Phyllo-topped Chicken Pot Pie (thank-you Sobeys)

I get very excited when the Sobeys Inspired magazine comes out. Not only do I love the recipes but I love to see the new products and as a PR person, I love the thinking behind putting out this magazine as a communication tactic (can you say identification principle?). 

I adapted this recipe from a chicken pot pie recipe found in the Inspire magazine. 

What you will need:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 leeks (white part only), split lengthwise, thinly sliced (or one large onion, thinly sliced)

2 carrots diced

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tbsp flour

1 cup green beans

1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme

4 phyllo pastry sheets, thawed

S & P

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a medium ovensafe saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until water evaporates and mushrooms start to brown, about 7 min. 

2. Add leeks and cook until softened, 5 to 7 min.    

3. Stir in carrots and cook, 2 min.    

4. Season chicken with salt and add to pan, stirring until chicken is lightly cooked on all sides, about 7 to 10 min. *Don't worry too much about the chicken cooking - this will go in the oven for 20 min later so it will definitely cook there.

5. Add flour and stir until flour turns beige. Stir in green beans, broth and thyme and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 10 min. 

6. Remove from heat.

7. Place 1 phyllo sheet on countertop and brush with a bit of remaining olive oil. Fit sheet loosely over chicken mixture inside pot, covering right to edges. Tuck excess phyllo under itself. Repeat with remaining 3 sheets. 

8. Bake for 20 min. or until phyllo is brown and juices are bubbling.

Nom nom

And I also served it with this salad:

In the salad:

mixed greens

baby spinach

Renee's raspberry vinaigrette

blackberries

red onions

feta cheese

candied pecans

Craisins

Spring has sprung and I want salad

This kind of weather always gets me in the mood for a delicious "summer" salad. Although, I like this kind of salad at any time of the year.

I have to credit my mom's friend Rose for this (adapted) recipe.

Usually I'm not into making my own dressings. They don't always turn out and I absolutely love Renee's dressings anyway. Why bother to make a dressing when the ones you can buy are so delicious? But, this one was an absolute hit. It's easy to make and you can keep the leftovers in the fridge for salads in the future (and you will have leftovers because this makes a lot of dressing).

For the dressing:
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar (you could probably use any light vinegar like apple cider or white wine)
1/3 cup of grapeseed oil (vegetable or olive would work too)
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
s & p

Tip: Using the same measuring cup, measure the ingredients in this order: First, vinegar; second, oil; third, syrup. This way, the oil will kind of lubricate the cup and the maple syrup won't stick!

Mix all ingredients in a sealable container and then give it a good shake!

For the salad:

Mixed greens (or baby spinach)

1/4 cup red onions, sliced thin

1/4 cup (or as much as you want) of a mixture of blackberries and raspberries (this is what I used because it's what I had and what I like but you can use mandarin orange segments or blueberries)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup honey roasted peanuts

Now, just toss the mixed greens in a bowl with the dressing (I used about 1/3 of the container) and then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on the top. You can toss it all together if you'd like but sometimes the toppings end up all at the bottom. I think it makes for a prettier salad if they're all sprinkled at the top.

My sister LOVED this salad and she's not typically into salads (unless they're Caesar). She also doesn't usually like onions and she actually really liked them in this!

So pretty :)