Veggie Pot Pie

I woke up to a much needed rainy morning here in Austin, Texas and knowing that fall is on its way to the Lone Star State, I thought about comfort foods (as I am sure we all do this time of year). My favorite (one of them) is Chicken Pot Pie. Although, I made this version with chicken breast, I figured the amount of veggies I put in it, one could easily leave the meat out and just layer this mix with flaky pie or crescent dough.

2 medium carrots, washed, and sliced
2 stalks celery, washed, cleaned and also sliced * I love to leave the tops on the celery and just dice it in. It adds so much flavor!
1/2 Medium Onion, peeled, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 C mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 Peas
1 C corn
1 medium Yam, diced
1/2 bell Pepper, seeded and diced
1 Crown broccoli, separated
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/4 tsp sage Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C milk (or soy milk)
1/2 C Greek or regular, plain yogurt
2 tbsp butter or olive oil

Melt butter or heat oil in saute skillet. Add veggies (one that take the longest to cook first such as yams and carrots). Let cook for 5-8 minutes watching and stirring so they do not stick or scorch. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until onions are clear. Add herbs, and seasoning. Finally add milk and yogurt. Let cook on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes until thick. Let cool slightly. Add mixture to bottom of a deep pie plate or casserole dish. Top with pie dough, crescent dough, biscuit (all can be homemade or the canned stuff) just make sure there is or are steam holes in the top. bake on a sheet pan in case of boil overs at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until topping is brown and golden. Serve warm! Refrigerate leftovers. Yields 2 9" pies! One can be eaten that day and the other frozen until... or served the next day.

Leftover egg hash

1/4 C meat, diced (if using beef make sure most of the fat gets cut off) 1/4 C diced potatoes 1/4 C cooked mushrooms 1/4 C fresh spinach 1/4 C onion, minced 1 lg garlic clove, minced 1/4 C feta cheese 4 large eggs, lightly beaten.* Heat olive oil in a pan. Add spinach, onions, garlic and cook until spinach is wilted. Add leftover meat, potatoes, mushrooms, season to taste. Add eggs and cook on gentle heat until eggs are no longer runny. Add cheese. Eat while still warm. Serve with rye toast and bloody mary's. * I used 2 eggs and 1/2 C egg whites to cut the fat. It's a great way to use leftovers from a previous steak meal. Serves 2-3 people depending on how hungry they are.

Turkey burger wraps

1 lb ground lean turkey
1 Can diced black olives
1 sm onion diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic
4 wheat tortillas
leaf lettuce
1 tomato, sliced
4 slices, cheese (any kind)
any condiment or add on

Cook onions, garlic, pepper, and olives in a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent, let cool. Add cooled veggies to turkey in bowl. Mix until just combined. form into 4 1/4 lb patties. Salt and pepper. grill or cook until done. heat tortillas either in microwave (wrap in damp paper towels and heat for 20-30 seconds) or toast in dry pan, one at a time. Cut patties in half and lay both pieces onto tortilla. Top with fresh veggies and other condiments. ENJOY! yeilds 4 wraps.

A tip for cookie mixes

I recently upgraded some cookie mixes just by:

Adding Lime zest to sugar cookie dough...mix in before adding liquid/wet ingredients. bake as usual.

Adding almond slivers and almond extract to oatmeal cookie mix. The after taste is most unexpected.

Adding dried cranberries to oatmeal or sugar cookie dough.

Mix 2 tsp cocoa into chocolate chip cookie dough.

Add chocolate chips to peanut butter cookie dough.

Tuna noodle casserole

This recipe came to me after having mac and cheese leftover from a meal. It's easy and can be made a day or so in advance.

2 C cooked, leftover mac n cheese.
2 Can white tuna packed in water
1/2 C frozen peas
1 sm onion, diced and cooked until translucent
2 ribs celery, cooked with onions
1 Can low fat/fat free cream soup (I used cream of chicken)
1/4 C milk
Pepper to taste
1 C bread/cracker crumbs *

Mix mac n cheese, tuna, peas, soup and milk, along with onions and celery. Add pepper. Pour into greased pan. top with crumbs *I also have used ground up corn flakes or honey corn flake cereal*. bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden.

Pear cranberry muffins

3-4 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/4 C almond slivers, roasted
1 C wheat flour, sifted (pour wheat hulls back in)
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C splenda brown sugar
1 TBLSP baking powder
1 Egg
1/4 C milk or water
1/4 C apple sauce

mix sugar, egg, apple sauce, and vanilla in bowl. Add flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Mix until just combined. Add remaining ingredients. Fill greased muffin tin 3/4 full. bake for 25-30 min in a 375* oven or until pick inserted in center of center muffin comes out clean. makes 10-12 muffins.

Peaches Foster

2-4 ripe peaches, halved with pit removed
1/4 brown sugar
2 pats butter
1/8 C rum
vanilla ice cream softened

Heat grill pan. brush peaches with oil (I sprayed mine with veggie spray). Place on pan and grill on each side for 3 minutes or until the cut side has grill marks. Remove fruit, set to the side. Add sugar, butter and rum (careful...RUM is FLAMABLE) to pan to deglaze and make a sauce. Serve over warm peaches, add a scoop of ice cream.

Fresco Pizza (inspired by jason's Deli)

The Dough
1 C whole wheat flour (sifted)
1/2 C warm water
1 TB sugar
1 pkg dry active yeast
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt

Fill measuring cup with warm water and add sugar and yeast. Stir to agitate.Sift flour into bowl. Dump whole grain chaff into bowl as well (sifting just aerates and make for a lighter crust). Add olive oil and salt. Mix lightly. The yeast should now have proofed and made a bubbly layer on top of warm water, add to flour mix. Mix with hands until just incorporated. Add more flour (1/4C at a time) until dough begins pulling away from the bowl. Pick up dough add a bit more flour and knead dough in bowl until it is smooth and elastic (6-10 minutes). Smear dough ball lightly with more olive oil, let rise, covered for 30 minutes. In the mean time preheat oven to 400* and get toppings ready.

