flour
2/3 cups vegetable shortening
6 tablespoons of water
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 325.

Cut the shortening into the flour and salt. Once the dough is the consistency of pea sized crumbs, add the water and mix into a dough ball.

Roll onto a lightly floured surface and with a floured rolling pin flatten till it is wide enough to cover the bottom of your pie pan and lay flat across the top too. Roll up around the rolling pin in order to lay across the pie pan. Cut off excess dough and reform into a ball, lightly coat with olive oil and wrap in plastic. Set the ball aside for now.

Bake the shell for 15 minutes, then set aside.

Filling:

Dice one baking potato, 3 carrots, 2 celery stalks.
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 garlic cloves diced
1 1/2 to 2 cups veggie broth
1 can cannellini beans
Olive oil or vegan margarine
Almond milk
1/2 cup flour approximately
Summer savory herbs (or thyme, sage, marjoram)
Salt and pepper

Sauté fresh diced veggies and garlic in olive oil or vegan margarine with herbs. Add veggie broth, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more broth if needed. Potatoes should be just tender. Add peas.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Add flour a bit at a time until the veggies are coated and liquid is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let cook in the pan till the flour begins to brown, then add almond milk slowly, stirring to evenly distribute. Keep adding the almond milk until the filling is about the consistency of a thick stew. Add in the cannellini beans and remove from heat.

Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie shell. Roll out the remainder of the dough to cover the top and pinch down with fingers.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until you see the crust turn a golden brown.

Eat and be merry, once it cools, of course!

*Also, we have have eaten this pot pie before taking a photo of the finished product. Oops.

Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup from Scratch

Now that December has rolled in, the weather has officially turned chilly! And while a good ol' fashioned can of tomato soup is vegan, I wanted to make something healthy, fresh, and without all the preservatives one might find in traditional condensed soups. So here you go: 

Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup

• 4 diced garlic cloves 
• 2 Tbs vegan butter (Earth Balance or in a pinch, Betty Crocker Light)
• 4 medium to large diced tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

Blend your cashews and 1/2 cup broth in a food processor or with your handy dandy immersion blender until smooth, then set aside for later. Saute the garlic in the butter.  Add your diced tomatoes (try to keep as much of the tomato juice as possible during the dicing) and 1/4 cup of remaining broth. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and let cool for about another 10-15 minutes.

Make yourself a Daiya cheddar grilled cheese sandwich in the mean time to go with you soup. Mmm, mmm good!

Blend the tomato mixture with an immersion blender in the pot until smooth. Add 1/3 cup nutritional yeast and pulse a couple times. Lastly, add the cashew/broth mixture and blend until creamy. Season with salt and pepper and pulse a few more times until complete.
I am hoping you know what to do next...

Fall = Butternut Squash Soup. Oh. No. Wait.. Let's Use Sweet Potatoes Instead!

Tonight at the William Byrd Community House we will be making Butternut Squash Soup. As an FYI, You can use sweet potatoes as a great butternut squash substitute. I may just prove this tonight since I have some great heirloom variety sweet potatoes picked straight outta the 17th century gardens at Bacon's Castle in Surry County (about an hour and a half south east of Richmond)! ...Sounds good, doesn't it!?

Built in 1665, this is the oldest brick residence in VA, ask me more, I tell ya a book!

So tonight, at the William Byrd Community Center, come warm up with some deliciously flavorful, and historic fall soup, hang out with me, hear all about the nutritious vegan life style, and if you want, we can talk about historic architecture, too!

Awesome, I know, Right!?

Sign up this way:

Click on the link to register! http://eatgoodgrowgreat.blogspot.com/p/vegan-101.html