Chicken Pot Pie – #TuesdayTip

It was one of those nights where I needed a little comfort food and to also clean out some things in the fridge. Rotisserie chicken, peas, some carrots getting a little past their prime. I thought, why not a Chicken Pot Pie! Total comfort food for me and I hope for you as well. While I normally would do my white sauce for the filling, I’m trying to clean out the pantry so I dug in there for things I might use. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe!

Caridad’s Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 pie crust shells (Pillsbury, box mix, or made from scratch)
3 cups chopped chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup peas (Fresh, canned or frozen. If canned or frozen, pre-cook and drain to eliminate excess liquid)
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup celery chopped
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 can Half and half
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff!)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly grease large 9-inch pie pan. You can do individual, but I did one big pan to save time. If you’re using dark metal pans, you may need to cut down on the cooking time.

Saute mushrooms in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Olive oil is my go-to but you can substitute vegetable oil or butter if you prefer.

Saute mushrooms for about 3 minutes to get rid of their liquid.

Add carrots and celery and saute for another 3 minutes or so.

Add onions and saute until softened, about another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add mushroom soup and the half and half and stir well. Remove from the heat and add the chicken. Mix well until all the chicken is coated with the sauce. I’m not cooking the chicken at this stage since it’s already cooked and I don’t want to overcook it since it’s going into the oven for at least 30-40 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste and add peas, mixing them in gently. I had canned peas and they are softer, so I added them last. If you’re using frozen ones that you’ve cooked, you may add them in earlier, but don’t mush them up.

Prepare your pie pan with the bottom layer of crust, stretching it up carefully to reach up the sides.

Fill the pan with your chicken, soup, and vegetable mixture and make sure it’s level. Top with the grated parmesan cheese.

Cover this mix with the top pie crust shell. Close the edges of the pie by folding and crimping the edges all around.

Cut a few slits in the top pie crust to allow steam to escape so you won’t burst that top crust with the steam.

Cook this pie for about 30 minutes. Remove and place a tin foil collar on the crimped edges of the pie so they won’t brown too much. Cook for another 10 or so minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.

Let sit for about 5 minutes and then slice and eat.

Some people will do an egg wash on the top of the crust. That will give you a nice glaze and color, but that extra color can throw you off as to the pie crust being cooked.

You can also do this pie Spanish-style by using tomato sauce and paste instead of the mushroom soup. Add some olives and capers to that red sauce for some brininess and kick. Maybe even some chorizo for another pop of flavor!

Bon Apetit!

April 7, 2020April 28, 2021

Cottage Pie

I’m always looking for an easy dish to make if I’ve got leftovers. We had some delicious potatoes that my daughter made and I immediately thought: Cottage pie! (Only Shepard’s pie if it’s lamb, I’m told). So if you’re looking for something to do with leftovers or to make it fresh, this is an easy one for you! Plus if you use a stove-to-oven pan, there is less to wash.

Easy Cottage Pie

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil in the pan until shimmering and add peppers. Saute for 3 minutes or so and add onions. Saute until softened and add garlic. Saute for another minute and add meat. Brown the meat and then add salt and pepper, tomato paste, and water. Simmer for another 3 minutes or so to heat.

Add peas. I used the whole can because we love peas, but you can adjust to your own taste. Stir gently and turn off heat on the pan. Top with the roasted peppers. Cover with mashed potatoes and make sure to cover the entire surface. Top with cheese of your choice.

Bake for 15 minutes or until mixture under the mashed potatoes is bubbling and the potatoes are starting to brown. If you’re using a low gratin dish as I did, place it on another baking pan to avoid spills in the oven.

Once the mixture is bubbling and brown, broil for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the pan you’re using can be used with the broil function!

Once it’s browned, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes and then serve! Nom nom. It’s tasty, trust me. A real comfort food as well at a time when you need comforting.

