Edible wild mushroom heaven!! Mmmmmm............

• White Coral Mushrooms!
  
• Went out walking in our backwoods today plugging trees and rotting downed logs and stumps with mushroom plugs(wooden dowels with mushroom mycelia). This is an experiment Javi came up with to try and get all sorts of edible mushrooms going back there. We sell plugs for 9 different types of edible gourmet mushrooms on our ebay stores(http://stores.ebay.com/Rainbow-Seeds) and our bonanzle store(http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/RainbowSeeds), as well as complete mushroom growing kits(but sticking them into rotting logs is not what we tell our customers to do with them!). Often when we get our bulk plugs in when we separate them for resale we have some uneven amounts leftover, these we are using for backyard experimenting. So we stuck them everywhere, covering our whole 5 acres, we will see what happens!
• Being that this is our first Spring living on this land, I have been going for short walks through our small wooded acreage(behind our house and to the side, about 3.5 wooded acres) and through our front meadow/turning into our garden area(about 1.5 acres) then there is the cleared .5 acre our house and lawn live on, nearly everyday! Takes me about 10-15 minutes to walk briskly through while keeping and eye out for new mushrooms popping up all the time. I have been taking pictures(ideally every day) everytime I see a new one or just a pretty one that I can't pass up! Lots of days it takes much longer than 15 minutes because I keep finding new things to look at and wonder about, and then I'm reluctant to go back in the house, back to work!
  
• Then I scan through pictures online and in my mushroom books trying to figure out if they are edible or not. If I know for sure what kind they are and they are not poisonous we'll venture back out and pick a few to eat! I want to make a record of the one's growing here(when they come out)and also share them with other wild food hunters!!
• Being a fellow mushroom fan I find it especially exciting when I find other people's blog's and websites describing their hunting trips, especially when it is in my region and there is a slight chance that I might come across the same delicious mushrooms! I love to see other hunter's pictures and hear their amazing stories. Just makes me want to go out there again, seems there is always a new one I didn't seem to notice before!
  
• Sometimes I just take pictures of plants, I love to learn about edible wild plants and their medicinal properties and vitamin content. I will be posting some of those as well!
• Today our big find was Coral Mushroom(also called club fungi, antler mushrooms or doghair mushroom...). I took the pictures of it growing(above), found it easily online. Scanned about 10-20 sights with pictures and description. What I thought was strange was that everyone said they don't have much flavor, I almost found them to be as flavorful as MORELS(if that is possible!) and 10 year old Lili(who only likes morels) pronounced them her new favorite mushroom!!
• We picked them, leaving then bottom of stems where we picked them(in hopes of keeping the mycelia going) and washed them in a bowl of water which we will take and sprinkle around our land later to get more of these spores going(hopefully! another experiment), we only had about 1 cups worth but still wanted to try them!
• 
• Javi also peeled a fresh head of garlic from our garden today, getting big! He sauteed the coral mushrooms in butter, then sauteed the garlic in butter and then a minute combined. We thought it tasted sort of like tamari seasoned ramen noodles, or a stringy meat like pulled pork texture(from what I remember it was like anyways). We just ate them like that, and savored every bite! We left a few small ones when we picked them, I hope they get big enough so we can eat them again! The would make really great vegetarian sandwiches, maybe a mock Reuben? Some sort of BBQ Sloppy Joe?? With a white sauce on pasta???
• Most coral fungi are tan, whitish or yellowish, a few are pink or purple. They grow in clusters up to 8 inches high in Summer and Fall. You can find them in wooded areas growing on the ground or on decaying logs.
• CAUTIONS: Some coral fungi have been reported having a laxative effect on some people(some people are more sensitive and others not effected at all). Avoid bitter tasting corals and ones with gelatinous bases. NO serious poisoning from coral fungi have been reported, (neither Javi, Lili or I felt any laxative effect or any stomach issues), happy eating!!

