Although I have far too many cook books (it's a problem, I'll admit it), I still love to subscribe to cooking magazines. VegNews is my latest favorite. The recipes seem so fresh and exciting on those glossy pages. Two of my latest dinner co-op recipes have come from VegNews including this vegan pot pie.
I'm always suspicious of recipes that try to create a vegan version of something that is delicious because of the cheese or meat. I'd rather just eat something that celebrates the flavor of veggies than something trying to imitate meat or dairy and falling short. But this pot pie was calling to me and I had a feeling it might be pretty tasty.
The secret is that the creamy bechamel sauce is cashew-based.
It's similar to the creamed potatoes and peas my mother-in-law makes. I was a bit suspicious of the flavor combination as I was making it; cashews, mustard, nutmeg... But in the end it was so delicious!
Coconut oil replaced butter in sauteing the veggies and creating the roux. And the crust was made of barley flour rather than wheat, so the gluten content was much lower. Consequently the crust was pretty hard to work with and didn't come out all the pretty to look at. But it was still really tasty.
I made extra to freeze and had one left over, which ended up being perfect as we all stopped by the house in between wedding festivities for a little recharge. This bottom picture isn't the lovliest, I'll admit; it had been out of the oven for awhile when I remembered to take it out. But, trust me, it was delicious!
