Sometimes the simplest of dishes make an outstanding centerpiece in your dinner table. It need not be elaborate or gourmet, but simply few dishes put together and showcased in an elegant manner - just like this pot pie. Its such a no fuss dish. Easy,pretty quick and an impressive dinner for guests or for any special occasion. Its so grand that it can be your meal to this Holiday season - be it Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas get together.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
The other day, I had some guests for dinner. I had had a long day and was not really upto making anything elaborate. But one cannot just serve the guests anything now, can we? My husband suggested that we can as well go out and eat. I just went into the fridge to see how well it was stocked. Umm - carrots, celery and few spring onions - not bad. Freezer section housed peas, beans and PUFF PASTRY! Oh yes! Pot Pies :) Having Puff pastry is always a boon. Its so versatile to allow almost any kind of dishes at short notice. With the menu decided - it took about 1-1/2 hours total to prepare these. Most of the time was on the skillet and oven. Not much work on prep work. Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe Just because Chicken or Turkey Pot pies are famous doesn't mean that there shouldn't be a Vegetarian one, now is there? Why deprive no-meat eaters a scrumptious treat? Any vegetables would work. Want to add Tofu? Seitan? What about Tempeh? My answer to all of them is YES! Anything goes. Try out your favorite mix of vegetables or fillings. Let your imaginations soar. I have adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine and used ingredients and proportions suited to our needs. Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe But what are Pot pies? Usually Pot pies are flaky pastry crusts enclosing a savory filling. There are variations to the effect that the pastry crusts can be used only to cover the top and not the bottom which is what I have done for this recipe. I have added a mix of legumes namely chickpeas and kidney beans along with vegetables and egg pappardelle pasta. You can use egg noodles instead. Since its for a festive occasion, some cheese doesn't hurt. If you are still conscious about keeping it low fat, then use fat free cream cheese and low fat Cheddar. Now to the recipe Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
Basic Information
Prep Time: 30 min to 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 min to 1 hour
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked
1/2 cup kidney beans, cooked (or use canned beans instead to save time)
1 onion,chopped
3 spring onions, whites and greens chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 celery sticks,chopped
1 large carrot (or 2 medium), diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen beans
About 8 Oz of Egg Pappardelle pasta ( or use egg/plain noodles instead)
1/2 tbsp dried rosemary and dried marjoram ( or use 1 tbsp Italian seasoning mix - has more herbs )
1 bay leaf
Few sprigs of cilantro,chopped (optional)
4 cups of Vegetable broth or water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
3 tbsp fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup cubed low fat cheddar cheese ( or vegetarian parmesan)
1 sheet Puff Pastry sheet, thawed at room temperature
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1Preheat oven to 350F. Heat butter/oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onion, spring onion until browned. Add garlic.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
2Add celery and carrot and saute for another 5 minutes.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
3Stir in the broth along with corn, chickpeas, kidney beans, dried herbs, bay leaf along with salt and pepper.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
4Let it come to a slight boil, then add the pasta. Cook until it turns soft. Remove the bay leaf.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
5Whisk together the cornstarch, flour along with 1/2 cup cold water.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
6Stir this into the vegetables along with cream cheese and cheddar. Add more salt/pepper if required.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
7Remove from heat and add the peas and beans along with chopped cilantro. Give it a mix until well combined.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
8Spread the thawed pastry on a lightly floured surface.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
9Roll it using a rolling pin to cut 4 or 6 squares (as per need).
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
10Take small pie dish and stir in the vegetable mixture into it.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
11Place the cut puff pastry square and drape it over the filling, tucking in the sides.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
12Pierce the tops in several places with knife to allow steam to escape.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
13Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is flaky and brown.
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
Serve hot. Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe Very filling and simple dish yet so elegant.
This is the closest I am going to get, as far as cooking and eating meat goes. A shocked husband and a helpful (American) neighbor's advice on how to carve this "bird of mine", was enough to make this a big success for me. It took a whole 5 minute of prodding and smelling by the husband to finally convince himself that this was indeed TOFU! Tastes wise, not knowing how a Turkey originally tastes like, I would still maintain that this was flavorful and appetizing.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurkey) Recipe
You might enjoy reading:
30 Delicious Recipes for Vegetarian Thanksgiving
Is Tofurky (Tofu turkey) Healthy?
Is Tofurky Gluten Free?
