Faux chicken-mushroom pie + creamed courgette

One of the happiest discoveries I've made since becoming vegan is that I can still eat puff-pastry...which means that I can still bake PIES! However, to be honest, the creamed courgette (which doesn't even have cream in it) was the highlight of this meal. It tastes like creamed spinach, only weh-hey better.

Ingredients for Faux Chicken Pie

• 2 rolls vegan puff pastry
• 1 packet Fry's chicken strips
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 cup leeks
• 2-3 cups mushrooms
• 0.5 cups soya cream (Alpro / Orley)
• 1 pepper (yellow or red)
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups white or red wine or cider (depending on your preference)
• 2tbsp maizina or cake flour (to thicken the stew) 

Preheat the oven to about 180 degrees celsius.

Fry the onion, garlic and leeks in a pan until soft. Add the maizina, mushrooms, pepper, chicken strips and herbs and gently fry while slowly adding the wine/cider. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the chicken stew is simmering, unroll the puff pastry and spread one sheet over the bottom of an oven proof dish (or cut and size to individual ramekins if you have more time and want to personalise the meal a bit more). 

Add the cream to the chicken stew and simmer for a further 10 minutes (if the stew is still very runny, add a bit more maizina to thicken the stew). Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Stir in the cream and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Dish the chicken stew onto the puff pastry until the stew is just below the top of the dish. Spread the second sheet of puff pastry over the stew and gently press the sides of the top and bottom layers of puff pastry together to seal. 

Insert dish into the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients for creamed courgette

• 3-4 cups grated courgettes
• 0.5 cups vegan parmesan cheese (grated/powdered)
• 2 eggs-worth equivalent of egg replacer (available from most local health shops)
• 4 tbsp flour
• vegetable oil for frying
• salt and pepper to taste

Grate the courgettes, drain any excess liquid from the bowl and gently pat with kitchen towling to remove further excess liquid.

Add the remaining ingredients to the courgettes and mix together well.

Pour mixture into an oven proof tray and bake on 180 degrees celcius for 30-40 minutes ensuring that you stir the mixture at half time. Alternatively, heat oil in a pan, dish tablespoon-sized servings onto the pan and fry each "courgette-cake" on each side for about 3-4 minutes (this can get a bit messy and might end-up becoming courgette scramble- which is fine and tastes just as good).

*YUM*