Epicurean Vegan

Happy New Year!

We spent our New Year’s Eve with friends and I brought these empanadas. I’ve made similar ones before and I noticed that I had written 5-6 jalapenos for that recipe. Those must have been some pretty mild peppers, because I used one in this recipe and they were plenty zippy! I changed these up a little and they turned out great. I think adding a chipotle-flavored Field Roast sausage link would also be great for the filling. I’m going to have to figure out how to keep them from opening up during the baking process, but it didn’t seem to make a difference in taste—they were gone in minutes!

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:

3 C flour + some for kneading

3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer + 4 Tbs water

12 Tbs Earth Balance (1-1/2 sticks)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs white vinegar

1/3 to 1/2 C water

Filling:

8-oz non-dairy cream cheese

2 Tbs lime juice

1 Tbs almond milk + some for brushing

1 tsp shallot salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 C fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 C vegan pepper jack, shredded

1 tsp cumin

1 jalapeno, chopped fine

1/3 C red bell pepper, chopped small

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped small

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tbs olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

To make the dough, combine the egg replacer with the water and process until foamy.

Add the flour, Earth Balance, salt, vinegar, and water. Process until well combine.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic in a medium skillet. Add the onions, jalapeno, and bell pepper. Season with cumin and saute 5-7 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese, lime juice, almond milk, shallot salt, and garlic powder. Stir in the cilantro, cheese, and pepper mixture.

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the dough and using a disk, bowl or cup, cut out 4″ circles.

Place about a tablespoon of the filling in the middle of dough circle. Fold over and you can either use a fork to seal the edges closed, or a pastry wheel cutter, then place onto a large baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, then brush the tops with almond milk. Bake another 5-7 minutes, or until the tops brown. Enjoy!