Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

When I woke up  yesterday and looked out the window I thought for a split second I had been kidnapped X-files style and taken to Antarctica.  I left  for work wrapped up like a Lands End mummy and never warmed up again. By the time I returned home I was ready to take a nap in the oven to try and get warm. This is a job for Chicken Pot Pie.

Chick’n Pot Pie of Love

By: S. Boulton and S. Duquet

Filling Ingredients

1 1/2 C non-dairy milk

1 C water, divided in half

2 cubes Chick’n bouillon (or enough to make 2 cups, if it is a more dense bouillon, sometimes 1  cube makes 2 cups)

4 tbsp flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper (more to taste)

1 tbsp+ rubbed sage (start with one tbsp and add more to your taste, we like a heavy hand)

1 finely chopped shallot

1 1/2 C diced potatoes

1 C finely cut carrots

1 C frozen peas

8 oz  Chick’n diced (I used one pkg Morningstar Farms strips and cut into cubes)

Make it Happen:

In a small saucepan, boil the diced potatoes for about 8 minutes to soften them.  Rinse, drain and set aside.  Lightly spray a large saucepan with oil, saute shallot until it begins to sweat, add 1/2 C water and bouillon to dissolve.  Then add garlic, salt, pepper, sage, and milk .  In small bowl, whisk flour with the other 1/2 c water until smooth and stir into mixture on stove.  Add potatoes and carrots and simmer for about 15 more minutes to thicken sauce.  Add peas and chick’n and stir.  It’s ready to pour into pie crust.

Pastry Ingredients

From The Joy of Vegan Baking

2 1/2 C Flour

1 Tsp sugar

1/2 Tsp salt

1 C vegetable shortening or 1/2 C shortening and 1/2 C non dairy butter (I used Earth Balance shortening)

1/3 C plus 1Tbsp ice water ( I used a teeny bit more)

Make Pie Crust Happen

Halve the recipe if you only need a single crust. This recipe makes pastry for a top and bottom crust. You may also freeze unused portions.

~Put all dry ingredients into a bowl

~Cut  butter or shortening into small cubes and put in a separate bowl

Put both bowls and your water in the freezer for 30 minutes. The key to amazing pastry is the chillyness of your ingredients.

~When ready, blend dry ingredients. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or crisscross actions with two butter knives (use the pastry cutter). Add water until the dough will clump into small balls. It will still look pretty dry and flaky. You do not want the dough wet or sticky.

~Take half of the dough and roll out onto a floured surface. Make a circle large enough to fit in your pie plate. Roll dough around your floured pin to lift it over to the plate and unroll into the pie plate. This will help you move the pastry without ripping it.  Pour in the filling.

~Do the same thing when you are ready for your top crust.

~Cut air holes into the top once it is sealed. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour, until the crust is golden brown. You can do decorative slits or leaves or polka dots….go crazy. With the extra dough I cut out small hearts and placed them on top. Nothin says lovin like hearts from the oven.

Neither of us had ever made pie crust from scratch or a vegan chicken pot pie and we thought the results were astounding. The crust was flaky and buttery enough to want to eat your way around the edges when no one is looking. The filling was abundant with flavor and brimming with the kind of veggies that exude comfort and warmth.

This meal was the perfect way to soothe someones soul (mine),  but it is also an elegant dish to prepare for people you love and would like to wow. Homemade pie crust says, ” I really care about you and I think you are worth it. Please, enjoy some loving from my vegan oven.”

Have a warm, comforted and delicious day.

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, Earth Balance, going veg, Morningstar Farms, The Joy of Vegan Baking, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan chicken pot pie, vegan comfort food, vegan entree, vegan experience, vegan holiday recipes, vegan recipe, vegan wannabe, vegetarian chicken pot pie, vegetarian entree