Gopi's Veggie Pockets

These veggie pockets make great all in one meals, especially for when you are travelling! :-)
Makes approx 8 - 10 generous sized pockets.

Filling:
5 medium sized organic carrots peeled, washed and chopped into small cubes
I small head of celery, washed, ends and major strings removed, and chopped small
1/2 a large red bell pepper chopped into small cubes (optional)
1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen spinach
1/2 cup black olives chopped into small rings
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Approx 1-2 TBSP sour cream
3/4 TBSP sea salt or to taste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp of curry powder
1 tsp asafoetida
 nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

Steam the carrots, celery, bell pepper til tender. Add the frozen spinach and peas and steam another 5 mins or til thawed.

Mix the steamed veggies with the rest of the ingredients. Use to fill the pastry when it has cooled off
somewhat.

Pastry:
Approx 4 cups sprouted wheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3-4 heaped TBSP soft ghee

Mix the dry ingredients and then rub in the ghee to make a crumbly mixture. Add enough warm water to make a soft non sticky dough. Knead a few mins to improve the texture and let sit for 10 mins.

Roll into rounds approx 2.5 x 2.5 inches. Place 2-3 TBSP of the veggie mix in the middle. Take two opposite sides of the round and pinch together til sealed especially be sure to get the corners. Be careful not to pinch holes into the pastry or it will be messy when it bakes!

Place on a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake in pre-heated oven at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for approx 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Delicious served warm! :-)

You can make a great veggie pie using the same ingredients. Here's a picture to give you the idea! :-)

Vegetable pie

Today I was at a loss what to cook because we are out of many basic supplies in the kitchen. Well, as they say "necessity is the mother of invention," so it was a good thing, because I had to get really creative with whatever ingredients where at hand. Since we had a few odds and ends but not enough of any one vegetable to make anything substantial, I figured instead Id make a savory pie with a medley of veggies. Turned out very nice indeed! :-)
 
Ingredients

2 cups Wholefoods brand 365 organic pancake waffle mix
1 cup Bob's Red Mill wheat farina
4 TBSP cold butter
1 tsp salt
Cold water as needed to make a smooth medium firm dough

Filling

Grated vegetables of your choice - I used:
1 medium zucchini
2 medium carrots
4 small potato's
4 sticks celery chopped small (the tender heart of it and the leaves)
2 cups of frozen spinach
1 cup  frozen of sweetcorn

1 TBSP paprika flakes
3 tsp smoked Spanish paprika powder
1 TBSP Italian herbs
2 TBSP Cumin powder
2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp ground mixed black and red pepper
Approx 2 TBSP Sea salt (or to taste)
3 TBSP nutritional yeast

1 cup Ricotta cheese drained or 1 cup cooked down sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt might work too)
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheddar cheese

Method

Place flour and salt in bowl, grate butter into it and crumble it together til its looks like bread crumbs.
Add water as needed to make a firm smooth dough. Put in fridge for 15 mins. Roll out on a floured surface into a round and place into a buttered pie dish, cutting off extra pastry from sides. Keep these to the side til later.Use a fork or knife to make some slits in the pie base. Bake blind in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for approx 10 mins. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat 2 TBSP oil/ghee into a sautee pan. Chaunce spices for a few seconds, add vegetables and stir fry, stirring frequently. Mix in the salt, lower heat, cover and cook til vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, add in nutritional yeast, ricotta cheese and cheddar cheese. (if you use sour cream instead of ricotta cheese
cook it down first til its thickened.

Allow to cool a little. Roll the extra pastry out and cut into strips. Put vegetable mixture into the the pastry shell. Arrange the strips in a criss-cross pattern over the filling. Place in oven and bake for approx 20 mins til
golden brown on top.

Delicious, best served warm. :-)