There wasn't much cottage pie left, but after I added a bit of milk and breadcrumbs it expanded enough to make four large croquettes.
To transform the cottage pie into croquettes, all I did was transfer the pie leftovers into a bowl, added a couple of tablespoons of almond milk and gently mashed it in with a fork. Then I added some extra seasonings (salt, black pepper, bit of onion powder) and a handful of breadcrumbs, just enough to form a dough that wasn't sticky but also not too dry. Then I took about a quarter of the dough and slightly flattened it in my hand, placed a piece of cheese (Daiya Jack Style Wedge) right in the middle of the flattened dough, and wrapped the dough around the cheese until it was completely covered. I did this three more times until all the dough was gone. To bread them, I first dipped the croquettes in tomato sauce, and then rolled them in seasoned breadcrumbs. I pan fried them in a bit of olive oil over medium heat, turning them every few minutes to brown all sides of the croquettes.
UPDATE: Daiya is offering two lucky winners three coupons for free vegan cheese! Check out my giveaway here!
They were so tasty, and I loved the gooey cheese that was melted in the center! Next time I make cheese-stuffed croquettes I will use coconut milk cheddar, but I've been out of agar flakes for a couple of weeks and that stuff is expensive. I'm not made of money here!
Buddy the Blue Jay wants to know: have you recycled any leftovers lately? Also, I think he would love to have a little sweater or a scarf.