Chicken Pot Pie

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

See the sauce bubbling out the side? That’s what you are looking for. Crust is golden, now just try and wait while it sets up a bit …. no judgement if you can’t! I promise it is delicious.

Fall ….. it just makes me want to bake, and roast, and toast. This chicken pot pie recipe is a staple around here. You can make it as easy as “pie” by purchasing pre-made pastry shells or make your own – either way, this pie is flaky, tender and bursting with bites of chicken and vegetable goodness. Serve with a tossed salad and dinner is ready.

Preheat oven to 400

2 pastry shells
2 cups cooked chicken (use leftovers or a rotisserie chicken for simplicity)
olive oil
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups chicken stock
diced vegetables – your choice and about 2 cups worth of:
sweet peppers
celery
carrots
peas (not in my house, neither of us like cooked peas)
zucchini
corn
green beans
a generous handful of herbs, I like thyme, basil, oregano and parsley
salt and pepper

Brush one pie shell with beaten egg white, sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes, just until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

I find if you pre-bake the bottom crust, brushed with beaten egg white, the pastry stays flaky. Sprinkle a little sea salt on for that extra bit of crunch. I think you can see here that my bottom crust was in the freezer, thank you Tenderflake pastry!

In saucepan heat olive oil, then stir in onion. Stir until just translucent and add in the garlic clove. If celery is one of your chosen vegetables, add it now too. Allow to saute for a few minutes until just starting to become tender. Add the flour and create a thick paste, letting the flour cook for a minute in order to remove that “floury” taste. Gradually stir in the chicken stock, just a bit at a time until it is all incorporated and your sauce is starting to thicken. Stir in the rest of your vegetables, taste and season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Pour the chicken & vegetable mixture into the prebaked pie shell, and cover with the 2nd pastry shell. If you’ve purchased pre made pastry, just squish and squiggle it around a bit and play with the edges, nobody will ever know you didn’t make it!

The top crust was a pastry shell I had in the freezer, probably leftover from an apple pie day!

TIP: If you are vegetarian, or just feel like a vegetarian meal, this is so easy to do! Just omit the chicken and use a LOT more veg. Instead of chicken stock use a vegetable stock. Your results will be ever so delicious …. you’re welcome!

Sprinkle the top with a bit more salt and pepper, some Italian herbs and either paprika or a bit of dried roasted red pepper. (yes, we do our own dried seasonings with the surplus of vegetables in the field)

Put the whole pie in the oven (I’ve learned to have a foil dripping sheet below it…..) and cook for 15 minutes at 400, then lower the oven to 350 and cook for about 40-50 minutes, until you see the sauce bubbling out the side and the pie looks golden brown.

If your pie is looking golden brown, but not yet bubbling out the sides, loosely lay a sheet of tin foil over the pie until you see that bubbling action.

Make sure you let it sit for 15-20 minutes after it comes out of the oven, that allows it to set a bit. Not that it tastes any less wonderful if it is running all over your plate ……..

See what I mean? We couldn’t wait the 15 minutes, but it was delicious. By the time we came back for seconds it had set up and made nice even slices. Amazing either way!

Butternut Squash Salad

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Roasted squash, crunchy pepitas, salty feta, and tart pickled red onions. This salad has it all, and can be served warm or cold. Make a big batch it keeps so well.

Butternut Squash Salad

1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds)

5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup cooked barley

Barley

1 cup chopped fresh kale, massaged well until it is bright green

Look how much brighter the massaged kale is, compared to the kale at the bottom of the photo. Massaged kale is more tender and easy to digest also.

1/3 cup toasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
3 ounces feta cheese
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

preheat oven to 375

Peel squash and cut into bite size pieces. Toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, and roast until tender, about 30-40 minutes.

To cook barley put 1/2 cup dry barley into saucepan with 2 cups water (or chicken stock for extra flavour). Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to sit for 1 hour. Drain well. You can easily do this a day ahead.

Dice red onion finely, and set aside in small bowl or jar. Combine the sherry vinegar, water, salt and sugar and stir until well dissolved. Pour over onions and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. You can also do this ahead of time, in fact I often have a jar of these in my fridge as they are amazing on salads, sandwiches and of course tacos!

Just love the bright colour pickled red onions get, with a gorgeous pink vinaigrette. Yum.

