Scrumptious Veggie Pie (Vegan)

This is a veggie casserole that has several layers. Feel free to experiment and make up your own. Roasted red bell peppers make a simple bottom layer with sautéed greens, or mushrooms in between.  The top and most important layer is baked and whipped squash or sweet potatoes with a little nutritional yeast and Dijon mustard to bring out the savory flavors of the pie. You can broil this for a few minutes to make it crispy or add cheese if vegan isn’t your thing. A few tablespoons of Hatch Green Chile spices this up and adds the benefit of our cherished New Mexican crop. Chile can counteract depression, support digestion and prevent fatigue.

Ingredients:

5 Sweet Potatoes

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 Bunch of Greens

10-12 Mushrooms

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Onion

3 Tbs Hatch Green Chile

½ Tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Tbs Butter

2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Step One:

Bake or cook the sweet potatoes until soft, about 45 minutes in 375 degree oven.  Scoop them out of the skin and mix in 3 tbs of hatch green chile, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard and 2 tbs nutritional yeast, 1 Tbs butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Step Two:

Roast the bell peppers. Cut off the stems, rinse the seeds and cut in half. Place skin side up on a cookie sheet and broil until skin is blackened and crispy all over. Immediately place all the peppers into a brown paper bag for about five minutes. The heat and steam will separate the blackened skin from the pepper. Apologize to the peppers for treating them so horribly and peel off the skin, trying not to eat the delicious roasted pepper as you go. Chop into small bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Step Three:

Saute chopped up mushrooms in olive oil with one crushed clove of garlic or garlic salt for flavor. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about five minutes until partially cooked.

Step  Four:

Thinly slice one bunch of greens of your choice: Kale or chard. Saute with a splash of water and olive oil for five minutes, until moist and slightly shrunken down.

Step Five (optional):

Thinly slice an onion, carmelize and set aside.

Layers; Arrange the roasted peppers in a single layer on the bottom of a pie pan. Put the greens on top and cover with the mushrooms. Spread the sweet potatoes on top and smooth out over the pie. Now add the last layer of the carmelized onions.

Bake the pie uncovered for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Enjoy all the vegetables, the blend of flavor, texture and color!