The Life of Pi movie was slightly better than the book.
This pot-pie is head and shoulders better than a traditional pot-pie.
This month’s Recipe Redux theme: A healthy recipe inspired by this year’s Oscar Picks.
With so many options to choose from, it was hard to pick just one. This Life of Pi imagined dish combines a literal pie with a hearty, Indian filling.
Or as I like to call is: Samosa Pot Pie.
Spicy, hearty filling of peas, potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots topped with a flaky whole-wheat crust.
And much healthier than traditional pie, to boot.
Anyone that knows me understands that Oscar night is a big deal in our house.
I can’t remember when we first started betting on picks, but it’s become quite the tradition, one we look forward to for weeks. The day of the Oscars BL and I bet on various categories, one picking a winner the other taking the field, to up the ante while watching the festivities.
We have some pretty fun prizes: car wash, cleaning the bathroom, dinner out, massage…
I guess this is what a competitive couple does for fun?
But what would a night of gambling be without a spread of delicious food?
We each usually bring 2-3 items that we can snack on: dips, desserts, my Oscar star cookies, and of course champagne!
Because that’s exactly what a competitive couple who also loves food does for fun.
This year, I am going to bring these. A fun twist on my favorite appetizer, the samosa, baked into a miniature pot pie.
We already established that mini versions of our favorite foods were better than the original, and this pie is no exception.
However you celebrate Oscar night, be sure to check out all of the Oscar-inspired recipes in the Redux Roundup below.
Cross your fingers that I win!
Indian Pot-Pie
Whole Wheat Pie-Crust:
3-4 Tbsp Ice Water
1/3 cup Unsalted Earth Balance Shorting Sticks, chilled
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Place flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using a pastry beater, mix together the flour and salt. Drop small peices of butter into the bowl, one at a time and mix until small peas of dough form, Add water, one tablespoon at a time until dough forms. Form dough into a ball and press each into a disc shape. Wrap plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.
Pot Pie Filling:
2 tbsp. coconut oil (or other oil)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped cauliflower
2 yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
3 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground mustard
3/4 cup green peas
1 tbsp. agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1 small lime, juiced
1 tbsp. Earth Balance butter, melted
1 tbsp. soymilk
salt, to taste
Heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes and 3/4 cup vegetable broth. Bring heat to medium-high and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until they resemble chunky mashed potatoes.
Add the carrots, cauliflower and spices. Add the remaining vegetable broth and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Add agave nectar, lime juice, and frozen peas. Stir together. Season with salt, to taste.
Place filling into greased ramekins or pie plate.
Roll the dough out until ~1/2″ thick. If using a pie plate, place the dough on top and crimp the edges. If using individual ramekins, cut a circle slightly larger than the ramekin. Place on top and crimp the edges with a fork until sealed.
Make a small X on top to let steam escape. Combine the melted butter and soy milk. Lightly brush tops with the butter-milk mixture.
Happy Monday! Hope you all are enjoying your three-day weekend. I love weekends most when they are a combination of both productive and relaxing.
Saturday was very productive for us. Started out with a nice, long run around the city and spent the rest of the afternoon finalizing our lodging for Europe. We are still trying to figure out where to stay in Paris & Venice so if you have any ideas or suggestions,please let me know.
Sunday was a bit more relaxing, baking a bit in the morning and then hanging out with friends for the afternoon and evening. I am really looking forward to using today to finish running errands and prep meals for the week.
I can’t believe it’s already time for January’s Recipe Redux! I feel like only a week ago we were celebrating the holidays, and now it’s almost February.
This month’s theme is: “A Trend in Every Pot”, combing 2013 food trends in everyone’s favorite winter dish, soup!
I love reading all the predicted food and restaurant trends for 2013. I am happy to see that there is more of an emphasis on vegetables, especially vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Restaurants, if you’re listening- keep bringing on the inventive vegan fare. Nothing is more boring that pasta and red sauce or a grilled vegetable sandwich. Get crazy!
If 2012 was the year of Kale, then 2013 is slated to be the year of cauliflower. Great! Bring it on. I love cauliflower, whether it’s placed into tacos, pureed as a creamy base, roasted and tossed with pasta, it’s all good. Remember when mashed cauliflower became all the rage? My mom was on the south beach kick for a few years, and we ate a ton of mashed cauliflower. Ever since then I realized that cauliflower is so much more than a steamed side dish.
My favorite way to enjoy it is roasted with curry powder. You were warned that I’ve been on an indian kick lately, and thought it would be the perfect partner for this dish.
