Our Veggie Kitchen

I'm constantly tweaking my nacho sauce to get the best flavor and consistency and this latest version yields the creamiest and most temperature-stable results. Once blended, it can heat, cool and even re-heat without harming the texture. And the texture, at any temperature, is smooth and creamy.

Original Nacho Sauce: This sauce still has the best flavor. But, as with any other cornstarch-based sauce, it clumps when it cools. It also doesn't reheat well. I still make this sauce, usually in batches. A cup of sauce, microwaved for a couple minutes works perfectly and there's usually no leftovers.



Xanthan Gum: This is the original nacho sauce is the original sauce, thickened with xantham gum. I was first introduced to xantham gum by my gluten-intolerant mother-in-law. It is used widely in gluten free baking and as a thickener. It thins with friction (shaking or stirring) and sets as it sits, which may be why we shake our salad dressing. And, best of all, it is not affected by temperature. It doesn't thin or thicken as it heats and it doesn't clump as it cools or freezes. I got mine with the bulk spices at the grocery store. It was $22 a pound, but a little goes a very long way. A tsp is roughly equivalent to 8 tsp cornstarch.

No Cook Nacho Sauce:
1/4 cup cashews
1 cup water
2 oz pimentos
1 tsp xanthan gum (scant)
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 small lemon, juiced (about 1 tbs)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs canola oil

Optional: 2 oz diced green chilies, or 1 can for a double recipe
Note: I usually double these amounts.

Add the water and pimentos to a blender and blend thoroughly. Add the cashews and leave in the pimento water while you add the other ingredients. Add the xanthan gum, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and oil. Blend again until thoroughly combined. Add the green chilies, if using. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 2 cups.

8 Servings: 66 cal (6g fat, 3g carbs, 2g protein)

Traditional Caesar salad dressing packs a bold, savory punch with eggs, anchovies, and Parmesan cheese. But these are all things that any vegan can do without. So I swapped out the nasties, added miso, kombu and kalamata olives and kept the fresh lemon juice and dijon mustard and this dressing fast became a household favorite.

I had the flavor down long ago, but the presentation took a little work. If you blend the olives, you end up with a purple mess, so mince them as fine as you can manage. And 2 tbs of kombu is just not enough mass for my spice grinder to handle, so I blended it with some cashews--otherwise you get chewy chunks of kombu on your salad. But with these tips, it will turn out wonderful.



Caesar Salad Dressing
3/4 cup cashews, divided
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs white wine vinegar
1 cup water
1 tbs miso
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 cloves garlic
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs kombu, chopped (about 1 folded strip)
1/4 cup kalamata olives, very finely minced

Combine 1/2 cup cashew nuts with the lemon juice and vinegar in a blender and blend to a cream. Add the water, miso, dijon mustard, garlic and olive oil and blend thoroughly. Add the kombu to a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) and grind as best you can. Then add the remining 1/4 cup of cashews and grind to a powder. Add to the blender and blend to combine. Then add the minced olives and pulse, just to combine. Pour into containers and refrigerate. It will thicken as it cools. Makes about 2 cups.

16 Servings: 62 cal (5g fat, 3g carbs, 1g protein)

Christmas came early this year, as Daiya cheese made its way to Eugene.  So, in celebration, I picked up some cheddar and italian style and made this delicious lasagna.  I made a roasted red pepper tomato sauce and a spinach laden tofu ricotta to accompany the Daiya for an amazing pre-Christmas meal.

So now, I'm prepared to settle in, do a little prep for the big day, and to enjoy the rest of my end-of-the-year vacation.  It's just too bad there's not much left over to snack on.  I will be quiet until after the holidays.  So, I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season.



Spinach Lasagna with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Sauce:
2 red bell peppers
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
28 oz diced tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Spinach Ricotta:
2 bunches spinach, stemmed, washed & shopped
3 cloves garlic
16 oz tofu, drained & crumbled
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs miso

Other:
12 oz lasagna noodles (3/4 of a box)
3 cups vegan mozzarella cheese (or bechamel, see below)

For the sauce:
Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stems.  Place them skin-side up on a baking sheet, along with the unpeeled garlic and broil until the skin is charred, about 7 or 8 minutes.  Remove the peppers in a paper bag, or just set a side and allow to cool.  When cool enough to handle, remove the skin.  They should peel right off.  Also remove the skin from the garlic.  Add the peppers, garlic and basil to a blender and blend thoroughly.

