Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie

 

Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite comfort foods and I love the flexibility of the recipe to add variety with whichever vegetables are fresh on hand.  (And with whichever topping sounds best.  See notes below).  It was a lot easier when I could add in a can of cream of chicken soup, but isn't too much more difficult (and probably healthier) to make up my own creamy sauce.

Vegetables:

Any you have on hand that sound tasty together.  Prepare by peeling if needed; slicing, dicing or cutting into bite-sized pieces.  Some recommended vegetables include: Carrots, potatoes, green beans, zuchinni, squash, onions, celery, etc.  (Frozen vegetables may also be used).

Vegetable Cream Sauce:

Makes: 1 1/2 cups thick cream sauce (Vegetables will add more liquid when cooked).

2 T Smart Balance (butter or margarine)

2 T all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)

1/2 cup RiceMilk

1 cup Chicken broth

Black pepper and salt to taste

1 chicken breast, cooked, shredded

1. In saucepan, melt Smart Balance.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper.  Whisk in milk and chicken broth.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

2.  Add in shredded chicken and vegetables. Stir together. Turn to low and prepare or roll out pie dough.

CRUST:

Prep: 15 minutes, Makes: 8 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening or Smart Balance

6 or 7 Tablespoons cold water

Dried or fresh herbs (if desired)

1. In large mixing bowl stir together flour and salt.  Add in fresh or dried herbs to taste (if desired), I think for this recipe I added in 1/2 tsp basil, parsley and/or oregano. Using pastry blender (or Bosch wire beaters), cut in shortening/Smart Balance until pieces are pea-size. 

2.  Sprinkle 1 T water over part of mixture; gently toss with fork (mix in with whisks or switch to cookie beaters).  Push moistened dough to side of bowl.  Repeat, using 1 T water at a time, until all dough is moistened. (I usually add in 5 T water and mix together with dough paddles in Bosch then add more water as necessary).  Divide in half.  Form each into a ball.

3.  On lightly floured surface, use your hands to lightly flatten one ball of dough.  Roll from center to edge in a 12 inch circle.  To transfer to pie dish, wrap gently around rolling pin.  Unroll into a 9 inch pie plate, careful not to stretch pastry.  Trim even with rim of pie plate.

4.  Roll remaining dough into 12 inch circle.  Once filling is inside pastry, place pastry on top; trim 1/2 beyond edge of plate.  Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Use any excess dough to decorate top if desired, making sure to cut slits to allow steam to escape (these can also be made decoratively).  Bake for 1 hour.  (Cover pie edges with foil last 10 minutes or so of baking, if desired, to prevent overbrowning.)

5.  Cool 5 minutes and serve.

*For another delicious twist on this recipe we've also made up the vegetable cream sauce filling then covered it with Suffing mix or home-made stuffing and baked as above.

*For a third tasty topping, try covering it with biscuits (homemade or store-bought).  It all comes out as yummy comfort food.

Pizza Ratatouille

Fall vegetables warrant experimentation with tasty new dishes.  With eggplant and zucchini calling my name, we came up with a modified Friday night treat.

Preparation and Baking about an hour
Preheat: 475 degrees, Bake: 475 degrees, Approximately 15-20 minutes.
Yield: 1 14-16 inch pizza.
Pizza dough:
1 package dry yeast (Approx 2-2 1/4 t)
1 cup warm water (to dissolve yeast)
2 tsp honey (or sugar)
1 tsp salt
3 cup flour (add approx 3/4 cup at a time, make it all whole wheat flour, mix with all-purpose flour--as you like)
Dash oregano* (optional)

Combine warm water, yeast and honey in bowl of mixer.  Let yeast activate (approx 5 min).  Add salt and flour 3/4 cup at a time.  Add additional flour if needed, small amounts at a time.  Add in seasonings if savory dough is desired.  Knead in mixer until dough pulls away from sides and is well kneaded (approx 5 min).

Ratatouille Toppings:
1 Young Eggplant, (younger eggplant has fewer seeds) peeled and grated
2-3 Zucchini (grated)
1/2 cup sliced or diced white/yellow Onions
1-2 T Olive Oil
Italian Blend Seasoning (oregano,
1-2 tsp minced Garlic
2 Tomatoes, seeded and sliced
1 Green bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced or diced *if desired)

Combine ingredients in pan and saute in heated olive oil til tender.

Other Toppings:
Crumbled Sausage/sliced links
Pepperoni or Turkey Pepperoni
One jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, (We like Classico and Barilla best lately)
Cornmeal to sprinkle under dough before baking.
Mozzarella cheese if desired* We don't use cheese.

