Empanada with Homemade Vegan Pastry

Empanadas are ubiquitous in the Filipino repertoire of snacks as well as in our Fiestas as one of the appetizers.  They are usually filled with ground beef in tomato sauce with pimiento, tomatoes, potatoes and green peas and I almost forgot raisins.  I wanted to prepare a vegan version so I used for the filling the Vegan Menudo using Cauliflower Walnut Meat the recipe of which I just published in this blog.  It has all the elements of the filling for an empanada. In that recipe, I used Cauliflower Walnut Meat the recipe of which I obtained from the wonderful website Pinch of Yum.

I wanted this plant based version to be straight vegan so I have to find a good homemade vegan pastry recipe.  I remember using one from Aarti Sequiera in the past that I really liked. I tweaked it a little bit by using instead of the buttermilk,  almond milk acidified with vinegar.  Below is the result of my search for a vegan empanada.  The pastry has just the right texture with the right crispness to it and not at all soggy. The filling from the menudo recipe brings back memories of the empanadas I sampled during fiestas and as snacks when I dropped by at the coffee shops when I visit Los Angeles or the Philippines.  You will not miss the ground beef or pork.

Empanada with Homemade Vegan Pastry

Recipe of filling from Vegan Menudo using Cauliflower Walnut Meat  in this blog

Filling of the empanada

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1-14 oz can green peas, drained
• 1/2 cup roasted pimento from a jar, chopped
• 1 large potato, baked and cut into small cubes
• 1-14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups cauliflower walnut meat (recipe from  Pinch of Yum)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Saute the onion and garlic in heated oil till the onion is cooked. Add the rest of the ingredients until they are blended and heated through. 

Cool. Meanwhile make the homemade vegan pastry (recipe below). 

Divide the dough into four portions.  Roll out each portion and make 4 circles about 5 to 6 inches in diameter from each portion.  Fill half of each circle with the filling. Then fold over the other half. Using a fork, press on the edges. Repeat the same process for the other three portions of the dough.

Bake for 25 minutes at a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. 

Homemade Vegan Pastry

Adapted from Aarti Sequiera Aarti Party

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 cup oil

Add the vinegar to the almond milk and let it set for 5 minutes. Combine all the ingredients including the acidified milk. Knead till the dough turns smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.