Leftover Madness Part 3 (Chicken Pot Pie)

I saved the best for last for our Leftover Madness. Chicken Pot Pie. Ben is what you might call a pot pie connoisseur. That man LOVES anything that's covered with a pie crust. 

Just ask our friends about the infamous dinner at the Mangy Moose in Jackson Hole, WY. (I was barely able to convince Ben not to order another whole pot pie dinner at a fancy restaurant by promising him I'd make pot pie the next week). 

I've made dairy free pot pies before, but this was my first gluten and dairy free pot pie. And I think it was the best pot pie I've ever made. Ben said, "You've made magic again in the kitchen." Pretty great compliment coming from Mr. Pot Pie himself. 

I had trouble getting the pie crust to roll out flat, so I wound up having to take little pieces at a time and press them into the right thickness. It sort of looked like a patchwork quilt crust. 

This pot pie isn't going to win any beauty contests, but it was soooooo good. The crust was even flaky! I used my homemade chicken stock and I think that really made it taste better than the chicken broth from a can I have used in the past. I used potato starch in the crust since I have a ton of that, but I would think tapioca or arrowroot starch would work just as well. I think this dough would be excellent for the bottom crust of a pie where you could just mold it into place. I can't wait to use it for pumpkin pie.

Chicken Pot Pie

One pie crust

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 a medium onion, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp potato starch

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup lite coconut milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 1/2 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2 carrots, peeled, diced and steamed

1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 9 x 9 glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until softened. 

3. Stir in potato starch. Cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add stock and coconut milk. Stir until bubbly and thickened. Add vegetables and chicken. 

4. Pour chicken mixture into baking dish. Top with crust. Seal edge and cut slits in several places on crust. 

5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Single Pie Crust (Gluten, dairy, corn and nut free)

7 Tbsp vegetable shortening

3/4 cup potato starch

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp guar gum

4 Tbsp ice water

1. Measure out the shortening into small pieces and freeze for 30 min.

2. Process the starch, flour, sugar, salt, and guar gum in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the ice water and process until smooth. 

3. Spread a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Form the dough into a 4 inch flat disk and wrap tightly in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. 

4. Press into the desired shape, working in small batches if necessary. 

Leftover Madness Part 2 (Turkey Tetrazzini with Spaghetti Squash)

The second recipe in our leftover series is Turkey Tetrazzini with Spaghetti Squash. I have fond memories of my mom making turkey tetrazzini after Thanksgiving. I always feel a little nostalgic when I eat it. The recipe I've made before has a lot of Parmesan and cream cheese, but I'm hoping coconut milk will give it a similar richness. 

It tastes surprisingly like the original. It probably wouldn't survive a side by side comparison  but when you haven't had turkey tetrazzini in a long time it's a great knock-off. And the spaghetti squash is a lot less calories than regular spaghetti. It definitely has a coconut flavor, but it's not too overwhelming. I'm looking forward to making this again with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Cooked chicken would work just as well too. 

Spaghetti Squash

1 medium spaghetti squash (~2-3 lbs)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Rinse spaghetti squash and pierce several times with a knife.
3. Bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes, until you can easily stick a fork through the skin. Let sit for 30 min to cool.
4. Slice in half and discard seeds.
5. Shred with fork to produce strands.

Gluten and Dairy Free Turkey Tetrazzini

1 Tbsp canola oil
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp tapioca or potato starch
2 cups chicken stock
13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
3/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. 
3. Add celery, onion, shallots, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms brown and onions soften.
4. Add balsamic vinegar and starch. Cook for 2 min, stirring frequently.
5. Add chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.
6. Simmer for 15 min until thickened.
7. Add turkey and spaghetti squash.
8. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour tetrazzini into dish. Top with breadcrumbs.
9. Bake for 30 min until the top is browned.

Leftover Madness Part 1 (Lamb and Gnocchi Soup)

I did a lot of cooking this week. And we have a ton of leftover roasted turkey from dinner at a friend's house. Our fridge is so full of leftovers that there's barely room for beer. It's a great problem to have, but I can only eat the same meal so many times in a row before I'm sick of it. 

So now it's time to clean the fridge and re-purpose our leftovers. Part 1 of our Leftover Madness is turning the remaining Lamb and Vegetable Roast into Lamb and Gnocchi Soup. This soup is pretty straight forward, and since it was made from leftovers that cooked in the crock pot all day, the flavors are a lot more developed than you would get from a quick soup. I used the leftover sweet potatoes to make the gnocchi and used the leftover liquid from the crock pot and veggies to make the soup.

For a while, Tommy was eating these gnocchi twice a day everyday. I've tried them with a lot of different combinations of flours and starches, and my favorite are millet flour and potato starch. You just mix all the ingredients together, roll into little logs, slice and boil for a couple minutes until they float. They're easy to make in a large batch and the uncooked gnocchi freeze well. You just pop the frozen gnocchi into boiling water and they just take a few minutes longer to cook. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes or pumpkin
1 cup millet flour
1 cup potato starch
1 Tbsp flaxmeal or whole psyllium husks
3 Tbsp hot water

1. Fill a medium sauce pot with water and bring to a boil. 
2. Combine flaxmeal or psyllium husks and hot water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to gel.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
4. Knead the dough by hand until it can be rolled into a log. If it's too sticky, add more flour or starch. If it's too dry, add water or stock 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. Roll into 1/2 inch diameter logs. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
6. Boil gnocchi in batches for several minutes until they float. Drain and set aside. Serve with sauce or use in soup. 

Lamb and Gnocchi Soup

1 recipe Sweet Potato Gnocchi
1 cup shredded cooked lamb or cooked Italian sausage
Leftover cooking liquid from Lamb Roast
Water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
Leftover veggies from Lamb Roast

1. Measure leftover lamb cooking liquid. Add enough water to make it 4 cups. 
2. Add all ingredients except for gnocchi to a dutch oven sized pot.
3. Bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add gnocchi and simmer for 15 minutes.

Note: If you don't have leftovers, use 2 cups beef broth and 2 cups water instead of the leftover cooking liquid and add 2 tsp Italian seasoning. If you don't have any leftover roast, use 2 links of Italian sausage cooked in the pot before step 2. 

Pantry Pizza Night

Friends of ours got married this last weekend, and my mom came into town to watch Tommy. It was a very fun but very busy weekend. I haven't gone to the grocery store in a few days and our fridge is looking pretty empty. 

Last night I made my fish tacos and I had some leftover mango salsa. I didn't have any red bell peppers yesterday, so the mango salsa was just mangoes, yellow onion, green onions and lime juice. And we still had some leftover pork from the pork pot roast. So tonight we had pantry pizza. 

I made a pizza sauce from items I had in the pantry and topped it with pork, mango salsa, vegan mozzarella, and olives. It's my take on a Hawaiian Pizza. 

The vegan mozzarella wasn't all that bad. This is the first time I've used this cheese substitute and it was easy to shred. It sort of melted too. And it's the only cheese type food I've found that doesn't contain something Tommy's allergic to.

It was delicious, pretty quick, and best of all I didn't have to go to the store. I think this is our best pizza yet.

Pantry Pizza Sauce

6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dry minced onions
1 tsp dry minced garlic
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. This made enough to for two pizzas.