Cream Cheese & Jalapeno-Cilantro Empanadas

Cream cheese is just one of those things I don't miss in life. I stopped eating bagels a while ago and even though I do enjoy vegan cheesecake every so often, cream cheese just isn't a part of my life anymore. But for some reason, I, all of a sudden, decided I wanted to use Galaxy Nutritional Foods' Vegan Cream Cheese Alternative in a dish. I started looking around on the internet and noticed that my good friend, April, the Epicurean Vegan, just made some empanadas so I decided to try her recipe.

Cream Cheese & Jalapeno-Cilantro Empanadas
Ingredients
Dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
• 1/2 cup almond milk

Filling:

• 12-ounces or 1.5 containers of Galaxy vegan cream cheese
• 1.5 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
• 7 green onions, sliced
• 6 jalapenos, finely chopped (canned are an option)
• 1.5 cups vegan cheese (I used Daiya pepperjack)
• 1.5 tablespoons lime juice
• A few dashes of garlic salt

Instructions
To make the dough, use a mixer to blend the flour, salt, and Earth Balance until you get a crumbly mixture. While mixing, gradually add the milk. Just use enough milk to make a dough that sticks together to make a ball. You may need more or less milk. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. To make the filling, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick. I used a plastic cup to cut out 3.5" circles, but 4" would be better. Place a tablespoon or more of filling in the center of the dough circle.

Then, fold the dough in half and crimp the edges closed with a fork. Make sure the edges get sealed well, otherwise, they'll puff up in the oven and come open. I kind of made a mess here as I stuffed too much filling in mine so when I closed them, the filling came out and made them look less than perfect. But, it is okay to be less than perfect!

Bake them for 25-30 minutes. About halfway through, brush the top of each empanada with olive oil. Serve with salsa.

These empanadas turned out scrumptious! The cream cheese, jalapenos, and cilantro made for delicious empanadas! These would be great to serve at a party. I ate them as an appetizer for a few days. The Galaxy vegan cream cheese is delicious - it has a similar texture to cream cheese and a similar taste. I wouldn't say it is exactly the same, but it is really good.

Please let me know how your empanadas turn out! Enjoy!