VeganMofo 5: Cheezy Autumn Empanadas

This was my first shot at using Daiya. My mind was blown. It was so good that I don’t even know if I’ll miss real cheese, and I’m obsessed with cheese.

I’ve had these in my head for a while. Nothing screams fall to me more than a pan of roasted butternut squash & a jar of mango chutney. I’m not really sure why I associate chutney with fall, but I do. The roasted squash is combined with onions, mushrooms, & pepper jack daiya for a crunchy, sweet, spicy, & cheezy empanada. These were so awesome that I almost went back for thirds.

These were a bit time consuming but so worth it. If you roast the veggies ahead of time then you’ll save about 45 minutes. Store the leftovers in your fridge to eat all week!

Cheezy Autumn Empanadas

Servings: 8 Points ● Plus: 6 each

Ingredients for the dough:

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp Mexican chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 TB kosher salt
1/2 cup butter substitute
3/4 cup ice cold water (has to be very cold!)

Ingredients for filling:

Butternut squash, cut into small pieces (about 1”)
About 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, thin sliced
Daiya - Pepper Jack (1 TB per empanada)
Mango chutney (about 1 TB per empanada)
2 TB olive oil
2 TB agave nectar

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees & chop up all your veggies. Toss the butternut squash & onions with the olive oil & agave nectar and a little salt & pepper. Spread on baking sheets to roast.

2) Using the baking blade in your food processor combine the flour, salt, and spices. Once combined pulse & add the butter in small pieces at a time. Pulse until it resembles a course cornmeal. Add the cold water a little bit at a time until the dough begins to form a ball. Once in a ball remove from food processor & knead about ten times. Refrigerate for at least a half hour.

3) While the dough is chilling, roast the butternut squash & onions at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. The onions should be removed after about 20 minutes. Toss the squash halfway through. Saute the mushrooms in a pan.

4) Once the vegetables are roasted roll out the dough into a thin sheet (you might have to roll out a few thin sheets like I did). Use either a small bowl or large cup to cut out circles. Roll each circle out a little thinner.

5) To assemble, spread a little chutney on each circle & top with some roasted vegetables and 1 TB of Daiya. Fold the circle over into a half moon & seal with a fork. Line them on a baking sheet, spray with non-stick spray, & sprinkle with some paprika. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes.