Vegan Modge Podge Pie is a recipe I created last night. (My daughter actually named it).
It’s fun to go to your daughters’ place see her and her boyfriend both exhausted and hungry and create a great meal for them. I’m just sayin’….
Here’s how it all got started…….
You see…. I was craving a chicken pot pie. And I remembered that one time, I took the baby shells that are quinoa and over cooked them. In that process, it created a sauce, similar to a bechamel… like the one you find in pot pies, without all the flavor of butter and cream.
So, I had to find a way to flavor it. Not only that, but because I’m cooking for Vegans (not just 90% vegan like me… who likes a couple of pork ribs now and again, or a couple of bites of a kobe burger)…. I had to make sure everything was animal free.
I started with these ingredients ……….
I actually bought two Vegan Pie Shells… one was Whole Wheat, the other Spelt.
And when you go into Sprouts or Jimbo’s, by the way and ask for Vegan Pie Crust, they’ll tell you they don’t have it. That’s because it doesn’t advertise it’s Vegan on the front wrapper. Only if you go to the ingredients will you see their tag “suitable for vegans”. So there! You have it. A new discovery!
I cooked the ingredients in two pans. The first, was to over cook my quinoa pasta.
Now, I’m sure you’ve seen it on the shelf in an aqua box and thought: “What am I going to do with that”? And, is it any good?
Well, here I am with answers to your questions. It’s good… as pasta or not!
The key to that is to get the water bubbling and keep it bubbling …. along with the quinoa shells, every so often stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
To that I added dry mustard, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, a splash of tapatio, some coconut creamer, steamer onions (those small white round ones you add to stew), small chunks of garlic (about 4 heads cut up), cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg…. and… and…. I think that’s it.
Then in a separate pan I caramelized red onion, both shitake and crimini mushrooms, brocolini, some coleslaw from a bag, carrots, sweet potato…. and …. and…. I think that’s it.
Oh yeah. I added garlic salt, pepper, lime juice, and very small sprinkling of sugar. Would have used coconut sugar…. a better choice… but there was none.
And what we’re doing here is layering flavor. Balancing salty with sweet. Tart with ….? What am I balancing tart with? I think nothing. I’m just using it to bump up the flavors. So, tart with bland? lol
Once the onions and sweet potatoes were nice and brown, I started adding spoonfuls of the vegetables into the white sauce. My daughter was wondering why I didn’t just combine both!
Well… I think it’s a concept: Just because you made a bunch, doesn’t mean you have to use it all in your creation. We only needed so much of the sauce and veggies to fit into the pie. Then we had a nice bowl of veggies for the ‘side’… to be eaten or used next day maybe in something else.
I added spinach to the spelt pie… just thought it would be good and lend some variety.
So that’s my Vegan Modge Podge Pie! Now, the top isn’t soaked in animal fat… errr… I mean butter (ikr) so it’s not going to look golden on top. But I will tell you that when that fork puts those flavors into your mouth, and you feel and taste the contrast of the crust… all you will be able to say is: YUM!
Hope you get a chance to enjoy!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian