Vegetable Pot Pie

Since yesterday was Pi Day, and I’m trying to keep things healthy around here, I decided a vegetable pot pie would be a festive way to celebrate without loading up on sugar.

I bookmarked a healthy Chicken Pot Pie recipe on Eat Clean Live Green, but wasn’t overly excited about a)the fact that it contained chicken or b)brown rice and flax standing in for a pastry crust. So I took what I liked from that recipe (white beans, turnips, carrots, and no heavy cream), added a few extra vegetables, and topped it with whole wheat pastry.

Mike was a little disappointed about the lack of meat, so I promised him that next time I’d put diced turkey in his. I, however, thought it was one of the best pot pies I’ve ever had, and I’m honestly a little sad the weather is warming up and it won’t be seasonally appropriate much longer.

Recipe:
(inspired by Eat Clean Live Green, with crust adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 turnip, diced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1/4 medium red onion, chopped
2 C white navy beans, cooked or canned
1/3 cup frozen peas
3 tbsp white whole-wheat flour
2 C vegetable broth
1/4 C fat-free plain yogurt
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried sage

Whole wheat crust:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 baking powder
4 tbsp butter, chilled and diced
3 tbsp reduced fat sour cream

First, prepare the crust.
Stir the flour, salt and baking powder together with a fork. Add the diced butter and rub it with the flour between your fingers until it looks like small pebbles. Add the sour cream and press the dough together.
It will be a little crumbly, but the texture will improve in the fridge. Pat it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, and saute for about 1 minute. Add the carrots, turnip, celery and onion, and cook stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, mixing well.
Add the broth and cook for about five minutes, stirring until the mixture thickens.
Add the beans, peas, yogurt, and dried sage, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide among oven safe bowls and/or ramekins.
Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between sheets of plastic wrap so it’s about 1/8″ thick. Cut circles to fit over the dishes, and press them onto the edges. Cut a few vents for steam to escape.
Arrange the bowls on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned.