Kind-of-Cornish Pasties (Vegan and Harry Potter Party Friendly!)

You may not know this, but I've gone full-on vegetarian. It's true! Since last Thanksgiving I'm no longer eating meat, not even socially. I also spent some time participating in a Vegan food exchange at work; it was delightful, but I think we all lost steam and the group has since fizzled.

One thing that lasts, though, are the recipes! And now that I'm getting all geared up for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, I'm finding that all I have to work with are meaty or sugary dishes. So I'm turning back to one of my Vegan Exchange recipes: "Kind-of Cornish Pasties."

"Kind-of" because I'm not in or from Cornwall, and also because I didn't use meat. I did use rutabaga, though, and that's an important bit.

They serve Pasties at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, so I figure this--and maybe vegetarian Shepard's Pie--will be good pre-movie dinner selections. :)

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium rutabaga, diced (about 1 ½ cups) (also nice? Yam/Sweet Potato)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 2/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or tamari)
• ½ cup mock-beef broth (or water)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large, large pot. Sauté ingredients: onion through yukon potato for 6 to 7 minutes. At the 5 minute mark, add nutritional yeast (if you've got it. Which I didn't). Add everything else to the pot, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until everything is tender.

Pastry Dough:

• 3 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ cup oil (canola recommended)
• 6 tablespoons water
• 6 tablespoons soy milk

Mix flour and salt; add oil a little at a time and mix by hand until crumbly. Mix in liquids.

Divide into 6 balls; roll into circles on a lightly floured surface. Use a plate to cut nicer, even circles. Transfer to a well-oiled baking sheet.

Fill with yummy filling on one half, fold over, and ruin your nice, neat circles by crimping the edges (fork it if you've got it!). You may have to wet the edges to get it to stick.

Vent it by cutting a few slits in the top.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold!

Makes 6 pasties.