Happy Monday Food Hippies!  I have another fantastic guest post for you today.  I have to say, this illness has been a blessing in disguise because everyone is getting to see some great recipes and blogs that they may never have known about had I not reached out for help to make sure I had content for the blog until I’m up on my feet again.

Today’s post and recipe is from the Baking Fairy  and this chicken and lentil pot pie looks really spectacular!  I’m going to make this for dinner for sure.  I’m almost regretting that I took fish out of the freezer for dinner tonight, because this looks to die for. YUM!  Since it’s just TSM (The Stud Muffin) and I here at home, I’m going to bump up the ingredients by 25% and make two 8×8 pans and freeze one.  I haven’t decided if I’m just going to freeze the filling, or freeze it once it’s baked.  I’ll let you know what I decide, and then how that works out for me.  I’m going to turn the stage over to The Baking Fairy.  You guys have fun.  Make sure you stop by her blog and give her recipes a try!

Hello, Real Food Girl: Unmodified readers!

My name is Valentina, and I blog over at The Baking Fairy.

I am SO excited to be guest-blogging for Real Food Girl: Unmodified! I am currently a 20-year old Allied Health student at Texas A&M University, along with being a nanny and an avid home cook and baker. I was born in Italy, and I definitely get my love of food from my mom and grandmothers! Growing up, my mom cooked us dinner every single night, and now that I live on my own, I love continuing the tradition for myself and my roommates.

Today, I am sharing my Chicken Lentil Pot Pie! This was one of those dinners that I kind of just threw together as I went along,  but it turned out so much more delicious than I could’ve expected! I figured this recipe was perfect to share with you guys, because it’s made with healthy, wholesome ingredients like lentils, carrots, celery, chicken breasts… and a homemade fluffy biscuit topping.

If you don’t like biscuits, the Chicken Lentil filling makes a delicious soup! But I thought the biscuits really brought everything together, and I’m not kidding when I say they were still soft and fluffy when reheated 3 days later. I hope you guys enjoy my recipe, and that you’ll make this for dinner soon. Thank you for having me! 🙂

Chicken Lentil Pot Pie

For the Filling:

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ white onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 6 mushrooms, sliced {about 1 cup}
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
• 3-4 chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
• 3-4 cups of water
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• ¼ cup whole milk {optional}
• Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, bay leaf

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large nonstick pot, heat up about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions, carrots, and celery, and let them cook for a couple of minutes, until the vegetables start to soften and the onion starts becoming translucent.
2. Add in the mushrooms, peas, and tomato, and season with some salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Cook for a couple more minutes, then add in the dry lentils, followed by the water. I kind of eye-balled the water, you simply want it to be mostly covering your ingredients!
3. Add in your chicken breast chunks, and then add in the bay leaf, making sure to push it down into the soup. Turn the heat down to low, cover your pot, and let cook for about 30 minutes until lentils are soft.
4. Once the veggies and chicken are cooked through, turn the heat back up to high and bring to a boil.
5. Add in the chia seeds, and mix vigorously. The chia seeds will soak up some of the water and act as thickeners! If desired, add in ¼ cup whole milk for added creaminess.
6. Grease a 9×13 baking dish, and pour in the filling!
7. Set aside while you prepare the biscuit topping.

For the Biscuit Topping

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white wheat flour
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 cup milk, cold
• 1 large egg, well-beaten
• 2 tsp lemon juice

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.
2. Using a cheese grater with large openings, grate the stick of butter over the dry ingredients. Cut in with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add in the milk and the egg, and stir until moistened. Drizzle the lemon juice over the dough and give it a few stirs.
4. Drop the dough onto the prepared filling in tablespoonfuls, trying to cover the whole surface. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and delicious. Let cool slightly and enjoy!