Vegan Pot Pies

I've been spending a lot of time outside lately, enjoying the nice weather and sunshine. I even spotted a few small budding flowers yesterday! However, it is still freezing up here in British Columbia so nothing is more suited than a cup of tea and a homemade pot-pie after a cold day out.

Pie Crust:
2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 pinches of salt
pinch of sugar
1 cup margarine
glass of cold water
pie tins

Pie Filling
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water
1 large potato
assorted veggies (I used peas, carrots, yellow and green beans)
1/2 tablespoon Maggi
pinch of pepper
Vegetable stock
cornstarch (for thickening)

**note: I made these pies to freeze them for later, so I didn't cook them. If you wish to eat the pies right away however, preheat oven at step four and cook for about 20 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown**

1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and margarine together until it looks like small pea-sized lumps.

2. Knead together and slowly add a little drizzle of cold water. Keep kneading/adding water until the dough becomes a soft, but moist ball of dough.

3. Chill the dough for about 20 minutes. While the dough is in the fridge you can prepare the filling.

4. In a saucepan, heat up soy milk and water over medium heat. Cut up a potato into small squares and add it to the mixture. Slowly add in a spoonful of Veggie stock. Keep in mind that the amount of veggie stock depends on how salty/strong you want your pies to be. I made mine quite strong and used about 2 heaping spoonfuls.

5. Once the mixture is lightly boiling, add the rest of the vegetables, pepper and the maggi. Turn down the heat and add a spoonful of cornstarch to a spoonful of water in a separate glass, mix well, then pour into the vegetable mix to help the "gravy" thicken up.

6. Once the dough is chilled, roll it out on a floured surface and use a glass to cut out circle shapes.

7. Press the circles into the bottom of the pie tins. Press smaller lumps of dough around the edges until the trays are completely covered in a thin layer of dough.

8. Pour in the prepared veggie filling.



9. With the remaining dough, Roll out and cut into circles, place carefully on top of pies and press the edged together. Don't forget to poke with a fork!



10. Since I froze my pies for later use, I didn't cook them. Instead I wrapped them up individually with wrap and put them in the freezer. If you want to eat them right away, put them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees or until golden brown.

Spring is Near

I've been featured on the blog, "Wear Palettes", which is a totally interesting look at fashion through colour schemes. I highly suggest you check it out here!

I've also been linked from the blog, "This Organized Chaos", so check her out too.

I've been linked from "Peppercrust" as well.

And last but not least, I have one of my drawings featured here .


------------------

Spring is approaching and it's making me excited. It has been extremely sunny the last few days so I'm starting to pull my spring-summer wardrobe out from the depths of my closet. I even wore sunglasses yesterday.

Not particularly summery, but definitely a step up from the 13 layers of sweaters and scarves I've adorned all winter. I was even able to get away with knee-highs instead of full leggings.

I also recently purchased a pair of raspberry doc martens for only eight dollars.

Happy Late Valentines Day

Vegan Mini Apple Pies

For Valentines day I made my boyfriend some mini pies, which I sent through the mail because he lives in another town. Even if you are not long distance I highly suggest mailing them anyways! Nothing is more sweet than opening your mail to find a mini pie in-between your bills.



These are super easy to make, delicious and only require a few ingredients. Plus, they are vegan-friendly!

Pie Crust
1 1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup margarine
glass of cold water
pie tins

Pie Filling
3 apples
2/3 cup brown sugar
spoonful of cinnamon
teaspoon of nutmeg
teaspoon of ginger
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and margarine together until it looks like small pea-sized lumps.

2. Knead together and slowly add a little drizzle of cold water. Keep kneading/adding water until the dough becomes a soft, but moist ball of dough like the image below.



3. Chill the dough for about 20 minutes. While the dough is in the fridge you can prepare the filling. Wash and slice some apples into small pieces. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.



4. Put the apples in a pot with the brown sugar and spices. Cook until the sugar and spices melt. Mix the cornstarch with a tiny bit of water and add that to the pot to help the filling thicken. Continue cooking until the apples become soft and the liquid becomes thicker and more like a syrup.



5. Once the dough is chilled, roll it out on a floured surface and use a glass to cut out circle shapes.



6. Press the circles into the bottom of the pie tins. Press smaller lumps of dough around the edges until the trays are covered like the image below.



7. Cut the remaining dough into long thin strips for the top crust. Once you have filled the trays with the pie filling, lay the strips of dough on top, crisscrossing.



8. Brush the tops with some melted margarine and sprinkle with brown sugar before placing in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.



If you wish to mail these pies to a special someone, wrap the pie carefully in wax paper. Place it in a box that is only slightly bigger than the pie itself and stuff the remaining space full of tissues, that way the pie won't move around inside the container and squish. Make sure to write "fragile" on the box too!