Phyllo Vegetable Pot Pie

I recently made this recipe and loved it. The process is a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort. I made it for no special occasion, but this pot pie would make an elegant entree for any holiday or company dinner. I made a number of changes to the recipe, using ingredients I had on hand – it worked! I noted the changes in the recipe below.

Phyllo Vegetable Pot Pie

8 ounces leeks (I used one cup chopped onion)

1 stick, plus 3 tbsp. butter

8 ounces carrots, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used a half-pint jar or home canned mushrooms)

8 ounces Brussels sprouts, quartered (I used a 10 ounce pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block)

4 ounces Roquefort or Stilton cheese (I used 1/2 half cup shredded Parmesan and 1/2 cup swiss)

2/3 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)

2 eggs, beaten

8 ounces cooking apples, peeled and chopped (I used Granny Smith Apples)

8 ounces cashew nuts or pine nuts, toasted (I used chopped walnuts)

12 ounces frozen phyllo dough, thawed (I used a 10 ounce pkg.)

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut leeks in half through the root and wash them to remove any soil, separating the layers slightly to check that they are clean. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces, drain and dry on paper towels.
2. Heat 3 tbsp. of the butter in a large pan and cook leeks and carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes. (I used onions.) Add the mushrooms, Brussels sprouts (I added the broccoli instead) and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Wisk the cream cheese, blue cheese (or other cheeses), cream, and eggs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables.
4. Peel and core the apples and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Add them to the vegetables with the nuts.
5. Melt the remaining butter in a pan. (I melted it in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave.) Brush the inside of a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter. Brush two-thirds or the pastry sheets with butter, one at a time, and use them to line the bottom and sides of the pan, overlapping the layers so that there are no gaps.
6. Spoon in the vegetable mixture and fold the excess phyllo pastry over toward the center to cover the filling.
7. Brush the remaining phyllo sheets with butter and cut them into 1 inch strips, arranging them decoratively in a rough mound.
8. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until golden brown and crisp all over. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool, then carefully remove the pan and transfer the pie to a serving plate.
9. Enjoy!

Tip: Keep phyllo sheets covered with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Remove each sheet as you use them. Phyllo dough dries out quickly and becomes brittle!

You can see how pretty it looked! The filling held together nicely.

I served this with Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts and Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower and Strawberry Pretzel Salad for dessert. Yum!

We had enough leftover for lunch the following day. The potpie was delicious served at room temperature or heated.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks – Vegetarian by Linda Fraser. I’ve had this cookbook for about ten years I think. Love it.

Asian Ginger Broth Soup

Last December while we were in Orlando, FL. we ate at one of my all time favorite restaurants – Sweet Tomatoes. Anytime we travel, we look for this restaurant! Anyway, if you have been  in the last year, you may have tried this amazing soup. It is sooooo yummy!

Souplantation’s Asian Ginger Broth
4 tablespoons finely minced ginger
3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups cold water
14 cups water
6 tablespoons vegetarian base (see note)
Yields approximately 1 gallon

Combine ginger, garlic and oil in a large pot and saute for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and 2 cups cold water to pot and whisk to dissolve. Add rest of water and vegetarian base to pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with any combination of the following items: sliced green onions, shredded carrots, chopped spinach, sliced
mushrooms, wonton strips, cubed tofu.

Note: Vegetarian base – Sweet Tomatoes (Souplantation) uses Custom brand vegetarian base powder. You can substitute with a similar base such as McKay’s Chicken Seasoning, or use chicken broth in place of the water if you are not vegetarian.

Vegetarian Fajitas

Vegetarian Fajitas

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup quartered onion (1 small)
1 cup red, green or yellow bell pepper strips (1 small)
1 3/4 cups black pinto or kidney beans (15-ounce can)
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
1.25 oz ORTEGA® Fajita Seasoning Mix (1 package)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
6 fajita-size flour tortillas (6-inch)

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in beans, corn, fajita seasoning mix and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Spoon 1/2 cup fajita mixture onto each tortilla; fold in half.

Serve with shredded lettuce and cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. Spanish rice and re-fried beans would be a nice compliment.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

This has to be one of my favorite meals! When I first saw this recipe, I thought the sweet potatoes and black beans were an odd combination, but the flavor marry extremely well! Since then, I have also tried a sweet potato and Black Bean Salad which was just as yummy! I found this recipe over at Karina’s Kitchen. This is a perfect recipe for my daughter who has Chron’s Disease and needs to eat a vegan diet!
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
Quickie Green Chile Sauce

1 cup light vegetable broth
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles, hot or mild
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Enchilada Filling

1 (15-ounce) can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked diced sweet potatoes
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder mild or spicy
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Assembly

2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, as needed
8 white or yellow corn tortillas
4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Choose a baking dish that would hold 8 rolled enchiladas. Make your Quickie Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test and adjust seasonings. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the Enchilada Filling, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the cooked sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

To assemble the enchiladas, grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them, one at a time, as you stuff each one.

