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Food Review: Amy's Country Vegetable Pie

FitSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:45:00 PDT

Craving some comfort food, are you? I grew up on my grandmother's tasty and comforting pot pies. I've passed by Amy's Kitchen pot pies at the store, but yesterday I picked one up and decided to give it a try.

So what'd I think? To find out

Of course, this pot pie didn't compare to the homemade ones my gram makes, but I have to say for a quick meal made with organic vegetables, this was better than alright. On my first bite, my reaction was "yum." The filling was creamy, sweet, and very cheesy. I loved the great variety of veggies - potatoes, carrots, green beans, corn, red peppers, broccoli, shitake mushrooms, and lentils for added fiber and protein. The crust was a little dry and chewy (not flaky like I was expecting), but still good. I was surprised that this pie was really filling even though it looked small. I didn't like that the fat content was a little too high, and I was expecting there to be more fiber and protein. It was made with all natural ingredients though, so that made me feel good. If I were in need of a quick meal, I'd definitely eat this again.

Serving Size	1 bowl
Calories	370
Total Fat	16g
Saturated Fat	9g
Cholesterol	40mg
Sodium	580mg
Carbs	47g
Fiber	4g
Sugar	5g
Protein	12g

Have you tried this pot pie? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Snacking Good: Natchitoches Meat Pies

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:07:39 PST

We've always wanted to take a stab at rolling out a few Natchitoches meat pies. Thanks to an easy recipe from Food Orleans, this might be a dream realized sooner rather than later.

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish - that's how you say it - is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!). But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

For her recipe, continue reading.

Know Your Techniques: Brunoise

Camilla Salem — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:37:59 PST

Don't be scared off by the fancy name of this cut; it's actually quite simple. If you followed along with our lesson on how to julienne vegetables, then you already know most of the steps to achieve this fine dice. A brunoise is classified as a tiny cube, measuring 1/8 of an inch on each side. Luckily for us, a julienne leaves us with sticks that are 1/8 inch by 1/8 inch by 2 1/2 to 3 inches. What happens next is easy as pie.

Get your julienned vegetables together.

Organize them together, a few at a time, evenly. Using your knuckles as a guide, cut 1/8-inch cubes from the sticks. Repeat this until you have the desired amount.

It's really that easy! Do you have any recipes you want to try that call for a brunoise?

Buffalo Chicken Pizza With Shaved Celery Salad

Lauren Hendrickson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:30:34 PST

Buffalo chicken is one of my favorite game-time indulgences, and I love to transform its flavors into something new, like a buffalo chicken dip and now a pizza with all of the same flavors. This tasty pie is topped with buffalo chicken, mozzarella, and Gorgonzola cheese, but it doesn't end there: the whole pizza gets topped with a shaved celery and parsley salad.
If you've never shaved your celery, don't worry: it's really easy. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the stringiness, and be sure to hang onto the leaves of the celery, since they are quite tender and add texture to the salad.
Alone, this pizza might be a little heavy but topped with shaved celery salad, it's lighter and even has a bit of a crunch. Score a touchdown with this pizza at your Super Bowl party when you get the recipe!

Turkey Pot Pie

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:19:10 PST

Turkey pot pie is a necessary indulgence in the world of dieting and salads we all seem to be living in. Yoo Eatz gives us a straightforward, weeknight-friendly recipe for a comforting pot pie.

This holiday season came and went like the whirlwind it always is, and I sit here in the aftermath realizing that I have plenty of recipes to catch up on. So let's take a mini jaunt down memory lane to Thanksgiving, shall we?

Being the lucky recipient of my family's turkey carcass, I ended up with about 6 quarts of homemade stock, most of which sits in the freezer waiting for a chilly night when turkey noodle soup is a quick solution to the question "What's for dinner?" Unfortunately for the stock but quite happily for the rest of us San Franciscans, warm weather has taken up temporary residence in these parts, so soup has been on the back burner, so to speak. But back in late November when temps were still brisk in the low 50s (here, my East Coast friends may shout whatever expletives come to mind), comfort foods were definitely on the brain.

Purists will say that a pot pie must be just that: a pie complete with buttery, flaky crust on the top and the bottom. I get it (admission: I love Marie Calendar's frozen chicken pot pies dumped on a pile of hot white rice), but (1) who has time to whip up pie dough on a weeknight?, and (2) it's hardly a light meal. So I substituted store-bought puff pastry for the crust and focused on a rich, hearty filling for my turkey pot pie. For the recipe, read on.

