Chicken (or veggie) Pot Pie

One thing I love about fall is not dreading the use of my oven. Monday I enjoyed making fresh bread...mmmm....and Wednesday I made pot pie for my lectionary group. I got this pot pie recipe from JCM, one of my former roommates, so technically it is hers, not mine. It's fairly simple and easy (only about 20 minutes prep plus 30 minutes in the oven) and is very healthy--a point that was underscored when my lectionary friends told me the Paula Dean recipe called for a stick of butter and heavy cream....

So I thought I'd share with you, for those who love to cook, or those seeking inspiration, or those seeking to use up some stuff from the fridge.

Recipe
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) In a skillet, brown one pound chopped chicken (you could also use left over turkey) in 1 Tbsp EVOO.
3) In a large pot (2 qt) heat 2 Tbsp oil or butter. Add one white/yellow onion chopped. Add 3 stalks of celery, chopped. Add 3 large carrots, chopped. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until tender.
4) Once chicken is cooked, add it to the vegetables. Add 1 cup corn (frozen or canned) and 1 cup peas (frozen or canned). Season with 1-2tsp of salt, 1.5 tsp of black pepper, 1/2 tsp of thyme. Add 1 can cream of celery soup. Mix.
5) Place bottom pie crust in the oven for 5 minutes to brown. Remove and add filling. Lay the second crust on the top, squeeze the edges and then place in the oven to cook for approximately 30 minutes (until the crust is golden brown).

Vegetarian option:
(though I've never actually done it this way, this is how I'd do it if I did....)
Replace the chicken with cooked potatoes or with mushrooms (portabello...) and proceed with the other directions.

Enjoy!