The pumpkin seeds I have on hand all the time aren’t salted, so I toasted them in a little bit of olive oil, with a sprinkle of fresh sea salt. They were so delicious I kept nibbling at them, good thing I ended up with enough for the salad.

When squash is ready, toss in a large bowl with all the other ingredients and about 3 tbsp olive oil.

Get everything ready ahead of time, and once the squash is roasted toss it all together.

Credit for this amazing salad goes to Smitten Kitchen, Deb used faro and I used barley but you can use any grain you like. The kale was my idea too, had some in the fridge and thought it would add a nice pop of colour and texture, it did!

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Tahini Drizzle

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Roasted broccoli gets some really nice crackly bits, which just means more flavour. This recipe stands on it’s own for a vegetarian dish, by treating the stalks with my pulled pork dry rub before roasting.

I forgot this time, but the broccoli looks even better with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Tahini Drizzle

Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp tahini
1½ tsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1/2 tsp roasted sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil

Dry Rub (I usually like to keep a jar of this ready made, for all sorts of uses)

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar

Wash broccoli and separate into stems. Give broccoli a generous shake of the dry rub.

Roast at 400 degrees just until you see little crispy bits appearing, turn and roast a bit more. At 400 this should take about 20 minutes, but you can adjust with any temperature you need your oven at. If you are like me, with only one oven, sometimes it is working extra hard to produce dinner!

Arrange broccoli on serving platter and drizzle with tahini sauce.

Massaman Curry

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

I’ve had a bit of a love for Penang curry lately, but tonight Massaman won the battle. In no way is this totally authentic, since I wasn’t planning to put either carrots or potatoes in and those are both always found in Massaman curry. Served with Sticky Thai chicken wings and jasmine rice this made a fantastic dinner, quick and easy but oh so tasty.

Tonight this was a vegetarian dish with cauliflower, broccoli and bok choy but you could easily add a protein if you like. In Thai lessons we learned to add thinly sliced meat and then NOT stir it until it is cooked through.

Thai chicken curries are so simple to make, and come together very quickly.

Get everything ready first and when its time to cook it will happen before you know it!

1/2 cup onion, roughly chopped (in Thailand, every cooking class I took had us cutting 1/2 an onion into 6 pieces)
1 large garlic clove, sliced
1 tbsp each minced ginger and lemongrass
2 tbsp Massaman curry paste
1 can coconut milk (don’t use the lite version)
3-4 cups assorted vegetables, in bite size pieces

Mix together and set aside: 2 tbsp each fresh lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar

Heat peanut oil in saucepan until shimmering and add onion pieces, stir until slightly softened and add garlic, ginger, lemongrass and curry paste. Saute to bring out the flavours in the curry and aromatics. Add coconut milk and stir well. Add vegetables and cook just until crisp tender. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar.

Thai food should have a great balance of sweet, spicy, salty & tangy. If this doesn’t yet, keep making adjustments until it does!

Roasted Marinated Sweet Red Peppers

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

It’s true, going through all the steps to grill and prepare these peppers does take a little bit of time. Pick a sunny day and the sweet smell of them grilling will be enough payback. Do enough for a dinner side dish also! In the middle of winter when you open a jar you will immediately be transported back to that summer day. I love using these in so many different appetizers, slivered in a salad or pasta or just served with a grilled steak.

These sweet peppers are an amazing way of capturing the tastes and smells of summer in a jar.

4 pounds firm, fresh and cleaned red bell peppers

Lightly oil peppers and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until charred in spots and softened. Put in bowl, cover tightly and allow to sit for 15 minutes until you can easily slip the skins off. If you don’t have a barbecue you can also do this over an open flame or in your oven with the broiler unit.

Red pepper 1

MARINADE

1 cup bottled lemon juice
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1 1/2 tsp salt

Bring all marinade ingredients to boil in a saucepan.

In most cases I would suggest squeezing fresh lemon juice, but in this instance the consistency and acidic content of bottled lemon juice is what you need.

If you want to use these within a few weeks, just fill the jars with peppers and pour the boiling marinade over.

Red pepper 3

Seal and keep in the fridge.

SEALING AND PRESERVING

Scald jars in boiling water and heat canning lids and sealers in boiling water. Fill jars with peppers, immediately fill to within 1/2 inch of the top. Quickly close the jars with lids and sealers and boil in canner for 15 minutes.