Easy Falafel Recipe

• If I'm trying to figure out what to make for dinner and can't think of anything, I look to see what I have a lot of, or what needs to get used(before it goes bad!). Then I look up this item in my favorite cookbooks index, or do an online search. Next I find a recipe that I have most(rarely all) of the ingredients for and then I adapt it to my tastes and go for it! Sometimes this means converting a recipe from a meat one to vegetarian or just making one without the dairy or eggs. I can't stand it when recipes are vegetarian, which you would think would make it healthy, and then all of the food is put into a microwave! Or (just as bad) sometimes the ingredients include instant name brand food(i.e. 1 box of betty crocker au gratin potatoes, or add 1 box chex cereal etc..). I like to cook from scratch whenever I can. Cheating for me is cooking with vegetable bouillon cubes. The kind I use are vegan and contain no salt, which I can quickly make a tasty soup from adding whatever else I have in my fridge! Or, on a busy day when I have no energy left for cooking I'll buy a frozen cheese pizza and then put my own toppings on it, fresh veggies! Ok also sometimes we buy box mac and cheese(the good brands all natural no preservatives, white cheddar) and then add frozen organic peas or corn. Everyone has these busy days where you can only do what you have the energy for...
• Anyways, I had a pack of tofu sitting in my fridge for a couple of weeks and figured I should use it up before it goes bad. I have this Giant Book of Tofu Cooking cookbook that I don't think I've ever used before (I have a lot of cookbooks) and opened it up to a tofu-falafel recipe that I had most of the ingredients for, I've made falafel before, but never with tofu!
• It was easy and tasted great. Javi made a simple tahini sauce to go on it(he did this while I fried up the falafel), and we had some feta cheese(totally optional),a tomato, some spinach and whole wheat tortillas so we made wraps but could of just as easily made burgers(on bread) or served the falafel on rice or other grain. Just use what you have!
  
• Recipe:
• 16 oz firm tofu, mashed
• 4 cups chickpeas(garbanzo beans)(2 cans drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup water
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup tamari(or soy sauce)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 5 cups bread crumbs(I used mostly some leftover croutons, pre-made which I rarely ever buy but had leftover from holiday meal, and a few bread butts I tore into crumbs)
• 1/2 cup flour(I used wheat but any would work)
• veggie oil for frying
• fresh greens, tomatoes, sweet peppers, sprouts or whatever you have that you normally would top burgers with, chop all

Tahini Sauce(optional, but really good!)

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tamari(or soy sauce)

In a blender or food processor mix the chickpeas, water and garlic until creamy

• Pour mixture into large mixing bowl
• Mix in tofu, tamari, salt, pepper, onion and bread crumbs until all ingredients are moist
• Form into 1/12 inch balls, or flattened patties, or burger size then cover in flour
• In a large frying pan heat oil and fry flipping until golden brown

Put all ingredients for tahini sauce in food processor or blender, blend until smooth

• Put your falafel on your bread of choice(or grains) spread with tahini sauce, feta cheese(or other cheese, or no cheese!) layer with greens, tomato or other veggies and eat!!
• I noticed too late that this recipe makes 8-10 servings(I was cooking for 3) so we ate it a few days in a row, just frying up the falafel as needed and then keeping the rest of the mix in the fridge.
• Some afterthoughts: 10 year old Lili loved it(even though she had said she didn't think she liked falafel before she tried it)-kid friendly! I want to now try this easy vegan recipe with other beans instead of the chick-peas to make bean veggie burgers, they held together really well and could of easily been cooked on a grill!
  

Quinoa Freedom Cheese, our dog!

• Three years ago, as of next July 4th, this cute little dog walked into our yard, in the country! We reported that we found her and the authorities said someone had called the day before and said they found her and would keep her until the owner showed up. Strange because Javi had seen a car pull up in front of our house and open and close their car door. The people who said they found her lived miles away from us so there is no way she walked to our house from there.
• The city people said they would come pick her up, if we wanted, and take her 'to the pound!'
  
