Savory Diversity Pie & Vegan Cookies (w/ Chocolate Chip & Dark Chocolate shavings)

Vegan / Vegetarian Recipes

© All images, artwork and content under copyright 2005. Michele A. Miller All rights reserved.

Alright, so here it is our newest creation! Ready? Yum! The creative name… uh, err… hmmm…

Should we call it: Savory “Taste of the rainbow” pie? No…how about “colorful layers” pie?, uh… no, definitely not. What about... Savory Diversity Pie? YES! That is what we will call it! You see this pie is filled with the concept of diversity. Diverse in ingredients, flavor, and pairings – Oh yes and our resident Meat-Eater mentioned this delicious combination of flavor and color would pair quite well with a leg of lamb.

Gulp... Thank you for the suggestion. Meat-Eaters love veggie food but sometimes want to add it to... well meat. However, now you know and the choice is yours.

This VegHead will consider the pairing suggestion by inviting a live 1, 2, 3 or 4 legged lamb to roam freely in safety while we prepare our savory pie.

Following a tasty meal with Vegan Chocolate chip and Vegan Chocolate chip/Dark Chocolate shaving cookies is a stellar idea (recipe follows).

So are you ready for the recipe, yet? Okay, Enjoy:

Savory Diversity Pie:

Ingredient list for (1) pie: serving 4-8 people (4) hungry selfish people or (8) bashful guests.

4 small Purple potatoes

1 medium to large Yam (garnet or jewel, your choice – the sweeter the better)

¾ diced Red onion

1 ½ Cups Chopped Asparagus (**substitute: Spinach, fresh/flash frozen green beans, or broccoli)

1 Large Portobello Mushroom, sliced

2 Cups Shredded Vegan Cheese or *Organic Raw Rennetless Cow/Goat milk Cheese *= non-vegan

1 Deep dish Vegan Pie crust (Use your own favorite recipe or pick up a pre-made one)

Olive oil or Vegan Margarine – just have it handy. . . (substitute regular butter if you must)

Spices:

1Tsp. Cardamom, ground (add to onions)

1 Tsp. Rosemary dried or fresh (add to Asparagus**)

1 Tsp. Sage (add to Portobello Mushroom along with Garlic)

2 Tsp. Crushed Garlic (2-4 cloves)

½ Tsp. Tarragon (add to Yam)

Salt / Pepper to taste

Begin by baking the potatoes and Yam on a cookie sheet lined with foil* (only helpful in clean up not necessary for prep) . Set oven to 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes until baked soft, set aside to cool. (As you're waiting for them to cook, prepare the other veggies to be sautéed.) Put your empty Pie crust into oven for 10 minutes to crisp the shell.

While waiting for the root veggies to cool and pie shell to crisp, begin to sauté each vegetable layer of your pie separately. Although it doesn’t matter which you start sautéing first make sure you have your ingredients ready. However do not multi-task in one pan and mix your vegetables together as they are separately spiced layers for flavor.

As you are sautéing each vegetable ingredient separately, follow this same step and repeat it with each layer: Add 1 TBSP of either olive oil or Vegan Margarine to a medium sauté pan on medium heat. Once heated begin to sauté each vegetable with its respective spice and follow the same method for each. Allow the pan to be heated thoroughly for each ingredient. Add your margarine/oil and spice for each layer individually. Once these ingredients have heated well add your vegetable and quickly sauté. After no more than 2 minutes remove sautéed vegetable and set it aside in a separate bowl. Repeat for each layer:
Add Rosemary to your Asparagus, sauté and set aside. Add an additional pat of Margarine or 1 TBSP Olive Oil and then follow with garlic and Sage mix and add Portobello Mushroom slices, sauté and remove from pan and set aside. Add another pat of Margarine or 1 TBSP of Olive Oil and Cardamom, heat and add diced red onion, sauté and set aside in bowl.

As your potatoes and Yams have cooled off to the side remove the skin from your yam and mash with a manual potato masher or a large fork. No need for the yam to be creamy, chunky is great! Set aside. Now take your Purple potatoes and slice ½ inch pieces and quarter each piece. Set aside.

With all of your ingredients present in separate bowls place your crisped pie shell in front of you and add ½ Cup of Shredded “cheese” (remember: substituting real cheese does not make this pie vegan) to line the bottom of the pie crust. Evenly spread your yam on top of the shredded

“cheese”. Lightly sprinkle salt and Tarragon on this layer. Then add an additional ½ C of “Cheese” shreds. Follow with your diced onions. Then add your sliced Portobello mushroom sauté. Finally top with sliced and quartered purple potato pieces and follow with Asparagus/green vegetable substitute. Top with remaining “Cheese” shreds and crack fresh black pepper a top and lightly salt.

Place layered pie on foil lined cookie sheet in the oven. (if crust is threatening to over brown, cover edges with foil or crust covers. Allow to bake on center rack of a 375-400 degree ove

n for 20 minutes or until “cheese” has browned on top. Remove once heated through and allow to set for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy! YUM!

Vegan Chocolate Chip cookies

Although these delightful temptations have been baked with the intention for Chocolate lovers, the recipe for cookies is basically the same. Add any nut butter, oatmeal, raisin, white chocolate and cranberries with shredded orange zest – whatever you wish, but having Fun is the Key ingredient to any recipe you follow!

Vegan Chocolate Chip / Dark Chocolate Shaving cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and then bake for 8-10 minutes

Ingredient list:

Mix these dry ingredients together in a separate bowl:

2 cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp. Salt

1-2 cups chocolate chips or 1 cup Chocolate chips and ½ Cup Dark Chocolate shavings or chunk

s (vegan chips or chunks, otherwise not vegan as chocolate typically is made with milk, check your label)

Blend these moist ingredients together until creamy (a blender is a brilliant!):

¾ - 1 cup Softened Vegan Margarine (softened butter or veg. oil may be substituted)

¾ Cup Organic Unrefined Sugar, brown sugar, evaporated cane juice (turbinado sugar adds additional crunch) *note that white granulated sugar is usually from a bone char process and is therefore not vegan. (use Agave for a low glycemic index sweetener; Honey or a combo or both is also great.)

½ Banana (as egg replacer or may use another form of egg replacement *adding eggs make cookies neither vegetarian nor vegan.)

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 TBSP Flavored Soy milk of choice, regular unsweetened soy milk may be substituted.

Combine dry ingredients to moist creamy ingredients with a wooden spoon or fork, mix well. Take a small scoop with a regular Teaspoon and create semi flat balls and place on a lined or unlined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degree oven and enjoy!

There are pictures of cookies with Dark Chocolate shavings and cookies without. Personal preference because they both ROCK!

HAVE FUN!!!!!