Comfort Foods

Today, getting up and getting going was HARD. And I can't help but feel a little guilty that I'm having such a difficult time getting myself geared up when I have so much to DO. I feel stretched out, like very thin dough. All I really want to do is curl up in a sunbeam, read and paint. I'd really like for someone else to cook this week, and let me just heal up a bit before I have to go forward. Unfortunately, like you, I don't have that option, so I tried to come up with a recipe that was comforting and easy to make!

What makes food comforting, anyway? One thing that I know is that tastes that harken back to childhood comforts bring those feelings to mind for me now. I know that warm, savory flavors, creamy, even gooey, textures, are palatable. But what is the nutrition of comfort? We know today that even though carbs have a bad rap, carbs actually enhance for your mood!
Protein gives us energy, and can help reduce anxiety. Fats give us a feeling of satiety like nothing else. We also know that "good"carbs are low glycemic, high fiber, and complex, while healthy fats are monounsaturated, fats derived from nutrient dense foods such as olive oil, grapeseed, advocado, and nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans. When we eat a balance of all three of these food groups, in a comfort food package, it's a wonderful thing! We feel enlivened, refreshed, relaxed and nourished, mind, body and soul.

So, I'll be focusing on some of our favorite comfort foods for you. I hope you'll try them and let me know if  you find them a comfort to you. Try them this weekend, if you like. Enjoy.

Kathy's Best Chicken Pot Pie

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
2 cups chicken stock, low sodium or use stock from cooking breasts
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 Green Giant Fresh Steamers, cooked according to directions and drained
3 tablespoons GF Mix(see below)
2-3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup non-fat half and half or nondairy substitute
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
One recipe of Biscuit Mix (see below)
1/2 cup fat free sour cream (optional for dairy free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the chicken and set aside. Heat the chicken broth to simmer. Mix flour mix to a thin paste with a few tablesppons of water. Thicken the stock with the flour paste, stirring as ou add and cook on low for 1 minute. Add cream and seasoning. Remove from heat, add all vegetables and chicken. Add sour cream. Pour cooked pot pie mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish or into individual casserole dishes and top with 2 and 1/2 iinch rounds of bisuit dough. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Makes 5-6 servings.

GF Mix

2 parts Rice flour
2/3 part potato starch
1/3 part tapiocca flour

Featherlite Mix

1 part Rice flour
1 part Tapioca flour
1 part cornstarch
1 part potato flour

Biscuit Mix
(for topping Chicken Pot Pie and for making homemade biscuits)

4 cups plus 3 tablespoons Featherlite Mix
3 tablespoons baking powder, low sodium
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2/12 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar or agave nectar
1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder (optional for dairy free--add nondairy substitute for richer texture)
3 tablespoons Egg Replacer
1 cup less 1 tablespoon shortening (We use Smart Balance)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until no lumps appear. Store in a 2-quart container in the refrigerator.

To make biscuits, preheat oven to 400 degrees. To 1 1/4 cups mix, add 1 egg (or 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute) beaten with 1/4 cup water. Handle gently and roll out on ric floured board. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Makes 8 biscuits.

To make topping for stews on Chicken Pot Pie, add 1 egg (or 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute) to 1 1/4 cups mix beaten with 1/3 cup water. Stir to moisten and frop by spoonfuls onto the hot stew or pie. bake at about 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the bisuits are done. Makes 8 biscuits.

If you can find them, there are some really good commercially available flours that are already mixed. This will save you time and worry if you are new to gluten-free cooking, or if like me, you are too lazy to mix the flours this time, but the blends that you make for yourself are much less expensive, and I think taste a bit "fresher". Domata Flour, Bob's Mill, Barbara's Biscuits are all good brands that I've found at Publix, Kroger, and our local chain, J and J. Make it easy on yourself, and as you learn more, source flours that you use on the internet. You save time and money to have them on hand when you need them, and once you have a mix, it stores well for the next time. Takes only a minute to mix a blend and then zip it up in a freezer ziplock, labeled and tossed into the freezer or refrigerator for storage.