Toppings for fresco pizza (can be made a few hours in advance)
1 C fresh spinach, washed and dry
1/4 fresh basil leaves
1/8 C pine nuts, roasted
1 pinch red pepper flake
1/8 C olive oil
2-3 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 lg cloves garlic
1 sm onion, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until blended. It should look like fine salsa or pesto. Chill in fridge until ready.

After crust has risen, punch down and spread into a pizza pan. Pre-bake crust for 10 minutes in oven. While baking grate 1/2 fresh Parmesan cheese and shred 1 head of chilled romaine lettuce. When dough is ready, top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and light golden brown. Remove and top with lettuce and then pesto mixture, cut, eat and enjoy!
yields one large 14" pizza

infused fruit turkey breast

I was hungry for turkey and the trimmings as I always am this time of year. I thought about experimenting and trying out new things to jazz up the traditional bird with stuffing. I took inspiration from the sweeter more delicate pallet of fruits such as pears and figs. I hope if anyone tries this, they will find it as refreshing and pleasing to the tastebuds as I did. ** I also used rasberry walnut dressing to coat the breast as it cooked to seal in the moisture. You can use anything that has a complimentary fruit base or nothing at all.

1 2LB turkey breast
4-5 fresh figs, quartered
2-3 medium pears, quartered and cored
1/4 C white wine
1/2 C veggie/turkey stock
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste.
2 pats butter
1/4 C Rasberry Walnut dressing**

Preheat oven to 375* Smear butter all over freshly washed turkey. Place in roasting pan with wine. Season on all sides. Brush with dressing on all sides. Place cut fruit all around and on top of bird. Place lid on roaster and put in oven. bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until no longer bloody. Let turkey rest for 10 minutes, remove from pan, along with fruit. use pan drippings to make a sauce by heating pan on stove top, bring to a simmer, cook down until half the liquid is gone. Add extra butter for richness, serve along side or over turkey and fruit.

Cranberry Almond stuffing muffins

1 package cornbread mix, made according to directions, cooled.
2-4 sliced white bread toasted dark, cooled
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 lg clove garlic, minced
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/4 C slivered almonds
2 pats butter
salt, pepper
1 C veggie stock
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sage
2 TBS parsley, dried
2 eggs

Melt butter in saute pan. Add veggies, season and cook until translucent. Add berries, and almonds, along with breads, stock and 2 eggs. Mix together and fill greased muffin tin with mixture. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with turkey and sauce. Yields 12 stuffing muffins.

Chipotle Buffalo Burgers

1/2 lb buffalo meat
1-2 chipotle peppers, minced *
salt and pepper to taste
2 cibatta rolls, toasted
romaine lettuce
mayo
feta cheese

make patties after mixing in the pepper(s) * I left the seeds in and just minced finely and the heat level was just right for me. cook medium rare on high heat. buffalo meat is lean and will fall apart if cooked too long. I toasted the buns in the same pan as I cooked the meat. Put meat on bread and Top with the "toppings". enjoy! makes 2 1/4 lb burgers.

I also served sweet potato fries as a side. This burger was juicy moist and had a mildly smoky flavor that lasted even after the burger was gone. Eric and I sat there and talked about the other variations on this burger; mushrooms, bacon and smoked cheddar; bell peppers, smoked provalone, and grilled onions...the sky is the limit on this one.

Southwest chicken salad w/ Avocado and mango salsa

1 Can prepared chicken, drained
1 C black beans, drained
1/2 C corn (any kind just defrosted/drained)
1/2 small onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
1-2 chipotle peppers minced/seeded
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 C low fat mayo*
1/8 C low fat miracle whip

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover and chill.
* I used a chipotle mayo for some added heat instead of 2 peppers

Avocado and mango salsa
1 haas avocado, shelled, and cubed
1 mango, fairly ripe, skinned and also cubed
1 sm onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
salt, pepper to taste
1 lemon
1 TBS cilantro, minced

put veggies/fruit in a bowl. Sqeeze lemon onto mixture, add seasoning and herbs, chill.

To make the Salad, I used romaine lettuce, but any kind of lettuce will do. Cut up the lettuce and top with chicken mixture and salsa. Add cheese or black olives and enjoy!

I also thought about/or it was suggested to me to just leave the lettuce whole and use it as a wrap for the salad and salsa. Will have to try it next time!

eat meat only half the time

It has been so long since I wrote in this blog. I can say that I am back and am going to make a better effort at writing something at least once a week. I did try and stick with the whole NO meat thing last year and found that although my health probably needed a stretch to get rid of red meat that had been in my system for a very LONG time, I began feeling lethargic and tired most of the time. So, I compromised. I now eat meat, but only 2-3 times per week. No red meat unless I am out at a family event or special occasion. I cook turkey, chicken and fish when I do indulge in being carnivorous, other wise I eat veggie only dishes, or omit meat. I will be sharing recipes as time allows. Today I came up with a good one! Southwest Chicken Salad with Mango and Avocado Salsa. It was delish and I am very proud of myself. I am also going to use this blog as a way to hold myself accountable for my food journal. After all, if I am not making new recipes how can I take note of it in my food journal? Anyway, I am not sure if ANYone out there is reading me, BUT if you are...please enjoy! and remember that life is too short not to have FUN!