Category Archives: Entrée

Crust-free Chicken Pot Pie (v) (gf)

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Gluten-Free, Mushrooms, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Crust-Free Chicken Pot Pie (gluten free & vegan) | The Hip Vegetarian | @hipvegetarianThe other day I was looking at my round white potatoes and thought hmmm, they might work well as a crust replacement for a chicken pot pie.

So last night I fired up the stove, cut my potatoes in thin slices, fried them until they were golden and used them as the crust for one of my favorite entrees.

Inadvertently I made my pot pie vegan, because I was out of cream; and quite honestly, I didn’t miss the cream AT ALL. The pot pie still had great flavor for the gravy.

Usually I use flour as a thickener, but this can easily be converted to gluten-free by using corn starch.

To cut down on fat, I saute my onions, celery and garlic in water instead of oil or butter.

The great thing about a chicken pot pie is that you can use what ever you have on-hand in the refrigerator or freezer. Peas, pearl onions, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, corn — whatever little bit you need to use up — just throw in your stew.

Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

2 medium Round Potatoes, thinly sliced
1 bag, Morningstar Chicken Strips, Meal Starters
1/4 cup, Water
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 ribs Celery, diced
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
3 carrots, chopped
4 tablespoons, Cornstarch
1 cup Dry White Wine
2 cups, Broth
Salt, to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon, Thyme
1 cup, frozen Peas
2 cups, Mushrooms, sliced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9×13 baking dish.

Slice potatoes into thin slices and lightly fry in a skillet until golden. Line the bottom of casserole dish with a layer of potatoes. Set the rest aside.

Fry chicken strips until golden. Set aside.

Saute onion, celery, garlic and carrots in 1/4 cup of water until soft. Add water add needed during sauteing. Stir occasionally.

Add wine and vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Mix corn starch in a little bit of cold water, until it’s disolved. Add to mixture on the stove and bring to boil for 2 minutes. Stir to prevent lumps from forming.

Bring to a boil. Add thyme, peas, mushrooms. Reduce heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, 5-9 minutes. Add chicken and remove from heat. Pour mixture in baking dish and layer the top with remaining potatoes.

Bake until bubbly; approximately 20-25 minutes.

Enchilada Casserole with Way Better Snacks

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , ,

Enchilada CasseroleThis recipe comes from my Mom’s book. I’m not sure where she ever picked this up — probably from someone at church, after they brought the dish to potluck. Anyway it became a family staple.

The great thing about this Enchilada Recipe, is that it’s a good way to use up the rest of the tortilla chips in the bag.  You know, the ones that are too crumbled to scoop up salsa. Though I don’t have that problem with Way Better Snacks Chips — they are pretty think and don’t crumble easily.

Enchilada Casserole

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute:
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped

Add & Simmer for 5 minutes:
1 can Evaporated Milk
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup Rotel Tomatoes (or hot sauce)

  1. Pour over crushed Way Better Snacks’ chips (2-3 handfuls).
  2. Stir chips in.
  3. Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes
  4. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Pesto Zucchini Wrap

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Pesto Zucchini Wrap

This summer I’ve been fixing lighter, yet great tasting meals…or at least I’m on the hunt for such things.  Here is the recipe for a Pesto Zucchini Wrap that is just absolutely declicious — it’s one of my favorite go-to recipes.  The great thing about this wrap recipe is that you can add or subtract what ever you like.

Your husband not of fan of olives? Presto! Don’t even add them to his wrap, but double them up on your’s. As simple as that.

This is also a great recipe for vegans, and you can also use gluten free wraps for those who are glucose intolerant.

Pesto Zucchini Wrap

Whole Grain Tortilla Wraps
Pesto
4 Zucchinis, grated
2 Sweet Onions, caramelized
16 oz package Mushrooms, sliced
20 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 cup Kalamata Olives, sliced
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
Olive Oil
Salt

Place onions in skillet with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tbl spoons of butter and saute on low for about 1/2 hour or light brown.

Shred zucchini and place in a bowl and drizzle with salt and olive oil. Mix and let sit to marinate.

 

Once onions are caramelized, mix in mushrooms to saute. Cook long enough to cook of the moisture from the mushrooms.

 

With each individual wrap, spread about 2 tablespoons of pesto on the wrap. Then layer the rest of the wrap with onions, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes and pine nuts.

Fold wrap in half or roll, serve and savor the flavors.

Quick Southwestern Wraps

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Here’s a quick and easy dinner for the uninspired.

My mother-in-law whipped this up when we were visiting her last summer. We loved these so much that we brought the idea home with us.  What’s easier than heating up some refried beans, spreading them on a tortilla wrap, and then adding your favorite toppings?

This could also be converted to a gluten-free meal by using torillas like ones made by Food for Life.

You can also spice up the taste by using flavored torillas that can be found on your grocery aisle.  We like the sun-dried tomato tortilla wraps.

Make an assembly line of ingredients and let your children choose and assemble their own wrap. I find that if my children can help “make” the meal, then they are more likely to eat it.

