Meatless Monday: Mini Herbed Tofu and Vegetable Pot Pies

If I won the lottery, one of the first things I’d do is get a personal chef. Homemade, healthy meals ready for me when I get home? Yes, please! I love cooking, but after a long day, sometimes all I have the energy for is takeout. Unfortunately, takeout (like personal chefs) is expensive. Luckily for me, sometimes I get to come home to my very own personal chef/boyfriend. He’s the one who made this elaborate, vegetarian comfort food meal. I’m the one who devoured it!

To make these pies, we used a Breville Personal Pie Maker, which recently landed on my desk at work. I couldn’t wait to take it home and try it! The idea of mini pies is great for portion control, and they’re perfect for freezing and reheating in the oven on nights you don’t feel like cooking. If you don’t have a pie maker, you can use ramekins and bake them in the oven.

Crust

2 3/4 cups of organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon of salt
1 cup of Earth Balance margarine
1/4 cup of ice water

Filling

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 package of extra firm herb tofu
1/8 cup of olive oil
2 small onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup of green beans, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
3 cups of organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup of tamari (or soy sauce)
4 teaspoons of nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of flour
2 tablespoons of thyme
2 tablespoons of sage
2 tablespoons of white pepper

For the crust

Put the flour in a mixing bowl and chill in the freezer while you are preparing the filling. Sounds strange, but makes a perfect crust!

For the filling

Preheat pie maker (or oven, to 400° F)

Dice tofu into small squares. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook until golden. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet. Add onion, celery, green beans, carrot and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent.

Add potato to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not mushy.

Add flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to the skillet and stir into the vegetables. Add vegetable broth and stir until combined.

Add tofu and spices and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the crust

Get your flower from the freezer. Cut the Earth Balance into thin slices and add to the flour. Mix with a fork until combined. Gradually add ice water to the bowl and mix with your hands until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten to desired thickness. Use  a pastry cutter (or a glass) to shape into mini circles.

Assemble

Place a dough round in each section of the pie maker and divide tofu mixture among them. Seal each pie with another dough round and close the pie maker to seal the edges. Cook until golden brown (about 10 minutes)

If using ramekins, divide mixture among them and place a dough round on top, sealing it around the edges with your fingers. Bake in a 400 F oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

-Katharine Watts, Associate Web Editor