Sprinkle pizza stone with corn meal and roll dough out onto stone/pan.  Use fork to create vent holes across surface of pizza to promote even cooking throughout.  Top with ratatouille mixture (reserve 1/2 if you desire to top the pizza with a tender topping, create a 'moat' towards the outside edge in the ratatouille's toppings to prevent sauce spilling off of the sides, then pour in marinara sauce and cover toppings in the center of the pizza as well.  Sprinkle on sausage and other meat toppings as desired, cover with remaining ratatouille topping if previously reserved, and cook in 475 oven approx 15 minutes or until sides of dough are lightly browned.  Serve and enjoy!

Savory Beef Stew

Hearty and wonderfully aromatic; especially great for a cool evening served with your favorite bread.  An adaptation of Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book's "Polenta Beef Stew" sans polenta, p. 489.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

1 tsp. dried basil, crushed

2 pounds boneless beef chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 14-oz can beef broth

1 1/2 cups water

8 ounces boiling onions

5 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

5 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 cup snipped fresh flat -leaf parsley

1 4 oz can tomato paste (or 8-10 oz V8 Vegetable Juice)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Place flour, garlic powder, thyme, basil 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a plastic bag.  Add meat pieces a few at a time, shaking to coat.  In a Dutch oven, (or large skillet) brown meat, half at a time, in hot oil; drain fat.  Return all meat to Dutch oven; add chopped onion, dried rosemary (if using) and garlic.  Cook and stir until onion is tender.  Stir in broth and water.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer covered 1-1/2 hours.

2.  Stir in boiling onions, potatoes and carrots.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes more until meat and vegetables are tender. 

3.  Just before serving, stir the 1 tsp. fresh rosemary (if using), parsley, and tomato paste (or Vegetable Juice) into the stew.  If desired, garnish with rosemary sprigs.

NOTES: 

*I usually make up a large batch of Beef Stew Meat following the proportions for spices and directions for browning the meat in step one, cool the extra in the refrigerator then freeze 1-2 lb portions in a quart freezer bag to add to vegetables for making a "quick" stew later. 

* After having prepared the meat, I often go off a basic mental formula for the rest of the ingredients. I usually use one to two cups broth (often water + beef bullion for stew) for each person I'm planning on serving, along with at least one carrot and one potato per person expected to dinner. My Grandma Phelps taught me that 'should company show up at dinner time, just add an extra cup of broth or water to stretch it a little farther'.

* I like to prepare the stew in the morning or early afternoon and cook it in a Crock Pot, enjoying the soothing aroma in the house all day and later enjoying time with my children during the evening hour that I'd otherwise be preparing dinner.  On low 6-8 hours (all day) or on high for 3-4 hours.

*Adding the tomato paste or V8 juice at the end, for that added savory flavor, ensures the acid doesn't toughen the stew, but that it is tender instead.

*I often use onions I chopped previously and stored frozen, or I rehydrate dehydrated onions instead of using onion powder and boiling onions.

Foil Dinners/ Hobo Dinners

These have been a favorite of mine since childhood and family camp-outs.  We always called them foil dinners but I've heard others call them 'hobo' dinners.  Each child in our family was often invited to make their own, to fit their preferences, and mark their name with a permanant marker on the outside for identification after it was cooked.  If we planned to travel a long way to our camping destination, the meat patties were frozen before going in the dinners and transported in a cold cool chest.  These can be cooked in a 350 degree oven for an hour or more, but they're SO much better hot off the coals and eaten outdoors after a healthy day of outside play.

Igredients:
Meat (Ground Beef Patties, Chicken Breast, Sausage, or a fillet of Fish should all work well).
Vegetables, sliced, to compliment the meat

Our traditional dinners include:
Cabbage leaves (washed)
Carrots (baby or large carrots peeled, cut in bite sizes)
Potatoes (peeled and cut in bite sizes)
Ground Beef or Ground Turkey Patties
Onions, sliced (if desired)
Salt
Pepper
Ketchup, Mustard, Steak Sauce, etc. (reserved).

Start by placing two sheets of aluminum foil, shiny side up,(approximately 15-20 inches long, depending on the size of dinner you're wanting to cook).  With the reflective side facing up, place a leaf or two of cabbage in the middle of the foil (the cabbage keeps the meal from burning while cooking--if preferred,  layer newsprint between the sheets of foil for a similar effect).  Layer in the vegetables and top with the meat.  Sprinkle on the salt and pepper to taste. Top with another leaf of cabbage.

Wrap meal tightly to keep in juices and steam while baking.  Bring either end of the foil together above the meal.  Roll theses sides together, as though closing a bag of chips, until seal is snugly against the meal.  Now, fold and roll in each short end till they also touch the meal and make a 'snug' packet.  Place the dinner on hot coals to cook.  Cook for one hour, or until the yummy aroma begins to fill the air, the vegetables are tender and meat cooked through; rotating or turning the dinner at least every fifteen minutes (Caution: Of course it's hot!) 

When done, remove from coals and allow it to sit until it's cool enough to touch, place on a paper plate if desired.  Open carefully allowing steam to escape and keeping ashes out.  If desired, top with steak sauce, ketchup and/or mustard and enjoy!