• We decided to hang on to her until owners showed up and they never did. At first it was hard because I never thought I would have a dog. It's a lot of responsibility and I never considered myself 'a dog person'
• This little dog soon adopted me as her new mom and followed me everywhere I went, including just up and down the hallway at my old house! She likes to burrow(weird for a dog, it seems) and is as I type curled up under my sweater!
• I couldn't help but get attached to her and we gave her the name Quinoa(after my favorite grain)Freedom(since she showed up on July 4th)Cheese(well because we live in WI of course!) and she is now a part of our family and goes everywhere we go, good thing she is small!!!
• Recently I was listening to a podcast about animals and the woman speaking said dogs are angels in fur coats and that they are just here to teach us unconditional love! What a great way to think of our little furry friends!
  

Dixie's Quinoa Recipe

• From 1993-1997 I lived in Golden, CO in a cooperative house called The Owl House. I moved there when I was pregnant with Keara, she was born in Denver. I had many different roommates who went through that house, several really great ones! Really it was, so far, my favorite and most cooperatively functioning household I have ever lived in.
  
• At one point in the Owl House we had 6 adults living there, Keara was a baby and another couple had a daughter who was 6 months older than Keara. Then there was another married couple who had no children yet then(they have 4 now!). Everyone worked 9-5 jobs except me and the other mom, we stayed home with the babies.
  
• My favorite part was the way we shared meals(other than just the great people I lived with!). Every adult picked one cooking night per week and that was your washing dishes day too. Also we each pitched in $20/per week for groceries and that was it. Everyone was vegetarian so it worked great.
  
• Basically for $20 a week we got a gourmet, balanced dinner every night and only had to wash dishes and think about 'what's for dinner?' once a week! We had some guidelines for making it a healthy meal that were so easy I often still go by them today. Since being vegetarian everyone says it is so hard to get enough protein THIS IS NOT TRUE, actually all you need to do is eat dark colored vegetables, whole grains and beans, seeds or nuts throughout the day and the combination of them makes complete protein!! Anyways, we made those our guidelines for our dinners and really it was so easy. For example lets say someone made rice and vegetables for dinner. All they need to do is make sure there is a dark colored veggie(carrots, spinach, yams, beets, kale, squash etc..) in it, brown rice is a whole grain and then for the bean, seed or nut you could at the very least just sprinkle on some seeds or nuts at the end(or add tofu, beans or tempeh etc to the dinner)..
  
• I always keep some sorts of raw nuts and seeds in my refrigerator to sprinkle on at the end if needed. It's amazing how much more complete your food tastes just adding a few seeds at the end!
  
• Try sprinkling on a few sesame seeds or cashews on your salad then serve it with a slice of whole grain bread for complete protein. Also if your salad dressing has nut butter or tahini in it that also would complete your protein. There are many simple ways to do this I wish everyone knew so I wouldn't have to hear ever again 'oh you're vegetarian, how do you ever get enough protein??' I'm so tired of hearing this over and over and over, like eating a steak is the only way or something...(sorry meat eaters but it does get a little annoying explaining my simple and easy diet over and over and over....) oh also I get alot of 'so what you just eat salad then?' this is so funny for a vegetarian to hear because there are so many things to eat out there. Yes I eat salads and it should be my main food(I would be so healthy then) but there is so much more...
• Ok so when I lived in CO I met a girl named Dixie and she introduced me to eating Quinoa(pronounced Keen-wah). This recipe is the first Quinoa dish I've ever eaten and since then I have made this same dish possibly hundreds of times. It is my favorite grain and I have even named my dog after it! I'm posting a picture of my dog also, speaking of Quinoa!!
• This simple recipe is a hit every time and you can easily make it ahead and chill it and bring it to a potluck! Everyone likes it and it is a complete meal, and protein, in itself!
• Let me know if you try it, it's a good one!!
  

Feeling low energy today...

• Ok, so yesterday I did the coffee enema and I was too high from it to sit and write the details, I had no idea it would be like that. Now I feel super low energy, I don't think it is because of the enema, but because I have been trying to cleanse for a week now and I feel the toxins are really coming out! This is normal so I am not surprised! Fortunately Javi went to run our store today, he's been so great, and I get to stay home and try to feel better.
• In my post yesterday I added a link to a site that gives good details of how to do a coffee enema so I will leave that as my directions, encase you want to try it.
  
