Comfort Foods: Rice Pudding and Pot Pie

This week, I found myself having cravings for certain foods. First, it was rice pudding. And when I discovered how easy rice pudding was to make, I felt like a fool for having never made it before. The recipe I used is a very traditional one, adapted from the Joy of Cooking website http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/RicePudding.html. The only change I made was that I used soy milk. I don't feel this affected the recipe in any way. Be forewarned that the recipe only yields 2 servings. I ate one serving for dinner, and the other for lunch the next day.

Rice Pudding Recipe:

2 1/2 cups soy milk

1/3 cup long or short grain white rice

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

1. In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan combine the milk, rice, and salt.

2. Place saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium to medium-low and simmer until the rice is tender (about 25 minutes). Stir the milk mixture frequently using a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3. When the rice is tender (al dente) remove from heat and add the sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.

4. Return to heat and cook until the rice pudding thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and add the raisins.

6. Spoon the pudding into your serving bowls and cover with plastic wrap. If you want a film or skin on the puddings, allow them to cool before covering with plastic wrap.

7. Refrigerate until serving time, about 1 to 2 hours

Pot Pie!!!!

Another comfort food that was calling out my name all week was pot pie. After studying about half a dozen pot pie recipes on the internet, in cookbooks, and in magazines for sale at the supermarket, I developed my own recipe, which has all of the elements I think are essential to a pot pie: chicken-like substance, peas, potatoes, nice crust, and creaminess.

The chicken-like substance was essential for me because pot pie is something I remember from my childhood, when I was a carnivore. I really wanted to stay away from tofu. I enjoy tofu, but I wanted something with a tougher texture for this recipe. I recently discovered Gardein products, and while I try not to eat too many processed foods, I have to say these are pretty tasty.

The crust was the part that was making me really anxious. Pie crusts are my nemesis. Attempting to make a pie crust has brought me to tears more than once. Using a puff pastry for the crust was what made this pot pie work for me. I doubt puff pastries are all that healthy for you, but they are wicked easy to work with and sure are yummy!

There are many pathways you can follow to make your pot pie creamy. Most recipes use flour, constarch, or sour cream. I went with a mixture of broth, soymilk, flour, and nutritional yeast.

I ended up making 4 individual pot pies. Each of my parents had one, I had one, and the other is in my boyfriend's fridge. This pot pie lived up to my expectations. For years, I have thought about making pot pie, but it seemed like a daunting task. This recipe is so simple, however, that I know I'll be making it again before the winter is over.

My Pot Pie

Ingredients· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 package Gardein vegetarian chicken scallopini, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
· 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
· 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
· 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 small potato, peeled and diced small
· 1/4 cup all purpose flour

· 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
· 1 cup vegetable broth
· 1/2 cup soy milk
· 1 cup frozen baby green peas

· 1 tsp. thyme
· 1 tsp. sage
· 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
· 7 ounces store-bought puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Brown gardein scallopini in a sautee pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent.
4. Add potato, cook until tender.
5. Sprinkle flour and nutritional yeast over vegetables, stir to coat.
6. Add broth and milk, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Add gardein scallopini, peas, herbs, and vinegar, and stir to combine.
8. Remove from heat, Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
9. Whisk egg together with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.
10. Once mixture is cool, pour into individual ramekins, glass pie pan or small casserole dish. With kitchen shears, cut pastry to fit over the baking dishes. Cover mixture with puff pastry (be sure to leave a small excess of pastry for folding and fluting of the edge) and seal edges. Cut slits in the top to vent.
11. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.