Also, if you warm your tortilla up in the skillet first, it’s less likely to tear apart when you start to wrap it around the filling.

The ingredients are flexible, like a taco salad.  Choose what you and your family will eat. However here’s a simple guideline to get you started.

Southwestern Wraps

Tortilla
Refried Beans
Cheese
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Bell Pepper
Onions
Fresh Spinach
Sour Cream
Salsa

Wrap up ingredients in up snug as a bug in a rug. Eat. Enjoy.

 

Quinoa Gorgonzola Cheese Risotto with Spinach

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,

Quinoa Gorgonzola Cheese Risotto

Earlier this year I realized that I’ve never tried quinoa. I have friends who swear by it and calls it the “wonder grain,” and others who are grossed out by how it emerges from it’s shell.

So while I was at Whole Foods looking for tasty grain and legume options to incorporate into our meal, I decided to pick up a small bag of quinoa for the experimenting.

After a search on Google for some quinoa recipes I discovered this Quinoa Goat Cheese Risotto by Cooking Quinoa. What a terrific recipe to try quinoa for the first time, because the grain doesn’t come out dry and crunching like it can in many other recipes.

And though the goat cheese rendition is quite tasty, I’ve switched it out for gorgonzola cheese, to give it a bit of a tart kick. Either cheese choices are excellent.

I’ve had problems (perhaps lack of patience) making risotto before with rice, however this recipe is super easy — it just takes time. So be sure to plan for cooking to liquid down to a nice creamy texture.

Quinoa Gorgonzola Cheese Risotto

  • 1 ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 T Butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 lb spinach
  • 4 oz gorgonzola cheese
  • Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest for garnish

Directions

  1. Rinse quinoa in a fine metal sieve until your water turns clear.
  2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray.  Sauté spinach until tender. Set aside.
  3. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until tender.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.
  4. Add quinoa, wine and cayenne pepper.  Cook until the wine is almost evaporated, stirring frequently.
  5. Add enough broth to cover quinoa.  Simmer uncovered over medium low heat.  Add broth as the liquid absorbs and stir frequently.  Cooking quinoa will take about 15 minutes
  6. Stir in spinach in last two minutes of cooking.
  7. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and 3 ounces of the goat cheese.  Stir.
  8. Crumble remaining goat cheese, parsley, lemon zest and parmesan over the quinoa.

Stovetop Chicken Pie

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Mushrooms and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Stovetop Chicken Pie

I’m a sucker for good comfort food. So when Southern Living chose to feature chicken pot pie on the cover of its February 2011 issue, it wasn’t a hard sell. What I didn’t expect to find was one of the easiest stove top recipes that is easily one of the best pot pie variations — hands down.  Of course I’ve substituted  Morningstar Farms’ Chick’n Strips for the real thing.  And I love the super duper secret ingredients: cream cheese and Italian dressing mix.

Stovetop Chicken Pie

Makes: 6-8 servings
Hands-On Time: 35 Min.

8 Buttermilk Biscuits, frozen
1 Sweet Onion, small, diced
1 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 (8 oz.)  package sliced fresh Mushrooms
1 bag Morning Star Farms Chick’n Strips
1 (10 1/4oz.) can reduced-fat Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup low-sodium Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 (8 oz) package 1/3 less-fat Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 (0.7 oz) envelope Italian Dressing Mix (about 2 tsp)
1 cup frozen baby Peas, thawed

1. Bake biscuits according to package directions.
2. Brown chicken strips in skillet until lightly golden.
3. Meanwhile, saute onion in in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until golden. Add mushrooms, and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients; cook, stirring freguently, 5 minuts or until cheese is melted and mixture is thoroughly heated. Stir in peas, and cook 2 minutes. Spool chicken mixture over hot split biscuits.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée and tagged with , ,

Here’s a gem that’s been in the family for about 20 years. I love the secret ingredient — grape jelly.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Mix and bake in 9″x13″ pan in 1 inch balls:
1 cup Onion, grated
1 cup Pepperidge Farm Bread Crumbs (Herb)
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 cup Pecans, ground
3 Eggs

Simmer and cover meatballs with:
1 12 oz. jar Heinz Chili Sauce
1 10 oz. jar Grape Jelly

Heat and serve.

Potato-licious Pea Curry

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Vegan, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , ,

photo taken by thehipvegetarian

Here was my dilemma: curry or Pad Thai.  Well I had some potatoes in my arsenal begging to be used so the curry won the battle. However the overcast day may have tipped the scales because cloudy days make me crave carbs.  Therefore I ended up with the most wonderful curry.

I originally found this recipe on Food Network when I was searching for a vegan dish for some friends. Just use olive oil instead of better and voila! Vegan.

Some tips:

  1. Sauté the onions with the potatoes until they caramelize.
  2. If you don’t like salty foods, cut the salt to 1 teaspoon, and add as desired.
  3. My Indian friends suggest that instead of grinding the Coriander seeds, just drop them directly into the hot oil and let them pop open.  This did add a nice texture to the dish.
  4. For protein, add MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips.