Pumpkin: A Savory Flavor That Spans Seasons

Padma Lakshmi — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:40:09 PST

We've got a new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social-networking site that celebrates our favorite topics including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly. Today Padma offers creative ideas for cooking with pumpkin during the Winter months.

Pumpkins, or winter squash as many people call it, has many more uses beyond a traditional jack-o'-lantern or filling for pumpkin pie. Aside from a delicious, mellow flavor, pumpkin provides really significant levels of potassium, vitamin A, and beta-carotene making it a healthful, wintry addition to hearty meals and more.

A delicate slice of pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake flavored with allspice, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon tastes like a nostalgic slice of home for many people this time of year. While a pumpkin puree most definitely lends itself to dessert very well, it’s also great as an appetizer and main course.

It’s very common to see pumpkin ravioli in Italian cooking or a pumpkin tempura or sushi with kabocha, which is the Japanese variety. In parts of India, you see pumpkin in vegetarian stews or chowders called sambar that is made with pigeon peas and tamarind. Keep reading for Padma's favorite pumpkin preparations.

Thanksgiving Side: Caramelized Sweet Potatoes With Onions

YumSugar — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:14:25 PST

It's Thanksgiving, and sweet potatoes are everywhere. There are so many different ways to serve sweet potatoes, and we've covered a lot of them: from sweet potato soup and fries to pone and pie.

Sure, you can mash them and throw some marshmallows on top for a traditional preparation, but here's a slightly different preparation of this root vegetable for Fall. Sweet potatoes are boiled, peeled, cut into two-inch rounds, browned in butter, and topped with sautéed onions. For the recipe, keep reading.

Warning: Sweet Potato Pie Is Severely Addictive

Susannah Chen — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:30:29 PST

This past weekend saw a dry run of my upcoming Thanksgiving feast - a fancified version of turkey breast, a few of my favorite vegetable sides, and my first-ever sweet potato pie.

The sweet potato pie may have been my first, but it certainly won't be my last. It's the perfect balance of textures and flavors: more soufflélike than custardy in texture, with a crispy graham cracker and butter crust to keep each bite interesting. But in my opinion, it's the candied nut cream topping, with its caramelized crunch and cool whipped consistency, that makes me absolutely crazy for it. Like, stand-over-the-counter, just-one-more-piece-and-I'm-done crazy for it. Want to be crazy for it, too? Then keep reading for the recipe.

Join Us at the Table For a Virtual Thanksgiving Feast!

Susannah Chen — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:25:08 PST

Can't wait for Turkey Day to be here, already? Well, then you've lucked out, because this year, Thanksgiving's come early - online, at least. Food Network's brought together some of the country's top food outlets for a virtual holiday feast. From cocktails and appetizers to main dishes and desserts, this meal's got it all - and each recipe is one that you can re-create yourself at home. Given our recent obsession with wintry salads, it was only appropriate that we bring a Autumn-inspired platter of greens to gobble down at this year's feast. See what the rest of our friends are bringing to the table when you read more.

Help! I Don't Have Enough Oven Space

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:35:54 PST

Thanksgiving typically involves appetizers, a cornucopia of vegetables cooked every which way, a huge turkey, stuffing, and inevitably some kind of pie. This can result in a majorly stressful oven situation considering many (if not all) of these items require oven-cooking. How do you avoid such a traffic jam and make sure that all of your delicious dishes are done at the same time?

Plan ahead! While you're planning your Thanksgiving spread, keep in mind how much oven space you actually have and adjust your menu accordingly. Select appetizers that can be made ahead of time and served cold or that don't require oven time at all. Caramelized leek, goat cheese, and bacon dip or homemade hummus served with sliced bread or fresh vegetables would be two great options. Cook anything that you can in advance the day before to save time and oven space. Also, many vegetable dishes and pies can be made ahead of time and served room temperature.

If worst comes to worst and you find yourself on Thanksgiving Day in a bind, don't be afraid to turn to your microwave to reheat dishes before serving. Also keep in mind that multiple items in an oven often increase the cooking time so you may need to bump up the temperature a bit. And most importantly, be sure to laugh off every little culinary bump. It's Thanksgiving, after all!