by Lani "Gwen" Jones
Recap of the Throwdown:
A few weeks ago, I bet you, the community of the Realms, that I could create a delectable vegetarian version of your favorite comfort food, which traditionally includes meat.
Hi friends! It’s Gwen, back with the results from my Gauntlet Challenge. Thank you for your fabulous suggestions, they all were thoughtful, fun, and posed future challenges for my culinary curiosity (I’m coming for you--meatloaf!!!!) I spent quite a bit of time pondering each suggestion, but ultimately decided to do my best with whatever challenge I already had the ingredients mostly on hand for. I also decided to tackle this challenge sans mushrooms, because I know there are many mushroom skeptics out there, and I wanted this recipe to be approachable for everyone’s taste buds. (But please, give mushroooooooooms a chaaaaaance.) I’ll post the recipe first (no need to make you scroll for it) but if you’d like to hear more about the process and how to customize this recipe to suit your needs, please feel free to read on, dear Realmsies.
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| Gwen's Pantry Chickpea Pot Pie (Served Deconstructed...) |
Time: Definitely under an hour (I get distracted pretty easily when I'm making dinner)
Ingredients:
1 carton/can of chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid)
2 red potatoes
1 onion
1 carrot
4 oz butter
4 oz AP flour
16 oz vegan chicken broth
8 oz whole milk
2 oz cream cheese
1 can of crescent rolls (or pie crust/starch of your choice)
Seasonings: Olive oil, Montreal chicken seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper (to taste)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Drain, rinse, and pat dry the corn. Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid. Pat chickpeas dry. Toss chickpeas and corn with olive oil and Montreal chicken seasoning to taste.
2. Wash, dry, and chop red potatoes into small (½” square) pieces. Wash, dry, and slice carrot in half lengthwise (no need to peel.) Then, thinly slice carrot into ¼” half moons. Peel and chop onions. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Roast both pans of veggies for about 15 minutes or until browned and cooked to your liking.
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| Prep Phase |
4. Begin making a roux by melting 4 oz (½ stick) of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add oregano to taste and stir for 30 -60 seconds. When butter is melted and just starting to bubble, whisk in the flour (keep it moving!) until it has turned into a light blonde to light brown color. Slowly add in about half the vegan chicken broth (keep whisking!) until you have a smooth, even consistency.
5. Breathe. Then, slowly bring the temperature to medium and add in the rest of the broth and reserved chickpea liquid. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer slowly, stirring on the reg (but no need to constantly whisk.)
6. Add in the whole milk, and repeat step 5 until you have a sauce that resembles the thickness that you want your pot pie filling to be. Then, add your cream cheese and stir until it is fully incorporated into your sauce.
7. Incorporate your roasted veggies and adjust seasonings to taste.
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| So close...do I really want to drag this out any longer? |
8. Decide how you want to serve your pot pie. I had full intentions to make crescent roll muffin cups (I had already given up pie crust from scratch on a Monday night as a bad job) but instead I popped those right into the oven following the package directions. Hence “ ‘Deconstructed’ Pantry Chickpea Pot Pie”
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| Naaaaah...Dipping is just as delectable |
Some final thoughts:
We thoroughly enjoyed this dish, and although it might not have been a perfectly traditional pot pie, I think that had a lot more to do with my “pantry raid” bonus challenge as opposed to the meat substitute. After completing this throwdown, I can say that I’m most proud of pulling this dish together on a regular weeknight using ingredients that I tend to keep around and buy at discount stores like Ocean State Job Lot when I have a chance to stop in. You can create your own spin using whatever frozen or canned veggies have been languishing in your pantry. Normally I would have gone with a much different flavor profile (I’m partial to Scarborough Faire’s: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme in this dish, usually), spicy canned corny was easy alternative that didn’t require getting dressed and going to the store. Even the cream cheese was a last minute addition, mostly because I had some open already and I wanted to add some additional tang and richness to the dish. I encourage you to play fast and loose with your pantry next time your looking for a cheap and quick alternative to delivery. I hope this inspires you to try a meatless spin on a Leviathan classic. I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and feedback on this dish and I look forward to reading them in the comments.
If you or someone you know might be feeling inspired to take on a gauntlet challenge of your own, reach out to any View Staff member, and we can help you get the process started!
Stay safe and be well,
-Gwen