Beet and Fennel Supper Pie

Today, I'm very excited to be a part of the Virtual Vegan Potluck! This is a super cool event where vegan blogs all over the world are united and linked together to give you all kinds of recipe ideas. Just in time for Thanksgiving!

I'm in love with the idea of supper pies. It's kind of like a plant-based quiche for dinner, but you feel a little bit naught about it since it looks like a pie! I've made a few supper pies, and I've even previously shared a recipe for my Savory Cinnamon Rosemary Squash Pie. For today though, I wanted to use the featured ingredient, beets. I've posted about beets before because they are a really great pre-race food for athletes. Nitrate supplementation has been shown to significantly increase your athletic performance, which may be why my legs have felt so good on the bike this week... I've been taste testing this pie!

Today, I'm combining the fall flavors of beets, sweet potatoes, fennel, and lentils in a whole wheat olive oil crust. I love all of these flavors, especially together but was unsure the best way to present it as a dish. In the end, I'm giving you two options as to how you should make your Beet & Fennel Supper Pie. I was surprised to find that I liked the way the first looked better, but the second "pink" pie has a wonderful pumpkin pie like texture. So you choose! Either way you square it, you'll have a tasty supper with the performance benefits of beets.

Beet & Fennel Supper Pie

1 can sliced, no salt added beets
1 large sweet potato
1 fennel bulb
2c lentils
cinnamon, garlic, salt, and nutritional yeast to taste

Crust

2/3c whole wheat flour
dash salt (optional)
1t baking powder
1T olive oil
1/4c warm water

Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine dry ingredients, then add warm water and olive oil. When dough starts to stick together, roll out onto floured surface, then transfer to a greased pie pan. Flute the edges or just press them down with a fork to finish.

Whole Version

Peel sweet potato & cut into cubes. Dice fennel. Drain the beets and place all ingredients into pie crust, including spices to rates. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft. At this point, it will seem that the lentils on top have crispified beyond repair, but fear not! Give the ingredients in the crust a good stir and you will find that everything is perfectly cooked!

Pink Version

Peel sweet potato & cut into cubes. Cook sweet potato in a pot of boiling water until soft. Dice fennel. Add fennel, cooked sweet potatoes, beets (including their juice), lentils, and spices into a food processor. Food process until smooth. Transfer this mixture into the pie crust. Cover just the edges with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Enjoy!


To see Quinoa Burgers, click here to go to Cubs 'n' Coffee, the next blog in the Potluck
To see Sesame Kale Almond Bowls, to go to Honk if You're Vegan, the previous blog in the Potluck
To start over at the beginning of the Potluck, click here!