December craziness...

We took last week off due to extra long December to do lists.  This week... who knows what day it is, right?  Well it's Wednesday and I realized as I headed off to bed, "It's Wednesday and I'm making minestrone soup in my crock pot!"  So the good news is that by using my crock pot regularly over the last two months I now use it without planning to use it.  It's no longer an event... it's cooking!

When I wake up tomorrow morning a big batch of Herby Minestrone (from Art of the Slow Cooker) will be waiting.  I'll refrigerate it and we'll enjoy it over the next few days.  Hopefully the rain will let up but if it doesn't at least we'll have some delicious homemade soup.

Week 8: Moroccan Chicken

Liz chose this week... Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken from allrecipes.com.    I usually try to follow the directions exactly the first the time I prepare a recipe.  However I only had the time and energy to go to one grocery store on Tuesday night.  I opted for Henry's even though Liz had texted me that Ralph's had fresh peaches.  Of course Henry's didn't have fresh peaches.  No slivered almonds either.  So I was uneasy from the start.  I bought canned peaches (organic) and used less apricots since canned peaches are sweeter than fresh.

Then today on my way to a meeting I realized I hadn't asked my mom to pull the crock pot out of the fridge and turn it on.  Hmm... it was 11 am so I had two hours to either reach her or get home.  Luckily she called me back just after noon and got the crock pot started.  But I forgot to tell her to add the chicken broth!  I had layered all the ingredients the night before but decided to add the chicken broth just before cooking.  I didn't realize this until much later though, in fact I didn't realize I forgot until after dinner.

So no surprise here - I skipped the cornstarch and water step because it didn't seem to need thickening.  Hmm I wonder why?  Because I left out 2 cups of liquid?  I still didn't realize I forgot the broth.  

Andrew chopped some almonds for me to substitute for "toasted slivered almonds".  We served it into bowls... we reached for the camera to take a picture... the batteries were dead.  So I used my phone which will explain the quality of this picture.

How was Murphy's Law Moroccan Chicken?  It got mixed reviews.  The kids didn't like it - "too spicy". Andrew gave it a thumbs up.  He had seconds and will have more in his lunch tomorrow.  I thought it was ok.  Actually, I did like it but I don't know that I'll make it again.  Although Andrew wants to try it again.  If I do make it again, it will be in the summer time with fresh peaches!

Week 7: Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Wow! I really can't believe we've kept this up for seven weeks (with a week off for Thanksgiving). Heather's turn to pick this week.  Another good one!  This recipe was very tasty AND really easy.  It didn't make as much as I thought it would so I might double it next time for a crowd or leftovers.

Here's the link to the original recipe on Everyday Food.  Heather read the comments and suggested we soak the beans overnight. I did this and it worked perfectly.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
most of 1 jar of Frontera Medium Salsa (Andrew loves Rick Bayless)
2 tablespoons of canned chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (about 1.25 pounds) organic chicken breast from Costco
Maldon sea salt flakes and fresh ground pepper
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chicken broth (the original recipe calls for water)

Garnish on top: a bit of sour cream and lots of chopped cilantro

Directions:
In crock pot, layer beans, salsa, chiles, flour and 1 cup chicken broth.  Arrange chicken on top of bean mixture, season with salt and pepper.  Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.

Cook on LOW for 8 hours.  Do not open lid or stir.

With two forks shred chicken by pulling it apart.  Serve with sour cream and cilantro.

I will definitely make this again.  Let me know if you want to come for dinner!

Coming Soon: Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

In case you want to participate this week, here is Heather's pick for the week from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're skipping this Wednesday to go to the desert for Thanksgiving.  La Quinta here we come...

Week 6: Caponata

My week to pick - I decided to choose a recipe the old school way - from an actual cookbook on my bookshelf. I need to start using the cookbooks I own instead of looking for new recipes online.  Otherwise what's the point of owning so many cookbooks?

The downside of this method is that I can't post the recipe due to copyright infringement laws!  I chose Caponata from Art of the Slow Cooker by Andrew Schloss.  It was really good!  Eggplant, celery, green bell pepper, tomato... and a few surprise ingredients.  Anchovy paste! Capers and olives, yum.

