Chicken Pot Pie

I couldn't think of anything black and orange to make for dinner on Halloween, or anything Halloween themed that wasn't obnoxiously cheesy like spaghetti "brains" and meatball "eyes."
Chicken pot pie sounded delightful and the last time I made it, I forgot to take a pic for the blog, so I have the opportunity to make it again.

Chicken, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic sauteed in a creamy thyme gravy with flaky pastry crust baked on top.

Pot Pie Crust

2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cold and cubed
1/2 +/- cold water

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt. Crumble in the cold shortening and mix until the shortening are the size of peas. Add in the water, a little at a time just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough together with your hands into a smooth disc. Try to only knead as much as possible, you don't want to over mix the dough, resulting in a tough texture. Form into a flat disc, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough and cut into long strips for a lattice crust. Fill your large mugs or casserole dish with the pot pie filling and use water to baste the sides of the dish to act as glue for the crust to stick to. Once you have laid the lattice, brush the top crust with water and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until the crust is crisp.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling
serves 4

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, small dice
2 large red potatoes, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1 celery stalk, small dice
1 tbl fresh thyme, minced
salt and pepper
1 zucchini, small dice
1 cup of sliced cremini mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 tbl earth balance vegan butter
5 tbl AP Flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 package Gardien chicken tenders, thawed and cut into medium sized pieces
1 cup shelled frozen edamame

Preheat the oven to 350 and have your pie crust ready.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil and sweat the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and saute for 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Season with 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper and the dried thyme. Add the zucchini, cremini and garlic and raise the heat slightly to medium high. Saute 10 minutes more until the potatoes are cooked through completely. Transfer this mixture to a plate and set aside.
In the same saute pan over medium high heat, add the butter and melt. Add the flour and whisk vigorously until no clumps remain. Continue whisking while the flour cooks and looses its raw flavor, 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and almond milk and whisk to combine and thicken. Season with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.
Add all of the vegetables back into the pan, with the chicken and edamame and toss to heat through, 3 minutes. Taste and reseason.
Transfer the mixture into large mugs, or a casserole dish. Top with the pie crust in a lattice form and bake for 25 minutes.