Vegan Pot Pie

This Vegan Pot Pie topped with Whole Wheat Biscuits is not only a super fun variation on this great classic comfort dish, but it’s also much quicker and easier to make, too!

Can you think of a dish that’s more comforting than Chicken Pot Pie? Well… there might be a few, but this one certainly ranks very high on the list. Not only that, but it also happens to be a very popular addition to Thanksgiving menus!

If you’re anything like me, though, you probably tend to stay as far away as you can from any dish that requires you to make / handle pie crust. I don’t know why, but there is something about pie crust… it takes forever to make, usually will leave the entire kitchen covered in flour by the time all is said and done, and will drive you completely insane by tearing and breaking all kinds when you try and roll it down to a neat, thin circle. Argh! I’ll gladly pass, thanks!

Well, this super fun vegan version, which is topped with biscuits instead of pie crust is just as tasty as the real deal — if not more if you ask me — and so much easier to make, too! No fancy crust to roll, no flour everywhere (well, ok, maybe a little bit…) and no tears and breaks. Plus, biscuits are so much better to eat than pie crust, and much healthier, too!

For me, it’s a no-brainer. Vegan Pot Pie topped with biscuits instead of crust is totally the way to go!

In a small saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil then add the TVP flakes to it, cover and kill the heat. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

If you’re not a fan of TVP or couldn’t get your hands on it, you could totally used cubed firm tofu, or tempeh instead.

Meanwhile, heat the avocado oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and celery and cook until slightly softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for a few minutes, until they start to release some of their moisture,

Next, add the carrots and potatoes and stir to coat; Add the soaked TVP along with the vegetable broth it was soaking in, followed by the salt, black pepper, herbes de Provence (or other dried herbs or your choice) and 1/2 cup of water.

Bring that to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Dilute the corn starch in the cashew milk (or other non-dairy milk of your choice) and add that to the simmering mixture. Bring the sauce back to a full simmer and continue cooking, stirring constantly for about a minute, until the sauce is thickened, and then kill the heat.

Stir in the frozen green beans… No need to even thaw them or anything. Just throw them right in and stir.

Finally, transfer the mixture to an 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Set that aside while you work on the biscuits.

At this point, you want to preheat your oven to 450°F.

Then, drop 2 tablespoons of deodorized coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of vegan butter onto a small plate lined with parchment paper. Flatten the mounds slightly with your fingers and place the fats in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Next, combine the apple cider vinegar and cashew milk — or your favorite kind of non-dairy milk — to make vegan “buttermilk” and set that aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, unbleached all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix that really well with a whisk until thoroughly combined.

Now take the fats out of the freezer and, working quickly, chop them as finely as you can with a sharp chef knife. If after you’re done you find that the chopping action has made the fats a little bit soft again, return them to the freezer for a few minutes.

Now add the cold, finely chopped fats to the flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Check the consistency of the mixture with your fingertips; it should feel somewhat like coarse sand. If you find the odd larger chunk of fat, simply break it down with your fingers.

Make a little well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cold “buttermilk”.

Stir delicately until the dough just barely comes together; it will be very sticky.

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface, dust the top with a little bit of flour and delicately knead and shape it into a flat ball.

Using your hands — not a rolling pin! — pat the dough out into a 1″ thick round, rotating often to ensure the dough isn’t sticking to the surface.

For this recipe, you’ll want to cut out 9 biscuits using a 2-1/2″ round cookie cutter. Be sure to push straight down through the dough without twisting, as doing so might prevent the biscuits from rising properly.

You should be have enough leftover dough to reshape it and cut out 3 more biscuits. Just be sure to work the dough as little as possible (biscuits from leftover dough will not be quite as puffy as those from first pass, but they’ll still very decent!) Place those extra biscuits on a small cookie sheet and bake them alongside the pie for about 15 minutes.

Arrange the biscuits over the vegetable mixture, brush the tops with a little bit of olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the biscuits puff and turn slightly golden brown.

Remove your vegan pot pie from the oven, garnish it with a little bit of chopped parsley, if desired, and serve without delay.

After all, biscuits are at their best right out of the oven!

Source: Food - thehealthyfoodie.com