Soyrizo Mushroom Hand Pies

I love empanadas. I used to love when my cousin would make them when I'd come over for a visit. I think that was one of the few things I actually cooked as a teenager. Once I got married and moved away, I continued to make them. However, now that I've given up meat, I haven't been able to find a recipe that I like as much as the original one I used to make as a teen... until now.

One thing I ate before I had even given up meat was soyrizo. I love chorizo with all of it's flavors and spiciness but I have never been a huge fan of sausage, hot dogs, or any other sort of processed meat that leaves you not wanting to question what it's made out of. Soyrizo has all the same flavors as chorizo without any of the gross, questionable ingredients.

These hand pies are super easy to make. All the ingredients are readily available at pretty much all super markets and it's really quick to throw together. The only item that I wasn't sure I'd find was the Cotija cheese. For some reason my grocery story put it over by the ricotta cheese. If you can't find Cotija cheese, you can substitute it with either Parmesan or feta cheese. Cotija tasted like a combination of the two, so either of those should work if you can't find it. You can make the filling ahead of time to shave off half the prep time for these or you can make the hand pies ahead of time and store them in your refrigerator on a baking sheet until you are ready to pop them in the oven. I've done both and they turned out great. These are definitely going into my "keep" pile of recipes.

Recipe adapted from Comowater

• 1 package Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo)
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced 
• 3 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms 
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil 
• salt 
• pepper 
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese
•  4 roll out pie crusts 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 1 tsp. milk 

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Cook soyrizo until slightly crunchy (about 7-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Set aside and let cool completely.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same sauté pan and heat over medium. Add onions. Saute 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Saute over medium until onions and mushrooms are soft; about 5 minutes. Add a small pinch of salt and a few grinds black pepper.
4. Mix the cooled soyrizo with the onion/mushroom mixture and let cool completely before beginning hand pie assembly.
5. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Lightly flour counter. Roll out pie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles of desired size. Add filling to center of dough circle, leaving a 1/4-1/2 inch border around the edge of the dough. Wet the edge of the dough slightly with water. Top with second dough round and seal the hand pies closed. Lightly beat egg with milk to create an egg wash. Brush the top of the hand pies with egg wash. Add the hand pies to the cookie sheet. Bake approx. 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!