Quick Share - Let's Stop Pretending

June 2nd - post entitled "I'm baccck" - for a hot second maybe. After logging in, it seems I did WANT and THINK about blogging my trip to London and all the amazing food and things I did there, but then, I didn't. Now its November. I dare not say "I'm back", because undoubtedly it will be another 4 months before I post again, but truth be told, there just isn't room for working crazy hours, staying fit, living life, trying to squeeze in some sleep AND being inspired by cooking and blogging.

Eating out isn't so bad... gluten-free BBQ chicken pizza
with vegan cheese at WILD

Honestly, I have been too exhausted to make anything blog-worthy. Yes, I still have been cooking, still packing 5 days of breakfast and lunch every week and still eating paleo. Yet, I have found myself eating most dinners at work (because being a lawyer in New York is fun!) and eating out more on the weekends in order to have time for life. But I miss being creative in the kitchen, I miss making delicious clean food that inspires others to eat better and weirdly, I miss writing. I even lost my mind for a second and suggested to a partner that we write an article - clearly I need this outlet.

Tonight, I am inspired again. It has been ages since I made something that impressed myself, or even came close to inspiring "this may be one of my best" to run through my own head (yes, I think a lot to myself). This recipe is truly off the cuff, insanely easy and resulted as a by-product of laziness. I know, you want me to get to the point already - fine.

CHICKEN POT PIE.

Once upon a time, Marie Callender's chicken pot pies were my jam. We all know the best part was the doughy magic that was created by crispy crust soaked in pie filling. Even better if you dumped sour cream on top. This magic combination has been at the front of my mind. HuKitchen has added a "chicken pot pie" bowl to its menu... but literally their "bowls" are so small and you are so hungry after you finish it, that the remaining hunger blacked out whether or not I liked it in my mind. So, it fell on my shoulders to satisfy my craving.

For the record, if you love Marie Callender's and never want to give them up DO NOT click this link.  - these alone may be responsible for the premature death of an entire generation.

SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN POT PIE.

Slow-cooker, really doesn't capture it all. I managed to start with sticking a whole chicken in the slow-cooker on top of some veggies and ended with doughy chicken magic without dirtying a single additional dish (other than the bowl I feasted from). On top of that, with this recipe you can feed 5 normal eaters (4 me eaters) with all pastured/organic ingredients at New York prices for less than $5 a person.

How did I accomplish such a fantastic feat? Well,  I started with cooking a chicken in the slow-cooker, delaying the decision to go soup or meat and three until game time. Then, I thought, maybe I'll be a good New York Jewish girl and make chicken matzo ball soup - but wait, I am actually a good Southern girl, let's go chicken and dumplings. HOLD UP - I would have to boil those and dirty another dish?!? Hell no.

Follow the steps below and you too can realize this lazy girl's dream. Picture is lame, I know, but I honestly didn't expect it to be delicious.

Ingredients
Part 1
1 whole chicken
1 lb baby carrots
4-6 stalks of celery, diced (or whatever amount you have leftover from when you bought 2 hearts in order to use 1 stalk in a recipe)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
thyme/paprika/bay leaves/whatever spices you have and think will taste good

Part 2
1 bag of frozen peas (thawed and drained)

Part 3
3 eggs
1/2 c cassava flour
2 tsp bacon fat or olive oil or other fat or oil (I used duck fat)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Topping (Optional)
Plain unsweetened non-dairy yogurt

Steps

Part 1

Dump carrots, celery, onion and garlic in base of slow-cooker. Stick chicken on top. Sprinkle salt & pepper and seasonings on top. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6 hours. It is fine for the slow-cooker to switch to "warm" after time passes. Use forks to shred chicken in pot and remove bones.

Part 2

30m-1hr before serving, reset the slow-cooker to high. Dump in peas and stir. 

Part 3

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until a dough forms. Dump mixture into slow cooker and stir together. Let cook for 30m to an hour. Serve up and enjoy!

OR 

Optional 

If you have the time/energy, spoon mixture into ceramic or other microwave safe dishes and broil for 5-10 minutes to crisp the outside. Top with plain unsweetened yogurt if you are looking for the sour cream fix!