November Roasted Vegetable Pot Pies

Yesterday after work I was exhausted...I was crabby...I was in serious need of some comfort food.  Now, most "normal" people I suppose would simply order takeout or go out some where and let another person cook.  Not me, I decided that I was going to make myself some pot pies.  Crazy, but in an odd way I found the process fun and relaxing...that is what coming up with new recipes does for me, especially if they turn out good!  I feel like whatever I am making myself means more to me because I put work into creating it, and that makes it all the more enjoyable in the end. 

So anyways, back to the pot pies I was determined to create, I had them in the oven in 45 minutes, so not a significant amount of time.  I filled them with roasted carrots, onions, and rutabegas as well as some chicken style seitan for protein bathed in a creamy rosemary and thyme scented sauce.  I had a hard time deciding what to top my pie with because I didn't know if I was in a biscuit type of mood, or a pie crust one, but in the end, the pie crust won.  I used my classic all butter (well, vegan butter) pie crust recipe replacing some of the flour with cornmeal for extra crunch.  Now, this may sound cheesy, but since my secret ingredient is always love that I put into dishes, I decided to cut a heart shape out of each pie I was making as a vent in the top of the pie.  Plus it was awfully cute, and who can resist a pie with a heart cut out of the top?  Not me! 

So when my pies were pulled from the oven and I was enjoying one, I was glad I took the time to prepare it for myself.  The filling tasted rich and comforting with all the flavorful veggies, and the topping was nice and crunchy, it was wonderful!  Take the time and prepare a pot pie for yourself if you wish!  Here is the recipe I made last night!

November Roasted Vegetable Pot Pies

Serves 3

Filling:

3 cups rutabegas, thinly sliced

3 large carrots, halved, and thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, thickly sliced

olive oil

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour plus 3 Tbsp

1 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups soy milk

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
16 oz chicken style seitan, cut into bite sized pieces
a good sized handful of spinach

Crust:
3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 tsp sea salt

7 Tbsp earth balance vegan butter

2-4 Tbsp soymilk

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss rutabegas, carrots, and onions with just enough olive oil to coat, and place in the oven on the highest racks possible.  Roast for about 20 minutes, or until starting to brown and crisping at edges.  You may  Bake at need to rotate pans to get even roasting half way through.  When finished roasting, remove from oven and lower the temp to 375.  Place the rack in the middle position.  Meanwhile, while the vegetables are roasting, prepare the rest of the filling.  In a medium stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the flour, and cook for 2 minutes stirring often.  Add the stock slowly, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  Add the milk, and whisk well until combined, then add nutritional yeast, thyme, rosemary, and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Bring to a low boil, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes or less.  Remove from heat and stir in seitan and vegetables that were roasted, along with spinach.  Spoon the mixture into 3 6 inch wide deep dish pie plates, or ovenproof bowls dividing evenly between the 3.  To make crust, combine flour, cornmeal, and sea salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Add earth balance, and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender or 2 knives until a mealy consistency with no larger than pea sized chunks. Add the soy milk, starting with 2 Tbsp, and smush the dough together with hands until it starts to form a cohesive mass (adding a little more soymilk if necessary) but not mixing to excess.  Form the mixture into 3 balls slightly flattened. Lay a piece of parchment out on the counter and roll out one ball to about a 6 inch diameter.  Cut a hole in the center with a small cute cookie cutter if desired, and place atop one of the pies (or alternatively don't cut a hole, and just pierce with a knife once on top of the pie). Brush with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with course sea salt.  Repeat with the other 2.  Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until filling is bubbling and crust is golden (you may need to cover with foil if browning before filling is hot).  Let cool a few minutes, and serve!