I didn’t have carrots around, but if you do, add them! Also a little celery if you want. Adding vegetables in this is a good way to get added nutrients and also add filling volume that will help you eat less and keep down the calories. If you want something a little spicier, give it a shot of hot sauce or my new fav ingredient, gochujang Korean chili paste.

cottage pie

March 3, 2020

Chicken Enchilada Casserole #TuesdayTip #TuesdayTransformation

Good morning! I am so excited to share with you that I’ve hit my next goal! I have now lost 50 – YES FIFTY – pounds. I’m feeling great with all the healthier foods I’m eating and my daily workouts. I think one of the reasons I’ve managed to get to this stage in my journey is that I’ve learned how to cook meals that satisfy but are healthier and today I am sharing one of those recipes with you — an easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole. This recipe uses a lot of low-calorie vegetables to create a more substantial dish that will satisfy without adding calories.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups shredded cooked chicken**
1 1/2 cups cubed zucchini
1 onion chopped
1 poblano pepper chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable if you don’t like olive oil)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large jar salsa (either salsa verde or regular salsa; heat level is up to you)
8-12 soft corn tortillas (They have fewer calories than flour ones and are gluten-free if that’s an issue for you)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cotija cheese for garnish (If you can’t find this, some grated feta will work)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
1/2 cup chopped scallions for garnish
Lime wedges for garnish

**You can use one of those rotisserie chickens. We have soup pretty often so when I make it I poach extra chicken to make other dishes during the week.

Directions

I used a 9×9 casserole which let me use 4 tortillas for the base and top of the casserole. If you use a larger pan you will need to use more tortillas and you may have a thinner casserole.

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly grease the bottom of the casserole and spread a small amount of the salsa on the bottom. Lay your corn tortillas to form a base. For extra flavor try a little char on your tortillas by running them over your gas grill or toasting them in the oven.

Saute the mushrooms at high heat in the olive oil. Mushrooms have a lot of water so you want to get that out of them so you won’t be steaming the rest of the vegetables. Then add your peppers and cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes before adding the onions. Continue cooking until the onions are golden and then add the zucchini and the garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until zucchini is softened (but not total mush).

Take the vegetable mix off the heat and add the chicken and about 1 cup of the salsa. You can use either salsa verde or regular tomato salsa. I like the verde but it’s just as tasty with the tomato salsa. Heat level is up to you. I happen to like a little hotter and don’t worry about the poblano. It’s not a very hot pepper.

Spoon the chicken/vegetable mix over the corn tortillas. Use half of the mozzarella and half of the cheddar to cover the chicken/vegetable mix.

Cover this chicken/vegetable/cheese layer with corn tortillas. Spoon another cup over the tortillas, making sure to cover every little bit of them with the salsa. Then top this with the remaining cheeses.

Bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes or until cheese is beginning to get nice and toasty.

Serve with the various garnishes and more salsa if you’d like. The lime in particular will give it a nice fresh zip. A side salad of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers is a nice accompaniment.

You’ll notice I haven’t included sour cream or Mexican Crema as one of the garnishes. I love sour cream but the calories… It’s a trade off and the dish is so flavorful that you really don’t need it, but feel free if you wish to add that as a garnish.

This recipe will serve 4 without a problem!

I hope you liked today’s Tuesday Tip!

February 18, 2020February 18, 2020

#TuesdayTip – Getting Organized

One of the things I’ve been busy doing besides writing is getting organized for my upcoming move. During that process I’ve discovered that my being disorganized created a lot of extra stuff. I mean how much white cardstock, laser gloss paper, and/or Sharpies does a girl need? Seriously. With that in mind, I’ve established set places for each thing and I’ve also eliminated clutter by downsizing anything that I haven’t used in the last six months. That’s really helped cut down on so much stuff that was taking up space in my life and which was no longer useful. So here are my tips based on my recent experiences:

Hope those tips help you!

January 14, 2020

Stuffed Baked Eggplant – #TuesdayTip

One of the things I’ve been trying to do as part of my health journey is to eat more vegetables. One way I’ve been doing that is by adding veggies like carrots and celery to some of my traditional recipes, like my bean chili. Another way I’m doing it is by making a meatless dinner at least once a week. Last night’s dish was a delicious stuffed and baked eggplant so today I’m sharing that recipe with you! This recipe can be doubled to make enough for a second weeknight dinner. I could just imagine Carlo from NEVER A BRIDE making something tasty like this for a dinner with Emma!