• Just want to add first, I was chatting with a friend yesterday and she seemed to think it was gross that I would write about something so personal. I'm writing about it for a couple of reasons. One is because I truly think it is important to cleanse all of the toxins out and I feel if I talk about it more people will feel better about doing it. Two, well because I don't think our bodies are anything to be shy about since EVERYONE HAS ONE! So really, what is the big deal?? Hope that I'm not offending anyone!
  
• So we made our coffee, boiled water first instead of using distilled water, and about 4 heaping Tbsp of coffee total for the 2 of us, me and Javi. Then let it cool for about 2 hours, in a giant mason jar. Then poured it into our two plastic enema bags as evenly as we could.
  
• About the enema bags. It actually says right on these bags(which are disposable) that the type of plastic they are made of can cause cancer! We bought them online last summer and wanted to try it then but didn't because of the warning on them, we were confused! Finally we decided to just use them anyways, but now are hoping to find something re-usable that isn't made of plastic to do it again. I know a couple of years ago I heard on public radio that this type of plastic was being banned for food packaging and especially for making baby bottles in California because of the toxic cancer causing ingredients in it, no kidding! This plastic is still totally legal(as far as I know) everywhere else. Our enema bags were a CA product so I think that is why it had the warning on it. If it was from anywhere else it probably wouldn't have any warning, so be cautious, and try not to use any plastic whenever possible. I'm not joking, I know it sounds far fetched, but unfortunately it is true!
• I had brought a few pillows and blankets into our bathroom, a space heated(it's otherwise a little cold in there) and a radio. Then I laid some older towels down on the blankets, coffee does stain so keep that in mind! Javi and I were both pretty nervous at this point making bad jokes and trying not to back out.
• Next we put our tubes in! It did feel a little weird at first, then we hung our bags above us(mine on a drawer handle, Javi's on the shower nozzle) you have to do this for gravity to get the coffee to go in. Then laid down on our right sides, this is recommended, and started to fill up! Ok so it was a bit uncomfortable, and I had read that if you start to feel any cramping to take some deep breaths so we did this as needed and it did help. Eventually the uncomfortable feeling went away, mostly.
• After it is all in(don't feel too pressured to make sure it is all in, just do what feels comfortable enough, you can always work up to more later), then clamp off the tube, remove tube from body, and try to just lay there holding it in for up to 15 minutes! Again, if you can't it's ok, just do what you can and remember you can always work up to more time on your next try.
• I actually made it the 15 minutes, Javi didn't last quite that long but almost. Then you just release and start getting rid of all sorts of toxins and stuff that has been in your body for way too long!! Afterward I felt great! The caffeine buzz lasted atleast 4 hours, hard to say for sure because it just flew by. I was able to fall asleep at my normal time and Javi did too.
  
• I would totally recommend this to anyone who is wanting to cleanse and feel better! Make sure you do lots of research first(like I said earlier, just do a google search for coffee enema for all kinds of info, including instructional videos etc..). If you are really sensitive to coffee you might want to try a different type of enema, there are lots out there!
  
• Really I would love to hear from anyone who wants to chat about this, or hear anyone's story about trying it! Good luck!
  

I DID IT!!!

• First I want to post a link for some really good coffee enema info:http://www.treating-cancer-alternatively.com/Coffee-enema-recipe.html
• Just a few words, I am too caffeinated to sit here for long!
• Later all will give more details, for now, it went well!! It was fairly easy and took about 30 minutes total and I only felt some mild discomfort, just a little cramping. Now I do feel lighter, and yes, really caffeine buzzed!! WOW!! I'll write more after I come down a little!
  

My Coffee Enema Experiment!!

