Author Archives: michcorbett

Edge’s Chicken Pot Pie

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This weekend I was in Boston visiting some friends– Kristin and Becky. One common love we have is food so it’s no surprise that we cooked (and ate) a lot. Kristin joined a CSA for the season and had produce a plenty so we decided to incorporate as much of it as we could into a chicken pot pie.

This was a new recipe for me, as I’d always written chicken pot pie off as one of those dishes that was complicated, unhealthy, and took way too long to cook. Edge’s chicken pot pie (named for Kristin’s dad) put all my preconceptions about the dish to rest…except for the length of cook time– it does take way too long to cook, but it’s worth the wait!

Similar to many Mich Dishes, this is one that could be easily adjusted based on what produce you have in your fridge. We used:

  • 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 6 oz each)
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 russet potatoes (1 large and 1 small)
  • 1/4 pumpkin (or butternut squash), peeled, and seeded
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
You could also add: mushrooms, onion, bell peppers, or really any produce. The key is variety (think colors!) and not using too much of any one ingredient. Non produce ingredients are:
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil
  • thyme
  • rosemary
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 frozen pie crust packs (each comes with 2 crusts, so 4 in total)
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
The first step is to cook or partially cook the first list of ingredients (except the frozen peas). You can either cook the chicken in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes with salt, pepper, and some olive oil or cooking spray (until the juices run clear) or you could bring a shallow pot of water filled just enough to cover the chicken to a boil and poach the chicken until cooked through.  In the mean time, fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water and lay a steamer basket in the bottom (if you don’t have a steamer basket or anything similar, put a colander over the opening of the pot and find a lid that will cover it). Add the carrot, potatoes, as well as the peeled and seeded pumpkin*. Cover and steam for about 15 minutes until each can be easily cut. Cut chicken, carrot, potatoes, and pumpkin into small cubes of roughly equal size. 
Add the diced ingredients, chicken broth, frozen peas, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary into a large saute pan. Cover and bring to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with 3/4 cup cold water until all the lumps are gone and a thick paste has formed. Add cornstarch slurry to the saute pan and mix until combined.Let it bubble for a few minutes, until it gets very thick. At t his point, you’ll want to taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Set 2 of the frozen pie crusts side by side onto a large baking sheet. Add 1/2 of the filling into each crust. Remove the second 2 crusts from their foil liners and place upside down over the first to seal the pie. Using a sharp knife, cut a few 1 inch slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to vent. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes or until the crust is baked and golden brown (feel free to turn the broiler on for the last few minutes if its not getting to the color you want it to be). Allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
We served the chicken pot pie with a side of roasted pumpkin salad and cooked white beans.
Post cooking thoughts:
*Though you’ll only be using a little bit of the pumpkin, it’s a good idea to steam the whole thing that way you can use the rest of it more easily. We served a salad with roasted maple pumpkin and steaming the pumpkin helped roast it to a delicious golden brown within 15 minutes (as opposed to 40+). Dice the pumpkin as you would for the squash, toss with some cooking spray and maple syrup and roast at 425 for 15 minutes, mixing after 10 minutes and adding more maple syrup if necessary.
We also cooked the pumpkin seeds with chili powder, salt, and cinnamon at 350 for 15 minutes. They would have been great on the salad, but we ate them all before we got to dinner 🙂

Linguine with Brussels Sprouts and Veggie Sausage

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Pasta is one of those foods that is a staple in most households. It’s easy. It’s versatile. And it’s delicious. But have you ever seen the recommended serving of pasta? Let me tell you, it’s not a lot of food. I am definitely one of those people who thinks that more is always better, so throughout  my years on weight watchers, I’ve learned how to make 1 cup of pasta into a huge portion.

My trick? Load it with vegetables!

I’m going to Boston this weekend so last night I played the “let me look in the fridge to see what produce needs to be used” game. The winner was Brussels sprouts. Are you groaning? I didn’t grow up eating them, so I don’t have that deep-seated hatred for them that many people have. In fact, for the past year, I have been having a love affair with Brussels sprouts. They’re basically adorable baby cabbages after all. My favorite preparation is roasted with maple balsamic glaze, but my husband is generally not a fan of vegetable only side dishes. So tonight I decided to try a new method of preparation. And it went very well.

