Cornish pasties go back hundreds of years; Cornish miners packed these savory pies filled with beef, potatoes, onions, and turnips with them to work as a portable, hand-held meal. Sometimes they were filled with a bit of apple or jam at one end so you could eat through lunch and hit dessert! I wasn't that clever, though. I filled these pasties with diced potato, turnip, and Morningstar Farms Steak Strips. Fresh blueberries and two mint Newman-O's were dessert.Verdict: This was our first taste of these vegan steak strips, and it's been so many years since I ate steak that I found the first bite unsettling -- very steaklike! But the pasties were really good. I thought I was all done creating recipes for my cookbook, but I might need to add this one... Shmoo ate every last bite. 5 stars.
P.S. Tomorrow afternoon Shmoo has a dentist appointment. He won't have a lunch box, but he'll have shiny clean teeth!
40 comments:
YUM! That looks and sounds delicious.
The little stars on top are so adorable. I haven't tried to steak strips, but I did try the chicken... I didn't like them. They were too unsettlingly chickeny.
that looks good!
that bright green container really stands out! i don't think i've seen that one before.
on schmoo hating sweet potatoes : you should make these and see if he likes them - http://vegweb.com/recipes/bread/2627.shtml (i followed one of the comments and only used 2 T of [olive] oil, omitted the baking soda, and only used 1 t of baking powder) -- he might like these!
-jessica
Are the steak strips gluten or soy?
I hate the steak strips. I only tried them once and I may have cooked them wrong or something, but they were really soft and mushy...very gross!
I don't eat fake meats, and they are very very unappealing to me, but what you have going on here sounds like it could be ok, with the mix and all. Maybe you could add this to the book and I would just leave out the steak... maybe put some tofu (and veggies) in there.
And about tomorrow... do you cook at home or go out when there's no lunch box?
How do you make the vegan pastry
for your filling? This sounds
wonderful..and I,too, love the stars! I LOVE your blog!
Thanks for sharing ideas.
Love the site! Will you be posting any more recipes to Shmood Food or will it all be in your cookbook?
earlier today i was in a coffeshop that was selling vegan empanadas, and now i see these... i am thinking i might have to go home and make myeslf a whole bunch of pies for the next few days.
Ever since I came across your site, I've visited it daily. You are truly an inspiration and I, for one of many, cannot WAIT for your cookbook. kudos to you! everything always looks scrumptious AND nutritious!
I'm with some of the above posters in that I thought the strips were gross. I tried both the chicken and steak. The whole thing that interested me was that I thought they were something I could do just about anything with, but it turned out that they were both already too strongly flavoured for me to get very creative. For god's sake, just give me some plain unflavoured fake meat so I can make the recipes I grew up with. I'm better off using Gardenburger's grilled chicken patties for my chicken salad.
This is soo pretty! I just got around to trying the lentil and brown rice balls and can I just say that it was sooo yummmmmmy that it almost didn't make it into ball form! I think when I make it again, I'll have to stuff it into peppers...oh yea...that'll be good
Cool--I'm not the only one making vegan pasties! I grew up eating pasties made with beef, potatoes, and carrots, so I tried making my own about a month ago. I wanted to use seitan but ended up just going with marinated tofu. Next time I'll see what they're like with turnips instead of the carrots.
>They were too unsettlingly chickeny.
I know, that's how I felt about the chicken and the steak strips -- maybe a bit *too* real! But the meat-eaters among us really liked them, so I guess that's a good thing. Anything that keeps an actual chicken or cow off their plates can't be bad...
Hi, Jessica! Thanks for the link -- I know shmoo would like those. He now likes sweet potato muffins, biscuits, bread, and pie.
>Are the steak strips gluten or soy?
Mostly gluten but containing soy.
Hi, Leslie! Usually we go out for bean burritos or toasted bagels with peanut butter and soy steamers.
Hi, papillonluvr! It's a basic pie dough pastry, made with organic shortening.
Hi, Michelle! I'll probably post a few more recipes as time goes on. :-)
Hi, Dee! Yay, glad you liked the lentil balls!
_kli_, we really liked the turnip mixed with the potato. Do you add onion to yours?
As a random aside from a cornish person (!), pasties often used to be based around fish and were even vegetarian during poorer times.
The little pastry roll was used to hold the pasty by, this could then be thrown away when the miner had made it grubby.
I always watch your recepies with interest, often making some for university/work. Nice to see a 'local' favorite redone in a vegan way. Thanks!
From the thread below question, that got me looking on the web for cat cookie cutters and I found some that looked suitable for sammiches at http://www.foosecookiecutters.com/store/catsanddogs.html including one that looks like shmoo's. They've got others, like a bunnie and a frog that look like they'd work well also.
aghh, few postings after the cookbook is finished? Surely there has to be a sequel...
