Vegan Empanada Dough Recipes

VEGAN PUERTO RICAN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Combine water, TVP, and soy sauce in a large pan over high heat. Cook and stir until water is mostly evaporated. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, sazon, adobo sauce, oregano, and cumin. Continue cooking until TVP starts to firm up, about 5 minutes, increasing heat if necessary. Add cayenne and liquid smoke and cook until the mixture starts sticking to the pan, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and mix vegan meat well.
• Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add water and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Mix with your hands and knead until all flour is incorporated. Cut dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place dough balls in the bowl and cover; let sit for 3 to 4 minutes. Roll a dough ball out into a 6-inch circle and fill with vegan meat and shredded cheese. Dip a finger in water and moisten the edges of the dough before folding over and crimping empanada edges using a fork. Repeat with remaining dough balls and fillings.
• Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 or 3 empanadas as a time to the hot oil and fry until both sides are a light golden color, about 5 minutes total. Transfer fried empanadas to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

VEGAN EMPANADA DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the shortening, using two knives to cut it into the flour until small pebbles form. Then add the apple cider vinegar and water, and use your hands to knead until you get a smooth, firm dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least half an hour, ideally an hour or more. While the dough is chilling, prepare your empanada filling and preheat the oven to 400º F. Empanada fillings can be as diverse as your imagination allows! I've seen everything from spinach and pesto to pineapple and cinnamon. Savory, sweet, cheezy - it's really up to you. In this case, the empanadas were for the Winter Holiday Party, so I went with a seasonally appropriate roasted butternut, black beans, caramelized onions, and fresh scallions mix. I didn't measure anything so I don't have an exact recipe, but that's kind of the awesome thing about empanada filling. It's very forgiving! Just mix up whatever sounds good (next time I'm trying vegan chorizo plus roasted green chilis) and as long as the dough works, it's almost guaranteed to succeed. Once you have your filling, remove the dough ball from the fridge. Pinch off a large piece (maybe a quarter of the ball) and roll it out thin on a lightly floured surface. Then, use a cup or a small bowl to cut out round disks from the dough. Place one disk in your left (or "off" hand) palm, and spoon 1-3 tablespoons (depending on the size of the disk) into the center of the dough. Fold the disk in half to make a semi-circle pocket, using some water if necessary to seal the edge. There are two ways to seal an empanada: the easier way, "crimped" with a fork, and the more traditional way, called "repulgue." Repulgue is a technique of folding the dough over itself along the edge to make what looks like a two-strand braid. I figured I'd try it and even though it was my first time, I found it surprisingly quick and easy. There's a tutorial here if you want some guidance. Place the sealed empanadas on an unlined baking sheet. Poke each one with a fork to allow steam to escape, and brush the tops with water. Bake at 400º for 20 minutes, or until golden.