Vegetable pot pie for two

Health recipe!

This recipe is another inspiration from Ellie Krieger's 'Healthy Appetite' from Food TV. I was always fascinated by pot pies and loved watching Marie Calendar's chicken pot pie ads. A steamy hot vegetable filling oozing out of a thick biscuit-like crust always seemed so yummy. A couple of weeks ago I was watching this program on Food TV and Ellie Krieger made it seem so easy and I immediately put it on my ‘recipes to try list’. We had it for dinner and it was quite filling. The flaky crust with the steaming hot veggies was yummy. I made a few changes to the original recipe and here is the vegetarian version.

Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 medium potato cubed
1/2 cup frozen green peas and carrots
2 stalks of celery chopped
1/4 cup French beans (fresh or frozen)
1 small onion
1/2 tsp of dried Thyme
1/2 tsp of dried Parsley
Red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp garlic paste
2 cups of vegetable stock (I used Wolfgang Puck's Organic Vegetable Stock)

Salt to taste (check the sodium in the vegetable stock before adding salt to the filling)
A few sheets of thawed Phyllo dough
Oil as needed

For the roux1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup of milk

How to make the rouxMelt the butter in a pan and add the all purpose flour. Keep stirring until the raw smell of the flour disappears. Add the milk and continue stirring until the sauce thickens.

Method for vegetable pot pie1. Pour 2-3 tsps oil in a pan and sauté the onions until transparent.
2. Add the garlic paste and sauté.
3. Add the celery and sauté for a minute or two.
4. Next add the cubed potatoes, green peas, carrots and beans and sauté until 3/4 cooked.
5. Add thyme, parsley and red pepper flakes and mix well.
6. Pour the vegetable stock into the pan, add salt and pepper and bring it to a boil.
7. Add the roux and mix well. The veggie mixture will slightly thicken.
8. Set aside and let it cool.

Vegetable pot pie filling

9. Transfer equal quantities of the veggie filling to an oven safe dish. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut into quarters. Place 3 or 4 sheets on the dish and tuck the edges into the dish rim. Optional: top the phyllo dough with grated parmesan cheese for an extra zing.

10. Brush the phyllo sheets with butter. I used fat-free butter spray.

11. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is all brown and flaky.

Vegetable pot pie

Tip: Thaw the Phyllo dough the previous day in the refrigerator. For use on the same day, remove from freezer 2 hours in advance and thaw outside. Click here to learn how to handle Phyllo dough.

Puffed wheat snack

Health recipe!

Traditionally made with puffed rice, Vaggani is a popular breakfast recipe back at my in-laws house. Vaggani is a super simple recipe that fills you up and still makes you feel light (even if you have overeaten!). I wanted to find a low-cal version of the same and stumbled upon wheat kurmura (puffed wheat) at the Indian store. I was thrilled to see it and the next thing I did was to make the wheat version of this recipe. The original recipe does not call for peanuts. But, when I had the leftovers for lunch the next day I added some roasted peanuts and it was good. So, here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup of puffed wheat (remember this reduces by half when you soak in water)
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp each urad dal and channa dal for seasoning
A pinch of turmeric powder
2 tsps of instant paruppu podi
Salt to taste
A few curry leaves
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Oil as needed

Method
1. Put the puffed wheat in a colander and place under running water just for about 5 seconds or until completely soaked. Remove immediately and set aside. Do not soak in water!
2. Add mustard, dals, green chillies, curry leaves in a pan and sauté them.
3. Add chopped onions and sauté until soft.
4. Next add the tomatoes (chopped finely) and cook until tender.
5. Transfer the puffed wheat to the pan, add turmeric powder and salt.

6. Then add the instant paruppu podi and mix well till the powder is incorporated with the puffed wheat.
7. Garnish with cilantro.

Puffed wheat snack

Serve hot

Baked methi biscuits ~ MBP Event ~ February 2007

Health recipe!

Here is my first contribution to Coffee's MBP February 2007 theme - Appetizers/Starters. I tried out the baked methi biscuits recipe from Shammi's - 'Food in the main' blog and they were very good. Click here to get the recipe.

