Veggie Pot Pie

Pot pie. In modern America, this usually means those frozen, sodium-laden discs that - I'll admit it - taste pretty good, but offer almost nothing nutritionally beneficial.

Enter a homemade, vegan pot pie! It's a little more work than your average 30-minute dinner, but it's well-worth it. This is the second variation I've made and we liked it even better than the first. The crust was awesome! Pie crust is a pain in my rear, but everytime I suck it up and make one, I'm so glad. So get the kids in the kitchen with you to chop veggies, put on your apron, and get ready to feel like a domestic goddess.

Veggie Pot Pie

adapted slightly from Veganomicon, the best vegan cookbook ever
Crust:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. cold nonhydrogenated vegan shortening (I used Spectrum organic butter-flavored, I found it at Smith's)
1/2 to 3/4 c. cold ice water
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Filling:
3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1/4 c. chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour - I ground my own using dried chickpeas and my wheat grinder! you could probably use all-purpose flour too
1 lg. onion, cut into fine dice
1 lg. carrot, peeled and cut into fine dice
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into fine dice
1 stalk celery, cut into fine dice
1 c. broccoli florets, cut small
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 c. frozen peas
2/3 + 1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2-1 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. ground sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Have a pie dish ready.

Prepare the crust first:
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder in large mixing bowl. Add the cold shortening by the Tbsp, in small chunks, and cut into flour wtih pastry cutter until crumbly.

Pour 3/4 c. cold water into small bowl and toss in a few ice cubes. Measure out 1/2 c. ice water into a 1 c. measuring cup and stir the vinegar into it. Add the vinegared water to the dough in 3 batches, gently mixing it in dough with a fork, until dough holds together when pinched. You can add up to 1/4 c. more water, a Tbsp at a time, til all dry ingredients are moistened and a firm dough is formed.

Gently press dough into a ball. On a piece of wax paper or a floured countertop, roll the dough out to the shape of the dish you'll be using but about 2-3 inches larger. Cover with plastic wrap or more wax paper and refrigerate while making the filling. You can do the pie crust in advance, if you want.

Prepare the filling:
Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a soup pot over med. heat and add 3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil. Stir in the chickpea flour. Stir constantly and toast flour for 5-10 minutes, until fragrant and a deep mustard color. Be careful - I burned a batch of flour here and had to start over!

Stir in chopped onion, cook for 4 minutes, and add carrot, potato, celery, and broccoli. Cook for 8 minutes, until veggies are soft. Stir frequently!

Pour in 2/3 c. vegetable broth, stirring to dissolve brown bits from bottom of pot. Cook 2 minutes to reduce a bit, then stir in frozen corn and peas. Pour in about 3/4 c. more broth and add thyme, mustard powder, and sage. Bring to simmer. Stir in remaining broth and bring to simmer again. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until broth has reduced slightly and a thin gravy has formed. Remove from heat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Remove piecrust from fridge. Ladle filling into piedish. Top with crust, pressing edges down lightly, and crimp the edges or do whatever you like to do on a piecrust top. Poke a few holes in the middle to let steam escape.

Place in preheated 375 oven. Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any spills from bubbling over. Bake pot pie 40-45 mins, until filling is bubble and crust is lightly browned and flaky. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Mom's pizza crust

This is the crust I promised last week! I've always loved Mom's pizza crust. I'm a big fan of bread and bready things, so that thin crust stuff does nothing for me. This crust is nice and thick. And, perhaps even more important, it's fast. I've seen lots of crust recipes, but this is for sure the fastest I've come across. Perfect for those busy days when it's 5:30 and someone asks, "What's for dinner?" These also can double as breadsticks.

Pizza/Breadstick Dough

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3+ cups flour

Combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt and let rest for a few minutes or until bubbly. Add 3 cups of flour (or more until it's not coming-apart-sticky) and then knead for 3 minutes. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

For pizza: press crust into a greased 12x17 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-ish minutes, til light golden brown. Then add sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice (maybe this white pizza from last week? I would double that to cover this much dough) and bake again til cheese has melted.

For breadsticks: roll out dough and cut into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Roll each breadstick in melted margarine and sprinkle with either cinnamon and sugar or garlic bread sprinkle and parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

I have a dream. In my dream I am organized, and I own a deep freezer. In that deep chest freezer it is stocked full of pre-made meals, muffins, breads, and cookie dough, all ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice. But alas, I do not own a deep freezer, and I don't have things nicely made ahead of time. But these would be some good muffins to have in your freezer--ready for your husband to grab a bag on his way to work, or if your children need a mid-morning snack. This morning, they went nicely with our oatmeal and OJ.

A word about this recipe...I have no idea where it came from. I think I copied it down out of my mom's big box of 3x5 recipe cards before I left for college. But it seems kind of weird to me, so feel free to play around with it if you know what you're doing in the kitchen.