• Yes, you read it right! I have decided to write about my first time trying a coffee enema. If this is T.M.I.(Too Much Info) for you than stop reading here!
• Ok, so I've been wanting to try this for years, yes, really! I have a few health issues that really scare me and as I have no medical insurance(I am currently on a waiting list for WI state insurance, Badgercare, since November, it might be a while, 12,000 people ahead of me!), I do a lot of research on my own(about home medicine, healing your self, natural remedies etc..) and I have been doing this out of pure interest for about 17 years! I do love it and I help my family and friends with ailments all the time! Also I have to say that even in the past, at times when I have had insurance, I still rarely used it. When I did resort to going to a conventional doctor I found myself disappointed. Either the doctor gave me info I all ready knew, or offered me prescription drugs that I wound up not using. I know many people have had the same experience.
• Last week Javi and I decided to do some body cleansing. I truly feel that most of the damage done to our bodies(and minds!) has been done by eating processed foods and eating animals and veggies that have been sprayed with unnatural things(pesticides etc) or pumped with unnatural things(hormones etc.). Try to just eat organic, natural, unprocessed food for a day(or everyday ideally!) and then you will start to notice (if you haven't all ready!) all of the poisoned food everywhere that most people are eating!
• Has anyone else ever found it funny(or sad!) that when you go into a conventional grocery store, a big one, there is usually only a tiny section, if any at all, that is labeled NATURAL FOOD???? (so what is the rest of this stuff then?) What is with this?? How is it that we have come to accept that it is ok that most of our diet is unnatural? It's somehow weird to most people to eat natural(I'm sure some of you are now saying, OH, Ladonna is one of those health nuts, or whatever). Really it is supposed to be natural to eat real food. Then everyone is surprised to find that they have health problems, after eating stuff your body doesn't even know what to do with..? Back to the enema...
• Getting the toxins out!! We have been making loads of fresh juice 3-4 times a day for the last 5-6 days. Each of our batches of juice consists of about 8-10 large carrots(peeled), and a variety of other things; beets, apples, celery, cucumbers, oranges, grapefruit, kale, grapes and a little ginger root, all organic. We try to make enough in each batch for a large glass for each of us, and Lili. It takes some extra time to do this but we feel it is worth it.
• Now that we are getting the toxins moving around in our bodies the trick is to flush them out. I have heard it can even be dangerous to just do heavy juicing and not do anything to get it out. So here is where the coffee enema comes in, Javi and I stayed home from work today, to try this, for the first time!! I'm a little nervous, since I have never done this, but excited too to cleanse my body!
  
• I have heard lots of stories about people doing this and how much lighter you feel after, not to mention the great caffeine buzz that is supposed to last for hours. I'm not doing it for the coffee buzz but see it as hopefully a pleasant side effect of something not so pleasant sounding!
  
• The idea is that the caffeine gets your liver pumping and creating more bile which is filled with toxins and then you can flush them out of your body. If you still think I sound crazy, just search 'coffee enema' online and read for a few minute(or hours) this treatment is very popular! If you research The Gerson Theory you will learn about Max Gerson, a doctor who has cured many cases of cancer, coffee enemas included!! Check out his movie 'The Beautiful Truth' (I got this from Netflix once and also ordered it at my library once) , I would love to hear what anyone thinks about this or if anyone has a story to share.
• Recently we changed insurance companies for our store, Creative Waters, and now go through a local guy who we just found in the phone book.. While sitting in his office chatting we just started talking about food and wild mushroom hunting(he is a morel hunter like me!). He is an interesting person to talk to and somehow wound up telling us that his mom had cancer and the doctors told her she had 6 months-2 years to live. His mom actually went to the Gerson Center in Mexico(there is one in CA too now) and she lived for 13 years!! Really worth checking out if you know someone with cancer.
• Back to the enema again... I will list instructions after it's all over if anyone wants to try this at home. Though I would suggest doing more research first to make sure it is something you really want to do. Our coffee is cooling now so I am a few minutes away from MY FIRST ENEMA!!!! Ok, I'm feeling a little nervous again. I'm going to go make sure everything is ready, I will write more when it's over!!
  

Pot Pie afterthoughts!

• Just a few things I've been thinking about since my last post, concerning pot pie of course!
  