Ingredients

Sauce

1 14.5 ounce can of crushed/diced tomatoes (I love Hunts Fire Roasted for making a small pot of sauce)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplant in half and cut off a bit of the skin side so that eggplant boat will lay flat. Scoop out the inside of the eggplant, but do not cut through the bottom.

Oil a baking pan and lightly oil the scooped out eggplant halves. I used a spray cooking oil.

Lay the halves scooped side down on the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. (Nothing worse than squeaky eggplant!)

Chop the scooped out eggplant and bottoms you sliced off and saute in about 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the mushrooms until they are all a nice golden color. Transfer to a mixing bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients.

Saute the carrot and celery for about 5 minutes or so and then add half of the onions. Saute until the onions are translucent and then add half of the chopped garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add to eggplant and mushrooms in mixing bowl.

Beat the egg and add to the mixing bowl together with the ricotta, mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Mix well.

While you’re waiting for the first bake of the eggplant, get to work on the tomato sauce! Saute the onions in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute or two. If you like a slightly spicier sauce, add some red pepper flakes while you’re cooking the onions. Add the crushed/diced tomatoes and the tomato paste and simmer for about half an hour or to desired thickness. I like my sauce thick!

Back to the eggplant. Remove eggplant boats from the oven and flip over. You’ll notice that there is some steam coming off the halves. Fill each half evenly and sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and parmesan.

Bake for another half an hour at 350 degrees and then kick up the heat to 425 for another 20 minutes or so (or until the tops are a golden brown). Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5-10 minutes so they will be cool enough to eat. Top with the tomato sauce and more parmesan to serve.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip. Let me know if you try it out yourselves!

September 10, 2019

#TransformationTuesday – What’s the best workout?

A lot of you have been asking what I’ve been doing to lose so much weight – almost 37 pounds since the start of the year. First I have to say diet is a key factor. For me, it was drastically cutting back on the carbs that I normally ate. No more Friday night casual pizza meals. No more Sunday pasta. Rice. Bread. Yes, I dream of them but only eat them on occasion because clearly my body just packs them on as pounds.

As for workouts, the best workout for you is one that you can do on a regular basis. There is nothing worse than setting unreasonable goals for yourself that you can’t keep. That will just set you up for failure. So how about starting off slow? If you normally walk ten minutes a day, try doing it for twenty or do it twice. Exercise is cumulative. Same things for lifting weights. I didn’t start off deadlifting 125 pounds, it took time to get there.

How do I work out? I mix things up! Twice a week I do the elliptical for 40 minutes, but I also walk at least 4 miles a day. I walk to and from my office once I get to the city and then every hour I get up and stretch my legs. I also do strength training twice a week. That involves a combination of weights, suspension exercises, as well as flexibility and balance routines. Friday night is a rest night. On the weekends I try to get in two long walks, usually at least 2 or 3 miles during each of the walks. My morning walk is brisk. My afternoon/evening stroll is leisurely.

I hope that helps you plan for your transformation!
#transformationtuesdday

July 16, 2019February 17, 2021

#TipTuesday – Are You Ready for a Conference?

It’s conference time for me and I’ve prepared the handouts for the classes I’m teaching and I’ve also prepped for what can sometimes be tiring days. Some snacks in case my energy is lagging, a water bottle to stay hydrated, comfortable shoes, both comfortable and dressier clothes, computer and cables, and last but not least, business cards.

Alas, I forgot the business cards. Big duh! What else should you be ready to do? SOCIALIZE! Yes, go out there and meet new people. One of the most fun parts of any conference is mingling with writers and readers from all over and sharing our common passion: books. It really makes for a different conference experience when you put yourself out there which is not always an easy thing to do.

So stay positive and have fun at whatever conference you may be attending!

Original Image by David Mark from Pixabay