This meal is quick to prepare, and a wonderful, well balanced one pot wonder (well 2 pots, technically). The ingredient list is simple:

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp (plus a little more) olive oil
  • 1 bag (16 oz) Brussels sprouts
  • garlic salt
  • red pepper flakes 
  • 2 veggie sausage links (like the kind from Morningstar)
  • 3/4 cup pasta sauce (I used a roasted garlic one)
  • 2 cups pasta (4 oz dry linguine)
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)
The directions are easy too. First, cook linguine according to package instructions. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic over medium heat. While that is cooking, trim the Brussels sprouts (cut off the stem and pull off any discolored or tough outer leaves) and slice thinly. The technique I used was to lay the sprout on its side and slice until I got about half way through. I rotated it and continued slicing. There’s no wrong way to do it. 
Add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet  with garlic salt and red pepper flakes and a little extra olive oil if you need. Increase heat to medium high and stir occasionally. Because the Brussels sprouts are all different sizes, some will get brown and crunchy while others will steam. This is perfectly fine. Everyone loves a little texture contrast!
In the mean time, defrost the sausage and rough chop it to create crumbles.  I love the flavor, protein level, and ease of veggie sausage and you can’t tell the difference when its mixed in to a pasta dish. You can certainly use pork, turkey, or any other kind of real sausage in this dish. If you do, you’ll want to cook the sausage first, remove it and then use the grease in the skillet to cook the rest of the ingredients.
Add the pasta sauce along with 1/2 cup of the water that the pasta is cooking in. This is a great trick for building sauces. The starch in the water helps the sauce go farther and helps it stick to the pasta. Add in the linguine, reduce heat to low, and mix until well combined. This recipe makes a lot of food and feeds 3 really heartily. What I love about it is that you get the pleasure of eating pasta, along with great protein and a lot of vegetables. In my mind, it’s a win win! It’s also a great way to get picky eaters to have vegetables without thinking about it too hard 🙂

Ginger Pumpkin Muffins

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So if you read the last post you probably know that I have an abundance of pumpkin in my fridge. I used half of it to create a spiced pumpkin and tahini soup, which was delicious fresh and and days after. Last night, I used most of the other half (apparently roasting 1 pumpkin makes A LOT of pumpkin puree) to make ginger pumpkin muffins. I adapted this recipe from a weight watchers one that called for butternut squash and though I have never tried the original, I really think pumpkin is the way to go on these– they don’t call it pumpkin pie spice because it should be used with butternut squash…

Now, before you think “oh no, healthy pumpkin muffins,” rest assured that I would never post a Mich Dish that wasn’t delicious. Also, I can honestly say that I have very rarely found a weight watchers recipe that wasn’t a crowd pleaser. So bottom line– you’re in good hands!

This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but overall it is pretty simple and straightforward.

First, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a combination of nutmeg, allspice, and ginger)
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Then, combine wet ingredients and mix for 2-3 minutes:
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used light, because that’s what I had on hand, but the recipe asks for dark)
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1/3 cup fat free yogurt (I used Greek yogurt, but you can use any kind)
  • 3 Tbsp molasses
  • 1 egg

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture into the center. Stir until just combined (meaning until you don’t see any more flour).
Depending on the size of your bowl, you may not be able to fit all the wet ingredients in one batch, so just pour half and then pour the rest in while stirring. If you are like me and you find that you have flour that hides on the bottom of the bowl and refuses to mix in no matter what, you might want to pour the mixture back into the wet ingredient bowl, putting the rogue flour at the top and making it easier to mix in. If you have no idea what I’m talking about… ignore that!
Grease or line a muffin pan and fill each cup 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. As is, these muffins great for breakfast with a hot cup of tea. They’re nice and spiced without being overwhelming or overly sweet. If you are more of a dessert/sweets lover, you can easily put a cream cheese frosting on these and they’d be delicious too.  This recipe makes 12 muffins. I doubled the recipe since I was planning to bring them into the office (and because I wanted to use more pumpkin puree).
Post baking thoughts:
  • Though these muffins are called ginger pumpkin, the ginger flavor can easily be confused for pumpkin pie spice. I love ginger, so next time I make these, I will chop up about 1/2 cup crystallized ginger and mix it into the batter right before baking. I think that will help these muffins be more accurately named.
  • I was reading some other food blogs, and I saw someone who sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top of the muffins before baking them to give a nice sweet crunch on top. I might try this next time as well.