Artichoke and Edamame Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust

I hereby officially send out enormous hugs of gratitude to Kristen of Eating RD, who so generously graced this blog with two beautiful awards!

I am so deeply honored by Kristen's kindness, as I very much respect, admire, and am even a wee bit in awe of Kristen's energetic spirit, her stunning talent for photography and design, and the wealth of information she shares while pursuing her master's degree in Exercise Physiology with an emphasis in Sports Nutrition! Impressive, indeed!

I am also especially excited that these awards come with a "meme..." :-) Y'all know I have entirely too much fun with memes! :-) First, I am to list 7 things my fellow bloggers might not yet know about me... *drumroll please* :-)

1.) I have a huge fear of heights (acrophobia, I believe?), to the extent that I become panicky even at the top of a tiny step-ladder, but I also have a strange obsession with conquering this fear by going skydiving some day, and I love plane flights.

2.) When I was 4 years old, my mother says she took me to the doctor because my favorite food was olives, and she thought this was so strange for a small child that she was worried there might be something medically wrong with me. Of course, there wasn't... I just liked olives!

3.) When I was getting my undergrad degree way back yonder, my college required everyone to take 4 PE courses, and my favorite one of the four was a weight training course. When I showed up to the first day of class, to my surprise, I found I was the only female student and the only one in the class not on the college football team! Needless to say, I got some strange looks from my classmates that first day... :-)

4.) My favorite pizza toppings are jalapenos and portabella mushrooms!

5.) My current flavor-obsession is warm vanilla soymilk with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon... Heavenly!

6.) My favorite band for the past 3 years has been The Old 97's. I just can't get enough of their music... I also adore Belle and Sebastian and Death Cab for Cutie - so good. So good.

7.) I love black clothes, and blue flowers. No reference to bruises intended... :-)

Next, I get to list "10 things that make me sing! :-)

1.) Zach, my fiance, who makes me smile, laugh, and feel incredibly blessed every single day...

2.) Our wonderful 3 kittens, who are so cute and silly...

3.) My amazing, wonderful, beautiful friends, my kindred spirits both in person and across the web!

4.) Singing! Well, perhaps it might be a little tautological to say singing makes me sing, but I do love singing - in the car, in the shower, in a choir, in front of large audiences or no audiences at all... I've also been known to hum in the grocery store, which can be a little embarrassing when someone notices...

5.) Speaking of which... grocery shopping! Y'all could guess that one, right? :-) I especially love grocery shopping in new towns, new states, and new countries, of course!

6.) Any time spent in the kitchen cooking, especially leisurely weekend evenings cooking together with Zach... :-)

7.) Grapes. I've officially decided they're my all-time favorite fruit!

8.) Folding laundry. OK, that's weird, I know, but there's something so peaceful and satisfying about clean laundry! And yes, I'm sane, I promise.

9.) Peanut butter! Until I joined the blogging community I had no idea that I wasn't alone in my fondness for peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, soy-nut butter, the glorious list continues...

10.) Road trips! It's a good thing my car gets 40 miles to the gallon, because I love to drive (a little too fast sometimes, but I'm working on it) and I love road trips...

I shall cease rambling about me, though, and move on to more important matters, such as recipes... :-) Ever since I discovered the beautiful fresh, pre-cooked, shelled edamame at Trader Joe's, I've been putting edamame in nearly everything! It's such a fantastic source of lean protein and fiber! Since Kristen commented on my previous edamame post that she too enjoys edamame, I decided to post another yummy edamame concoction especially in her honor... Kristen, here's to you! :-)

Artichoke and Edamame Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust

Artichoke and Edamame Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust

3 T olive oil
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp dry mustard powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 carrot, diced
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
2 T dehydrated minced onion
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes OR 1 lb. firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
1 cup shelled, precooked edamame
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup 1% milk
2 T honey

~ In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat, add the mustard powder and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, and whisk constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
~ Pour in the broth, still whisking constantly, increase the heat to medium high, and bring the broth to a boil.
~ Stir in the carrots, garlic powder, and dehydrated onion. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
~ Add the artichoke hearts, chicken or tofu, edamame, tomato, and basil. Cover the skillet and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.
~ Whisk in the Greek yogurt, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a 9X13" baking pan.
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
~ To make the cornmeal crust, stir together the cornmeal, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, and baking powder. Gently stir in the milk and honey until just combined, and spoon the batter over the top of the vegetable mixture in the baking pan.
~ Bake for 30 to 40 minutes - until the crust is golden brown. Let the pot pie stand for 10 minutes, then serve warm!

Encore time... :-) I now get to pass this award along in the blog world! Since I didn't see exact specifications as to precisely how many bloggers I am allowed to grace with these awards, I hereby send them to all my beautiful readers, my incredible blogger friends... Thank you for always inspiring me!