How to Convert a Carnivore- Vegan Bacon Cheddar Mushroom Cheeseburger Pie

When I met my husband for our first date at a French-Thai fushion restaurant I ordered a delicious vegan pad Thai with tofu. He selected a cut of beef from the menu. While he has many many virtues, unfortunately a plant based diet is not one of them.

Since our first date I have tried to maintain a respectful distance from his meat eating ways, while gently giving him information concerning the health benefits of a vegan diet.

He recently agreed to participate in meatless Mondays- an agreement that I am very excited about! Once the pact was struck I began to research and create "meaty" vegan recipes worthy of any carnivorous palate.

For this Meatless Monday I created vegan bacon cheddar mushroom cheeseburger pie. I was skeptical. When I first heard of meat pies I was disgusted and I did not think that the concept would translate well into a vegan dish, but oh was I wrong!

Ingredients

Filling

1/4 cup mushrooms

1 cup vegan ground beef ( I use Boca)

3 strips of vegan bacon

1 cup vegan cheddar (I love daiya)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained with liquid set aside

1 yellow onion, diced

2 potatoes cut into cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

liquid smoke

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Crust

2 cups flour

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/8 cup baking powder

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1 cup soy or almond milk

1 egg's worth vegan egg replacer

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and potatoes. 

Cook until onions are soft and translucent then add mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are soft

Add the vegan bacon and cook until warm and evenly distributed

Add the "ground beef" and stir. Cook until the beef is cooked through

Add the can of tomatoes with 1/4 of the saved liquid from the can. Add s dashes of liquid smoke.

Stir to distribute evenly, add the seasonings and stir. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare the crust- mix together the dry ingredients, add butter and stir until it forms a crumbly dough. Use your hands to distribute the butter thoroughly. Take 1/2 cup of the dough and place in a mixing bowl. Set the remaining aside. (can be refrigerated for up to 3 months and used as a bisquick replacement) Add soy milk or almond milk and egg replacement and mix until combined, adding additional bisquick like mix until the dough is sufficiently thickened.

Add vegan cheese to the top of the skillet and cover with dough batter. Place the skillet in the oven uncovered and bake for 20-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with ketchup and enjoy!

I think my husband, Lei, is already looking forward to next meatless Monday. He gave the dish a glowing review and even said that if he didn't already know that the dish were vegan he would have never guessed.