All the comforts of healthier eating


Steve has reached a time in his life where he says he doesn't want to worry about his calories or having everything be super healthy. He wants comfort food, he says, pointing out that he was perfectly healthy as a child and he ate things like pot pies and spaghetti multiple times per week.
Oy.
Of course this means I have to be more creative in my sneaking in of vegetables into his diet.
No worries.
The crusts on these little babies are not lo-calorie...about 150 each, though you could cut back on that by leaving off the bottom crusts. You could reduce a bit more by using vegetable spread in place of the butter. (I cut elsewhere so I can use real butter, but that's a personal preference.) The rest of this recipe is pretty healthy.
And, Steve is none the wiser that he's eating a little healthier version of a comfort food. It's a win-win for both of us.
This is really a tasty down home taste, just like mom used to make...well, not my mom because she never cooked anything, but that's another story.
Super Easy Veggie Pot Pies
1 sheet (half of a package) of puff pastry
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of flour
1/8 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, oregano and thyme (or more, to taste)
2 cups of fat-free milk
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cup of peas
1 medium baked potato, cut into small pieces
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green beans
  • Thaw the puff pastry to room temperature.
  • Heat the butter in a pan and add the onions. Stir them until they are tender-crisp.
  • Add the flour, the salt, the pepper, the oregano and the thyme. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth.
  • Gradually stir in the milk. Keep it over medium heat and stir constantly until the whole mixture comes to a boil and is thick.
  • Stir in the veggies.
  • Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into 12 pieces.
  • Roll out six pieces so they are a little larger and thinner than the others. Add a little flour if necessary.
  • Spray cooking spray into large muffin pans and line the bottoms with the larger pastries.
  • Scoop about a cup and a half of the veggie/gravy mixture into each lined tin.
  • Put the slightly smaller pastry on top and brush with a little olive oil or egg white and water.
  • Cut tiny slits in each top to allow steam to escape.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 400º.
Vegetarian.

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