Lemon Tahini Bok Choy & Peppers

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Lemon Tahini Bok Choy & Peppers

This is a vegan recipe! I know, maybe not that big a deal to some people but I’m sort of a carnivore. This is so delicious it can be served alongside pretty much any dish you enjoy. Truthfully, my carnivorous tendencies are changing, albeit slowly. My mind set is still that I think of what meat or protein I want to cook, then I work the rest of the meal around that. However …. I’ve noticed that ever so slowly, my meat or protein is shrinking. Tonight I served this veg dish along with pork cutlet and tonkatsu sauce. A 3 ounce pork cutlet served both my husband and I, without either of us feeling like anything was missing …. changes are coming and we are right on board.

SAUCE – serves about 4

1 tsp toasted sesame oil (plus extra for cooking)
2 tbsp tahini paste
1 lemon, juiced (start with 2 tbsp)
1/4 tsp chili flakes
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
bok choy, onion, red pepper
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

To make sauce, whisk together all ingredients until smooth, taste and adjust seasonings. It is hard to correct if you have used to much lemon, so start with 2 tbsp and if you like it “lemony”, add a bit more.

Lemon Tahini Bok Choy

Wash veg thoroughly, (those bok choy have a tendency to hide grit).

Heat fry or sauce pan, add onion, and saute lightly, add bok choy and peppers, drizzle with a bit of extra sesame oil. Cook for 4-6 minutes, just until crisp tender.

Remove from heat and drizzle sauce over top, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Loaf

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Still trying to use up zucchini??? Here is a winner, hints of my Mexican Chocolate cake in this loaf, with a bit of cinnamon added to the chocolate and coffee flavours. If any loaf recipe uses up 2 cups of zucchini it has to be healthy, right??

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Loaf 2 INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp espresso powder (instant)
2 cups shredded zucchini (squeeze all the moisture out)
1 cup good quality chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. (you don’t have to do this step but I like the way it helps remove the loaf from the pan cleanly)

METHOD

Grate your zucchini and allow it to sit while you do everything else, so important to remove the excess liquid.

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Loaf

In a large mixing bowl stir the brown sugar into the melted butter and mix until all the sugar has dissolved, then add the eggs one at a time. It is really important to add the sugar before the egg so you don’t cook the egg! Stir in the vanilla and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, espresso. Whisk to make sure it is all blended together.

Stir dry ingredients into the brown sugar mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the zucchini and the chocolate.

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Loaf 3

This makes a VERY thick mixture, but don’t worry, it will be moist and delicious.

Turn into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Test at 50 to see if an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Rest for 15 minutes after taking it out of the oven, then removed from the loaf pan and allow to cool down for at least an hour before slicing.

Coconut Zucchini Bread

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Looking for a new way to use up some of that never ending zucchini that keeps showing up in your garden? This is it … so moist and tender with enough coconut that you get a bit of crunch in every bite.

I keep a cinnamon/sugar mix in a jar – sprinkle it over your loaf before baking and you will be guaranteed an extra crispy loaf top.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (make sure to drain well and squeeze out extra moisture)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (at room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. I like to set in parchment paper also for easier removal. Run it the length of the pan with a little sticking out each end – easy to grab and keep the loaf whole as you lift it out to cool.

In a mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In another bowl combine sugars, coconut oil, yogurt, egg and vanilla. Blend and stir in zucchini.

Coconut Zucchini 1

Add the wet ingredients to the dry bowl, and stir JUST until combined. Do not overmix. Gently stir in the coconut.

Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Use a toothpick to test, make sure it comes out clean before you remove the loaf from the oven. Let your zucchini bread rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before removing and setting it on a rack to completely cool.

The combination of yogurt and coconut oil makes this loaf so moist you won’t even notice there isn’t any butter in the recipe, or need to put it on after!

Indian Spiced Chicken Korma

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

This rich Indian sauce is packed with enough spices and layers of flavour, you will want extra rice or naan bread to mop up every bit of sauce left on your plate.

