An (almost) vegan "pot pie"

This meal is almost vegan in the sense that it optionally includes a little heavy cream -- you could easily swap it out for something else. It is stylistically a pot pie, though it's neither a pie, nor is it baked. Oh well. It is tasty.

Begin by bringing

4 cups water
3/4 cup dry brown lentils
1/3 cup dry white beans
1/2 teaspoon salt

to a simmer. Simmer covered while you proceed with the rest of the recipe. (Don't let the beans burn!) Next, prepare a batch of biscuits. I loosely follow my mother's biscuit recipe, which requires you to mix

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

and then add

1/2 cup olive oil
2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk

at once. Knead into a stiff, but easy-to-handle dough with about 10-12 strokes. Roll to about 1/2 inch thick sheets, and cut with a drinking glass into circles. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees F. I usually get about 15 biscuits from this recipe.

Now, while the biscuits and beans are cooking, mince

2 cloves garlic
5-6 leaves of sage
1 spring of thyme
2 leaves of rosemary
1 onion
1/2 teaspoon salt

and fry in olive oil. Add to this

1/2 pound frozen Morningstar griller recipe crumbles (vegan ground beef subsitute)
1 teaspoon paprika
1-2 tablespoons parsley
1/4 cup water

and cook for a few minutes -- at least until the meat is defrosted.
Now, to prepare the gravy! Put

1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon dry brewers' yeast extract
1-2 teaspoons brewers' yeast paste ("vegemite")
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

in a small sausepan. Blend with enough olive oil to form a loose paste. Apply low heat until the paste simmers, and then add

2 cups water

and beat with a whisk until the paste is dissolved. Cook until thickened, and then swirl in

a dash of heavy cream.

Once the beans are done, mix them with the ground meat. Then pour the mixture into a 8"x8" baking dish, add a layer of gravy, and then top with the biscuits. Serve alongside the remaining gravy and biscuits.

Hospital Pie

Our new baby, Zachary Ignatius Robinson was born on Thursday, 6 March 2008 at 7:31 pm at Schuyler Hospital. As it happens, the birth (which started some 50+ hours beforehand) and the subsequent hospital stay was a positive, uplifting experience. But, the hospital food was awful. So awful that when I went to get Edwin, I brought back a stash of frozen meals. But the last meal they served us, as a special send-off, was at least edible. It was essentially diner-quality food, which was an improvement. The dessert, though, was very amusing. It was a peanut-butter cream pie (a la SYSCO), garnished with raspberries, a very generous amount of whipped cream, an orange wedge, and a spinach leaf! Wierd. Donna described it as a "hick's attempt at being gourmet."