Chicken Pot Pies

I try not to cook with butter... but I do, I use about 1-2 Tbsp. This recipe uses 7 (!). I'll work on cutting the fat our later. For those of you whole don't mind it every once in a while, this is an easier version of chicken pot pie. It makes six, 8-oz ramekin pies instead of one 9" pie.

Chicken Pot Pies

Canyon Ranch Nourish

Ingredients

For the crust
1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
4 to 6 Tbsp ice water

Filling
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Four 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced
2 cups yellow onions, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp dried crushed thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh sage (or 2/3 tsp dried sage)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. For the crust, place the flour in a medium bowl. Add the salt and cane juice (sugar) and mix well. Cut the butter into the flour, using a pastry cutter, until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the water, 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing gently after each addition. The dough will begin to form a ball when enough water has been added. Gather the dough with dry hands and form into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a circle large enough to fit the top of an 8-oz ramekin.

4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Brown the chicken on all sides. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetables and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Whisk 4 cups of the chicken stock, the thyme, and sage into the chicken mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Combine the cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup of the chicken stock in a small bowl. Mix well. Slowly whisk the paste into the chicken and vegetable mixture and cook over medium heath until thickened. Stir continuously to avoid burning.

7. Add the salt, pepper, Worcestershire, parsley, and lemon juice and remove from the heat.

8. Place 1 cup chicken mixture in each of six individual 8-oz ramekins and top each with a dough circle. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown.

Each serving contains

- 400 calories

- 40 g carbs

- 15 g fat

- 86 mg cholesterol

- 24 g protein

- 734 mg sodium

- 3 g fiber

Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

I recently purchased two cookbooks off Amazon: Canyon Ranch Cooks and Canyon Ranch Nourish. I love them. They have hundreds of delicious, nutritious dishes. Usually when I buy a cookbook, I only really like two or three of the recipes, but I am just about liking every one I make from these books.

I made this snack when my mom and grandma were up in College Station last weekend. I'm excited to make these and other spice variations in the future! These are surprisingly spicy, so if you don't do spicy, I'd omit the cayenne pepper.

Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Canyon Ranch Nourish: indulgently healthy cuisine

Makes six 3/4 cup servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp evoo

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Two, 15-oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray.

2. Combine the olive oil, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, basil, oregano, cayenne, and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans well and pat dry. Add the beans to parmesan mixture and toss together until well coated.

4. Spread the beans evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy. (I baked them for 1 hour; however, a lot of recipes on the internet say 30 minutes is enough. I guess if you don't want them super crispy, shorten the cooking time.)

Each serving contains

170 calories

20 g carbohydrate

7 g fat

8 mg cholesterol

10 g protein

313 mg sodium

3 g fiber