So I'm Eating My Veggies Mixed with Meat Now!

(I stole this picture off the Internet. It's the closest looking thing to what mine looked like, but mine was far prettier than this. Amazingly this person and I have the same kind of counter tops in our kitchens. How's that for random Internet picture searching!)

Okay, I've been tiptoeing on the wild side lately. I've always had this thing for not wanting my meat and veggies to be mixed together. I would make Vegetable Beef Soup for my husband (who said it was awesome) when we first were married and not eat it myself and still don't eat it. But here lately, my taste for food has been a little more open minded. Maybe I'm looking for a one-pot meal? Probably, but I do know that I'm trying to cut out about 90% of processed foods in my diet. So far so good. The only canned goods I now have on hand are diced tomatoes, chicken or beef broth, pastas, pineapple, pumpkin, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, Cream of chicken soup (I haven't found a homemade substitution for this...yet), refried beans and olives. And you all are probably thinking-"What in the heck is she going to make with that on hand?" Well the answer is lots of good foods, but I'm still trying to incorporate things that I've learned reading "French Women Don't Get Fat". I'm shopping at least twice a week for fresh ingredients for my meals and cutting back on the over-processed garbage we toss in our mouths.

Anyway, I made a Lamb Pot Pie about two months ago and it was delicious. I made a Shepherd's Pie with lamb at the end of September and then on Thursday I finally made a traditional homemade Beef Pot Pie. Only I used refrigerated pie shells, just because making one from scratch still kind of intimidates me. (Go figure.) It was easy and effortless as the first two "pies" I made. So here is the master recipe for Lamb Pot Pie, which you can interchange ingredients with what you have on hand, like I did and the two variations. Simple as that! Oh and you may notice that I didn't give any measurements for the amount of veggies, meat etc. I really don't remember how much I used. Maybe a 1.5 lbs of meat (trimmed of fat) and 1/2 cup of veggies in addition to the 2 russet potatoes in the "pot pies". Guestimate on whatever you feel like is enough or to your taste.

Lamb Pot Pie (Master Recipe)

I first cut up 2 russet potatoes into bite-size pieces and parboiled them. I browned bite-sized pieces of lamb in some EVOO and butter. Tossed some S&P and some meat tenderizer on it while cooking. After it was done, I removed it from the cast-iron pan, then sauteed some garlic in the remaining butter and EVOO. Added the following frozen vegetables to the garlic: pearl onions, sliced crinkle cut carrots, corn, sweet green peas. I let them steam a few minutes, then tossed them in a bowl with the potatoes (drained) and then added my homemade cream of mushroom soup to the lamb I had returned to the cast-iron pan. I heated that through, then tossed the lamb and soup mixture with the veggies. Next I poured it into a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray and topped with crescent rolls in a lattice design. Then I baked at 350* for about 25-30 minutes until the crescent rolls had browned.

Shepherd's Pie with Lamb

This was exactly like the Lamb Pot Pie, but I didn't have any potatoes on hand. So I improvised using two packages of instant potatoes (cooked as directed) to top the lamb/veggie/mushroom soup filling. I baked at 350* again for about 30 minutes until the potatoes were starting to turn golden brown on top.

Beef Pot Pie

Same thing again as the Lamb Pot Pie, but I had forgot to thaw out a container of homemade Cream of Mushroom soup. I had a can of Golden Mushroom in the pantry (and using up my stock of processed food items) and added it instead and along with some Mushroom Duxelles I had froze for a Beef Wellington I had planned to make the other month. I put all of this in a refrigerated double pie crust. Then baked at 350* for about 35 minutes, until it was golden brown on top. Amazing and I had leftovers that I froze into individual servings for later this month.

So, I have to give myself a pat on the back for 3 amazing veggie/meat dishes. Super Simple One Pot Meals. I hope you enjoy trying one for yourself!