While the peppers cook, heat 1 tbs vegetable oil in a saute pan and add the onion and red pepper flakes.  Saute over medium heat until the onion has softened.  Add the diced tomatoes and wine and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and much of the liquid had cooked off.  Set aside if necessary.  Add the tomatoes & onions, along with the tomato sauce to the blender with the pepper mixture.  Pulse a few times until you have a chunky sauce.  Return to the pan, reheat and add the salt, to taste.  This can be made ahead of time.

For the ricotta:
Heat the oil in a sauce pan, set to medium.  Add the spinach, in handfuls, along with the minced garlic and cook until the spinach has wilted, just a couple of minutes.  Press between two plates, to extract the liquid and cool in the refrigerator.  Add the cashews and the lemon juice to a blender and blend thoroughly.  Add the crumbled tofu to a mixing bowl.  Pour the blended cashews, oil, miso and salt over the tofu and stir to combine.  Stir in the chilled spinach and set aside.  This is even better if made a day ahead of time.

Assembly:
Cook the pasta until the noodles are pliable, but not completely cooked. Pour off most of the hot water and add enough cold water or ice so you can grab the noodles with your hand.

Add enough marinara to coat the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. Add a layer of noodles, then half the spinach ricotta, 1/4 of the cheese and 1/4 of the sauce.  Add another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining spinach ricotta, 1/4 of the cheese and 1/4 of the sauce.  Add the final layer of noodles, the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees until bubbling, probably 30-45 minutes. Bake time will be longer if the sauces have been refrigerated. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

8 Servings:  504 cal (22g fat, 61gcarbs, 17g protein)

Bechamel Replacement for Cheese:
If you don't want to use vegan cheese, a bechamel (a simple white sauce) is a very suitable replacement.  It is a common practice in many lasagnas, vegan and omni and can be just as delicious.  Follow the directions below and use instead of the cheese in the recipe above:

2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
2 tbs flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/4 tsp salt

Melt the margarine in a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, until it begins to bubble. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until the flour begins to brown. Remove from heat and add the soy milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As soon as the sauce comes to a boil, remove from the heat and set aside. This can also be made ahead of time, but warm before using.

When fusion is done well, it can be beautiful. I made Indian moong dal dosas with a spicy spinach filling, based on my saag recipe, and added a savory Provencal red pepper sauce. The flavors were an amazing abundance of sweet, spicy, and savory engulfing an earthy crepe. Every aspect of tonight's dinner was satisfying.



Red Pepper Sauce
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Tomatoes
2 small shallots (2-3 tbs total)
1 clove garlic
2 tbs chopped basil
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the red pepper in half. Remove the stem, and seeds and lay face down on a baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and lay face down on the sheet. Cut the shallots in half and place the unpeeled garlic and shallots on the baking sheet as well. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the pepper skins have charred. Allow to cool and remove the skins from the peppers, tomatoes, garlic and shallots. They should peel right off. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend into a creamy sauce. The sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

5 Servings: 82 cal (6g fat, 8g carbs, 1g protein)

Spinach Filling
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp cumin seed
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes, grated
2 bunches spinach, washed & chopped (or 2 packages frozen)
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz tofu, crumbled

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to sizzle. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until they begin to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the grated tomato, salt and spinach. Increase heat to medium high and cook until the spinach has wilted and the moisture from the spinach and tomato is cooked off. Remove from heat and stir in the crumbled tofu. This can also be made ahead and reheated.

6 Servings: 109 cal (6g fat, 9g carbs, 6g protein)

I developed this in an attempt to make a lentil dish that was easier to digest, because my body likes lentils so much less than I like lentils This is packed with veggies, and I've added asafoetida, fenugreek and turmeric, along with a host of other spices. You may substitute store bought curry powder for mine (listed at the bottom), but if you have it, add a little asafoetida. It's pungent aroma is a great addition to dals, and it's supposed to make them easier to handle in the end. (literally!)



Sabzi Dal
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs ginger
3 cloves garlic
10 curry leaves
1 tomato, grated
1 bunch spinach (or 10 oz frozen), chopped
1 cup soy yogurt
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup lentils
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 small head cauliflower
2 tbs spice mixture (or curry powder)
4 cups water
1 1/2 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan set to medium-high. Add the onion and saute, stirring often until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and curry leaves, cook for a minute, then add the grated tomatoes and the spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off. Stir in the yogurt, chickpea flour and spice mixture, then add the lentils, potato, cauliflower and water. Cover and simmer until the lentils and potato are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove the curry leaves (or left in as garnish) and stir in the peas and cook just until the peas are warm. Serve over rice or with naan or roti.

