Vegan Pot Pies

Flaky, crispy crust. Warm, flavorful vegetables. Steamy, smooth gravy. What's not to like? With winter weather finally reaching LA, a cozy, homey chicken pot pie is the perfect meal to indulge in.

Unlike most recipes, my chicken pot pie takes less than 30 min! That means you're less than one TV episode away from a yummy meal. Why not give it a shot!

SERVES: 4

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

BAKE TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 potatoes, peeled & chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup Trader Joe's soyccotash (or just sub in some bell pepper & corn)
• 6 tbsp butter substitute ( I use I can't believe it's not butter)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegetable stock + 1/2 cup
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or soymilk (coconut milk has a natural sweetness to it, so I would not recommend using it)
• 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
• 4 squares of puff pastry (I purchase them already cut into large squares, but you can buy some sheets and cut enough pastry to cover the tops of your ramekins)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a pot, add the celery, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, garlic and 2 tbsp of butter substitute. Stir the vegetables and add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pot. Cook until softened.
2. Add the frozen peas and soyccotash and set aside (you don't need to cook the frozen veggies, because they will bake in the oven. Adding the frozen veggies to the uncooked veggies will make them soggy).
3. In a pan, add the onion and 3 tbsp of the butter substitute, and oregano. Cook until softened.
4. Add one tbsp of butter substitute to the onion mixture, then stir in the flour until it absorbs all the liquid (it should look pasty). If there isn't enough liquid in the pan, add a tbsp or two of vegetable stock.
5. Now that the flour is pasty, slowly stir in the vegetable stock. Keep stirring until the flour dissolves and the mixture slightly thickens. 
6. Slowly add the milk and stir (if you would like more gravy, you can always add additional stock and milk. Just make sure the ratios are proportionate).
7. With the vegetables your set aside, incorporate them into the gravy.
8. Scoop the filling into the ramekin so that the filling reaches the top.
9. Place your puff pastry squares on top of the ramekin and press on the edges so that they seal the filling in the dish. Cut off any excess pastry.
10. Using a pairing knife, cut 4 slits in a cross shape in the center of the dough (this will release any excess steam trapped under the dough while baking.)
11. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough turns golden.
12. Serve with mashed potatoes or your favorite homestyle side dishes!