Wheat free * Dairy free * Gluten free * Vegetarian * Vegan * Parve

 

The beauty of empanadas, as with all turnovers, is that they are great on-the-go meals.  You can easily reheat them in a microwave and they are not sloppy to eat.  No only are they good for lunch, but they are actually nice change of pace breakfast foods.  If you like sweet empanadas, you can use fruit pie filling instead of the fillings here – and if you want them more dessert-y, you can brush the dough with egg (but of course then they would not be vegan) and sprinkle sugar on top before baking.

Monday’s empanadas were a little “doughy” for me.  So I made these empanadas bigger, thereby allowing for a greater filling to dough ratio.  I would probably make the chicken ones this size too.  But for appetizers, the smaller ones would work better.

Vegetable Empanadas

Use any combination of vegetables that you like and/or have on hand – sauteed spinach or other greens would be especially good in these.

1 recipe Empanada dough

Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green cabbage

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup finely chopped zucchini

1 cup diced cooked potato

2 tablespoons cooked peas

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons broth

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, cabbage, and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened.

 

Add the zucchini and cook, stirring until zucchini is softened.

Add the potatoes, cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Stir until combined. Add the peas and broth; cook until absorbed.

 

 

Cut 3 edges off a quart-size freezer bag (one bag should last for rolling out all the dough);

Divide the empanada dough into 8 pieces, roll into balls.  Place 1 ball at a time into the opened baggie; flatten a little with your hand cover the other half of bag

 

and then roll into 4-inch circles (or use 2 pieces of wax paper).

 

Brush edges with water

Place a well rounded tablespoon of filling in center of circle.

and fold the dough in half to form a half moon.

Press with fork tines to seal the edges.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet

Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is crispy and the edges are a little browned.

 

Makes:  8    Serves:  4

Sweet Potato and Squash Empanadas

You can add spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, five spice powder or even curry to these slightly sweet empanadas.  Don’t forget to omit the garlic and pepper from the dough recipe.

1 recipe empanada dough –garlic and pepper omitted

Filling:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup finely diced, peeled apple

3/4 cup mashed cooked butternut squash

3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potato

1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Salt to taste

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until softened; remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the squash, potatoes, and brown sugar.

Add the reserved apples and pecans. Stir until combined. Season with salt, if desired.

Cut 3 edges off a quart-size freezer bag (one bag should last for rolling out all the dough);

Divide the empanada dough into 8 pieces; roll into balls.  Place 1 ball at a time into the opened baggie;

flatten a little with your hand’ cover the other half of bag and then roll into 4-inch circles (or use 2 pieces of wax paper).

Brush edges with water

Place a well rounded tablespoon of filling in center of circle.

Fold the dough in half to form a half moon.

Press with fork tines to seal the edges.

Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is crispy and the edges are a little browned.

 

Makes:  8     Serves:  4

 

 

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