This lighter-version of a favorite comes from Eating Well, and was a great way to feel comfortable eating comfort food. The biscuit topping was a nice surprise, and the dish really tasted rich and creamy. I’m putting in my official request for Lisa to make this again.

What the… did you really just make Chicken Pot Pie?

Lisa says:

Sure did…

Chris says:

But we never…

Lisa says:

…I was craving it! It’s a light version.

Chris says:

Wow, well it looks awesome.

Lisa says:

Just wait until you taste it — it may be light but it’s pretty rich.

Chris says:

Yeah it is! This is so good — though, I have a question.

Lisa says:

Ye-e-e-e-e-e-s….?

Chris says:

Is it still considered light if I have three helpings?

Lisa says:

…. uh-no-o-o-o-o-o.

Chicken Pot Pie

Filling
3 tsp canola oil
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 cup carrots, cut into small pieces
10 oz cremini mushrooms, halved
1/2 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Biscuit topping
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 tbsp canola oil

To prepare filling, heat 1 tsp oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; cook, stirring, until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and broccoli and cook, stirring often, until browned and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Return the onions and carrots to the pan. Add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup broth; add to the pan and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Stir in chicken, peas, sour cream, salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a 2-quart baking dish.
To prepare biscuit topping & bake potpie: Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and thyme in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or 2 knives, cut butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Add buttermilk and oil; stir until just combined. Drop the dough onto the filling in 6 even portions. Set the baking dish on a baking sheet.
Bake the potpie until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

6 Servings

Here’s another good one from Almost Meatless: okra, chard, onions, and just a bit of chicken in a richly-flavored broth made with peanut butter and chicken stock. The recipe makes quite a bit, and was so good that in addition to Lisa, I brought in leftovers for lunch the following day! (Those of you who know us realize how monumental that is!) The original recipe calls for dark-meat turkey (attention to those of you looking for ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers!), which we substituted for chicken.

Yum, this sauce is so good — and the rice just soaks it all up.

Chris says:

Yeah, I really like this — and even though you’re not the biggest fan, I heart the okra in it.

Lisa says:

Hey, I guess I won’t have to have my ritual spoon of peanut butter tonight!

Chris says:

Ha, guess not — and although you definitely taste the peanut flavor in here, it’s not like those Thai peanut sauces that are *super* peanutty.

Lisa says:

Nope — definitely not… not that I’d mind. I’m glad this is “almost” meatless, I’m almost ready for another vegetarian week.

Chris says:

…I’ll gladly eat whatever you aren’t in the mood for!

Lisa says:

Hey, fork off! I didn’t say I was ready for vegetarian week just yet…!

African Peanut Stew
2 tbsp oil, divided
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb), cut into strips
4 oz okra, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced into strips
4 cups chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (or fresh, if you have ‘em)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
4 cups thinly-sliced rainbow chard
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for five minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer meat and juices to a plate.
Add the 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pot, scraping up the bits from the bottom. Pour the liquid and bits over the chicken and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot, add the okra, and saute for five minutes on medium heat, until it starts to look sticky. Add the onion and saute another five minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup of the stock and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in the spices, tomatoes, peanut butter, reserved meat and juices, remaining stock, and chard. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.
Serve over brown rice and garnish with red bell peppers, chopped peanuts, and green onions.

6 Servings

This is a perfect recipe to adapt to the vegetables you happen to have on hand.  Our CSA box came loaded with corn on the cob and mushrooms, so I modified a recipe from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday to use the fresh vegetables of the day.  As the book suggests, one of the great things about this soup is that once you master the base broth, the variations are limited only by your imagination.

Lisa says:

Wahoo! I love walking in the door to a meal that’s ready to go!

Chris says:

I like not feeling rushed on nights that you’re home late.

Lisa says:

Nice. Is it spicy?

Chris says:

Shouldn’t be — ancho powder is relatively mild; it has a slightly smokey flavor.

Lisa says:

Mmmmm… the masa harina really gives it a nice consistency.

Chris says:

Totally — and the flavor goes really well with the fresh corn kernels. The starch from juicing the cobs also helps thicken it.

Lisa says:

I like how thin you cut the chicken.

Chris says:

Yep — it cooks pretty quickly that way.

Lisa says:

Well this soup is disappearing pretty quickly this way.

