Vegan Pigs In A Blanket: Meet "Snuggy Bunnies"!
Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a pioneer of delicious plant-based cuisine, with a ton of cookbooks under her belt. Her recent release has a signature fantastic name: The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook. Everything is as colorful and attractive as it is delicious and hearty, like these carrot-based vegan pigs in a blanket she calls "snuggy bunnies."
I don't have to tell you that these are the cutest things in the world! Darling little roasted carrots in puff pastry, because bunnies love carrots and real pigs deserve real blankets. They're sprinkled with a little paprika for smokiness, but the flavors are kept simple, relying more on the gentle roasting of the carrot, which sweetens a bit as it cooks. There are sesame seeds for fanciness, and I serve these with a hit of mustard just to drive the point home. I love this recipe because there isn't much prep to do at all — most of the time spent is wrapping the baby carrots in their blankets.
Tip: Purchase the thicker variety of baby carrot if you can. The thin ones kind of reduce into nothingness. Make sure they are just a little under ½ inch in diameter.
Reprinted with permission from The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook
- 36 baby carrots (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Dijon mustard
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Toss the carrots with the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt to coat. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet, cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil, and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil, sprinkle the paprika and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over the carrots, and toss to coat again. Transfer the carrots to a plate. Keep the oven on because you’ll be using it again. Discard the old parchment and place a new sheet of parchment on the baking sheet.
- Place the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle approximately 11 by 15 inches. With a paring knife, cut the pastry into long, thin strips that are about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, depending on the size of your carrots. A little bit of carrot should be able to stick out of each side once wrapped.
- Wrap each carrot in a piece of puff pastry, seal the edge with a little water, and place it, seam side down, on the parchment. Brush the tops of the snuggies with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, gently pressing the seeds into the pastry. Pop them back into the oven until golden and puffy, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with mustard.