Chick'n Pot Pie

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We ate at Vegenation in Las Vegas during our Southwest vacation, and their Chicken Pot Pie Gnocchi was amazing! The Chicky Chicky Bang Bang sandwich came in a close second, followed by the Strawberry Crepes and Lemon Merengue Tart. But oh, the pot pie. It was a comfort food for Larry growing up. For one of our early dates, I made Chicken Pot Pie Nouveau for Larry from the New Basics cookbook; it used pearl onions, snap peas, sliced carrots, fresh rosemary, and puff pastry. I've wanted to make it again - and now I can! Below is an adapted version of a recipe inspired by vegenation pot pie. Larry's sisters Cyndy and Laurie made this when we visited from Vegas a few days later. Serve with garlic bread! (Shown here with delicious wild rice salad.)

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
10 oz mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 large potato, diced
2 T canola oil

Liquids:
1/2 cup flour 
2 T arrowroot
1 cup water
3 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup vegan milk (almond or coconut)

Seasoning:
4 T nutritional yeast
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried sage (or 4T fresh)
2 tsp Kirkland 21 spice seasoning (optional)

1 bag frozen peas & carrots
1 C fake chicken, cut in large chunks
  (Gardein, or TJs chick'n tenders or crispy tenders work)

Optional:
Pie crust 
TJ biscuits, sliced in half
Vegan butter

Notes: The original recipe at Veganation used gnocchi, but I prefer potatoes (easier, healthier). Cyndy also found this was great inside of a pie crust; I tried it and agree. It also works well with TJs biscuits, which you can cook on the pot pie or perhaps better, cook separately and place on top after.

Instructions

Saute onion, potato, and celery about 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook a few more more minutes. Mix flour and arrowroot and water into a slurry. Add liquids (slurry, broth, and vegan milk), bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add seasoning and frozen vegetables and simmer 10 more minutes. Add chick'n and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve immediately, with sprinkled fresh herbs as garnish OR put in pie plate and top with raw pie crust and bake (don't pre-bake the crust) -- or freeze (in the unbaked crust) and to bake the pie at a later time.  Optionally brush some vegan butter on the crust before baking to help it brown.  Bake for about 45 min at 375!  Check and add a little more time until the crust is lightly browned.

Pot pie on our 21st anniversary!



Below: Using almond rather than coconut milk, potatoes, no gnocchi; still yum & slightly healthier:



The first time we made it, with Cyndy & Laurie, w/ homemade gnocchi & coconut milk:



Proud chefs :)



Fond memories of Vegenation...



Oh, back to Vegenation: the lemon merengue tart! Very lemony. The chef said the custard was half sugar, half fresh lemon juice, with LOTS of corn starch. The merengue was aquafaba of course - a bit runnier than I've made.






The strawberry crepes! The chef said the filling was cashew-based.




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