4 Servings: 400 cal (10g fat, 63g carbs, 19g protein)

Curry Spice Mixture
This spice mix is probably a bit hotter than your store brand, but not overly hot. It also has a goodly amount of pungency from the fenugreek and asafoetida. It's perfect for lentils, pulses or beans. You can substitute regular curry powder with a touch of cayenne and, if available, asafoetida.

Ingredients
2 tbs coriander seed
1 tbs cumin seed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tbs black mustard seed
1/2 tbs fenugreek seed
6 cloves
2 arbol chilies, including seeds
1/2 tbs paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp asafoetida

Heat a small fry pan over medium heat. Break apart dried chili peppers and add the whole spices. Dry fry, stirring constantly, or shaking the fry pan until the spices take on a slightly toasted aroma. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to a a spice or coffee grinder, along with the paprika, turmeric and asafoetida. Grind into a fine powder. Makes about 5 tbs.

My wife and I both had holiday parties at work yesterday. I made a batch of Bacos-Bacon Dip for her potluck and mini loaves of eggnog bread for mine. She topped hers off with ginger cupcakes and lemon frosting. To be honest, I busted my knuckle up zesting 2 tablespoons of zest, but that's another story. Lets just say she owes me one. Her cupcakes will be on her blog (K's Mumbo Jumbo), along with her delicious Margarita Cupcakes form Thanksgiving. Yum.

And here is my eggnog bread. I posted this last year, so if you think you've seen this before, you're right. But here it is again.



Eggnog Muffins/Bread
8 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs rum (or 2 tsp rum extract)
1 cup Soy Egg Nog (or rice)
1 tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

With a beater, cream the margarine with the sugar until fluffy. Combine the wet ingredients and whisk in the egg replacer powder. Blend the liquid and sour cream in with the margarine and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and blend until somewhat sticky (like a muffin or banana bread batter).

For Bread: Pour into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, until a knife an be inserted and pulled out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from the pan. For mini loaves, bake for about 45 minutes.

For Muffins: Spoon Batter into a muffin tin, fitted with muffin cups, about even with the tin. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, until a knife can be inserted and pulled out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

12 Servings: 245 Cal (9g fat, 36g carbs, 3g protein)

I was scanning through my pasta posts the other day and noticed that I don't have a marinara anywhere. A good marinara is made simply with fresh, quality ingredients. And the sauce cooks in just a few minutes. This is my go to weeknight pasta in the summer, when basil is abundant and fresh. Since I had to purchase a package this week, I decided to use the rest for a batch.



Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
1 lbs pasta
2 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped

Set a pot of water to boil and begin the sauce. Heat olive oil in a saute pan set to medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for half a minute, then stir in the diced tomatoes and wine. Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes, while the pasta cooks. As the sauce cooks, mash the tomatoes up with the back of a wooden spoon.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the basil and salt. Then toss with the pasta, adding a little of the reserved water, if necessary.

4 Servings: 530 cal (9g fat, 95g carbs, 17g protein)

I think the Urud Dal is the most common dal used dal for dosas.  It's got a difficult to explain flavor that I often don't like.  But in these dosas, the flavor is more subtle and is perfectly paired with fenugreek seeds.  If you can't find fenugreek and urud, both available at an Asian or Indian grocery, you might try the moong dosa that I posted this week.  Also look at my dosa introduction for substitutes.  Serrano or other hot peppers make a nice addition blended into the batter also.  One or two won't be hot, but will add a little depth.



Urud Dal Dosa
1 1/4 cup white rice
1/2 cup urud dal
1/4 chana dal
1 tbs fenugreek seeds
3/4 tsp salt
6 tsp vegetable oil

Add beans, rice, fenugreek and lentils to a bowl. Add enough water to cover by a couple inches and soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Add to a blender, along with the salt, and pour in just enough water to cover. Blend thoroughly, adding a little water, if necessary to keep the blender going. you should end up with a thin pancake batter. Leave on a counter to ferment for a few hours to a 24 hours, or not at all. I prefer the flavor after a few hours of fermentation. Once fermented, you can store in a refrigerator, but the fermentation won't completely stop.

To prepare, heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Pour the oil into a small dish. Dip a paper towel into the oil and coat the pan. Pour about half a cup of batter in the center of the pan. With the back of a large spoon, quickly spread the batter outward. The batter should thinly cover the pan. When the batter dries around the edges and air bubbles begin to form, dip the back of a clean spoon in oil and brush the dosa, paying attention to the edges. Flip the dosa and with your fingertips or a spatula, twist the dosa as it cooks. Remove and cook the next dosa.
Makes about 6 dosas.

