Vegetable Pot Pies (Pie)

O.K, this recipe is supposed to make 8 x 1-cup individual pot pies, and I don't know about you, but I just don't have ANY (never mind 8) ramekins sitting around my kitchen! So, I just made one large vegetable pie (like my Mom's meat pies when I was a kid - still a favorite when she comes to visit!). So, it was great to discover a vegetarian version!

Served with oranges and a yummy jello (not shown - yes you are missing out!)

Dough

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 Tbs. cold soy margarine, cut into pieces

Filling

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium leek, white and green parts chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
• 8 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 4 oz. red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 2 Tbs. creamy cashew butter, optional
• 6 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
• 1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

Directions

1. To make Dough: Whisk together flours and salt in bowl. Cut or rub margarine into flour mixture until no large pieces remain. Stir in 3 to 4 Tbs. cold water until smooth dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill while making Filling.
2. To make Filling: Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add leek, celery, carrots, and mushrooms; sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Stir in flour 
and garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add potatoes, broth, and poultry seasoning. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cashew butter (if using), and 
cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat, and stir in asparagus, peas, and corn.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out Dough to 1/8-inch thickness. If using ramekins, cut into 8 4-inch rounds. Or, if making one pie, just roll it out!
4. Divide Filling among 8 1-cup ramekins (or pour all into a large pie dish). Place dough rounds on top, pressing dough around sides of ramekins with fork to crimp and seal. Poke hole in top of each pot pie. Place pot pies on baking sheet (important to contain overflow), and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Oops! I forgot to poke a cool design in the crust!

Our Opinions

Without getting direct quotes from everyone, let me just say that this was a huge success. Everyone really liked the vegetable pie! The only request is to use my Mom's pastry recipe instead of the one above (it is a bit dense and tough).

With the crust as written in the recipe, the average rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

If made with a light and flaky crust, the rating goes up to 4.7 out of 5 stars.

This recipe is a keeper! I will make it again, but with a flaky crust!

Vegetable Quesadillas

Professional plating by Jeff! Nice touch with the celery leaves for extra color!

Serves 8

• 1 c. Sliced mushrooms
• 1 T. light olive oil
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 1 medium clove galic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 2-1/2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. In a non-stick skillet, brown mushrooms in olive oil. Add zucchini, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook until vegetables are tender, stir occasionally. Stir in tomato, cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and keep warm.
2. Over medium heat, warm tortilla till lightly browned, turn over and sprinkle one half of tortilla with 1/3 c. cheese and 1/4 c. of the vegetable mixture. Fold tortilla in half. Cook until browned on both sides and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling

Per Serving (1 tortilla with filling): 325 calories, 31g carbs, 13g protein, 17g fat, 2g fiber, 31mg cholesterol, 488mg sodium.


Notes: Most of the fat from this recipe comes from the cheese, and we could tell by just looking at the recipe that it was more cheese than we wanted. We used about half the cheese, and that worked great.


We did not have any jalapeños, so we put in chopped green chilis. They were a great option, but cut back on the spiciness of the dish.

Our Opinion

Jeff and I were the only ones home for lunch (benefit of working at home), and we both really liked these quesadillas. We were really glad that we cut the cheese in half! We served the quesadillas with sliced apples and banana chunks. We will definitely have these again - next time with the kids so we can get their thoughts on this healthier version of a family favorite!