Potato Pea Curry

3 large baking potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee)
2 large onions, diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cups chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 bunch cilantro, leaves roughly chopped

Directions Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch dice. To remove the excess starch, place the potatoes in a bowl and rinse with cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain well.

Heat 1/4 cup clarified butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until they are brown. At the same time, heat the remaining clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the potatoes until they are golden and add sautéed onions.

Add the garlic and ginger, and cook just long enough to release their aromas, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and pepper flakes. Return the pan to medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken stock or water, and salt.

Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the peas are heated through. Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately.

Our Christmas Wreath

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Ideas, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Chicken-Cranberry Wreath

Most of our extended family isn’t vegetarian, so we’ve made our own Christmas tradition to include along side their turkey.

Assembling the crescent rolls can be a little tricky.  Just make sure you alternate the triangle dough from inside, then outside.  Also line the small inside of the triangles to form a circle.

This recipe is adapted from The Pampered Chef and it’s been a tradition for us during every holiday for the past 10 years.

Chicken-Cranberry Wreath

STEP ONE
2 pkg. (8oz.) refrigerated Crescent Rolls
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 T. Honey Dijon Mustard
1 bag Morningstar Chicken Strips OR 2 cans Worthington Fri-Chik, shredded
1/2 tea. Black Pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Celery,  sliced
3 T. Parsley, fresh, snipped
1/2 cup Cranberries, dried
1 cup Swiss Cheese, shredded

STEP TWO
1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 Egg, separated

Oven 375 degrees
Arrange crescent rolls so the inside edge forms a circle. Alternate roll points to point inside then out.

Mix Step One ingredients together.

Using medium scoop, scoop filling over seams of dough.  Sprinkle nuts over filling. Fold strips of rolls over (alternating inside and ouside pieces of rolls). Tuck last end under first. Beat egg white lightly — brush over dough. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Still Searching…

Posted by thehipvegetarian in Entrée, Gluten-Free, Mushrooms, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,

I’ve been craving Mushroom Stroganoff.  You know the kind that has that perfect gravy texture, slightly salty, slightly sweet, yet tart — a perfect balance.  Here are a couple of Stroganoff recipes that I’ve tried recently, though these are good, they still don’t quite hit the sweet spot that I’m looking for in my Stroganoff.  So I’m still searching…

However if you want a nice heartly meal, I do suggest one of the following recipes.

First off, the Beef Stroganoff recipe is adapted from the San Antonio Express-News Taste section.  For beef I tried Gardein Homestyle Beefless Tips.  This was the first time I’ve used them, and they weren’t bad. My husband thought they had a Boga Burger taste to them. I really liked the appearance of these veggie beef tips once they sizzled in the pan.

I couldn’t find cornichons in my grocery store so I substituted dill pickles.  My family is odd, we liked this

addition.  The thought of adding pickles to stroganoff would have never occurred to me.

If you haven’t picked up this recurring them yet in my blogs, you should start to notice that I substitute a lot when I don’t have the ingredients in-house.  For this occasion I didn’t have pasta noodles, however I did have rice noodles in my cupboard.  This is a good substitute for anyone who is gluten intolerant.

Beef Stroganoff

  • 16 oz. Beef Substitute
  • 1 Tbl Sweet or Hot Paprika
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
  • 2 Tbl Butter
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
  • 1 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1/2 Cup Cornichons (small tart pickles), cut into small strips

Sprinkle meat with paprika, slat and pepper; blend well.

Heat butter in a skillet over high heat; add meat. Cook as directed by meat packaging, stirring occastionally; remove meat with slotted spoon.

Add onion to skillet; cook, stirring about 1 minute.

Pour in wine and reduce by half, cooking about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat; stir in sour cream.

Warm the sauce, but do not let it boil.

Return the meat to the skillet; stir to blend.

Stir in cornichons.

The next recipe I tried included yogurt. I recently had a friend tell me that yogurt is the success to a nice tart stroganoff.  My husband also declared this recipe good and went back for seconds — twice.  I found this recipe at Bake Space.

 

 

Mushroom Stroganoff

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large Onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
  • 3/4 pound Mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
  • 3/4 cup low-fat Sour Cream
  • 3/4 cup non-fat Yogurt (Note: You can use a combination of low or non-fat Greek yogurt (such as Fage) and light sour cream, or use one exclusively)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon low sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley and a lttle extra for garnish
  • 8 ounces Farfalle Pasta (Note: Feel free to use whatever pasta you prefer, or even brown or white rice)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add noodles, and cook according to your desired level of doneness.

Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring until softened.

Add the sliced mushrooms, cooking until they are softened and lightly browned.

Next add the stock, soy and Worcestershire sauces.

Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced by 1/3.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream and flour and parsley.

Add this mixture to the pan and stir.

Continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens.

Pour the pasta into the sauce and cook until the dish is evenly heated through.

Serve, seasoning with salt and pepper and garnish with additional parsley and a dollop of sour cream.