Rustic Greenmarket Veggie Tofu Pot Pie. Vegan.

What can I say, I love, crave and dream about vegan Pot Pie. And each time I make it, the recipe is unique - based on the ingredients I am working with. This Rustic Greenmarket Veggie Tofu Pot Pie recipe (with a sweet potato, pumpkin seed, biscuit crust) was inspired by my last visit to the Union Square Greenmarket.

Greenmarket Goodies. I picked up some beautiful red carrots, purple onions and fall sweet potatoes and was excited to work with them. But what should I make? I have had a 'Pot Pie' recipe on my mind for the past few weeks - so it won my vote. So really, the first ingredient when making a Pot Pie: inspiration. Give my recipe a whirl, and get your cozy on..

The Flavors. A thick, savory-sweet yam biscuit crust wraps this pie. Inside is a rainbow of Greenmarket ingredients including: roasted red carrots, caramelized roasted red onions, chunks of baked sweet potato, organic tofu cubes, a hint of green edamame beans, fresh herbs, nutritional yeast and a soy milk liquid base.

Fresh herbs. I highly recommend using a pinch of fresh herbs when you roast your onion/carrots. I found my bunch of fresh herbs in a bin at the Greenmarket marked "fresh herbs". And to be honest, I wasn't 100% sure what my herb was! Any herb-experts want to help me out?? 🙂 At first I though it was oregano. Then by closer inspection I thought it might be Marjoram. What do you think? Whatever it was, it worked perfectly in my pie.

Name this herb... (thanks)

This recipe turned out better than I had planned. If you want a fork-ful of intense veggie flavor - a true "meal on a plate" - try making this Pot Pie for your next cozy fall night dinner.

Note, if you don't have nutritional yeast (used throughout the recipe) that is OK. imply sub with a few additional spices. Maybe a pinch of garlic powder or even something musty and savory like cumin. But, try finding nutritional yeast - I love the stuff.

Crust Anxiety? I really don't stress about making my pie crust look perfect. I go for the 'rustic' look. The flavor shines through. But if you want to be Martha Stewart with the pie crust crimped edges and all - go for it!

Last thing, there are several parts to this recipe, but don't let that frustrate you. Making a pot pie is actually a lot easier than the recipe looks! Simply prep your filling, make your crust, assemble your pie and bake! The end result is well worth it..

Rustic Greenmarket Veggie Tofu Pot Pie
Savory Sweet Potato Pepita Biscuit Crust

vegan, makes one pie

Roasted Veg, Carrots/Onion:
1 ½ cups red carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh herbs (oregano, marjoram, thyme or rosemary)
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
pepper

Baked Tofu Cubes:
2 cups extra firm tofu, drained and sliced into cubes
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 tablespoon 24-seasoning blend (or similar dried spices)
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
fresh pepper, a few dashes
drizzle olive oil
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Toss in's:
1 medium sweet potato, baked, cooled, peeled and chopped into cubes
¼ - ½ cup edamame beans (frozen)

Crust:
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup sweet potato, mashed/cooled
2 teaspoon roasted pumpkin seeds
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
½ cup water
½ cup soymilk
extra water for loosening dough (if needed)
extra flour for dusting/rolling

Roux/Liquid Base:
1 ¼ cups soy milk, plain
1 teaspoon olive oil (opt'l)
3 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon spice blend or pinch of fresh herbs

Directions:

1. The first step is optional, but I find that it helps make the sweet potato cubes perfectly square as opposed to 'falling apart' in your filling. Bake your sweet potato in the oven until tender. Then place the potato (skin still on) in the fridge until chilled. I did this the night before I made my pie.

2. Start your pie about 2+ hours before you may want to serve it. First, turn your oven to 400 degrees. Prep your onion/carrot mixture. Chop the veggies and toss them with the oil and herbs. Lay them flat on a baking sheet and roast until tender and the onions are caramelized. When they are done, pull the sheet out of the oven and set aside.

3. While your veggies are still roasting you can get started on your tofu cubes. Drain your tofu, and dry well with a paper towel. Slice into small cubes. Toss the cubes with the 'baked tofu' ingredients. Lay your tofu on a baking sheet and place in the heated 400 degree oven. Bake your tofu until the edges start the brown. I baked my tofu for around 30 minutes. When it is ready, pull it out and set aside.

4. Now that you have your tofu/veggie cooling on the counter, you can get started on your crust. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and then knead on a floured surface by hand. Knead until most of the crushed sweet potato is well combined into the dough. Remember, you can simply add more water or more flour if you need to adjust the texture of the dough. Roll into a dough ball and place back in your bowl. Douse with a drizzle of oil to coat. Place your dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes while you work on the Roux/filling mixture.

5. Start on the roux by adding the soymilk, oil, spics and flour to a soup pot over low heat. Stir in the flour so it does not clump. Keep stirring until the roux becomes a thick gravy texture. You can turn the heat up to med-high to get it boiling a bit. But turn back down to med-low when you start the next step..

6. Add in your edamame to the roux/liquid. I added mine directly from the freezer and they warmed in the bubbling mixture. Next I folded in the tofu cubes. Then the roasted veggies. Fold well until the ingredients are coated with the sauce. Lastly, I pulled my sweet potato from the fridge, peeled it and sliced it into large cubes. Then folded those into the mixture, gently. Once the filling is made, set it aside while you assemble your pie crust.

7. Pull your dough from the freezer and break into two rounds (one for top crust and one for the bottom). Roll out the first round on a floured surface using a rolling pin. Grab your pie mold and lightly oil the inside with EVOO. Lay the bottom crust flat inside. Poke a few holes in the crust to let it breath. Use your fingers to press it into place. It does not have to be perfect! 🙂

8. Next, pour in your filling. Pile it high and fill it deep.

9. Lastly, roll out your top crust, lay it over the filling and seal it on the sides with your fingers. I sliced a nice "V" for vegan in the top to let the crust breath. You can brush a drizzle of EVOO on top of the crust if you'd like.

10. Bake your pie for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. In 30 minutes check on your pie. When your top crust is starts to brown and is a bit crisp to touch, it is done. Turn off the oven and let the pie cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes before serving.