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Who needs a pork pie when you could have a pretty little curly kale pesto pie instead? Not me!! I know, picnic season seems such a long way off, but I love serving picnic-style finger-food when we have friends for lunch, even in the depths of winter. I made these before realising that it's British Pie Week too, a happy coincidence!
You may not have guessed that the ingredients for these pies are almost all from the freezer cabinet - yes, even the curly kale and parsley. I was challenged by Iceland to create a recipe from their range of frozen ingredients for their #PowerOfFrozen campaign, and took a trip to my nearest store, which I hadn't visited before.
I must admit to being surprised and impressed as I rummaged around - I wasn't expecting to find curly kale, chopped chilli, garlic & herbs, bulgur wheat with lemon & mint, sweet potato mash, sliced peppers, mushroom risotto, asparagus spears, creamy spiced lentils, and so much more. Their frozen 'bake at home' bread is seriously good, and I'm still trying to resist the temptation of their frozen breakfast patisseries.
Our freezer is groaning under the weight of my discoveries, and its so good to know there are always handy standbys in the cupboard for those just-back-from-holiday empty-fridge emergencies.
There are a whole host of reasons why frozen ingredients are a great idea.... extra nutrients as they are frozen quickly after picking, lower price for higher quality, less waste, guaranteed provenance, convenience, choice and many more. Iceland's new Power of Frozen website gives a huge amount of interesting info - hop over for a look.
You can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry for these pies, or if you want to have a go at making your own with all sorts of delicious flavour variations, take a look at my Vegan Pastry recipe.
And if you prefer to make a different pesto, take a look at my Vegan Basil Pesto and Rocket Pesto recipes - yum!
For more picnic food, how about trying my Vegan Cheese & Onion Pasties?
📖 Recipe
Kale Pesto & Cauliflower Picnic Pies
Ingredients
- 500 g shortcrust pastry
- 1 large potato peeled and cut into 1cm dice
- 200 g cauliflower florets frozen or fresh
- 75 g curly kale
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 75 g almonds or pine nuts
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 75 ml dairy-free milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Boil the potato chunks for 5 minutes in a large saucepan. Add the cauliflower florets and diced onions, and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until both potatoes and cauliflower are just cooked through. Drain and set aside.
- Add the curly kale to a blender or food processor along with the garlic, almonds, olive oil, lemon and parsley, and blitz until finely chopped. (For this recipe I prefer my pesto just 'chopped' rather than a smooth sauce, but the consistency is up to you). Add the soya/nut milk and pulse until combined.
- Take a large bowl and add the potato and cauliflower, breaking up the cauliflower florets into small-ish chunks. Pour over the kale pesto and mix together until fully combined.
- Grease a 12-hole muffin tin, (I use cooking spray for this). On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a £1 coin, and cut out 12 large circles to line each hole of the muffin tin. Re-roll the offcuts, and cut out 12 smaller circles which will form the lids.
- Fill each case with the potato and cauliflower mixture, (pack it in really tightly, it won't expand or leak during cooking!), and then brush the edges of each lid with a little water and stick down to the rim of the pies, crimping with a fork to create a good seal. Make four little holes in a cross pattern on the lid of each pie with a sharp knife.
- Brush the lids of each pie with plant milk, then spray with cooking spray (if you have some handy). Bake for 35-40 minutes until deeply golden brown on top. Leave to cool in the tin, then remove the pies carefully. These can be served either hot or cold.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Nutrition
For more vegetarian Iceland #PowerofFrozen recipes, take a look at:
- Jacqueline's Creamy Mushroom & Potato Dauphinoise from Tinned Tomatoes
- Kate's Spaghetti with Kale, Asparagus, Chilli & Lemon from Veggie Desserts
- Kellie's Moroccan Kale, Carrot and Hummus Tart from Food to Glow
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Iceland. There was no expectation of a positive review, all opinions are my own.
Leah says
Hi how do you store and how long do they keep?
Chloe says
It says vegan but doesnt shortcrusy pastry have butter in it? Or can you buy vegan pastry?
thevegspace says
Hi Chloe, most supermarket ready-made shortcrust pastry is actually vegan - it tends to use vegetable fat instead of butter (probably because its cheaper!). But always check the label, and obviously the more up-market 'all butter' versions are not vegan. Enjoy! Kate x
Linda Clu says
This sounds delicious. One question...what is the baking temperature?
Selina says
i second this question! we're making them right know and are puzzling over the temp .... any hints out there?
thevegspace says
SO sorry Selina, totally forgot to add this - will add it to the recipe now, but I cooked mine at 180C and they turned out well. Hope you enjoy them!
Lucy Davies says
These sound really tasty and they look so cute! I'm impressed by how many of the ingredients came from the freezer - I've never thought to buy anything other than peas, sweetcorn and broad beans frozen but I might have to think again. Particularly like the idea of frozen herbs because it can be hard to have the right fresh herbs available when you want them - and then to get through the whole packet because they fade.
Eve says
Is there a way to make these ahead and freeze them or store them in the fridge for the day of?
Lucy @ Globe Scoffers says
These pies look beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Jenn says
I love these little pies! They would make perfect party food as well. I'm sure I could easily make a meal out of just these. Yum!
Choclette says
Your pies looks amazing Kate and so very appealing. Roll on the picnic season. I never even thought to look for a pastry section - how silly! But I was seriously impressed with the vegetables and very surprised to see kale.
kellie@foodtoglow says
Wow, you managed to pop so many of the Iceland foods into one great recipe! I too was impressed, and had my preconceived notions knocked aside. That kale....
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion says
Such a pretty little pies. Perfect for Party! Pinning:)
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
I am so impressed with some of the contents of the freezers in Iceland, I also have a bag of their curly kale which I am using for smoothies.
I love your pies, perfect for packed lunches too.
shaheen says
As you know I adore and make vegan and veggie pies often, I love this combo with kale. I've made a Cauli Pie in the past with basil and sundried tomato http://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/basil-tomato-cauliflower-pies.html I must admit, though I don't cook with frozen veg though, the only veg in my freezer are sweetcorn and peas.
Cathy @ Planet Veggie says
What a great idea. I've never thought about using frozen veg in pies before.
kate @veggie desserts says
These look great! I, too, was totally surprised by the healthy foods you can buy in Iceland. The kale is fantastic! Thanks for linking up to me.
deborahcelticheart says
This looks and sounds delicious. Of course, I can't stop playing with a recipe, even before I've made it, and think this would make a great open pie too, sort of along the lines of Homity Pie, with a little grated cheese on top! Thanks for the inspiration.