Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Wellness Show + Sunflower Lentil Pie

(Update: Please note the change of time in my cooking demo - it's been pushed back a half-hour now to 2:00.)
Any of you attending The Wellness Show? I'll be doing a cooking demo (well, baking really!) on Sunday, Feb 8th at 2:00. So, if you're at the show on Sunday, stop by and say 'hi' after! Here's the full schedule of presenters on the different stages, if you'd like more info.

Now, on to food! I've been posting a lot about new recipes lately, but today I have an oldie but goodie from my second cookbook, Vive le Vegan. Here is my Sunflower Lentil Pie with Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce. Both recipes are easy to make, though it does make for lighter work in one meal to prepare the tahini sauce a day in advance.

To make the pie, you first cook the lentils until tender (with some onion), and then process that mixture with the seasoning, quick oats, and sunflower seeds. The lot gets transferred to a lightly oiled pie dish, as shown here before baking. Then bake, wait... and serve! Tahini sauce is particularly good with this pie, but you could also drizzle with a balsamic-oil slurry or a vegan gravy.

I like LOTS of the tahini sauce. I'm on a tahini kick right now anyhow. But, a note to you newbie vegans... I must tell you that when I first tasted tahini I thought it was repulsive! I couldn't imagine how people could find it marginally palatable! But, tahini has its place in cooking, and can be spectacularly delicious in sauce when combined with some choice ingredients that help balance its natural bitterness. So, give your palate a chance to develop with the flavors of new ingredients, and try a few recipes to help the process. Speaking of which, this Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce can be found here (scroll down to the second recipe).

Back to the pie. We often have a few slices of this leftover, and it makes a delicious and satisfying sandwich filling... or, can be used as a pate or sliced and reheated and layered in a wrap, or as a 'veggie burger' replacement. Mostly we use the leftovers as sandwich filling, it's substantial and tasty. If you have Vive, give this one a try!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link to the Wellness Show - I wasn't planning on going over to Vancouver any time soon, but now I'm thinking about it!

Animal-Friendly said...

That recipe sounds so good! And I had the same reaction to tahini when I first tried it. I don't know what happened, but one day I just fell in love!

Carla said...

Unfortunately that is when we are holding my daughters 7th Birthday party, or else I would have loved to have popped along to see your demonstration!

veggievixen said...

wow, this is incredibly creative! makes me want to buy the cookbook to see what else is in it. definitely great flavor combinations & majorly healthy!

Teresa said...

Crazy to think that Vive can already by classified as an "oldie"! I just used vive to make pancakes this weekend. Although I pretty much know the banana bliss recipe by heart now.

Oh man, I'm definitely a tahini lover! SOOO GOOD!

Eating Consciously said...

I'm with you on the tahini. I too used to find it absolutely foul. Now I love it ;)

Heather said...

This is one of my FAV's of yours. Sounds good for dinner tonight. Oh and I love love the leftovers

aimee said...

Yes! This pie is one of my favorites (although I usually make it into patties so I can eat as a sandwich!) Love it!!

aTxVegn said...

This pie is one of my favorites as well.

Laci said...

Dreena-
This was actually one of the first recipes I tried when I got Vive... it's great with lettuce/tomato/musterd/veganaise on crusty whole grain bread for a satisfying sandwich! Thanks! =0

Vic Robinson said...

I am always looking for a new way to use lentil and this looks really good!

Peace, Love and Veganism said...

Yeah! This looks great! A nice comfort food for these chilly months...

The Voracious Vegan said...

This looks so amazing, I am going to make it soon. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Hi Dreena,

I tried this recipe earlier this year and I hhave to say I did not like it neither the look the color nor the taste. But I did try lemon herb tofu and quina and millet recipes from the EDBV this weekend and both rocked and I plan to make the sweet potato and lentil chili this week. Thank you!!

Unknown said...

My husband and I have tried many of the recipes from Vive and absolutely love them! This particular recipe is a favorite. It's comfort food at its best--and incredibly healthy. We also love the Chipotle Veggie-Bean Burritos. Both your Hummus Tortilla and Sunny Southwestern Squash Pizzas rock. Your desserts are the best!! Keep up the great work!!

wingraclaire said...

Dreena, I have so many cookbooks that I don't always get around to trying all the recipes that look good. Thanks for the extra nudge... this evening I got out my copy of Vive and made the Lentil Pie, with the tahini dressing, and we loved it. I knew it would be a hit as my husband loves anything with lentils. Thanks!!

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