Roasted, spiced cauliflower, onions and shallots pureed with almond milk, more spice, and topped with sunflower seeds and cilantro.
The thing I most love about this soup? While it feels and looks like a heavy cream soup, it’s actually very light. Perfect for a light lunch, paired with a sandwich, or served as an appetizer for a fancy dinner, this soup will definitely be on trend for 2013.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine chopped cauliflower, potatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, and 2 tsp. curry powder together. Place ingredients onto a roasting or baking pan. Cook for 30 minutes.
Add all ingredients into a soup pot and add cover with almond milk. Place over medium heat and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
Using an immersion blender or high-powered blender, puree the vegetables, almond milk, reserved curry powder, and salt/pepper.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and cook, stirring often so they don’t burn.
Garnish soup with chopped cilantro and sunflower seeds.
If yesterday’s post made you feel sorry for me that my BFF is actually my mother, don’t fret. I do have a few other friends.
In fact, it was said friends I was thinking about when I dreamed up this new creation, Masala Mushroom Brushetta. That’s Masala, not marsala. Indian, not Italian. A fact I had to correct a few times when one of my gal pals kept calling them Marsala. No, Ma-sa-la, like curry, not the wine.
Anyways, as you will see in the next few weeks, I have been on quite the Indian-Curry kick. I can think of two reasons for this:
1. My sister and I enjoyed the most amazing Indian food in Baltimore, MD a few weeks ago. Nothing is better than sisters and Pakoras. I swear I have been dreaming of Korma ever since.
2. I recently cleaned out my spice cabinet and realized that I have more Indian spices than any white girl should own. I have a tendency to get a little crazy at Penzey’s, but who can blame me? It’s what I imagine heaven to be like.
I was thinking of a new appetizer that I could bring to wine night: a monthly excuse for my girlfriends to get together to chat, eat, and drink wine. (It’s as fun as it sounds.)
To see if these were worthy of such an event, I invited two of them to come over last Sunday to sample this and a few other dishes.
The best compliment?
“I hate mushrooms and I love these”.
Ladies and gentleman, we have a winner. Now go grab your spices and let’s get cookin’!
Masala Mushroom Brushetta
1 loaf sourdough baguette
1 clove peeled garlic
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. mushrooms (preferably a mixture of cremini, button, and shitake. Although really, any kind will do) 2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the baguette into 1/2″ slices. Place on baking sheet and toast for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove from oven and rub with clove of peeled garlic. It will “melt” into the sliced bread. Do this for each toast point and set aside for later use.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, onions and cook for 10 minutes until onions start to turn golden-brown. Add spices and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms in an even layer and let cook for 2 minutes without touching them. Gently stir, flipping the mushrooms and do the same for the other side. They should be slightly brown, almost crispy on the outside.
Add 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth and let cook until most of the broth has been absorbed. If you need more, add it. There should be a little sauce with the mushrooms. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir to free up any cooked bits of spice.
Top each toast with a scoop of the mushroom mixture. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Call your friends & invite them over. Curry’s are made for sharing!
I have been cooking more and more ethnic meals as of late, favoring Thai and Indian cuisines. I just love the heat from the various spices and how easily these meals are vegetarian. It just makes sense to pile on the vegetables, making these meals not only healthy but nutritious.
This curry is similar to a traditional Korma sauce, a creamy tomato sauce served with vegetables. I used a variety of mushrooms but feel free to use what you have around the house. That’s another great benefit to meals like this, they never have to be exact to taste great. In the summer, I like this sauce over zucchini and yellow squash.
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 small onion, diced
3 T cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour
1 2″ piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. tumeric powder
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
2 green chilies
1 clove garlic
In a blender of food processor, combine the above ingredients and puree until smooth.
1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 large bunch baby spinach, about 6 cups
1 lb. baby bella mushrooms (or variety of your choice)
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked
1/4 cup light coconut milk
Cook rice and set aside while you prepare the rest of ingredients.
Heat coconut oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and quickly stir. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 3 minutes each side. Remove mushrooms from pan.
Add the tomato sauce from blender/food processor and heat until thick, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, chickpeas and 1/2 cup water. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms are softened and sauce has blended together. Add the spinach and coconut milk, reduce heat to low, cook an additional 1-2 minutes until spinach leaves have wilted.
Season with salt/pepper if desired. Serve over rice.
And ta-da! Indian take-out in your very own kitchen!
Makes 6 servings with rice: Per serving: 108 calories, 10.5g fat, 66g CHO, 13.5g fiber, 16.2g protein
