Chicken Pot Pie

Hmm, and what could I make with all that pie crust?

Fill it with savory goodness I suppose!

This meal inspired the other two girls in my family to make a pie for their loved ones. What better way to say "I love you" than make pie? At least I was raised that pie equals the greatest love. I mean, pie is served on only the special, family holidays... which is now every holiday... every holiday plus when it sounds really good... who would ever want to limit it to a few days of the year?... we make pie a lot.

That just must mean we love a lot.

Anyway, I adapted this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything and when I went back to find it again her site was down. I got scared because I love her blog and I hadn't written this recipe down yet! I thought I lost it forever. I waited three days and three nights and checked the site again. It was back up! Yay!! Then I felt reassured and waited until now to type it out... 

Ingredients:

2 unbaked pie crusts, rolled out

1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cubed

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

32 oz carton of organic chicken broth (reserving 1 3/4 cups after boil)

2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Place one of the pie crust in the bottom of pie dish, poke holes in bottom and crimp edges. Bake for about 6 minutes.

In a pot, combine carrots, peas, chicken, celery, and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil and cover for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 3/4 cups chicken broth and drain the rest of the liquid. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the onions, cooking until translucent. Add the flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly stir in the milk and the reserved chicken broth. Stir until thick and creamy on medium-high heat. Add the mixture to your chicken and vegetables. If desired, you can add more chicken broth if you like your pot pies more runny. 

Place your filling in the bottom shell and cover with your other prepared crust. Seal and cut away the excess crust. Poke vents on the top to allow steam to escape. Place in 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. 

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Mango, Cucumber, and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Oh how my husband loves this salad. He has established it his favorite dinner and now I must have all the ingredients in the kitchen at all times, just in case... Well, it is delicious.


With a perfect combination of flavors, trust me, you will have happy taste buds.


Ingredients:
*Note: I always cook my quinoa in veg. broth & remember to rinse.
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 (15 oz) can black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, mango, black beans, cucumber, cilantro.


In a separate dish, whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and pepper until combined and toss into salad. Refrigerate for at least an hour.


Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Greek Chickpea Salad

Vegetables and chickpeas? How can this not be good?? Nick found this recipe on Peas and Crayons, pointed to it, smiled, and said, "Thursday". So I guessed he wanted it for dinner and I clearly wasn't going to say no. It looked delicious! So I've created it tonight, although slightly altered, but we were both very very happy with how it turned out!

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 a cucumber
1/4 onion

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp dill
salt and pepper

Directions:
Dice the bell peppers, cucumber, and onion. Toss them in a bowl.


Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, whisk the dressing until smooth and toss into the bowl with the vegetables. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.