• The biscuit topping could be added to the top of ANY thick stew, after moving it into a baking dish, and then just bake it up. What a great way to revise your leftover stew!
• My favorite after thought is this, the next time I make a thick chili, I'm going to bake it with this biscuit topping.. Here's the sneaky Wisconsin part, I might shred some cheese on it before adding the biscuit topping, then bake it!! Although I'm trying to eat less cheese(see my next post about Goals!) I can't help but picture serving up chili with melted cheese and biscuit baked on top! Cheese is my dog's last name after all(yes I always have a good excuse to eat cheese) more about my dog later!!
• The day after I made it, I had scooped the last bits of pie that still had biscuit left on it, into a small oven proof dish, for Javi to bring to work at our store at heat in our toaster oven(I quit using microwaves 16 years ago), there were still a couple of cups left of the veggie filling part left. I then thought I would either just freeze the filling and add it to another soup at a later date or add more topping and bake it again if everyone wasn't sick of it all ready. Usually I will let leftovers sit in the fridge for a few days(never more than a week) and then they go into the freezer, labeled and dated, no matter now small. Even a tiny bit of leftovers can add flavor to something I'm cooking later. I hate to waste any food, and it really does help me later so why not!
• While still contemplating what to do with my leftovers a good friend of ours stopped by. We had just finished eating dinner, Javi made swordfish with this delicious sun-dried tomato topping and I made a scalloped potato dish I was hoping to post here(I wound up not liking how it turned out) (yes I do eat fish occasionally, but only a few times a year for me, even then only a couple of bites!). Anyways our friend looked hungry so we offered him some leftover potato dish(really wasn't very good, but I don't think he noticed) he ate a bunch of that and then went for the leftover pot pie filling in the fridge. Fine by me, as long as someone is eating it! He helped himself to a bowl of it and then(I didn't see this part but Javi and Lili told me later) set the pan in the sink and filled it with water with atleast 2 cups of food still in it!! Now maybe that is how they do things at his house, but for one, we don't even have a food disposal system in our sink so I try hard to keep bits of food out of there, the thought of getting soggy food bits out of there later isn't very fun! For two, I would've happily still froze the leftovers. For three, Javi and Lili were both sad when they told me because they liked the pie so much they would've both eaten it with out the biscuit!
  
• I didn't say anything to my friend because I found out about it after he was gone, too late anyways...Maybe it is different at his house. It's harder to throw food away if you go out of your way to buy organic, local produce etc., and it cost a little more. I don't think he does this, and it's probably easier to throw away some leftover canned pea looking mixture(maybe he thought that's what it was?) if it was cheap(in more ways than just cost!). Plus how long can I dwell on a couple of cups of wasted food?? Ok I'm over it! The good part was I realized that Javi and Lili did truly love the pot pie, and that Lili is learning not to waste food. She's only 10 so that's pretty good!!(check out LiliPhotoLife to see her blog!).
  
• In conclusion, I will be the one serving up the leftovers to guests next time! Also, kids love the pot pie, enough to not want to waste a drop, and it's filled with healthy stuff!! Try it out Moms!!
• I've been wanting to write about some of my recent goals, my kids(had to take paragraph about them out of profile for it to fit), my pets, and my latest project, a recycled bag bag! One of these topics or more are coming up next, stay tuned!!!
  

My first post: Making Pot Pie

• Hi! I can't seem to figure out how to get my main page quite how I want it, please bare with me, I will be working on it as I go. I just don't want to wait any longer to start my blog... I will have to figure it out later when I have one of my computer nerd friends over here to help me.
  
• I've been dying to try out my re-do for this recipe. I don't always have enough time to cook something that takes 1 1/2 hours, which is unfortunate, but makes us all appreciate it a little more when I do! The original recipe called for different veggies and just to use water not veggie broth, buttermilk and other things I never cook with. When I cook and keep a recipe I like it to be very versatile. Anyone can try it hopefully with what you have all ready in your fridge. Don't be afraid to switch things up a bit.
  