2 white onions, peeled and cut into quarters
6 cloves garlic, peeled
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large tomatoes, diced small
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
1/2 cup ground raw almonds
1 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk
1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 a small red chili, de-seeded and minced (dried or fresh)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed)
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces

(or – see below for other options to replace chicken thighs)

Key to making a dish like this is to have all your ingredients ready at hand. Here I’ve blended all the dry spice together so it is ready to be stirred in at the moment I need it.

Chefs call this “mis en place”, which simply means having everything ready to go, BEFORE you start cooking at all. It sure does make things smoother!

Instructions

Place the onions, garlic, and 1 cup of water in the bowl of a blender. Puree until smooth.
Measure out the spices (curry powder through nutmeg) into a small bowl.
In a large saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the pureed onion mixture and cook for a 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to darken in color.

Korma 6

Add the tomatoes, ginger, ground almonds, coconut milk, yogurt, red chili, pre-measured spices, and brown sugar. Stir well.

Turn the heat down to low and simmer 30 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan; simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

I had roasted a whole chicken the day before and felt like this Korma would be the perfect way to eat it all up the next day. Use a rotisserie chicken for a quick dinner if you don’t have leftover chicken on hand. Honestly, when we eat out, we usually order lamb korma, so you could just as easily use any protein of your choice – or go vegetarian and stir a bunch of fresh vegetables in.

Served today with homemade naan and the best crispiest crunchiest vegetable pakora!

Indian Vegetable Pakoras

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Don’t even think twice about giving these a try – super easy and more flavour in every bite than you can imagine.

Look at the bits of craggy onion strips, potato shreds, broccoli bits and moist zucchini – how can you not love this?

I’ve been wanting to try making pakoras for some time now, they are one of my top five Indian dishes to order in a restaurant. These hit it out of the park on my first try!! So delicious, full of intense flavour, you can use as much or little of the spice as you like. Crispy, craggy and loaded with fresh vegetables, you can make it just the way you like.

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea flour or besan
1/2 tsp baking powder

potatoes, cut into thin, small fingers/chips/cubes and washed
cauliflower, or broccoli, broken into small florets or chopped (or other vegetables)
onion, peeled and chopped
spinach leaves, washed and chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp fresh fenugreek or methi leaves, chopped (or use 1/2 tbsp. dry methi leaves)
1-2 green chillies, chopped finely. Omit if you like the pakoras to be mild

Use your imagination for the vegetables, these are only suggestions. For this amount of spice, and the chickpea flour you will need a total of 4 cups vegetables.

1 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
1 tsp chili powder, adjust to taste
1/4 tsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp coriander powder or the spice blend, Chat Masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Oil for deep frying

Todays mixture included broccoli, zucchini, potato and onion – use whatever is fresh (or you need to use up). :o)

Instructions

Place all vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle salt, as well as all the spices over the vegetables, and toss to combine. Allow to sit for about 30 min so the water drains out of the vegetables.
Add sifted (sift to remove lumps) chickpea flour/besan & baking powder slowly and make a slightly stiff mix of vegetables and besan, just enough to hold the vegetables together. Usually, no additional water is required, as there is enough water released from vegetables. If the mix is too stiff, sprinkle a little water, so that all vegetables are bound lightly by besan.
Heat oil in a wok. The oil is correct temperature, when a test pakora dropped in it sizzles and rises to the top of the oil quickly. The oil should not be smoking hot. Pakoras are crisper when cooked in medium hot oil.
Drop small blobs of this mix into the hot oil gently, about 1- 1 1/2 tbsp. at a time. Wait until they sizzle to the surface and then turn them over. Continue turning intermittently, until all Pakoras are evenly golden brown and crisp on all sides.
Rest to drain on an absorbent kitchen paper.
Continue this way until all pakora mix is used up.
If you need to keep them warm, put them in your oven at 200, perfect temp to keep them crispy and not overcook them.
Serve immediately with chutney.

Served tonight with chicken korma over rice, homemade naan bread (surprisingly easy) and these intensely flavoured pakoras.

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Category Archives: Vegetables

Chicken Pot Pie

Butternut Squash Salad

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Tahini Drizzle

Massaman Curry

Roasted Marinated Sweet Red Peppers

Lemon Tahini Bok Choy & Peppers

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Loaf

Coconut Zucchini Bread

Indian Spiced Chicken Korma

Indian Vegetable Pakoras

Ingredients

Instructions