Do you know that leftover cooked rice that sits in the fridge and looks bland the next day? With a little creativity and accessible ingredients, it can be transformed into a delicious and nutritious pie! In this recipe, we use a base of rice blended with rice flour and cornmeal, and fill it with a vegan cream cheese made with cashews, lemon, and herbs... all vegan, gluten-free, and uncomplicated.
Perfect for a light lunch, snack, or packed lunch, this pie shows how plant-based cooking can be versatile and full of flavor!

Rice Pie with Vegan Cream Cheese Filling

Yield: 8 servings

Dough Ingredients:

• 5 cups of cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of rice flour
• 1 can of green corn
• ½ can of water
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• Chopped olives to taste
• Chopped red bell pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Stuffing Ingredients:

• 200g of ready-made or homemade vegan cream cheese (recipe below)
• Chopped olives to taste (optional)
  
• Spices like oregano, chives, black pepper, or nutmeg. 

Method of preparation:

1️⃣ Prepare the dough: In a food processor, blend the cooked rice, olive oil, rice flour, ½ can of sweet corn, and ½ can of water until a smooth, creamy dough forms.

2️⃣ Mix all the ingredients: Transfer the dough to a bowl and add the remaining corn, chopped olives, chopped bell pepper, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and baking powder.

3️⃣ Mix the filling ingredients: In a bowl, place the prepared vegan cream cheese and add the chopped olives and any desired seasonings. Mix well until everything is evenly combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

4️⃣ Assemble the pie: Grease a baking dish with olive oil and place half of the dough in it. Spread the seasoned vegan cream cheese as filling and cover with the remaining dough.

5️⃣ Bake: Place in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for about 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients for Homemade Vegan Cream Cheese (filling):

• 1 cup of raw, soaked cashews (soaked for 8 hours or for 20 minutes in hot water)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• ½ small clove of garlic (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ cup of water (adjust to reach the desired consistency)
• Fresh or dried herbs to taste (chives, oregano, basil or parsley)
• Chopped olives to taste (optional, for the filling)

How to Prepare Homemade Vegan Cream Cheese: 

1️⃣ Hydrate the chestnuts in filtered water for 8 hours or, if you prefer to speed up the process, boil them for 20 minutes and discard the water.

2️⃣ In a blender or powerful food processor, combine the soaked cashews with the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and water.

3️⃣ Beat until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous cream. Scrape the sides if necessary and adjust the texture with more water if you want it creamier. Taste and adjust the salt, lemon, or garlic to your liking.

4️⃣ Mix the herbs and, if desired, incorporate finely chopped olives to make the filling more flavorful.

Nutritional Information (per serving - ⅛ of the recipe):

Calories: 299 kcal | Protein: 6,2 g | Carbohydrates: 37,2 g | Total Fat: 14,4 g

This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Several factors, such as product types or brands purchased, may alter the nutritional information in any recipe.