Homemade Turkey Pot Pie

Even though it has been in the high 80's here lately, I still like a hot plate of food for dinner! Pot pies have been one of my favorite meals for years, and they are definitely hot- not to mention creamy, meaty, filling, etc. And, pot pies are the perfect way of bringing an entire meal to the table in one dish. Since I roasted a turkey for Easter dinner, I had enough left-over meat to fill two pies!





My favorite pie recipe calls for chicken, but turkey can substitute very well!

Filling:

3 cups cooked, diced chicken or turkey
1 1/2 c chicken, beef or turkey stock (preferably homemade!)
1 t dried basil
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried thyme
3/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 c cubed potatoes
1 c chopped celery
1 c sliced carrots
1 med. onion, chopped
1/3 c butter
1/2 c flour
3/4 c raw cream
3/4 c raw milk

Pour stock into small saucepan with basil, rosemary, thyme and salt. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer while you prepare the rest of the filling (about 15 minutes).

Melt butter in deep skillet and saute potatoes for 5 minutes.

Add celery, carrots, and onions to potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Mix flour with veggies and stir over heat for one minute.

Strain the stock and add it to veggies, then add pepper, cream, and milk to mixture.

Cook until thick and bubbly.







Crust:

3 c flour
1 t salt
1 c coconut oil (solid, chilled)
1 large egg
1 T white vinegar
1/4 c water
1 egg + 1 T milk for crust browning

Mix flour with coconut oil and salt until crumbly.

Mix egg, vinegar and water in a separate cup, then sprinkle over flour mixture.

Use hands to form dough into ball (add water by sprinkles, if needed).

Roll out 2/3 dough to 1/8" to fit in bottom and sides of a 8"-round casserole. Press into corners.

Fill the casserole with the prepared filling, then roll out the remainder of dough to cover the top of the pie. You can weave strips of dough or cut out shapes in a solid top crust. Brush the top crust with 1 egg mixed well with 1 T milk.


Bake in a pre-heated 400 F oven for 35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Homemade Hummus

I love this homemade hummus! It is great with crackers, melba toast or pita bread... the taste is mild, so you could really use this as an all-purpose dip :) I do not like the tartness of many store-bought brands, so I add a little raw honey to cut the tart flavor- but not enough to be overpoweringly sweet. Also, I buy my garbanzo beans dried, not in a can. This guarantees that the beans are soaked properly to neutralize their natural enzyme inhibitors!

What you need:

6 oz dried garbanzo beans (plus, 2 T whey or lemon juice)
1/2 c tahini paste
3 T olive oil, plus a drizzle for presentation
2 large cloves garlic
1 T raw honey
1/3 c lemon juice
1 t ground cumin
salt to taste

Soak beans overnight with enough water to cover them and 2 T whey or lemon juice.

Drain and rinse beans, then cover with water and boil until tender (up to 2 hours).

Drain beans, reserving bean broth.

Place beans in food processor and blend with garlic and oil (add enough broth to make a creamy paste).

Add rest of ingredients and blend until incorporated (add more broth until desired consistency).

For the presentation, put the hummus in a shallow bowl or plate and drizzle with olive oil. I also sprinkle mine with paprika! Enjoy.

Homemade Chai Tea Blend

I gave up having a daily cup of coffee a while back... but I still enjoy a hot, creamy beverage every once in a while :) One of my favorite hot drinks is chai tea- it's hot, spicy, creamy, and as sweet as I want to make it! Here's my version of this wonderful, tasty beverage that is sure to put a smile on your face:

Chai tea mix:

3/4 c black tea (or red rooibos, for a caffeine-free treat)
4 cinnamon sticks, chopped
1 organic orange peel, dried and broken in small pieces (in your oven: bake at 250 F for about 15-20 minutes, until crispy.)
1/4 t crushed black peppercorns
1/4 t crushed cloves
1 t fennel seeds
1/4 t cumin seeds
1 t dried, chopped ginger
bay leaves (about 1 per cup of water)

Mix all ingredients and keep stored in an airtight jar.

To make tea:

Heat 1T (heaping) chai mix (plus 1 bay leaf) with 1 cup water. When mix reaches boil, cover and remove from heat. Let steeep for 10-15 minutes.

While tea is steeping, steam/heat one cup milk + 2 t honey or brown sugar.

Mix equal amounts milk and strained tea in large mug and enjoy!

This post is shared on Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.

Homemade Mousse au Chocolat

When my daughter was planning her birthday party menu, this chocolate-y dessert was on top of her list. With a mixture of pastured eggs, raw cream, chocolate and very little sugar, it was something I could definitely say "yes!" to...





What you will need:

12 oz dark chocolate (preferably 70%-80% cocoa content. We chose Hageland "Uganda" Belgian chocolate, which is 80% cocoa.)
1/2 c raw milk
4 T organic powdered sugar
6 eggs-separated
dash of salt
3/4 c raw cream

Melt the chocolate with the milk in a double boiler over low-med. heat, then transfer to large bowl.
Beat the 6 egg yolks with the sugar until creamy yellow-stir them into warm chocolate mixture. Beat the 6 egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form- fold into chocolate mixture.
Beat the cream until thick-fold carefully into chocolate mixture.

When everything is mixed, cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. We left ours in the fridge overnight, and dug into it the next day. Wow! This mousse is just sweet enough and bursting with chocolate-y goodness.

Note: When I was in high school, our family hosted a Belgian exchange student. She made this dessert for our family and friends, and I fell in love with it! This version of Aurore's mousse au chocolat is just as good as I remember :)