1 c. margarine or butter

2 c. sugar (what?! I only used one cup)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

16 oz. applesauce

3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. soda

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. all spice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Cook at 350 for 15-20 minutes

*I took it easy on the spices, but you shouldn't. And surely there's gotta be a better way than a whole cup of butter right?

These are dense muffins. They don't rise a whole lot so fill up those muffin cups. Makes 24

Cinnamon Pancakes

This is not a pancake. This is my husband the veteran. He saves the world every day.

I was going to post something else today. A veggie pot pie, in fact.

But this morning, in honor of Memorial Day (since my husband is a veteran twice over, patriotic holidays are a big deal around here!), I decided to make pancakes. And as my family devoured every last scrap of said pancakes, I knew the potpie would have to wait. These are simply too delicious to keep to myself. So good that I don't even have a picture - they were gone before I even thought about it.

They are delicious, possibly my favorite pancakes ever. And since they're vegan, all you egg-eaters can keep this in your arsenal for those mornings when you are out of eggs, or just feel like having a cholesterol-free breakfast food. It doesn't hurt that they're amazing!

Cinnamon Pancakes

adapted slightly from Skinny B#$%*'s recipe
Makes 8 pancakes, so you'll probably want to double the recipe!

1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. canola oil

In medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In separate bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla, and oil.

Combine milk mixture and flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

Spray preheated griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter, 1/4 c. at a time, on griddle and cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately with pure maple syrup.

"White pizza"

I asked my husband for help in deciding what to make for this week... he said, "remember that white pizza at Cici's that we both loved?" I did not. I don't think we have ever even been to Cici's Pizza together! But I attempted to re-create it for him anyway, adding bacon and chicken to half as well. We did a normal version, a no-greens version for picky eaters, and a cheese-and-sauce-only version. I used this alfredo sauce recipe and then flew blind on the rest. All 3 different sections of this schizophrenic pizza were delicious! Be advised... maybe my oven doesn't cook evenly or something, but I could not get the crust to cook through. I guess that's what I get for being lazy and using those crappy refrigerated dough cans for the first time! But we of course ate it anyway, because the rest is yummy! I've learned my lesson.

White Pizza

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup alfredo sauce (or more, if you like your pizza saucey)
4+ strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup cooked and shredded chicken breast
6 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
I also sprinkled on the parmesan cheese leftover from making the alfredo sauce

*Note: this was enough for one can of Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust dough.

Spread alfredo sauce over your pizza crust. Then add bacon, chicken, spinach, and cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-ish minutes, until the cheese has melted! Or follow your crust's baking instructions. Maybe someday I'll share Mom's pizza crust!

This is not my picture... the crust debacle made me too angry to take one.

Rotini and Sweet Pepper Primavera

All through college I had one main cookbook that I referred to for any recipe that wasn't from my mom. It is my oldest and dearest cookbook. Enter, Better Homes and Gardens.

In the book it says, "Primavera means 'springtime' in Italian. This creamy pasta, brimming with tender asparagus, crisp sweet pepper, and tiny baby squash, is the essence of that welcome season."

How can you not make this meal with an intro like that? I'm here to vouch for it--our family loves this meal! I never really stick to the measurements suggested here, just throw in however much you want of everything. It seems to always work out in the end.

14 ounces asparagus spears
8 ounces dried rotini (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 large red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup halved baby pattypan squash or sliced yellow summer squash
1 10-oz. container refrigerated light Alfredo sauce
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh tarragon or thyme (I usually put in 1 tsp. dried tarragon)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I leave that out because it's WAY too hot for us)

Chop up your veggies into 1-inch bias-sliced pieces. Cook pasta according to directions, adding the asparagus, squash, and sweet pepper to pasta for the last 3 minutes of cooking. (Isn't that such a cool trick? I love how it saves dirtying another pan!) Drain. Return pasta and vegetables to pot.

Meanwhile, heat up your sauce with tarragon. If you are a vegan or just an over-achiever, you could always make Steph's vegan alfredo sauce instead of the bottled stuff. Pour it over your pasta and vegetables, stirring gently to coat.

Picture to come...

Fajitas

This is another one of those "idea" posts. It's not a fancy recipe but it's an idea for dinner that may come in handy! We LOVE fajitas at our house. It's another one of those meals we eat once or twice a month. Our 2 year old can't eat them very well by himself so we just make rice and put the fajita filling over rice for him and he loves it. We've tried several different fajita seasoning packets and this one is by far the best! Just follow the instructions on the packet.

For the tortillas we usually buy the uncooked refrigerated ones. Or you may even try using Lindsay's homemade tortilla recipe! We sometimes top them with sour cream too. Mmm.