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Not only can plant-based diets help you feel positive and energetic, they are versatile and delicious too! Adopting a more plant-based diet is not difficult. A new habit starts with making a small change one day a week. So why not start from today? With the coming football season, let’s take the #MeatlessMondayNight challenge to a whole new level!
Today I want to introduce a delicious meat-free and dairy-free tailgating recipe – vegan pie bites. If you like chips with creamy dip, you will certainly enjoy this dish!
These mini pies are loaded with goodies – roasted mushrooms, artichokes, and spinach – mixed with a creamy garlicky sauce. They are served in a super crunchy and crispy mini fillo shell. Every bite of mini pie gives you the greatest satisfaction.
The creamy sauce is the star of this dish and brings everything together. Most bechamel sauces are made from butter and milk to create a creamy and silky texture. However, in this recipe, I used Original Silk Almond Milk to recreate the nice mouthfeel and great flavor.
Silk Almond Milk is a plant-based beverage. It’s extremely versatile in the kitchen and can be used to replace milk to create delicious meat- and dairy-free versions of your favorite dishes, sweet and savory. The first time I used almond milk to make bechamel sauce, I was surprised at how smooth and creamy the sauce turned out. It has a hint of nuttiness without tasting blatantly like almonds.
Making a vegan bechamel sauce is very easy. It requires 1 tablespoon olive oil with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 cup Silk Almond Milk. When you are making the sauce, make sure you use low heat and cook the sauce slowly. You should spend less than 10 minutes in total. Not only can you use the sauce on these yummy pie bites, you can also use it as a pasta sauce, add it into casserole, and use it to make a dipping sauce.
Are you ready to wake up happy and refreshed in the morning? Let’s start by sidelining meat during Monday Night Football games this season!
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
INGREDIENTS
- 60 mini fillo shells
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Silk Almond Milk
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- 8 cups chopped raw spinach
- 16 raw white mushroom, quartered
- 16 pickled artichoke hearts, sliced
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Transfer mini fillo shells to a baking tray. Bake until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat until warm. Add all-purpose flour. Stir vigorously with a spatula, until the oil is fully incorporated and forms small pale yellow lumps. Continue stirring until the flour is toasted but not burned. You should smell a nutty fragrance.
- Slowly add Silk Almond Milk, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time. Stir vigorously until the almond milk is fully blended. Repeat this 3 to 4 times, until it forms a runny sauce. Add the rest of the almond milk. Stir until there are no lumps in the liquid.
- Add garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder. Mix well.
- Stir and cook until the sauce thickens. Use a spoon to taste the sauce. Add more salt if needed. Mix well. Transfer the sauce to a bowl to cool.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until warm. Add spinach. Stir and cook until cooked through. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Transfer to a plate to cool. Chop spinach into small bits.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook until browned. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Add artichoke. Continue to stir until the mushrooms are cooked through and no liquid remains in the skillet. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- To assemble the mini pies. Add one piece of mushroom, one piece of artichoke and a small amount of spinach into each fillo shell. Drizzle with the garlic sauce.
- Serve warm or cold.
