I’m going to change my major.  I never did in college, so now’s my big chance.  I’m going to major in Vacation.

Yes, waiter, I would like another pina colada.

It’s going to be 85 degrees again?

Sure, I’ll take a wedge of that stinky cheese with this fancy wine.

Can you please pass the butter again for my third roll before my dinner is served?

Of course I’ll dance the macarena at midnight… right after I eat second dessert.

Lovely.  Yes, set up my umbrella and beach chair right here.

Oh, room service called?  My eggs and bacon and toast and juice and coffee will be here in 10?  Perfect, wake me up in 9.

If I could major in Vacation, I would study all night, I’d even go to those office hours, Ace the tests,  and no doubt graduate with honors.  If I could find the right program, I’d pursue a graduate degree and move into a teaching position where I could just focus on my research. Vacation research.  I’ve found my passion.

And then there is reality.  Turkey Pot Pie is reality.  Trying to recover from Vacation is reality.  This involves vegetables and whole wheat.

But you get to make a crust!  And that crust has Pumpkin (and fake butter) in it!  I’m trying to be really excited about this!!  Can you tell!!?

Mix up those dry ingredients.  That suspicious looking pile of green is sage, promise.
Thump, thump.  Add that Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread with Olive Oil like you love it.

Smoosh it around with that thing.

Sigh.  Add health to it and smoosh it around some more.

Ball it up.

And let it rest in the fridge.  Just like I rested on my beach chair with my pina colada gazing out onto the blue gentle lapping waves.  Yeah…

Chop, chop chop.

Now’s it’s getting serious.

Cook these guys.

Til’ juuust abooouuut NOW.

Then add the rest of the health.

Sauce time!  Stir this up and add some milk til it’s thickened.

See?  It’s thickened.  Add the turkey and tarragon, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.

Dump that in that.

Wake up, dough!  It’s time to get flat.

From this angle, dough, you look like a tan island.  A tropical tan island.  With beaches and waves.   Vacation.

Sneaky trick.  Roll the dough up with your rolling pin to transfer it to the filling.

Trim off the excess and make steam vents.

Bake it.

Eat it.  It’s like a vacation from your vacation.

 

Turkey Pot Pie with Pumpkin Crust

adapted from Clean Eating Magazine Nov/Dec 2011

Crust:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus additional for work surface and dusting

2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil buttery spread

1 1/2 cups fresh or jarred pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

Filling:

1 tsp olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2 inch crescents

1 1/2 cups cut and stemmed green beans (1 inch long pieces)

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed, if frozen)

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 cup almond milk

1 tsp dried tarragon

2 tsp poultry seasoning

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 1/2 lb cooked boneless, skinless turkey breast, chopped

Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Prepare crust.  In large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups flour, sage, baking powder and salt; stir with a fork to combine.  Stir in buttery spread, mashing until mixture is crumbly.  Add pumpkin puree and stir until flour is blended and mixture is clumpy.  In bowl, use your hands to knead dough 5-8 times, just until dough comes together and is soft and slightly sticky, about 1 minute.  (Do not overwork dough.  If dough sticks to bowl, add a bit more flour.) Place a layer of plastic wrap directly over top of dough and refrigerate until needed, 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

2. Prepare filling.  In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high.  Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add sweet potatoes, celery, beans and corn; cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until slightly tender.  Sprinkle 2 tbsp flour over top of vegetables, stirring to coat.  Stir in milk, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook until milk thickens into a sauce and coats vegetables, 5-8 minutes.  Stir in tarragon, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and turkey and remove from heat.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Spoon filling into dish in an even layer.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Using a rolling pin dusted with flour, roll dough out to a 1/4 inch thick, 9 x 13 inch rectangle..  Set rolling pin at bottom edge of dough and gently roll dough onto pin over baking dish and gently unroll dough over filling.  Using a paring knife or kitchen scissors, trim excess overlapping dough from rim.  If desired, crimp edges with the tines of a fork or your fingers if you are an overachiever.  Cut slits into the crust to create steam vents.  Transfer to oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until filling bubbles and crust is lightly browned.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.