Hawaiian Haystacks or Chinese Sundaes

This recipe is known by two different names in our family to describe the same dish.  Steamy cooked rice topped with warm chicken gravy and your choice of favorite toppings.  A 'create your own favorite' recipe!  I've even tasted it with a curry gravy which is tasty too.  This recipe multiplies easily to feed large groups.  This was one of my favorites as a child and still is.  Our children love it too!

Yield:  At least 8

Some possible toppings:

Tomatoes, diced

Pineapple, crushed

Green onions, diced

Chow Mein Noodles

Celery, diced

Bell pepper, diced

*Carrots, diced

*Peas

Shredded Coconut

Sliced almonds are great for those who can eat them

Same for shredded cheese...

Use whatever tantalizes your taste buds

(* Never tried these toppings, and I imagine I'd like them steamed to tender before using them on this.  Our friend tells me she usually fixes theirs with these two toppings.)

Cooked Rice:  2 cups water to 1 cup rice;  I often cook up 3 cups rice, part of which is a wild rice mixture thrown in for flavor, aroma and texture (which I compensate for with a little more water and a little longer cook time).  If everyone is hungry there's enough rice for left-overs.  If they're not as hungry as usual, I have enough rice left over for Rice and Raisin Cereal at a breakfast soon.

Chicken Gravy:

Cream of Chicken soup thinned with a bit of water or milk works unless you avoid milk like us...we make our own now using the following ratios.

Thin: 1T butter, 1T flour, 1 1/2 c chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste + shredded cooked chicken.

Medium: 2T butter, 2T flour, 1c chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste + shredded cooked chicken.

Thick: 3T butter, 4T flour, 1c chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste + shredded cooked chicken.

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat.  Blend in flour, salt and pepper to make a roo.  Add chicken broth all at once and whisk quickly, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles.  Add in cooked shredded chicken.  (If I use canned chicken, I usually figure the broth accompanying the chicken in the can for about 1/2 cup of what I need total and I usually make up 3 to 4 cups of gravy.)

Put it all together now: 

Layer a large scoop of steamy rice topped with creamy chicken gravy and sprinkled with your choice of favorite toppings.  Careful....all the layers pile up fast and looks like more than you had planned to eat....but it is so tasty!

Veggie Pasta

I came up with this recipe based on an idea from my friend Misty.  Simple and summery, it's great with most any vegetable combination.   I added some cooked rice noodles to ours (which break down more easily after cooking than regular pasta) and added them to my cooked tri-color pasta and Normandy Vegetable blend.  Our four year old enjoyed several helpings.

1   box tri-color rotini pasta  (approx 12 oz), cooked
1 c.   cooked shredded (or canned) chicken
5 c.   fresh or frozen steamed veggies (or Family Size bag)
1/2 c. Italian dressing
1  clove pressed garlic
Sunflower Seeds (optional)
Mrs. Dash (optional)

Toss cooked and hot ingredients together and drizzle with Italian dressing.  Toss lightly together with dressing.  Sprinkle on sunflower seeds and Mrs. Dash if desired and serve hot.

Confetti Rice

This one comes from our Scott Family Cookbook and is attributed to Aunt Peggy.  I loved this one growing up and I think it worked well to get veggies in us when nothing else would.  We love good food, but I don't like to be in the kitchen all the time.  So, we usually double this recipe and enjoy these leftovers too.  Yield: 6 servings

1/4 c.    butter (less works too and we substitute with Smart Balance)

1 1/4 c.  long-grain rice (uncooked)

2 (10 1/2oz) cans consomme (broth)

1 t      salt

3/4 c.  chopped green onion

3/4 c.  chopped carrots

3/4 c.  chopped celery

1/2 c.  sliced almonds* optional

In a large frying pan, add the rice to the melted butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated but not brown (about 5 minutes).  Add consomme and salt and continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil. Turn into 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (9x13).

Bake covered (we usually use foil and seal it well to keep the moisture in) in moderately hot oven (375 degrees) for about 30 minutes or until rice is tender.  About 10 minutes before rice is done, remove from oven and stir in chopped raw vegetables and almonds if desired.  Return to oven and continue baking with cover on for remaining 10 minutes.  The vegetables should remain quite crisp in contrast with the tender grains of rice.

NOTES:
To make this a one dish meal, I usually throw in some cooked chicken (previously cooked or canned). Shredded beef, tuna or other fish would work well too.

In place of the nuts, I usually substitute part of the long-grain rice called for with a wild rice mixture for the wonderful aroma and the nuttiness...I just have to add a little longer cooking time (about 45 minutes total) and an extra 1/2 to one cup broth to make up the difference.

The way we cook, everything in a recipe is subject to modification and substitutions.  We use the vegetables we have on hand.  The more color the better.  Here we used zuchinni, carrots and celery.  We often love to add squash and have even tried rasins or craisins with flavorful results.