Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie via Real Simple

I keep my recipes in 2 separate binders--one for spring/summer, and one for fall/winter.  Chicken Pot Pie falls undoubtedly into the fall/winter binder for me.  Even though the veggies can be found fresh at the farmers' markets in the summer, I just can't resist that creamy, bubbling casserole with the pie crust on top as one of my favorite winter comfort foods.  

I often leave the shredded chicken out of this pie these days (and bump up the veggie content), which kind of nullifies the entire name, but I still insist on calling it Chicken Pot Pie.

This is my favorite CPP recipe--it cuts down on calories by omitting or cutting down on some of the higher-calorie ingredients.  (A pie crust on top instead of fully surrounding the casserole, for example.)  Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!

Veggie Pot Pie

via

Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite comfort foods to make AND to share.  It seems so time-consuming (although it's really not), which makes it a "special" food to take to someone, and you can't beat a one-dish portable meal!

This week's Veggie Pot Pie is based on the Real Simple February 2009 recipe, which took classic comfort foods and made them healthier.  My original clipping says, "Who needs butter?  This pie gets its velvety richness from olive oil, wine, low-fat milk, & a double dose of vegetables."

It's that double-dose of veggies that have always made me think the chicken was actually overrated in this pie.  I love it equally without the meat, and that is why it made the very first list for our Food-Lovers' Challenge.

Homemade pie crust is an excuse in itself to own a food processor.  I LOVE how easy it is to dump all the ingredients in, pulse for a minute or so, and out comes the dough, ready to be flattened into discs & chilled in the fridge.  This pot pie only has crust on the top (instead of on the bottom, too), so it cuts down on the calories.  Plus, the whole wheat flour makes it taste BETTER, in my opinion.

Don't be afraid to add extra veggies to this recipe.  I almost always add extra peas, because the bags I buy are more than 10 oz.  Mushrooms would also be a good addition.

ON THE SIDE RECOMMENDATIONS: A big green salad