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce. Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. Top with 1/8 of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce. Top with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Simone’s Stroganoff

Our Church hosts a wonderful event each fall called the Holiday Tasting Extravaganza.  Its an event where we serve about 600 people 1 oz. tastes of about 60+ fabulous vegetarian and vegan foods.  The last fall was my first experience as a cook.  And I must say it was quite the experience, making 650 meatballs, gravy and butternut squash.  But I really enjoyed it, and the food was fabulous.  However, I learned that 67 tastes is more then a normal  meal.

One of my favorite dishes belongs to my friend Simone who is originally from Brazil.  Her stroganoff had a twist that I didn’t expect, the addition of tomatoes, and I left dreaming of it (especially since she packed up some of her leftovers for me to eat the next day, but somehow they got lost in the dismantling of our stations).  It did contain dairy, so I was formulating a way to “veganize” it when she came to me one Sabbath beaming that she’d figured out how to do it herself and it tasted great!  Now I had to get on with making it.  My first attempt was wonderful.  She suggested using Toffutti cream cheese instead of sour cream, a direction I wouldn’t have gone on my own, and it added a wonderful richness.  Unfortunately when I made it the second time, for this post, I accidentally bought the garlic and herb flavored cream cheese.  Oops!  Its great on bagles, but not in my stroganoff!  So I decided to improvise.  I do have a traditional stroganoff recipe that I like that contains tofu and cashews, and I had an extra block and some leftover cashew cheese on hand so I decided to see if it would work.  Its tolerable, but not rich and creamy like we were used to.  So no skimping on this one!  However it looks very similar in the pictures so I’m going forward with this post.

1/4 c. canola oil
1 TBSP garlic, mashed
2 c. chopped Loma Linda Tender Bits (or homemade gluten chops work well too)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted)
2 TBSP finely chopped parsley
1/2 c. diced onion
1 c. sliced mushrooms
2 c. petite diced tomatoes lightly mashed in food processor
1 tsp salt
1 pkg. Toffutti cream cheese (plain)

I recommend getting all your ingredients prepped before starting!  Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Cook the onion in the oil for 1 minuet.  Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic is golden brown.  Add the mushrooms and Tender Bits (gluten, cut into 1 inch cubes) stir for 3-4 minuets; add the petite diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper and salt.  Cover the saucepan, and allow to simmer on low heat for about 10 minuets. If this seems too dry you may add a little bit of water and simmer.  Turn off the heat, add parsley and Toffutti Cream Cheese, stir as it melts into the sauce.  Serve immediately!

Tofu “meat” balls

Tofu Walnut Balls

(7 Secrets – Neva and Jim Brackett)

2 c. soft bread crumbs (Use several pieces of bread, crushed in food processor, rather then what you get at the store, it adds great texture)

3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts (I use roasted sunflower seeds, they blend well and add flavor)

1/2 c. quick oats

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. Vege-Sal (I use McKay’s Beef Seasoning)

2 t. McKay’s Chicken Seasoning

16 oz. brick firm tofu

1/2 c. water

2 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

2 T. flax seed meal (this is my addition, I’m always looking for recipes to add this great source of Omega 3′s to)

1 c. TVP re-hydrated in broth, drained (optional, I like the flavor and added texture).

 

Place Tofu, Onion, nuts/seeds and all liquid and seasoning ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add to all the dry ingredients.  Mix and form little meatballs.  I used a melon ball sized ice cream scoop (about 1 oz.)  One recipe makes over 100 meatballs of this size.

Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 350 for 30 minuets.  Freeze or use in a recipe once they’re cool.

 

My favorite way to make these is to cover them in brown gravy and bake, then serve with Mashed Potatoes.  But they’re also good with a spaghetti sauce or sweet and sour sauce.  If taking to a potluck, be sure you give lots of extra gravy/sauce, so they don’t dry out.

Squash Patties

I grew eating these and have always loved them! This recipe made enough patties for me to freeze some for another meal. Delicious and kid friendly. You can serve them ketchup or sour cream.

Squash Patties

8 medium yellow squash, shredded
1 onion, shredded
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
ground black pepper to taste

Place the squash and onion in a colander, sprinkle with salt and stir. Drain for 30 minutes to an hour. In a bowl, mix the squash and onion, flour, cornmeal, egg, and cheese. Season with pepper.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop squash mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls into the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

To freeze, allow to cool completely, place patties in quart size freezer bags.This recipe would be perfect for those summer months when you have squash coming out your ears! Make up a huge batch and put them in the freezer for later!

Quick Marinara and Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Sometimes mistakes and upheaval in the kitchen create some of the BEST recipes.  Today that was the case. I’d planned this overly ambitious menu for Friday evening.  I like to make soup for Friday night, a nice Sabbath tradition, but lately I’ve been enjoying soup and sandwiches, and of course the sandwiches are best if they’re hot and contain lots of cool ingredients…translated to – LOTS of work.  That does not fit into my preparation day schedule.

