Drew had a difficult week last week so I wanted to make one of his favorite, "comfort" dinners. He loves potpie, and up until a few months ago I had never eaten one let alone made one, but after Vegetarian Times featured some potpie recipes a few issues ago, I decided to give them a try. Another impetus was receiving some cute little oven-safe pots for Christmas.
I typically make this recipe with diced seitan, but wanted to try a batch with some Field Roast Grain Meat apple sage sausages (another one of Drew's favorite foods). I also do not usually have the patience to make my own pie crust, so I buy a frozen, whole wheat one which I simply thaw and cut in half to cover each pot.
To make the filling, I first brown about 3 cloves of garlic in a wok. I then add all of the hard vegetables: 1 peeled, diced yam, 1 peeled, diced potato, and about two carrots, chopped (I like adding color by using purple or yellow carrots). After those cook for about 4-5 minutes, I add 1 cup of vegetable broth and bring it all to a boil. At this point I add about two tablespoons of soymilk and a sprinkle of flour to thicken the sauce. I then add all of the other vegetables: 1 red bell pepper, approximately 6-8 diced baby bella mushrooms, approximately 1 cup of chopped broccoli, 1/2 cup chopped celery, and 8 oz. of sliced seitan (or 2 Field Roast Grain Meat sausages). This recipe is great for substitutions. Sometimes I'll use butternut squash instead of potatoes or I'll add some chopped kale. It is a great recipe to clean out your vegetable drawer.
