Unfortunately, warm and filling unusually means very fattening. However, this vegetarian version of chicken pot pie isn't too bad at all. The worst part of it is the delightful bits of puff pastry on top, so if you can find a whole wheat variety you can totally justify it.
A side note : Meat eaters can totally sub in some sliced up chicken breast. And those adverse to processed veggie meat and/or watching the budget could totally sub in 2 cans white beans or 1 package tofu.
Vegetarian Chicken Pot Pie
1 package puff pastry, thawed according to directions
1 package frozen mixed veggie blend of your choice, thawed ( could use the "mixed veggies" or a "california blend" - whatever you like as long as it doesn't have a prepared sauce included - or you could chop up an assortment of your favorite fresh veggies)
1 package Mock Chicken Strips, if frozen, thawed (I used Morningstar Farms Chix Fajita strips)
1 vegetable bouillon cube reconstituted in 2 cups of boiling water (you could substitute broth or stock)
2 Tablespoons of flour
2 Tablespoons of Oil or Butter ( Depends on how healthy you want to make this)
1 sprig of fresh Rosemary
1 sprig of fresh Thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
First, pull out a large skillet or saucepan. Add your oil or butter and allow to heat thoroughly. (This means that if you are using butter, your butter is thoroughly melted and starts to bubble a bit) Add your flour one tablespoon at a time, whisking it in thoroughly in before adding the next tablespoon. Now here is the tricky part - if you don't cook the flour enough you will taste the flour in the gravy. You'll know when the flour is cooked because it will smell a bit nutty and be light brown. Add your veggie chicken and veggie blend at this point and allow to cook for a little bit. Add your reconstituted bouillon, your herbs, salt and pepper. Using a spoon, stir a bit to make sure that nothing is stuck to the bottom of your pan. Allow to simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350*F. Lightly spray a large pie dish or other pan (as long as your pan is big enough to hold all your filling it doesn't matter the size or shape). Pour or ladle your filling into your dish. Now, with the puff pastry you have several options. You can cut it into strips and make a lattice-like cover, you can just unfold it and plop it right on your pan, cut off the excess and cut a few vents into it. Or, if you want to get creative ( also known as wanting to impress someone you're serving this to ) you can use cookie cutters to create designs using the holes the cutters make and the shapes they cut out. It's your pie - do what you want to do with it! Lastly, you are going to pop this into the oven until the puff pastry is brown, crusty and delicious. It should take about 20 minutes, but every oven is a bit different.
Serve with a bit of crunchy salad and/or crispy rolls and enjoy!
PS- makes enough for four depending on how hungry everyone is.
