Potato Pot Pie

There's nothing like comfort food in the Winter!  Try this healthier version of pot pie, vegetarian-style.

Ingredients:

1 T butter

6 C assorted vegetables of your choice, thinly sliced or diced. Some ideas:
- bell peppers
- carrots
- celery
- corn
- green beans
- peas
- spinach
- tomatoes
- zucchini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C flour
3 C warm veggie stock
1/2 tsp thyme
2 T fresh parsley, minced
Your choice of potatoes (Yukon gold, red, white), cooked and mashed

1. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic & saute 5 minutes.
2. Add veggies & saute another 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle flour over veggies & stir in, cooking another 2 minutes.
4. Gradually add stock, stirring, until sauce thickens.
5. Add thyme & parsley & cook until veggies are tender, then transfer to a baking dish.
6. Spoon mashed potatoes over the top & bake at 375 until hot & bubbly.

Set some aside to cool for the fiddies.  Salt & pepper the people portions if desired (and I like mine with a little cheese.)  ;-)

Stock Up On Veggies!!

Summer and Fall are great times to stock up on all the great fresh produce in the markets!  Here, I'll explain how to blanch them.  Blanching stops the action of enzymes that promote ripening as well as rotting... it preserves texture, color & flavor & makes preparing them later a breeze!  They will keep better & longer in the freezer & come out looking & tasting fresher.

You can blanch using boiling water or steam.  Steaming takes a couple minutes longer but is said to preserve more of the vitamins.  Veggies you would commonly blanch are - broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, etc.  I will include a list and blanching times below.  This post will explain the boiling method:

1. Set a large pot of water to boil.

2. Wash & prepare your veggies.

3. Prepare a large bowl with plenty of ice & add just enough water to cover the ice (enough to submerge veggies in). 

4. Once your pot reaches a rolling boil, add the veggies.  Return to a boil, cover & start your time.

5. As soon as the time is up, remove veggies & submerge in the ice water.  This stops the cooking action & your veggies should still be crisp tender. 

***If you have a large amount of veggies, blanch them in batches.  Remove them from the water with a strainer basket rather than pour the water out.  You can return the existing water to a boil rather than start over!

6. Once cooled, drain thoroughly & package for the freezer.  I use my FoodSaver for portions I won't be using within a week or so.

Prepare your veggies for meals as you normally would but remember they will not need normal cooking time.  Simply saute or heat through for delicious, fresh tasting produce!  Your family (both human and feathered) will enjoy!!

You can also blanch tomatoes and peaches to easily remove the skin.  Simply boil just until the skin splits then submerge in ice water.  The skins should slip right off!

NOTE:  Onions, peppers & herbs do not need to be blanched.  Winter squash, sweet potato & pumpkin should be fully cooked before freezing.  All other veggies should be blanched.

Here is a link (Univ of MN Extension) for more thorough preparation instructions, including trimming, cutting, etc. if you need further details:
Vegetable chart

Blanching times (in minutes) for the most common veggies are as follows.  Add about 1 minute if steaming:

Asparagus - 4

Green & yellow beans - 3.5

Lima beans - 3-4 depending on size

Snap beans - 3.5

Broccoli - 4

Carrots - 3.5

Cauliflower - 4

Corn on the cob - 8-11 depending on size (must thoroughly cool or they get mushy!)

**If cutting off the cob, blanch 4.5 min, cool, cut.

Peas, shelled - 1.5-2

Peas, in pod - 2.5-3

Summer squash - 1/4" slices 3 min; 1.5" slices 6 min.

**Winter squash & pumpkin - bake, scoop out flesh, cool & store.  Do not blanch.

Leslie’s Bean Salad Quesadillas

Ingredients:

Dry beans – soak in advance:

1/4 C black beans
1/4 C dark red kidney beans
1/4 C garbanzo beans
1/4 C pinto beans

¾ C rice of your preference
1 – 10 oz pkg frozen corn, thawed
** I prefer equivalent amount of fresh corn removed from cob – about 3 ears
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped (don’t forget to save the core for birdie pleasure)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin
1 T chili powder
1 pinch dried or a palm full of fresh chopped parsley
Whole wheat tortillas
Your favorite quesadilla cheese, shredded (omit for fid portion)
Sour cream and fresh pico de gallo or your favorite salsa for serving (humans only)

**If making for the humans only, substituting canned beans will save you time.  However, canned beans contain sodium that should be avoided when serving to your fids.

Directions:

1. Start beans soaking the night before then cook according to package directions.
2. With about 30 minutes left on your bean cooking time, start your rice so they are done about the same time.  Stir garlic, oil, cumin, chili powder & parsley (if using dried) into water for rice.  Add rice & bring to a boil, reduce heat & cover.  Simmer until liquid is gone & rice is done.  Stir in fresh parsley (if using).
3. In a lightly oiled large skillet over medium heat, gently sauté bell pepper & tomato.  Stir in corn, beans & rice & heat everything through.
4. Remove mixture to a bowl & wipe out skillet. 
5. Assemble quesadillas, adding cheese (for people only) & bean mixture between 2 tortillas.  Brown on both sides until cheese is melted and serve with your favorite toppings!

***For your fid’s dining pleasure, try rolling up their portion in a small piece of tortilla & toast (seam side down 1^st to help it stay together) in the skillet.  They’ll love chewing it open to see what’s inside!

Leftover quesadilla filling can be frozen for future use!