I was inspired to make a pie for Pi Day, and I wanted to do something a little non-traditional. Then I remembered this recipe for Queso and Ancho Chili Sauce and I knew exactly what kind of pie I’d be making. They would be mini, they would be Tex-Mex and they would be awesome.
I made two mini pot pies and two hand pies. They were a perfect little meal for my husband and me.
Tex-Mex Quinoa and White Bean Mini Pies
Ingredients:
Crust
Adapted from Ina Garten’s Perfect Pie Crust
- 8 tablespoons Earth Balance
- 1 1/2 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I used ancho)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup white beans, cooked
- 1/2 cup corn, frozen
- 1/2 recipe Queso and Ancho Chili Sauce (or canned enchilada sauce if that’s what you have)
1. To make the crust: Add the flour, salt and sugar to a food processor and pulse it a few times to combine. Add the Earth Balance and pulse until the Earth Balance is the size of peas. Slowly add the ice water until a dough forms. Dump the dough on a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
2. Preheat your oven to 350. In a bowl, stir the Braggs into the quinoa and set this aside.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook them until they’re translucent.
4. Stir the garlic, oregano, chili powder and cumin into the onions and cook the mixture for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the quinoa to the onions and spices and give it a few really good stirs to combine everything. Remove the skillet from the heat.
6. Gently mix the white beans, corn and Queso Ancho Chili Sauce into the skillet with the quinoa. Season the whole thing with salt to taste.
7. Remove your crust from the fridge and dump it on a floured surface. Roll the crust out to about 1/8 inch thick. You know, not too thin, not too thick.
For Hand Pies:
Cut out your desired shape into even portions until you’re out of dough. Add a small amount of the filling to the middle of one of your cutouts, and top it with another cut out. Pinch the edges together with a fork and make a slit on the top. Brush some non-dairy milk on top of the pie and repeat the process until you run out of dough. Bake the pies on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, turn the heat down to 325 and bake the pies for another 10 – 15 minutes. Until they’re brown enough for your tastes. Remove your pies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before diving in.
For Mini Pot Pies:
Place your ramekins top side down on the dough. Trace a circle around the ramekin with an extra 1/2″ of dough. So don’t trace against the ramekin, but a half inch out. Fill a ramekin with the filling all the way to the top. Cover the ramekin with your cut out dough and curl the 1/2″ excess on to the top sides of the ramekin and pinch it down with a fork. Make a slit on the top of the pie and repeat the whole process until you’re out of filling. You should have enough the filling for 2-3 ramekins plus some hand pies. Brush the top of the pies with non-dairy milk and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, turn the heat down to 325 and bake the pies for another 10 – 15 minutes. Until they’re brown enough for your tastes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool a few minutes before diving in.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook them until they’re translucent.
4. Stir the garlic, oregano, chili powder and cumin into the onions and cook the mixture for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the quinoa to the onions and spices and give it a few really good stirs to combine everything. Remove the skillet from the heat.
6. Gently mix the white beans, corn and Queso Ancho Chili Sauce into the skillet with the quinoa. Season the whole thing with salt to taste.
7. Remove your crust from the fridge and dump it on a floured surface. Roll the crust out to about 1/8 inch thick. You know, not too thin, not too thick.
For Hand Pies:
Cut out your desired shape into even portions until you’re out of dough. Add a small amount of the filling to the middle of one of your cutouts, and top it with another cut out. Pinch the edges together with a fork and make a slit on the top. Brush some non-dairy milk on top of the pie and repeat the process until you run out of dough. Bake the pies on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, turn the heat down to 325 and bake the pies for another 10 – 15 minutes. Until they’re brown enough for your tastes. Remove your pies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before diving in.
For Mini Pot Pies:
Place your ramekins top side down on the dough. Trace a circle around the ramekin with an extra 1/2″ of dough. So don’t trace against the ramekin, but a half inch out. Fill a ramekin with the filling all the way to the top. Cover the ramekin with your cut out dough and curl the 1/2″ excess on to the top sides of the ramekin and pinch it down with a fork. Make a slit on the top of the pie and repeat the whole process until you’re out of filling. You should have enough the filling for 2-3 ramekins plus some hand pies. Brush the top of the pies with non-dairy milk and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, turn the heat down to 325 and bake the pies for another 10 – 15 minutes. Until they’re brown enough for your tastes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool a few minutes before diving in.