I found this how-to video to be very helpful from Manjula's Kitchen.

12 Servings: 138 cal (3g fat, 24g carbs,5g protein)

A dosa is an Indian crepe made of a combination of pulses, lentils and rice. Moong Dal dosas have a more delicate flavor and more body than urud dal dosas and I found a greater variety in recipes ranging from mostly rice to mostly dals. After some testing, I added just enough rice to give the dosa a slightly crispy texture.

I filled these dosas with fried potatoes & onions and soy yogurt chutney.



Moong Dosa
1/2 cup mung beans
1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp vegetable oil

Note: The original post had 3 tbs vegetable oil. This was a typo, 3 tsp should do.

Add beans, rice and lentils to a bowl. Ad enough water to cover by a couple inches and soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Add to a blender, along with the salt, and pour in just enough water to cover. Blend thoroughly, adding a little water, if necessary to keep the blender going. you should end up with a thin pancake batter. Leave on a counter to ferment for a few hours to a 24 hours, or not at all. I prefer the flavor after a few hours of fermentation. Once fermented, you can store in a refrigerator, but the fermentation won't completely stop.

To prepare, heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Pour the oil into a small dish. Dip a paper towel into the oil and coat the pan. Pour about half a cup of batter in the center of the pan. With the back of a large spoon, quickly spread the batter outward. The batter should thinly cover the pan. When the batter dries around the edges and air bubbles begin to form, dip the back of a clean spoon in oil and brush the dosa, paying attention to the edges. Flip the dosa and with your fingertips or a spatula, twist the dosa as it cooks. Remove and cook the next dosa.
Makes about 6 dosas.

I found this how-to video to be very helpful from Manjula's Kitchen.

6 Servings: 109 cal (3g fat, 18g carbs,4g protein)

I've made a couple attempts at dosas over the years, and nothing had ever turned out like the light & crispy crepe that a good dosa should be.  So I scoured the internet for tips and recipes, soaked every conceivable ingredient overnight and began blending up test batches and playing around with technique.

I found two very helpful sites in my quest were Holy Cow! and Manjula's Kitchen These are my absolute favorite Indian blogs and the first stop whenever I'm trying anything new. Holy Cow! had, it seemed, 1001 posts about dosas and I used Manjula's amazing yogurt chutney with the filling of my dosas. If you have any interest in Indian cooking, these blogs are a must read.



Dosa Observations
Dosas take some forethought, as much as three days, as you have to soak the beans, then, possibly, ferment the batter. The batter, in most recipes, is composed of a primary dal, usually urud or moong and a secondary lentil that is combined with rice and blended to form a batter. I tried several combinations and this is what I found:

Primary Dal:

Moong Dal - has a very faint 'pea' flavor and a strong green hue. It has more body than the urud dal. Many recipes use only moong dal, even excluding rice. It doesn't need a secondary bean. The dosa color is a bit strange, though. Adding red lentils or chana might help balance the color.

Urud Dal - I don't like urud dal, but don't be put off by the flavor. It makes a nicely flavored dosa. Fenugreek seed is the flavor perfect complement and the urud flavor fades into the background. It will, however, require more salt than moong beans. I used whole beans for both. The black, urud dal makes a nicely colored dosa.

Secondary Dal:

Chana Dal - This was my preferred choice for the secondary pulse, especially with the urud dal. They gave the batter some needed body and a golden, buttery hue.

Red Lentils - I liked the flavor of the red lentils and they add body, as with the chana dal. I expected a stronger hue, but it was still appealing. I would be happy with either chana dal or red lentils.

Brown Lentils - Plain lentils were dull, with an unenlightened flavor. Use if you must with urud dal, it needs the body, but I greatly preferred both chana dal and red lentils.

Rice:

Brown Rice: I expected a greater color difference. Brown was actually quite similar. Brown rice was not quite as crispy and the flavor wasn't as 'pure.' If you want to add some fiber, go ahead. I wouldn't use more than 50% brown, thought. The dosas will crisp better with white.

White Rice - This had the best results. The rice flavor came through more than with the brown and the dosa was crispier. I will use all white rice in the future.

Ferment:

Many recipes called for up to 24 hours of fermentation, by leaving the batter out an extra day after blending it. This drastically altars the flavor. I made batches completely unfermented, fermented for a few hours and fermented for a whole day. I prefer a few hours of fermentation, but not much more.

