Savory Turnovers- Barbecued Seitan and Sweet Potato

I'll admit, at first I wasn't going to post this because quite frankly it was one of those "everything but the kitchen sink" dinners. It was amazingly cold outside and neither of us could guilt the other into going to the store, so I was left to fend with whatever scraps happened to be around. With little to no vegetables to work with, I was able to come up with these savory turnovers that were not only delicious but made use of a lot of ingredients I had. Feel free to adapt this recipe in any way you choose by adding more vegetables or different sauces.

Barbecued seitan with caramelized onions, sweet potatoes and fresh parsley wrapped up in a crispy puff pastry crust. Great Northern beans, garlic and fresh basil pureed into a thick gravy and poured on top right before serving.


Barbecued Seitan and Sweet Potato Turnover

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 package of seitan, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup small diced sweet potato
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbl chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sweet barbecue sauce
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 tbl water mixed with 1 tsp maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil and saute the onions over medium-high heat until soft, brown and caramelized. Add the seitan, sweet potato, salt and pepper and continue cooking until the seitan is crispy and the sweet potato is tender. Add the vegetable broth and simmer until completely evaporated. Add the garlic and parsley and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in the barbecue sauce and remove from the heat.
Roll out the puff pastry sheet up to 4 inches longer so the crust is much thinner. Cut it diagonally into 2 triangles. Put a large dollop of seitan mixture into the center and fold up into a triangle. Pierce the top once with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Brush the water/maple syrup mixture onto the tops of the turnovers and bake at 400 for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 and bake for for 10-15 minutes more until golden brown.

Great Northern Bean Gravy

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 large basil leaves, chiffonade
1-15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbl vegan sour cream
salt and pepper

In a small sauce pot, heat the oil and saute the garlic and basil for 3 minutes until toasty. Add the white beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Add the sour cream and a pinch of salt and pepper and puree until smooth. Keep warm until serving.