Funny thing...I tried the steak strips tonight for the first time and here it is on your blog. :) Our whole family thought they were really terrific. Having a vegan food that tastes familiar is so helpful to me as I try to convince my kids and husband that they can eat healthy foods and not suffer because they have to give up most of they're used to. I love these and hope there continue to be more and more choices that taste and look "normal" (to an omni) so that eventually it isn't even an issue - I can just cook what I cook and we don't have to have the same old discussion of "What does it taste like? Is it good? Is it steak or "steak"? " We decided the steak strips were better when cut into smaller pieces, as they were hard to bite through in the strip shape. Maybe that would lessen their similarity to real meat for those who were turned off by it? I'm glad Little Schmoo enjoyed his beautiful pasty. :)
Shelly
Replying to your previous post:
Food Fight is one of my favorite things about Portland. Have you ever been to Veganopolis? It's a new(ish) vegan cafeteria on SW 4th. They have awesome sandwiches and a pretty good buffet. Next time you're in Portland you should definitely check it out.
not turnips, rutabega RUTABEGA! :)
Your vegan lunch box is totally wonderful! Thanks!
Wow Jennifer! Now you have to respond to soooo many posts! Thanks for letting me know, I remembered how you go to Taco del Mar (as we do weekly here) and get "The Vegan" as well. Soy Steamers sounds pretty good right now.
Oh, by the way, the above is me (Leslie).
"soy steamers" - what are those?
I read your diary of shmoo's lunchbox a few times a week and an blown away by the care you put into both your recipes and shmoo. Lucky kid, eats better than I can do for myself!
Definitely an inspiration to brush up on my creative side, keep up the amazing work.
Looks like you already have quite a following, but I just HAD to write. You are such an inspiration! I only found you yesterday but plan on tuning in daily.
Is there a pic available of this shmoo guy?! I bet he's adorable.
>"soy steamers" - what are those
A cup of steamed soy milk at the espresso bar, sometimes with an extra shot of flavored syrup (we like hazelnut).
Tori, my husband seconds your idea of using portabellos in the pasties. They're our favorite "burgers", too. Shmoo won't touch mushrooms, though, so you won't see them in his lunch.
i'm so happy you used the morningstar steak strips. i have a bag of them, and have been kind of stuck for ideas of what to do with them. pasties are perfect! i grew up near a little family bakery that made these awesome pasties, and they're definitely a comfort food for me. mmm.
the chicken strips are so good, too!! my boyfriend and i have been enjoying them stir-fried with onions and bell peppers on fresh crusty italian bread. i like nayonnaise with mine, he likes marinara sauce.
I love the lunch boxes. Very bento.
I make a similar pastry, but with a pot pie-like filling made with nutritional yeast gravy, carrots, peas, potatoes, tofu, and onions. Yummy!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for the tip.
I haven't seen those steak strips before --how was the texture? I'm thinking mexican style with onions and peppers and tortillas might be good.
Love the cornish pasties idea- that's one of the first recipes I learned as a child in England.
I love the pastie idea. Can't wait for your cookbook! To the poster who mentioned that the steak strips had a mushy texture, if you decide to try them again, don't cook them too long. Just heat them up for a minute or so. Cooking them longer than that can lead to them being sort of spongey-ish.
Jennifer, I'm so happy to have found your blog. We are not vegans but are on a quest to eat healthier which of course includes more veggies! Your lunch boxes bring such inspiration, my little ones are somewhat phobic about certain vegetables and I have found so many wonderful ideas here to help change their minds about vegetables. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
I found your site through the Laptop Lunch Times e-mail-- great pictures and great ways to organize simple, easy-to-prepare meals. I am not vegan, but I support the terrific creativity you have put out there. Nice site, and great job.
Hey Jennifer,
Quick question - did you pre-cook the veggies before baking in the crust or does it do all the cooking inside? I'm thinking about experimenting with this idea and some gimme lean :)
I hope Morningstar continues to create more vegan alternatives...a lot of their things have had or do have egg whites in them, I've noticed. These starter meals are working in the right direction.
:)
Good luck at the dentist, lil schmoo!
This website has made me unafraid to go vegan! I'm on my 3rd full week of 100% veganism, and I've never felt better.
This website gave me the courage to make the final step... everything you prepare always looks so flavorful and wholesome, it really helped me make up my mind to cut out all animal products.
You have no idea how much I enjoy this blog. I am eagerly awaiting your cookbook!
Hi, Catherine! The texture was very steaky. I second what Shagginabit wrote, you should only cook them for 2-3 minutes. If overcooked they get too soft.
Hi, Erin -- Yes, I precooked the veggies until they were just tender. Otherwise I would worry that they wouldn't cook through before the crust was done.
Harmonia, I hope they get those egg whites out, too! And shmoo did great -- no cavities!
Hi, Linzi! Wow, that is so fantastic!! Congratulations on going vegan and feeling great! Your comment has really made my day. :-)
Please tell me newman-os get soft in soymilk... *craves cookies n' 'milk'*
Hey, I just found you site by chance and it is really cute!
I've been vegan since highschool (around twelve years now)and you've given me some great new ideas; my daughter and I love to try out new recipes. Thanks.
When are the folks at Morningstar and other companies like that going to come out with meatless pot pies? You would think that that would be the case given the commonality of Swansons and Marie Callenders chicken turkey and beef pot pies, but maybe the future might hold something positive for meatless pies.
Perhaps you might talk to some of the companies you link to about the prospect of marketing meatless pies...
BTW, you have also demonstrated why the meat pie is so readily accepted in the US and even more commonplace in British Commonwealth countries and in the UK as well.
This is awesome. I grew up eating these since my grandparents were from a Michigan mining town and now I can share my favorite childhood food with my vegetarian friends.
thank you
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