• A few tips along that line:
  
• Root veggies are usually interchangeable; carrots, potatoes, parsnips, yams, sweet potatoes, beets(watch out though everything will turn pink or red!) etc..
• Margarine can always be substituted for butter, although some people will disagree with this, if you are vegan and have been for a while you no longer need the butter sensation(hard to believe, but true). After that, cutting out margarine, I know that the next move(health-wise) is to cut out hydrogenated fats(like almost all margarine). This recipe could technically be made with olive oil in the biscuits instead of butter, with a little experimenting. (My diet has reverted slightly since moving to Wisconsin 5 years ago, I was practically vegan and now eat cheese and butter probably more than I should, what can I say, I live in WI now..the great excuse)(still no cow milk or eggs for me though!)
• I like to use organic corn and peas that have been frozen(they have a nice fresh taste if not over-cooked) as opposed to squishy canned veggie flavor, but I'm sure it would work if that's all you have. I think part of the reason a lot of kids(and adults too!) don't like veggies is because of bad experiences eating over-cooked veggies, like frozen spinach-yuk!! I do love fresh spinach though!!
• You can use any kind of broth, I use vegetarian bouillon cubes reconstituted in water. I stock up on them when they are on sale at our local co-op. They are sort of like cheating to me but sure speed up a meal and make it tastier(as opposed to cooking your own broth all day long!). Instead of broth I do like to use leftover soup in recipes, if it's too thick just water it down a little. You can ALWAYS use water instead but may then want to add more seasonings...
• Enough with the tips all ready, here's the recipe:
• Easy Veggie Pot Pie
  
• Serves 6
  
• Ingredients: 1-2 Tbsp Oil(I used Olive, any will do)
• 2 cups chopped onion(or 1 large onion)
• 1-3 cloves garlic(more if you want your pie to have a garlic theme),sliced
• yam(1 large), cubed
  
• potatoes(2 large, any variety, wash but leave the peel if no bad spots),cubed
• carrots(3 large), sliced
  
• So that's 6-8 cups total root veggies, can be more or less of any!
• 3 cups veggie broth
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 Tbsp Tamari(or soy sauce) optional
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• For the biscuit topping(mmmmm...)
• 2 heaping cups unbleached white flour
• Yes it is important to use(and always buy) unbleached flour, why? because it's not good to eat bleach!
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder(don't forget this or your biscuits won't rise!)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 Tbsp melted butter(or margarine)
• 1 cup soymilk(plain)(rice, almond, or hemp milk would work too)
• 1 tsp dried dill(or 2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill)
• That's it for ingredients, like I said, don't hesitate to try variations with what you have. I think any thick leftover soup would be transformed if poured in a pan, a few days later, and had this biscuit topping added to it and baked... Just an idea!
• Ok so put the 1-2 Tbsp oil in a soup pot on med heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  
• Add yams, potatoes, carrots and the veggie broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat again, simmer until veggies are just tender, 15-20 minutes.
• Add cornstarch/water mixture. Stir constantly for a couple of minutes.
• When mixture starts to thicken mix in; peas, corn, tamari and salt(if needed).
• Pour into lightly oiled 13x9 inch baking dish(I used a glass one).
• Set aside
• Now preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• Mix dry biscuit ingredients in a bowl; flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda
• Melt butter in a small pan, turn off heat, add soy milk and stir well
• Mix butter/milk in with dry bowl ingredients with a wooden spoon stirring as little as possible(if you stir too much your biscuit topping won't be as fluffy)
• Drop by heaping spoonfuls(this part would be fun for a kid to do)
  onto veggie mix in baking pan, covering as much as possible
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until you can insert a knife and it comes out with no biscuit topping on it. Top should be lightly browned!
• Serve immediately!!
• I wanted to take a picture of my pie before cutting it but I forgot as everyone was starving and sat down with heaping bowlfuls immediately. That was when I remembered. After the first few bites were gone and believe me no one wanted to wait then either for my picture. It was so good everyone wanted to keep on eating!
• This is not my usual pot pie recipe but is a much easier version(long version will be added on a less busier day!) which I can see now being added to my regular recipes! This was so delicious and a meal in itself! Totally satisfies that comfort food craving!
• I would love to hear if anyone tries this recipe and any comments or questions anyone may have!
• ENJOY!!