Since my first foray into the culinary world, cooking has been my art of choice. Baking, in particular, is my favorite pastime. Now that I’m living on my own, I’ve started expanding my savory roots. Cookies and cake are still my favorite things to make, but as a health conscious adult, I try and reserve the decadent desserts for special occasions. I don’t compromise on ingredients when it comes to baking, because if I want a healthy dessert, I would rather eat some fresh fruit than eat a mediocre “healthified” cookie. I’m a firm believer that butter is best for baking!
You’ll find that my savory cooking style tends to be plant based and I’m a sucker for seasonal, local ingredients. For my everyday weeknight meal, I try to take comfort food classics and give them a healthy spin. I wage a constant battle against my love of bread and butter and wanting to fit into my skinny jeans! For my first ever blog post, I give you a favorite comfort meal! To make this a little more weeknight friendly, I use a pre-packaged pie crust. If you have the time, feel free to substitute your favorite pie crust recipe. If you’re trying to cut down on calories, leave off the bottom crust. You can easily substitute your favorite veggies and beans in the filling.

Easy Chickpea Pot Pie
1 package pre-made pie crust
1 can garbanzo beans
1 8 oz packaged crimini mushrooms, quartered
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 cloves chopped garlic (or more if you love garlic)
2/3 cup frozen peas
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1 medium sweet potato
2 handfuls of spinach (more or less to taste)
2 cups vegetable broth (bouillon based is fine)
3/4 cup milk (use whatever you have. Soy or almond works great)
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup water
TBSP Poultry Seasoning (or to taste)
Salt, Pepper, pinch of chipotle powder(optional)
Preheat your oven to 450° F. Unroll the bottom pie crust into your favorite pie pan. I use a 9-inch deep dish because I like a lot of filling.
Peel the sweet potato. Wrap it in a damp paper towel and place on a plate. Microwave for 5 minutes or until the potato is tender. Chop into bite sized pieces. You could also boil the potatoes until tender, but I like the convenience of not having to use another pot to boil water.
Sauté the onions and garlic in a little bit of oil until onions are translucent. Add the quartered mushrooms, peas, and corn. Cook until mushrooms shrivel up a bit and the peas and corn are warmed through. Add the vegetable broth and milk. Dump in the spinach, garbanzo beans, and sweet potato. Add your seasoning. Depending on how salty your broth is and what type of milk you used, you might need to add more or less to bring out the flavor. I love chipotle, so usually add a splash of chipotle hot sauce or a pinch of chipotle flavor to add some heat.
Mix the flour and water together until the mixture is lump free. Add to your filling while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil. The mixture should be pretty thick.
Pour your filling into the pie crust. Put the top crust on, crimp sides, and cut steam holes. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown.