vegan mofo :: working with vegan phyllo and "vegan diner" winner

Working with phyllo is easier than you might think,

Are you suffering from phyllo-phobia – an intense, irrational fear of cooking with phyllo? Many folks are intimidated by working with these thin sheets of flaky pastry. Fear not! It's all a matter of being well-prepared and organized. This easy, fun recipe for Mushroom Cups with Shallots and Sage is designed to help you overcome your fears. 

Most phyllo is made with butter, but many health food stores, like Whole Foods, sell a vegan version. You can also order it directly from Fillo Factory.  Or if you're one of those ambitious, Martha Stewart types, you can even make vegan phyllo dough from scratch using this recipe. Before you get started, keep these phyllo-handling tips in mind:

1. Melt your Earth Balance before unrolling the phyllo and keep it close at hand.
2. Work with only 3-4 sheets at once.
3. Work quickly but keep calm and phyllo on.
4. Keep any unused phyllo covered with a damp tea towel.
5. Wen you're done, immediately seal and freeze and leftover phyllo so it doesn't dry out.
6. Brush your creations with Earth Balance liberally, as opposed to skimpily. It will result in a gorgeous color and lighter texture.

Before I give you the recipe, I'd like to announce the winner of Julie Hasson's Vegan Diner....without further ado.....drumroll....Richa. Congratulations! You will love this book. Please email me at theurbanvegan@yahoo.com with your mailing address.

Mushroom Cups with Shallots and Sage

• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3 T nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 medium shallots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• About 3 cups, sliced mushrooms [any kind]
• 1 T dried sage
• About 2 T Earth Balance melted

Makes 6

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin.

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and nutritional yeast into milk. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium. Saute shallots and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk mixture and sage and lower heat to medium-low. Cook over medium-low until it's as thick as pancake batter, about 10 minutes.

After sauce is done, take out about 3-4 sheets of phyllo. Be sure to cover what you're not using immediately with a damp tea towel. Using kitchen scissors, cut the 3-4 sheet phyllo layer into squares, allowing enough to overlap the tins – roughly 6-inch squares. You'll need 6 squares [each is made from 4 sheets of pastry]. Stuff each square into the muffin tins, as shown. Don't worry about perfection.

Spoon the filling into the cups, as pictured. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden, Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.