Oooh, Memorial Day is almost here! And with that, the start of the summer season!
I’m jumping the gun a tad today by launching in with the year’s first tomato pie, but that’s OK. I think you can handle it. ;)
I was first introduced to this recipe by Christy over at Southern Plate, and it’s been a family favorite ever since! Tonight’s recipe was slightly different from the ones I’ve made in the past, however, in that I used vegan substitutes for the cheese and mayo ingredients! It’s just LeeLee and me dining tonight, so I figured what’s the harm in a little experimentation between friends and loved ones. So instead of using cheddar, I used Daiya cheddar; instead of full-fledged mayo, I used Vegenaise.
Now, sometimes these substitutions work like a champ; sometimes they don’t. Tonight, thankfully, was a champ! The Daiya blended beautifully, and the Vegenaise added the same creaminess that regular mayo would’ve. And though the tomatoes weren’t farmer’s-market-fresh, they were still juicy and tasty, their flavors enhanced by half an hour in the oven.
Like last night, we paired our entrée with a salad complete with fixins from the garden: Fresh lettuce and homemade creamy dill dressing with backyard limes. (The cherry tomatoes came from Safeway, but let’s not quibble.) It made for a cool side, dovetailing nicely with piping-hot pie!
And with that, the season’s first tomato pie is in the books. There’s more where this comes from!
:)