St Patrick + St Pierre

My favorite party holiday, St Patrick's Day, is happening this Sunday!!! With the added bonus of the there being a UFC fight with George St-Pierre fighting the title match today. We are going to DVR it and watch it tomorrow. So don't you think about spoiling it for me.

So....

+

Equals one heck of a party.

We will be featuring the same food and drink as last year. Vegan Irish Hand Pies and Vegan Irish Car Bombs.

What to do for our man from America's Hat?! Well unfortunately I don't have time to figure out the best way to make Poutine. So I am just going to buy some of those delicious vegan maple cookies from Trader Joe's and maybe get a Canadian Whiskey for good measure.

Will post pictures on Monday, in what I am sure is going to be a headache fog.

CHEERS!!!!!

Vegan Irish Hand Pies

Savory hand pies are traditionally filled with meat. If you are reading this blog there is a good chance you want none of that, but still want the savory goodness wrapped in a flaky buttery crust. (hold the butter).


Well this year I came up with a recipe to satisfy your needs. A long time ago I saw a Martha Stewart recipe for the meat version. This is sort of based off of that. But with ingredients added, changed and mixed around a little.


First you need pie crust. There are a million blogs out there on how to make the perfect pie crust. I use the simple ratio - 1 stick of Earth Balance Buttery Sticks : 1 cup flour: tiny bit of ice water. Pulse the Buttery (cut it up first) and the flour in your food processor. Then turn on the processor and slowly add little bits of ice water. When it starts to stick together, you are done. For these pies I also add in salt and fresh cracked pepper to create a savory crust.

Here are some pictures of my process. If you haven't made pie crust before, the number one thing you need to remember is everything needs to super cold. Use ice water and cold cold cold Buttery (keep it in the fridge or freezer between making batches). I made 4 batches. But the recipe I am giving you only needs two. Stick them in the fridge for at least an hour before baking.

While your dough is chilling, make your filling. (ahhh rhyming)


Filling - 
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups diced Yukon Golds or red potatoes
1.5 cups diced yellow onion
1 package Original Smart Ground Veggie Protein Crumbles
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire  (we use Edward and Sons)
A good dash of Thyme
Salt
Pepper


Get all your veggies chopped and in a pan with a bit of oil. While they cooking mix your tomato paste, thyme and Worcestershire, in a large mixing cup with 1 cup of water. When your veggies are starting to brown and smelling good, add the veggie crumbles. Get them good and mixed up. Then add your sauce mixture on top and turn the heat down to a simmer. Let it simmer until the potatoes are soft. Turn off the heat, mash it up a bit and then let it COMPLETELY COOL. Otherwise your pie crust will melt.

Once it is cool. Roll out your dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut it into 6 inch squares (you can pick a size but I like mine snack sized) or circles or whatever you like. Scoop about a 1/2 cup onto one side of the square and then fold the other side over it. Crimp the edges with a fork and cut some vents in the top. 

Bake at 400° for about 12 minutes. I am going to prep mine and then freeze them until St. Patty's so mine will take about 30 minutes to bake. Remember the ingredients inside are all cooked and ready. So all you need to is get the crust baked. If it looks golden and delicious, they are done.

Getting Bombed, Vegan Style

The extremely offensive Irish Car Bomb cocktail has been a staple of our St. Patrick's Day parties for a few years now.  Well they didn't start out as parties. They started out with a few of us drinking them and watching Boondock Saints. (you know, 'cause they are Irish.) Well, that became annual and then it became quite the shindig.  Here is my picture from last year. -

So this year, with my constant attempts to be animal-product free, I figured I needed to make an ICB without using your run of the mill Irish Cream.

~~~~~

For those of you who don't know this is how you make an ICB -

~8oz Guiness Stout in a glass

~A shot glass filled half-way with Baileys Irish Cream

~Jameson Irish Whiskey floated on top of the Irish Cream.

You drop the shot of Whiskey and Irish Cream into the Stout and chug.

~~~~~

So I put myself on the mission of making the perfect Vegan Irish Cream. 

Well apparently my very I should have been a Mixologist, because I came up with a slammin' alternative. I couldn't pry it out of Kris' hands. (Not that he is really that much a booze snob, but he would tell me if it sucked.)

Without further ado...

Vegan Irish Cream

2 parts vodka

2 parts Torani Irish Cream flavoring

1 part So Delicious Coconut Creamer  - French Vanilla

Keep everything in the fridge including the syrup. This will make it nice and thick. Now I am guessing you can make a big ol' batch and keep it for about as long as the creamer is good. I haven't tried it though, so trust your digestive health to yourself or someone with a medical license. Also this is more alcoholic than you average Irish Cream. About 26% alcohol vs 17%. (I should brush up on my math skills - it is actually 16% so essentially the same.) It will also be slightly darker in color. 

REMEMBER THIS - We want you to be able to enjoy this recipe for many years to come. Like 80! So please please PLEASE have a good time and get a designated driver, call a cab, crash on a couch and offer yours to an inebriated friend. We love you and we want you safe.

Stay tuned - tomorrow you will get my Vegan Hand Pie recipe!!