Roasted Vegetable Pie |Vegan Recipe|

Back on the Winter Warmers recipes again, these are simple little pies, no faffing about getting a full on pie crust, just get your hit of pastry from the top. The little ones in ramekins freeze really well to be defrosted and zapped in the microwave for a midweek lunch and we demolished the large one for dinner between three of us!

Ingredients and method in an easy to copy/paste recipe at the end as usual. Hope you enjoy this one, it's really too simple to even be bothering to share the recipe!

 

 

Chop all your veg into chunks and chuck in a roasting dish with a little oil. Top with mushrooms so when they cook, their flavour gets all over the rest of the food. Cover and roast for forty minutes at 190. If you want them to crisp up a bit, ten minutes before the end, take the cover off, mix the mushrooms in and give them ten minutes with the top off.

While the veg is roasting, boil your kettle for the gravy and get to making the pastry. If you want to be really quick, buy some. I'm reasonably certain that a lot of ready made stuff is in fact vegan, but do check your labels.

Crumble your flour and margarine together into breadcrumbs with your fingers. Add water a little at a time until the dough comes together. You don't want it to be too sticky. Knead gently into a ball and refrigerate until the veg is done.

Make up your gravy (I like Bisto's favourite) and add it into the roasting tin so you get all the good veggie flavour. Put your veg mix into ramekins or pie dishes.

Get your pastry out and roll it out to about the thickness of a pound coin. Top your pie dishes various and slice off the extra with a knife.

 

 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 200 until the top is golden brown and crispy. I still haven't figured out a good glaze, but I quite like the unglazed look. I suspect oil might work to make it shiny if added five minutes before the end? Anyone got any tips?

 

Ta Dah! Pies. Yum.

Jo :)

Ingredients:

400g parsnips (peeled)

A large sweet potato (mine was 700g before I peeled it)

300g mushrooms

450g carrots

1 pint gravy

200g plain flour

100g vegan margarine (I've used Vitalite and Pure)

50 ml water

Method:

Chop veg to similar size, add to roasting dish with mushrooms on top

Roast for 40m at 190 degrees

Make breadcrumbs with flour and margarine, add water until a dough is achieved

Add gravy to veg in roasting dish and mix up

Add to pie dishes

Roll pastry out to 5mm thickness, top pies

Bake for 25-30m at 200 degrees until golden brown

2400 Miles in a Mondeo |To Slovenia and Back Again|

Well, I'm home and slowly getting sorted back to normal. Washing spinning and drying on the line, clothes put away, snakes fed and happy! I thought I'd just share a few of my holiday snaps (all Slovenia, bar one from Oktoberfest!) and a few tips on eating Vegan abroad. You can see my other snaps on my Instagram!

 

 

We stayed near Lake Bled when we were in Slovenia for two nights and it is the most beautiful place. Very alpine and chocolate box looking. The Lake has a church on an island in the middle of it with a wishing bell (no you can't know what I wished for, I'm working on the same principle of birthday wishes here!!) and a Castle on a cliff overlooking it, with stunning views of the valley.

 

 

We climbed up to the castle (knackering, but worth it, although there is a car park too!) and rowed out to the island in a swan rowing boat and generally had a wonderful day of touristing! The lake is so incredibly clear, I wish I'd taken my bikini and swum now!

If you're travelling to one country, it's a bit easier, but make sure you know the basic food stuffs you can't eat in the local language. Dairy, Eggs, Milk etc as well as Vegan and Vegetarian. Most people seemed happy to help, but it was still a real struggle a couple of times in more traditional places.

If you can take some of your own food with you, or periodically stock up a little on fresh produce, salad and fruit etc for lunches and snacks. I took soy milk and cereal for breakfasts but did just fine with bread and jam most days.

Research before you go and find a couple of places along your way that you can be sure to find something to eat. We tried a Vegan Restaurant in Cologne called Past and Future and the food was delicious, everyone was incredibly friendly and I'd love to go back!

If in doubt, order salads with no dressing and chips! I feel like these balance each other out nicely!!

We had an amazing time and I'd love to go back and visit Slovenia again, and can't wait to go back to Germany. Already planning the next trip!

 

Jo :)