Red Chileatole with Mushrooms, Corn, Peppers, and Chicken
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 1/2 tbsp masa harina
4 cups chicken broth, divided
6 oz cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 ears of corn
1/2 poblano pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
salt, to taste

Husk the corn. In a shallow bowl, hold ears of corn upright and, with a sharp knife, cut kernels from the cobs. Then with blunt edge of the knife, scrape juice from cobs. Discard the cobs.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer the onion and garlic to a food processor or blender. Add chile powder, masa harina, and 1 1/2 cups broth; process until smooth.

Return the puree to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, mushrooms, corn kernels and juices, poblano pepper, and parsley and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken and continue to simmer until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes more. Taste and add salt if needed. Remove parsley and ladle into soup bowls.

3-4 Servings

Our first post after our almost three weeks in Italy (w00t honeymoon!) is this chicken dish from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday. The original recipe calls to prepare it in a slow-cooker, but, not owning one, we went with the oven-bake method instead. This was a perfect recipe match to our CSA box, which this week included tomatillos and red-skinned potatoes.

Chris says:

Yum, I love this!

Lisa says:

Me too — I was taking bites while you were taking pictures.

Chris says:

This is like your dream dinner — there’s no oil, and there’s salt between each layer.

Lisa says:

That doesn’t mean I can’t add even more salt, though…

Chris says:

I bet the flavors would be even more intense if this was done in a slow-cooker. And I really like the little crispy edges of cilantro and tomatillo from the lid-free finish.

Lisa says:

Too bad I have lunch plans tomorrow, this would make a great lunch.

Chris says:

Guess what we’re having for dinner tomorrow night, then?

Lisa says:

Wahoo!

Pollo Pulquero
1 medium white onion, sliced into 1/4″ thick rings
salt
1 lb red-skin potatoes, sliced 1/4″ thick
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 1/4 lbs tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and sliced 1/4″ thick
1/4 cup roasted hatch chilis, chopped

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a 6-qt Dutch Oven, spread the onion in a layer, and sprinkle with salt. Continue with the potato slices, chicken, cilantro, and tomatillos, sprinkling with salt over each layer. Scatter the roasted chilis over the top. Set the lid in place and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 15-20 minutes longer to reduce the juices. Spoon directly onto plates, and top with additional cilantro.

4 Servings

This chicken burger recipe comes from Fitness Food. Ground chicken is mixed with breadcrumbs, cilantro, chili sauce, and spices, and formed into burger-size patties. It’s served with ribbons of cucumber and carrot, and a sweet cilantro-vinegar sauce.

Chris says:

I got bit by the time-bug on this recipe, too!

Lisa says:

What do you mean?

Chris says:

They would have been done 30 minutes earlier if I had remembered the “refrigerate” step.

Lisa says:

At least we had that beet salad to snack on!

Chris says:

True… anyway, I like these. Though I think next time I’ll form them a little thinner so they cook more quickly.

Lisa says:

Yeah these are monsters! What’s this sauce all about?

Chris says:

It’s just a sweet cilantro sauce to go on top… it was supposed to also have peanuts in it, but we were out.

Lisa says:

Other than being so giant, I like these burgers. Although now I’m really full. And…

Chris says:

…yeah?

Lisa says:

I know that when one of us cooks, the other does the dishes, but… how the heck did you use so many dishes tonight?

Chris says:

Hey!

Lisa says:

Just sayin’. I’m getting dishpan hands over here.

Thai Chicken Burgers
1 lb chicken breast
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large handful cilantro, chopped, plus extra
3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp ground coriander
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped peanuts
1 carrot
1 cucumber
lettuce
tomato

Cut the chicken into 1″-2″ cubes and place in a food processor, and pulse until minced. Remove to a bowl, and mix with the breadcrumbs, garlic, cilantro, chili sauce, ground coriander, and green onions. Mix together with your hands and form into four patties. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
To make the dressing, put the sugar, vinegar, and 3 tbsp water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool and stir in the peanuts and extra cilantro.
Peel strips of carrots and cucumber into ribbons.
Heat a grill or grillpan and spray with oil. Cook the burgers for 4+ minutes on each side, or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached. Serve on hamburger buns with the dressing, lettuce, tomato, carrot, and cucumber.

4 Servings.