Chickpea Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

I really love this meal, and John even prefers it to a lot of things I make. This is meat-free, making it pretty darn cheap, and it comes together quickly with things we have in the pantry. It is a great standby. I usually make the recipe early in the week and then use the second portion for dinner later in the week when I get home late. Serve with broccoli or something else green!


Chickpea Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust
as seen on Prevention RD

(I am showing the portions as I have adapted them to make 4 servings. 7 WW points plus each.)

Filling:
1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (I usually use 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes and call it a day)
1/4 cup carrots, diced
1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/8 cup whole wheat flour
7 oz low-sodium vegetable broth
7 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (half of a can- sometimes I roast the other half of the can to snack on)
1/4 cup frozen baby peas
1/8 tsp kosher salt
cracked pepper, to taste
dash of Tabasco sauce

Crust:
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup fat free milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

Boil the potatoes and carrots until tender but not soft and set aside, about 7-8 minutes.
Spray 4 ramekins with cooking spray. (You can also use a casserole dish- 1.5 qts or larger.)

For the filling, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the 1/8 cup flour and mix. Slowly pour in the vegetable stock whisking well with a wire whisk. Still using the whisk, cook the mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, peas, cooked potatoes and carrots, salt, pepper to taste, and Tabasco. Cook on medium heat until the mixture is heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Distribute the filling into the prepared casserole dish, spreading evenly or divide evenly among ramekins.

Preheat oven to 400 F.
 
For the crust, in a bowl combine the cornmeal, 1/3 cup flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the milk, oil, and egg yolk. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until uniform but a bit lumpy. Spoon the batter evenly over the filling.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes for the casserole and 10 to 12 minutes for the ramekins. Yield: 4 servings (about 1 1/3 cup each).

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Stuffed Portabellas

YUM. Look at all of those veggies! Needless to say, John did not partake in this meal. This is super easy and quick to make, not to mention, super healthy!

Stuffed Portabellas

2 portabella mushrooms, outsides wiped with a damp towel and guts torn out to leave a shell
1 bag of fresh (or frozen) spinach
1 onion, diced
3 or so cloves of garlic, chopped up
1/4 cup or so of parmesan cheese

Over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with a tiny bit of olive oil. While this is happening, put the mushroom caps under the broiler for a few minutes (5-10). Once the onions are translucent, add ALL of the spinach. Toss the veggies a few times- all of the spinach will wilt pretty quickly & you want to make sure that you get all of it.

Pull the portabellas out of the oven and top with the spinach mixture. Top with a tiny sprinkle of parmesan cheese and stick back under the broiler until the cheese gets golden. Eat. Done and done.

**If you would like, you can marinate the mushroom caps before they go under the broiler. Sometimes I just toss them with a little Italian dressing. I am not a fan of balsamic vinaigrette, so I'm sure you could do that too.

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