So today my menu was: cream of mushroom soup and roasted eggplant and tomato sandwiches, on homemade Foccacia bread (which I have not made for MONTHS, so who knows if it would’ve worked out).  So once I realized what a fool I was I decided to abandon ship and make pasta with the veggies.  Then I remembered that Abigail is having a reaction to tomatoes, so decided to do two different sauces to accommodate.  I needed to use up some whipping cream, that I don’t normally buy (but that’s a different story), and knew that without tomatoes Abigail’s sauce wouldn’t have too much to hold it together, so decided to do a chopped onion and mushroom cream sauce with some vegan Parmesan.  Then I took my tomatoes, blanched them and did a lovely fresh marinara.  I sliced and roasted my eggplant as previously planned, but chopped into small pieces and added to each sauce.  Cooked up some Linguine and presto!

Jeremy told me this was the best meal I’d EVER made him…humm…  So thought I’d better pass it along.  I’ll give you a great vegan version, since that’s what I”ll do next time when I plan this.  Also notable, I tried to mix the two sauces and it was not good.  Having two different pastas, contrasting tangy with rich, was LOVELY, so do plan to do BOTH.  So I apologize that my picture is not the best, we didn’t have much of the mushroom leftover to photograph.

Quick Marinara

8 roma tomatoes

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

1 large eggplant, diced and roasted

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Several large fresh basil leaves!

Cut and roast eggplant with a little olive oil and salt in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 min, depending on how done you want it.

Blanch washed tomatoes in the water you’re pasta is cooking in for about 3 minuets, the skin should burst, but doesn’t have to.  Dice up the onion and garlic fine, and saute in olive oil in your largest frying pan.  Peel and core the tomatoes, dice fine and add to the mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once the eggplant is done, toss into the sauce and cook about 3-5 more minuets so it absorbs the flavor (you can save half for the mushroom sauce if you’re so inclined, but I probably won’t next time since its flavor is tangier).  Snip the basil leaves with kitchen scissors and add at the last minuet.

Once the pasta is done (I did a lb. of linguine), add about half to the pan and allow to simmer for a minuet, toss to coat and serve, sprinkled with your favorite vegan Parmesan (I like the galaxy food’s Vegan Grated Topping).

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

1 lb. diced mushrooms

1 LG onion, finely diced

1 c. coconut milk

8-10 raw cashews (use 3 TBSP of tahini – sesame seed butter – if you have a nut allergy, can be found in the international food section)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 c. vegan parmesan

1 TBSP yeast flakes

1 TBSP chicken-like seasoning + 1 cup water (or vegetable broth)

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Dice mushrooms, garlic and onion, saute in a few TBSP of olive oil until onion is completely soft.

Blend coconut milk, cashews, yeast flakes and tahini for at least 2 minuets, you want the cashews to be smoothly blended, no grit or chunks!  Add to mushrooms, add the broth as it starts to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add cheese close to the point when you’re ready for the finished pasta.  Allow to cook in the sauce for a minuet or so.  Add more Parmesan to taste.

We did not eat a vegetable along with this meal, but I’d imagine green beans or broccoli would be wonderful, or even a large fresh salad!

Cottage Cheese Roast

This is one of my favorite thrifty recipes! We wait for cottage cheese to go on clearance sale and then buy a bunch of it!

Cottage Cheese Roast

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
3 pkg. George Washington broth
2 lbs. cottage cheese
6 cups Special K cereal or Rice Krispies or other equivalent
1 cup chopped onions
1 stick butter, melted
6 eggs

Mix all ingredients together. The mixture should be moist, not dry. If it seems dry, add another egg. Bake in a greased casserole dish at 375 degrees for 1 hour. I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and a brown gravy or mushroom gravy.

Note: If you are not able to find George Washington Broth which is available in most grocery stores (just ask about it), you could substitute an envelope of onion soup mix.

This recipe is from one of my old cookbooks “From Needles” – a wonderful collection of recipes from Needles, California. I just love “local” cookbooks! The recipes are always so homey and yummy!

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

This recipe is found in The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola.

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (about 1 large sweet potato, peeled)

¼ cup oat flour

½ tsp. dried parsley

¼ tsp. chipotle chili powder seasoning

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to broil setting. With a potato mashed or fork, mash black beans in a large bowl, leaving about ¼ of the beans whole. Mix in sweet potatoes, oat flour, parsley, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Scoop out 1/3 cup of bean mixture, and place on an 11 x 17 inch baking sheet that has been rubbed with olive oil. Flatten and shape into a circle with spatula. Repeat with remaining mixture to make 6 burgers.

Broil 4 inches from heat about 7 – 8 minutes or until golden brown. Flip burgers carefully with spatula. Broil 2 – 3 more minutes, and serve.

Recipe Notes:

• Spread burger with Guacamole with a Little Kick
• Top with tomato slices, lettuce, and/or onions.
• Make your own oat flour by placing rolled oats in a food processor or blender and process until fine. (1 cup of old-fashioned oats will yield about ¾ cup ground oats.)

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