Vegetable Pot Pie with Biscuit top

This is one of those recipes that I just throw together, so I will try to write down amounts as close as possible... ; )

This is what you'll need:

2-3 Potatoes, peeled and diced
2-3 Carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, chopped
4-6 mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
bouillon cubes/powder (I am finally getting a vegetarian bouillon...yeah...my sister ordered it on her co-op for me!)

butter
flour
milk
basil
salt and pepper

Saute mushrooms 3-5 minutes until lightly browned.  Set aside.

Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in about 4 cups of water with 2 bouillon cubes.  Boil until tender.  Add frozen peas for final 5-7 minutes of boiling time. 

I forgot to toss mine in, so I just microwaved them until they were warm.  ; )

Drain vegetables, but KEEP THE DRAINED LIQUID!! You will use this in your cream sauce.  It has so much flavor and little bits of the veggies.

 To make a white sauce, I always start with 2-3 T of butter in a saucepan.  Melt and let it slightly brown.  Add in 4-5 T of flour, until you have a thicker paste.  Then I let this brown.  I have found that this gives a white sauce SO much more flavor.  You don't want to burn it...just let it sit for a minute and then give it a little stir, then let it sit again to brown on the bottom.  Then you whisk in your liquid and milk to get your desired consistency.  I use about 1/2 milk,  1/2 veggie water.  Then add in your salt and pepper, basil, and any other seasonings you like.  I often use rosemary, italian seasoning, or seasoning salt.  Whatever sounds good to you!

Add the mushrooms to your drained vegetables and then pour sauce over them and stir.

Put mixture in an 8X8 pan and top with a 1/2 inch layer of biscuit dough.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes until top is nice and browned.

I am sure everyone has a simple biscuit recipe.  I like to make buttermilk biscuits and I use mostly shortening, but I also cut in at least 2-3 T of cold butter to help it be more flaky.

Roasted Vegetable Pie

{Meatless Monday}

OK...here is the recipe that used the parsnip...and I loved it!  I have decided that I LOVE roasted vegetables! They are so flavorful and tender...yum.


I only have a photo of MOST of the items you need:
(I have been seriously busy lately...)

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes  ( I used yellow squash)
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup baby carrots (I just used regular and chopped into large disks)
1 sweet red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
2 T olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup vegetable broth ( I used chicken broth---I really need to go shopping for a good vegetable base!)
1 T cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 T plain bread crumbs
(This didn't seem like enough "gravy" so I pretty much doubled the broth/cornstarch and then just added a little more bread crumbs into the mix.)

1 double pie crust, uncooked (I ALWAYS make homemade and just in the last 6 months, I've gotten brave enough to make whole wheat pie crusts...and they are YUMMY!  I will post my recipe as soon as I get some time.)
2 T grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten with 1 T water


Heat oven to 450*.  Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, squash, parsnips, carrots, and red pepper.  Toss with olive oil and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.  Spread on baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.  ( I ended up sprinkling on some italian seasoning, garlic, and seasoning salt...just to flavor these a little more!)

Oh, and by the way, when you open your oven to put in the vegetables, be careful...because your recipe might be swept off the top of your oven and land inside the oven on the element and burst into flames.

Seriously...I am sure it would have been pretty funny to someone watching...but it wasn't funny to me....at the time.  ; )  Luckily, I had already finished using the ingredients that it burned away!

Meanwhile, whisk together the broth and cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer 3-5 minutes until thickened.  Add thyme, oregano, and remaining 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.  In a large bowl, toss roasted vegetables, sauce, and bread crumbs.

These are my veggies after roasting...

And this is the whole mixture in my bottom pie crust...

I just LOVE how colorful and beautiful these veggies are!
Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.
Cover with second pie crust, cut a few slits, and brush on the egg/water mixture.  (Don't put too much...just enough to give it a little shine.)  This makes it turn out golden and crispy on top.

Bake at 450* for 15 minutes.  Lower heat to 425* and bake for another 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.

I followed their cooking instructions and the edges of my crust came out completely burnt!  So I would say you should at least cover the edges with foil for all but the last 15 minutes.  Or you could just bake it at about 375* for 35-40 minutes...that would probably work too.  Just watch the edges...they are always the first to burn.  I just cut mine off and it was fine.

I really liked the flavor of this pie.  The sauce is very light and just had a mild herb flavor and I really enjoyed the new flavor of parsnips...at least in this pie.  I've never had them in any other form.

We had this with my FAVORITE salad ever:

Recipe also still to come!!  I served this at the Teacher's dinner this last week and we've just been enjoying some leftovers.  Mmmmm.

Cheese and Spinach Tart with Glazed Carrots

{Meatless Monday}

I got these recipes from Parents Magazine.  They were both a hit with my family!

I only got a before shot of the carrots.  They were simple but very tasty.  All my kids love them.  They like carrots in the first place...so who wouldn't love them with a little butter and brown sugar?

  

The recipe calls for frozen carrots, but I found these carrot "chips" in the fresh produce and thought they would be perfect.

Glazed Carrots:

1 12 oz. bag frozen carrots

1 T. butter

3 T. brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Place all ingredients into skillet or small pot and bring to a boil.  Cover.  Reduce heat to medium for 7 minutes.  Uncover and cook another 10-12 minutes until liquid evaporates and carrots are tender.

Cheese and Spinach Tart

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cups diced onion (I used just over 1 cup)

1 9 inch pie shell

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat oil and onions in skillet on medium for 10 minutes to carmelize the onions.  Set aside.  Whisk together milk, eggs, cheese, garlic,  Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Add onions and spinach.  Pour into pie shell and bake 45-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  I recommend putting strips of foil on your pie crust for at least 15 minutes of the baking time, so they don't get too dark.  

