Handi Pies!

Here was my stab at the classic hand pies…. the crust was flaky and buttery while the inside was spicy & hot…. I used the Kale-and-Sausage Hand Pies recipe in Martha Stewart’s new Everyday Food magazine and substituted Tofurky sausages for the spicy, faux sausage taste….. result, delicious handi pies!! Below is the recipe taken from Martha Stewart Everyday Food November 2011 page 22, altered slightly for vegetarians:)

Handi Pies!

Recipe for Kale-and-Sausage Hand Pies:

-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for rolling

-1 cup unsalted butter (I substituted Earth Balance buttery spread)

-1 1/2 tsp. fine salt

-1/2 cup ice water

-1 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

-10 oz. italian sausage (I substituted Tofurky italian sausage & chopped it really small)

-1 medium onion, diced medium

-1 Granny Smith apple

-1 bunch kale (3/4 lb.) tough stems & ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped

-1/4 cup golden raisins

-coarse salt & ground pepper

-heavy cream, for brushing

1. In a food processor, pulse flour, butter, & salt until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.  With machine running, sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water; pulse just until dough holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tbs at a time); do not overmix.  Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, & refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to overnight).

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Add sausage & cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.  Add onion & cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add apple, kale, & raisins & cook until kale is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Remover from heat; season with salt & pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 1/8- inch thickness. With a large round cookie cutter or small bowl, cut out eight 6- to 7-inch rounds and fold over filling to form half-moons. With a fork, press edges firmly to seal. Place pies on baking sheets and brush with cream.

4. Cut a small vent in each pie and bake until golden brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

*np

the NYC

A chapter and post all to it’s own is NYC….. a food lover’s  delight (obsessive delight perhaps?).  So my husband and I have recently been leaving our 6 hour commute in the hands of Mega Bus …..and traveling is so easy.

We have so much time on our hands (it is a 6 hour bus ride) that we get so much done…..Newspaper read? Check. Long nap? Check. Audiobook finished? Check. Watch an episode of Midsomer Murders? Check.

By the time our bus gets into the city we are usually about to die of hunger from our busy schedules.  This time when we stepped off the bus though, we couldn’t have been dropped off in a better spot….. a bustling vegan lunch spot, aka Loving Hut! YUM!…. looks like the universe is trying to tell us to take the bus more often:)

Loving Hut NYC *yum yum*

Tim's Mean Bean Burrito

Nicole's Amazing Vegan Buffalo Chix Mac n Cheese

The food was amazingly delicious!  We will be back for more next vegan escapade….

We spent the afternoon rambling around Chinatown, way off the beaten path of Canal Street, to find ourselves yet again surrounded by vegetarian options…. maybe the universe was really just saying ‘come to New York’…. just kidding.  Anyhow while Tim was eating dumplings with the locals I was ordering vegetarian dim sum for myself…. and yes it was so good!

And what would a sensory New York visit be without some classical music and incredible dessert….?  Agreed.

Washington Square Park

BABYCAKES!!!

yum yum & more yum!

Well, seriously, if you are ever in New York and haven’t tried Babycakes, please, please do…. it was fab!

*np

1st Post!!! …..Sixties Night

Upside-Down Plum Cake *vegan*!

Well why not start the 1st post with cake?  My good friend just got married, her shower theme being “1960’s” and I thought what else would January Jones bring her gal pals, but an upside-down cake?!  I thought plums instead of pineapple would be a little more alluring to those not upside-down cake savvy, with the help of a fabulous Martha Stewart recipe (I replaced the sour cream with dairy-free sour cream and substituted the eggs with replacer and it went off without a hitch)….. The party went fab and I got the thumbs up from her grandmother:)

*np