I soak the beans overnight, then blend them in the morning, for use in evening. This works well. For a different schedule, I would suggest fermenting for a few hours, then putting the batter in the fridge. Also, the taste is so different, it might be worth trying a fully fermented batter. I think the flavor is a love it or hate it taste. You might love it.

Technique

After a few dosas, I got the technique down. It is important to spread the batter out thinly and quickly. I found that a large soup spoon worked well. I used another spoon to spread oil over the half cooked dosa. I'll post my recipes for Moong Dosas and Urud Dosas this week.

I'm a big fan of creamy salad dressing. And this dressing started when I started spooning vegan pesto into ranch dressing. I switched to a cashew base with great results. It's much easier to control the thickness, compared to ranch dressing and a little oil gives it a smooth creamy feel. Finally, I added lemon juice and deconstructed the pesto. All this testing meant I ate the same salad dressing for nearly a month straight, and I still haven't tired of it.



Creamy Lemon Pesto Dressing
2/3 cups cashews, ground
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs vegenaise
1/2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp miso
1 clove garlic
1 cup basil
1/4 cup parsley

Roughly chop the basil and parsley and toss together. Reserve half of the herbs and set aside. Add the other half, along with all the other ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly for several minutes. The dressing should be very creamy when done. Finely mince the reserved parsley and basil and add to the blender. Pulse, just to combine, then pour into a container and chill. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

12 Servings: 82 cal (7g fat, 4g carbs, 2g protein)

I've had individual pot pies on my agenda for weeks.  Each week, I put them off for one more week.  The truth is, I've never made a pie crust, and I was deathly afraid.  I've done some research, and come up with a fool proof plan but I couldn't shake the gooey, doughy mess that haunts many a would be baker.  In then end, I weighed my options.  Every store bought brand I've found had either trans fat or lard.  I needed to tackle the elusive pie crust. It turned out flaky and delicious.  Here are some observations that I made during my pot pie forray:

Pie Crust:  From what I gathered, the biggest key to pie crust preparation is temperature.  I kept everything cold.  I chilled the flour, mixing bowl and the shortening in the freezer. I kept the water ice cold and when the dough balls weren't in use, they were left in the fridge.  I even froze my marble rolling pin.  In fact, it stayed in the freezer at least a month.  Like I said, I'm chicken. 

Chana Dal:  The chana dal is a small relative of the chickpea that's been dried and split.  It holds its shape better than lentils or split peas and tastes like a chickpea.  They need to be soaked and will double in volume after a couple of hours.  You could substitute yellow split peas or even lentils.

Scale:  This recipe was designed for individual pie dishes that were 6 inches in diameter (for the crust) and 1.5 cups in volume (filling).  You can scale the filling and crust to fit the volume and size of your dishes.  Also, the recipe has lots of excess dough.  This makes the dough more forgiving because you can discard any boo boos, especially if you can't roll dough into a circle.



Individual Pot Pies
 Crust:
4 cups all purpose flour, chilled
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening, chilled
1 1/2 tsp salt
8-12 tbs ice water

Filling:
1/2 cup chana dal or yellow split peas, soaked for 2-3 hours
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy milk
1 medium potato, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup peas
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional)
2 tbs nutritional yeast

For the Crust: 
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and mix with the salt.  Add the shortening and mix with your fingers until the dough forms pea sized, or smaller, crumbs.  Add the water, a tablespoon at a time and mix together with your fingers.  You've added enough flour when the dough binds together, but is not wet.  Work the dough only as necessary, do not kneed.  Form into four balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until needed.

For the Filling:
Soak the chana dal in t cups water for at least a couple hours.  Drain, rinse and reserve.\  Melt the margarine in a medium sauce pan.  Add the onions and celery and saute until the onion is soft.  Add the garlic, stir once and add the flour.  Stir constantly for a couple minutes and slowly add the vegetable broth and soy milk.  Stir to incorporate the flour into the broth.  Add the diced veggies, peas and spices.  Bring to just to a boil and remove from heat.

To Assemble:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Ladle the filling into four oven-save bowls.  working one at a time, remove the plastic wrap from each dough ball.  Place the ball onto a lightly floured surface and press down with the palm of your hand.  flour the top of the dough and roll the dough into a circle.  I made much larger circles than necessary and I use the term circle very loosely.  Using a spatula, fold the dough in half, then place over the bowl.  Unfold and pull or cut off the excess dough.  Crimp the edges.  Continue with the remaining bowls.

Place the bowls in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Remove and let the pies set for a few minutes and serve.  Makes 4 individual pies.

4 Servings:  1060 calories (57g fat, 114g carbs, 23g protein).