Traditionally in the UK the summer seems to only last a couple of weeks and then we have lots of rain and a few mild days before it gets cold again. Well at least for the past ten years anyway and they tell us the climate isn’t changing yet! This means we still get to have pies in the summer to keep us warm and fill us up.

I wouldn’t say this is a particularly healthy recipe, but it’s a lot better than it’s non-vegan counterpart.

The best thing about my recipes is that you don’t need anything fancy to make them work. All the ingredients should already be in your house or easily available.

Ingredients: 

• 2 tins of braised tofu (I got mine from Holland & Barrett.)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon powder
• Half a carton of passata
• Water as needed
• 2 large potatoes
• Half a block of Violife original cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon Vitalite dairy free spread
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

Method:

1. Get the oven on full whack.
2. Have a pan of salted water heating up to boil.
3. Fry the onion, garlic and carrots in an oven proof pan, for about three minutes.
4. Empty the contents of the tofu tin into the pan, including the juices. Break up the tofu into smaller pieces and allow everything to simmer for about two minutes.
5. Add the bay leaves, red wine vinegar and passata and turn down the heat. Allow to bubble gently for about 10 minutes until the carrots have softened.
6. Taste the mixture. Add salt and pepper if desired. Turn off the heat.
7. Slice the potatoes thinly and boil in salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and place back in the sauce pan where you mix in the Vitalite and any extra salt and pepper you require.
8. Place on top of the tofu mixture, layering if you need to. Cover in grated Violife and nutritional yeast.
9. Put in the oven, in the oven proof pan for approximately 15 minutes or until the top has a nice crunch.

Enjoy on it’s own or with some steamed vegetables. It’s very filling!