Healthy Recipe (and delicious!) from Martha

Its no secret that I am no expert at cooking light and healthy.  But I do TRY and it has become more important to me now that I have a little one who will soon eat everything we eat.  I grew up in homes where we all sat down together for dinner and those are some of my greatest memories.  I want my little family to always sit down to a meal together.  I did not, however, grow up in a home where there were a lot of dietery requirements though so I am learning.  I have read several books and done a lot of research over the past year or so and I must admit...I get a little disgusted with some of the chemicals and ingredients in processed foods.  I was in Wal-Mart the other day on the cheese isle...I buy a lot of cheese and was lulling off into space when I realized a man was standing behind me, patiently waiting for me to come out of my cheese coma.  I apologized and he assured me he wasn't in a hurry either.  I can't remember how we started talking but he said he was a chef and that I should watch the ingredients on the pre-shredded cheeses.  He said almost all of them contain plastic materials.  I went on with my shredded cheese but read the labels when I got home...yep, there is plastic.  Sickaninga!  So as much as I like convenience I am pretty sure I will be getting out the box grater a lot more often than I am used to!  Anyway, there is no cheese in this recipe but I assure you it was a delicious treat and reminded me of a really good pot pie and even kind of reminded me of Thanksgiving because of the texture of the biscuits!  And as a bonus, lots of veggies!!  Paige loved the celery and carrots! 

I changed a few things so I will put my recipe and a link to the original

This is the pic from Martha's recipe...somehow my photo didn't do it justice so I stole hers! 

Lighter Chicken and Biscuits

*2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

•1 teaspoon baking powder

•Coarse salt and ground pepper (I used sea salt)

•1 large egg white

•3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

•1 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk

•5 carrots, thinly sliced

•5 celery stalks, thinly sliced

•1 box (10 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed (I couldn't find frozen so I bought fresh)

•1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (I used italian dried herbs, which included thyme)

•1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

*dash of poultry seasoning

*dash of sage

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.


2.In a small bowl, whisk together egg white, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 cup milk; add to flour mixture, and stir until moistened. Drop four 1/4-cup scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes.


3.Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes.


4.Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; stir in remaining 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and thyme. Simmer until liquid is thickened, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken; simmer until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve chicken stew with biscuits.


**I loved the texture of the biscuits with the whole wheat pastry flour!  When I mixed the biscuit into the stew it reminded me of a stuffing.  It was very hearty.  I loved all the colors and having so many fresh veggies in one dish.  I heated up some leftovers the next day and made some canned buttermilk biscuits to go with it since we ate up the 4 biscuits that the recipe made and it was not as good!!  I thought it would be great with buttermilk biscuits but the texture of the wheat biscuits really is great with this recipe! 


Original recipe and much more can be found here:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-chicken-and-biscuits

Tribute:  Thank you Leah for leading me to Martha Stewart who I love but have been terribly afraid of her recipes because I am not a "foo foo" cook!  I have made several of her recipes now and they were all simple and delicious!!