But when you are making it, just add flavors as per your tastes or how you would normally prepare yours. Tofu will absorb more flavor if you let it sit along with seasonings. Tofu is a common ingredient that I use often for its protein. With this being the case, it was inevitable I get curious about Tofu Turkey or Tofurkey. I have followed this recipe from Vegetarian times.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
I changed the technique and few ingredients to suit my palate and comfort zone. I absolutely LOVED the stuffing. I usually don't like to mix savory and sweet ingredients, but I loved this one so much so that I almost finished 1/4 of the stuffing before I even got to stuffing. This recipe is Vegan, Diary Free, Gluten Free, Egg free but absolutely NOT flavor free ;)
References
Recipe adapted from vegetarian times (website) and the stuffing from the magazine.
Basic Information
Prep Time: 8 hours to 1 day
Cook Time: 1 to 2 hours
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
For the Tofu Turkey
5 14-oz. tubs extra-firm tofu
2 tsp. ground dried thyme
2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
About 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste ( if you want to use vegan bouillon powder, skip the salt)
For the Marinade
1/4 -1/2 cups low sodium tamari or gluten free soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp sesame oil
For the stuffing - approximate measurements, use as per taste ( original recipe in VT 35th anniversary issue, Or use your own stuffing of choice)
About 4 cups of gluten free bread cubes ( or use oatmeal or whole wheat bread cubes)
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 small-medium red onion
1 celery stick
1 apple, peeled and diced ( i kept the peel)
1/2 tbsp fresh sage, cut into thin strips
1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground peppercorns
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup no-salt vegetable broth or water
Method
1Method ( Tofu Turkey - Previous night Bring the tofu to room temperature. Squeeze tofu of excess water and take small bits and place them in a processor.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
2Process them little by little until smooth.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
3Place them in a large bowl and mix all the seasoning. You can at this point even taste the tofu and add more seasoning or flavor to make sure it does not taste real bland.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
4Wet cheesecloth, wring it out and smoothly line a colander with it—no wrinkles.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
5Drop the tofu inside the colander and press it into the sides and bottom of the colander.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
6Place this colander on a plate. Bring the hanging cheesecloth on the sides into the center to cover the tofu.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
7Now place a plate right on top of the tofu and give it a slight press. Use a heavy object to place on top of the plate. This is to help the tofu drain excess water through the colander. Place this inside the refrigerator overnight (ideal time). This helps the tofu to absorb the seasoning well too.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
8Method (On day of making the tofu turkey) - For the Stuffing I eyeballed most of the ingredients, so use your discretion when preparing them. Place the cubed bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 225F oven for 20-30 minutes or until dry and crisp.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
9Meanwhile, heat a skillet. Add about 1 tsp oil and saute the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add celery and saute for 2 minutes more.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
10Stir in the apples along with other seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and the vinegar and remove from heat.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
11Combine the bread cubes along with apple mixture. Stir in almonds and dried cherries. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and pour broth over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the stuffing begins to brown on top. You can make a crisp filling by removing the foil and baking for 10 minutes more.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
12Method - For the Marinade Mix all the ingredients for the under the marinade until combined.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
13Method - For the Assembly Preheat oven to 375F. Drain the Tofu water from the plate on which you placed the colander.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
14Remove weight and plate from colander.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
15Now scoop some tofu from the center. Make sure to leave at least 1-2 inches on the sides and bottom.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
16Now fill this hollow with the stuffing.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
17Now top the stuffing with the scooped out tofu.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
18Make sure to smooth the surface and level it out.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
19Place a large oven to table baking sheet (I used a pie plate large enough to cover the colander opening) on top of the colander.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
20Hold tightly, and slowly invert colander onto the plate so that tofu-turkey drops gently onto dish.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
21Now slowly remove the cheesecloth from the tofu.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
22Can you see the white dome now?
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
23Baste the tofu turkey with the prepared marinade.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
24Bake for 15 minutes.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
25Baste again. reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 1 hour, basting as many times it strikes your fancy.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
26
Once baked, you see a beautifully crisped tofu surface.
Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe
The most amazing after effects of this meal with striking similarities to the real thing -
1) We felt full in matter of minutes. The tofu protein did it.
2) The crust was crispy and meaty inside. The stuffing added amazing combo to the tofu. A few bites of the orange and apple in the middle (which I placed as a garnish) also went v well with this tofurkey.
3) We had LEFTOVERS and lots of them