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Refreshing Bites

Vegan Earth Day Picnic Pie

This comforting savory pie is full of rainbow layers of flavor and is in honor of Earth Day. It's vegan and gluten-free
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dinner
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 2 1/4 cups almond flour
  • 1 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseeds for flax egg
  • 4 1/2 tbsp water for flax egg
  • 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt
  • 6-8 tbsp water
First Layer (Core)
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil or oil of choice
  • 1 tsp dry thyme
  • 1 tsp dry rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp salt more to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 3 red bell peppers, seeds removed and sliced in half
Second Layer (Dirt)
  • 1 onion, sliced thin
  • 16 oz baby bell mushrooms or white mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
Third Layer (Grass)
  • 16 oz spinach
  • 1/3 cup onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz vegan cream cheese I used Kite Hill brand
  • 1 cup vegan yogurt I used Kite Hill brand
  • 1 1/2 tbsp gluten-free flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
Fourth Layer (Sky/Water)
  • 5 cups cauliflower, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, roasted
  • 1/8 cup almond milk or milk of choice, add more if needed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp (optional) blue butterfly pea powder I used Suncore Foods brand

Method
 

First Layer
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Cut and peel butternut squash into small cubes. Peel and cut sweet potato. Remove stems and seeds from red bell pepper. Cut in half.
  3. Place baking mat or parchment paper on baking sheet. Place butternut squash and sweet potato on a baking sheet. Place red bell pepper on another baking sheet lined with baking mat or parchment paper.
  4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well with hands. Place both baking pans in the oven for 30 minutes or until fork-tender.
  5. Let red bell peppers cool before handling. Peel most of the skin from the red bell peppers. Set aside.
Second Layer
  1. Slice mushrooms and onions. Mince garlic. Shred red cabbage. Heat a medium pan with olive oil on medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and garlic and saute until onions become golden in color 8 -10 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cabbage and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until onions have slightly caramelized.
  3. Add salt and pepper. Set aside
Third Layer
  1. Chop onions and mince garlic.
  2. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add water.
  3. Add the spinach and saute until all of it is wilted. Make sure to continually mix so that all sides get heated. Set aside and cool.
  4. Once cool squeeze out access water from spinach.
  5. Wipe down the pan and place on medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once olive oil is heated add the onions and garlic and saute till onions are translucent.
  6. Add the vegan cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, spinach, and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well. Set aside.
Top Layer
  1. Chop cauliflower. If not using an air fryer preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Add a steamer basket to a large pot and add water. Heat over medium heat and bring water to a boil.
  3. Add the cauliflower and potatoes to the steamer basket and steam for 8 - 10 minutes or until fork-tender.
  4. While cauliflower is cooking, wrap cloves of garlic in foil. Place in air fryer or oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes to slightly roast.
  5. Place cauliflower, garlic, salt, almond milk, and olive oil in a large bowl if using an immersion blender. Can also use a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend till smooth. Add more almond milk if too dry. Add optional blue butterfly pea powder. Set aside
Crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the ground flaxseeds and water to a small bowl to make the flax egg. Set aside for 5 minutes
  2. In a large bowl combine the gluten-free flour, almond flour, and salt and mix well.
  3. Add the flax egg mixture to the dry ingredients and 8 tablespoons of water and mix well. Add more water as needed. The dough should have a texture that sticks together and doesn't fall apart. Add more water if it's still too dry.
  4. Knead the dough to a round shape. Sprinkle a baking mat or parchment paper with some gluten-free flour and place the dough on the sheet.
  5. Flatten dough with a rolling pin and roll into a symmetrical circle with a 14-inch diameter. Place the dough into the springform pan and press it carefully into place. Cut off any access dough at the top of the pan. If you get any holes you can cover them with extra dough.
  6. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool and set aside when done.
Asseble
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Place the first layer of butternut squash and sweet potatoes into the pre-baked crust. Then top with the sliced red peppers.
  3. Place the mushroom onion mixture on top.
  4. Continue with the spinach dip layer and spread to cover the top.
  5. Finally, add in the cauliflower puree mixture and spread out evenly until smoothed and completely covered. Cover with foil and poke holes to allow steam to escape.
  6. Place on springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes or until crust is golden.
  7. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the springform pan. Add any addtional decorations on top. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Where to Buy Some of the Dry Ingredients