Methi biscuits ready for the oven

The only variation I made was sprayed the biscuits with Pam fat-free spray before putting them into the oven. I baked one batch without the spray and felt the biscuits were dry. I added ajwain too. Serve the methi biscuits as a starter with a dip of your choice. Or simply, have them with a cup of hot coffee or tea. They are very healthy and light too!

Crisp baked methi biscuits

Strawberry-Banana dessert ~ AFAM ~ February 2007 ~ Strawberry

Health recipe!

This dessert is almost like a smoothie except that I added applesauce and cardamom. And instead of serving in a glass, I served it in ice-cream cups. The applesauce adds a rich and creamy taste to the dessert. This is my entry for Maheswari's AFAM Strawberry event. Click here to read about the health benefits of strawberries. With Valentine's Day round the corner, I am waiting for strawberry recipes from fellow bloggers. I am sure there will be some great ideas coming up!

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
6 or 7 fresh strawberries
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp plain non-fat yogurt (can add vanilla or strawberry yogurt too)
Whipped cream for topping (optional)
2 strawberries for decoration
A pinch of cardamom powder
A few tsps of milk (if required)

Method1. Peel the banana, clean and dice the strawberries and put in a blender.
2. Add the apple sauce, sugar, yogurt and cardamom powder and blend to a smooth paste. If you feel the mixture is too thick you can add a few tsps of milk. Ensure it comes out thick and creamy.
3. Transfer into serving cups and decorate with sliced strawberries and whipping cream.

Strawberry~Banana~dessert

Serving size - 1 cup

Number of servings - 2

Green pea soup

Health recipe!
This is the first time I made green peas soup and it came out very well. Sweet, creamy and delicious, this soup is what you should have on a cold winter day. You can serve it with a slice of toasted pita bread or regular wheat bread. This is my entry for Creative Pooja's vegetable of the week - Green Peas.

Ingredients
2 medium onions
1 clove of garlic
1 10 oz box of frozen green peas
1 tsp of dried oregano (use fresh if you have it on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp of oil (use can use butter)
2 cups of water

Method
1. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the onions until they become translucent. Be careful not to burn them otherwise the soup will taste bad.
2. Next add the garlic and sauté.
3. Then add the oregano and mix well.
4. Add the frozen peas and two cup of water. You can add vegetable stock, but water is good enough. Let it simmer for a while until the peas become soft.

Green peas and onions cooking on a low flame

5. Let the mixture cool. Once cooled use a hand blender and puree the soup.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Note: The soup by itself has a creamy consistency. If required, you can add milk or half and half/heavy cream to enrich the flavor. This is purely optional.

Delicious green pea soup

Serving size - 1 cup

Number of servings - 3 or 4

Kohlrabi sauté (Noolkol)

Health recipe!
Yes, the vegetable in the picture is Kohlrabi or popularly referred to as Noolkol in South India. I bought the Kohlrabi from an Asian store. I hardly find it in the Indian store anymore. Kohlrabi is a lesser known and quite an unpopular veggie and I guess many of us don't even use it regularly. I remember eating a lot of Noolkol back in India.

Fast facts: Kohlrabi is also known as 'cabbage turnip' as it is actually a member of the cabbage family. You can eat it raw or cooked. Kohlrabi is low in calories and high in dietary fiber, and hence, makes an excellent part of any diet. It is also loaded with potassium and vitamins. Click here to read more about this amazing vegetable.I made a simple curry out of kohlrabi and it goes great with rice and sambar or rasam. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
3 kohlrabies
1 tsp of mustard
1 tsp of urad dal
1 tsp of channa dal
2 or 3 red chillies (you can use green too)
A few curry leaves
Grated coconut (optional, I did not use it)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method
1. Peel the skin and chop the kohlrabi into small cubes.
2. Pour oil in a pan and season with mustard, urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and curry leaves.
3. Add the chopped kohlrabi, turmeric and salt and cook covered until the vegetable becomes tender.
4. Garnish with fresh grated coconut (optional).
5. Serve with sambar or rasam and rice.

Kohlrabi curry

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings 4 or 5