Here's how mine looked when it came out of the oven:

I've been using my whole wheat flour for pie crusts and they are so flavorful!  Just use a little less flour so that they don't get too tough.  I've been really pleased with how flaky and tender they still are!  Of course, I still do the cold butter trick, so that probably helps a lot. (Reduce shortening by 2-4 T and add 2-4 T. of sliced cold butter).

**I actually made more filling by using 5 eggs and 1 1/2 cups milk and just adding a little bit more of the seasonings.  I wanted my "tart" to be a little bit thicker.  Depending on the size of your family, you can easily increase the amounts.  Don't worry too much about it, as long as the egg to milk ratio is roughly the same...it will cook up fine!

I've made a lot of quiche in the last few years.  This was REALLY good.  My whole family liked the entire meal.  No complaints, no whines, no exclamations of "Gross!"  It was a beautiful evening!

We were given a bag of GIGANTIC potatoes from our neighbor, so I microwaved one really quick and made hashbrowns to go with our meal.

Wow...I'm hungry right now and that looks really good!  I think I'll go have the last leftover calzone in the fridge.  I love leftovers!

Have a great week!

Spinach Quiche

{Meatless Monday}

This is another recipe that I basically just throw together...especially tonight since I had a piano recital at my house (for FHE) and we sat down to dinner 30 minutes before everyone was to arrive!

I love to make these as individual quiches. I have these small pie pans that I got years ago that the kids think are so fun. I think I got them at Walmart...but I can't say that I've seen them recently. I LOVE to make individual apple pies in them...they are so cute.

Here's what you will need:



And here's the recipe:

6 eggs
2 cups milk or cream (I always just use milk, but it is really yummy with some whipping cream)
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion (you can use regular onion also)
1 cup chopped spinach, fresh or frozen
1 cup shredded cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
You could always add mushrooms or peppers, too.

Prepare pie crust. (Tip for a flaky pie crust from Martha Stewart: reduce your shortening by two tablespoons and add 3-4 T of sliced COLD butter. Try it...it works!) Sprinkle onion, spinach and cheese in bottom of crust. Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together. Pour into crust.
Here are the official baking instructions in my recipe book: Bake uncovered at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300. Bake until center in cooked, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
I normally just throw it in there at about 375. The large pie pan takes 50-60 minutes and that's why I love my small ones because they are done in about 30 minutes. I've even baked these in muffin tins before and those took 18-20 minutes. Just cook it until a knife comes out clean from the center.


Serve with salsa and enjoy! Tonight we ate these with some Mexican Cornbread that my aunt had made and shared with us. Yum!

Tomato Zucchini Tart

{Meatless Monday}

I don't remember which magazine I got this out of...but we LOVE it! I found this recipe last year and it just tastes like a slice of summer. I don't normally like tomato slices, but I love them in this recipe.

It is very simple and has just the perfect mixture of spices to accent the fresh veggies.

Here's what you will need:


I forgot to put Thyme in the picture...but you will also need it!

1 baked pie crust
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese (less fat and softer than cream cheese)
1 scant tsp. each of oregano, basil (I used fresh), and italian seasoning
4 med. tomatoes, thinly sliced
1-2 med. zucchini, sliced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Thyme

Soften cheese and add seasonings.
Spread mixture carefully on bottom of cooked pie crust. Layer tomato and zucchini. Salt and pepper. (You can make multiple layers of vegetables...I normally just do one.) Garnish with thyme over top...and fresh basil, if desired. (I am currently trying to use up 3 huge basil plants!)


Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. To keep the crust from browning too much, put foil strips around for the first 20-25 minutes.
Serve warm.


I LOVE how the creamy cheese oozes up around the slices of tomato and zucchini. I had a really small zucchini, so I decided to put those all around the edges...you can do it however you want! I just think this is such a beautiful side dish...and really so very scrumptious! I hope you all have some fresh tomatoes and zucchini to try this one out! I can't promise that children will love it...only one of mine does...but any adult who truly savors the flavor of fresh veggies should really love this!

Spinach Phyllo Pie

{Meatless Monday}

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food. I've never made anything like this...never bought Phyllo dough before. (The package actually has phyllo in parentheses under the Fillo...now idea why they do that!)

Here's what you'll need:




2 T olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 pkg. (20 oz. each) fresh baby spinach (I used frozen from our garden)
1 cup crumbled feta (4 oz.)
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped (you will not see these in my photo--I HATE raisins!)
20 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed and cut to 8x12 if necessary

In a medium pan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until golden, about 4 min. Add garlic and cook 1 min. Transfer to large bowl.
Return pan to heat. Working in batches, cook spinach until wilted, about 1 min. Drain spinach and let cool. Press out moisture and roughly chop. Add spinach, feta, and raisins to bowl with onions and season mixture with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350*. Unroll Phyllo. Place 1 sheet on a work surface (keep remaining sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying); brush with oil. Lay another sheet on top and brush with oil. Repeat until you have 10 layers of phyllo. Spread half of filling lengthwise down middle of phyllo stack. Roll into a log, brushing the seam with oil before sealing. Brush log with oil. Using a sharp knife, make 8 diagonal cuts on top. Repeat to make 2nd log.


Place logs, seam side down, on an oiled baking sheet. Bake until deep golden brown, 40-45 minutes.



Cut into slices along slashes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


You can see my two logs look very different...one of them I folded in thirds and one of them I rolled up....take your pick!

My two oldest kids and I thought these were very yummy...but my husband just thought they were OK. I would have liked some finely chopped walnuts in these, but I was all out.

Now I can't wait to make some Baklava with my leftover phyllo!