Chicken & Stray Veggies Pot Pie Roundup

Here's a cool recipe that rounds up all the stray, leftover veggies in your fridge so they don't go to waste. It is healthy, lo-carb without all the usual weird lo-carb ingredients, nutritious and takes only a few minutes to prepare for baking. You can size this meal for one or for an entire family.

Now for the sobering news: depending on how old your veggies are, you may only be getting 40% of their intended nutrients. Most store veggies are at least a week old, so try to get to farmer's markets or local co-ops as often as possible (better yet, get off yer ass and start growing something--even one thing--yourself!). But take heart--even if your veggies are old, they will still provide fiber--and the more veggies you eat, the better.

The way this dish is prepared, by adding the flour and butter directly to all the other ingredients, will result in a nice, thick sauce for the chicken and veggies during baking, without having to prepare it separately, so it not only saves time, but energy as well.

In mid-sized or large oven-proof pan (e.g., an iron skillet like the one you'd hit hubby over the head with that can go in the oven) or glass baking dish, place:

• Water, enough to come 1/3rd to halfway up the side of the pan or baking dish
• 2-3 pinches sea salt
• 1 tb organic butter or Organic Earth Balance
• 1 tb organic oat flour, spelt flour or other thickening agent

Now, stir all these ingredients together in the pan or baking dish. Don't worry about the butter not mixing in - it will melt when it heats up. Next, add:

• Sliced leftover organic veggies, leaving space in the liquid for 1 - 3 chicken breasts (without overflowing the pan or baking dish - onions, garlic, celery, carrots, greens, shallots, herbs, etc.)
• 1- 3 organic chicken breasts, arranged so they are at least halfway covered by the liquid while baking. (Add more water if necessary and note that if you want to veganize this, you can use the Earth balance instead of butter, leave the chicken out or cube some tofu into the mix to your taste.)
  

Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes or until chicken is bright white through the center of each breast. If chicken is done (or even very close), cut each breast with scissors to create small bite-sized chunks of chicken. Stir the whole chicken-veggie mixture around in the hot pan or baking dish for 1 to 2 minutes to encourage thickening of the liquid.

Next, cut one store-bought (or homemade--see my Quick Lo-Carb Pie Crust recipe) into long, thin strips and cover the chicken-veggie mixture in a lattice pattern and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes until crust is cooked. Spoon into individual bowls.