I'll loan you the book if you want to make it.  Andrew-my-husband-not-Andrew-the-author gave me this cookbook for Christmas last year.  It is not your typical crock pot cookbook - lots of variety and some prep work compared to the usual open cans of stuff to make chili or stew.  But based on the few recipes I've tried, I'm excited to try more.  In fact the caponata was so good that I forgot to take a picture until dinner was over and the scarce leftovers were put away.  So here's all that was left:

Week 5: Quinoa Chili

I was really looking forward to this recipe.  Until I was prepping on Tuesday night and I discovered how poorly written the recipe was.  For example:

It lists onion in the ingredients but never mentions onion again.
Ginger makes a surprise appearance in the instructions.
It calls for both "2 tbl minced jalapeno pepper" and "1/2 jalapeno pepper seeded"
What? I'm confused.

I had very low expectations.  I came home from work and peered into the crock pot with concern. Uh oh.  Looks too watery.  Isn't chili supposed to be hearty?  But it was good!  Really good.

I liked the texture of the quinoa and the chili was not too "soupy" as I first thought.  I realize now I left out the last step of adding soy sauce and molasses, probably because at that point I had mentally given up on the recipe and was already trying to figure out what we could eat.  I added some Maldon salt, Cholula and red pepper flakes. Andrew added shredded cheese to his.

Special shout out to mom for adding the water and quinoa and then starting the crock pot for me.  I was worried about letting the quinoa soak all morning before the cooking started.  Just another benefit to living next door to mom.  (Although hands down the best thing about it is the babysitting.  FREE babysitting!)

Another tip:  Take your contact lens out before slicing jalapeno.  Although it had been hours and I washed my hands repeatedly before removing my contacts, there must have been some extra strength jalapeno juice aka capsaicum on my fingers.  Because when I put my contacts in this morning there was some serious burning. I had to throw them out and use a new pair.   Google confirmed this is a common phenomenon.

I won't list the recipe here since it was so confusing but it can be found here on Savvy Vegetarian. It also gives stove top directions.  I might try that next time. I will definitely make this again, but I'll think of the recipe as a guide rather than a blueprint.

Week 4: Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

It was Heather's week to choose a recipe... and she redeemed herself after her first pick. This.Was.Delicious. I'll definitely make this again. This was the first time I used the HIGH setting on the crockpot and the shorter cooking time meant I ran home from work at lunch to start it. Well worth it though. Here's the recipe.
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Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 1  cup  (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
• 1  tablespoon  curry powder
• 1  teaspoon  brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 3  cups  cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 1/2  cups  cubed peeled baking potato
• 1  cup  diced green bell pepper
• 1  cup  (1-inch) cut green beans
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
• 3  cups  fresh baby spinach
• 1  cup  light coconut milk
• 6  lemon wedges

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas and next 8 ingredients (through broth). Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.

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My modifications:
I left out the serrano chile but later added red pepper flakes to my serving.
I used the teensiest bit of pepper in hopes that the kids would eat it. Baden's first reaction, "Does this have pepper in it?" I pulled out a potato and carrot bite for him and after promising dessert, he admitted it was good. But NO he did not want any more.
I used mushroom broth because I had some leftover. I added a spoonful of tomato paste because I was short on crushed tomatoes.
I forgot to serve it with lemon wedges but I suspect they would have added another layer of deliciousness.

Next time:
I'll make rice.  It was a bit soupier than I expected. It didn't bother me but a side of rice for others would be good.

Week 3: Vegetarian Cassoulet

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com for Vegetarian Cassoulet.  It seemed promising and the fact that was based on a French dish was a bonus in getting Liz to participate in Crockpot Wednesdays again.  I didn't follow it exactly though.  I had planned to use garlic but since we were out I added garlic powder to the onions and carrots.  I used rosemary and thyme (what is savory anyway?).
It was good.  Andrew really liked it and had seconds.  Although I liked it I would have preferred more broth.  It was thick and filling- I couldn't finish mine.  And no surprise here - I added red pepper flakes and a dash of Frank's Red Hot to my serving.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 pound dry navy beans, soaked overnight
• 4 cups mushroom broth
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh lemon thyme, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh savory
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 
  
• Directions

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and carrots in oil until tender.
2. In a slow cooker, combine beans, carrots and onion, mushroom broth, bouillon, and bay leaf. Pour in water if necessary to cover ingredients with water. Tie together parsley, rosemary, thyme, and savory, and add to the pot. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
3. Stir in potato, and continue cooking for 1 hour. Remove herbs before serving.

Spaghetti Squash

I made Spaghetti Squash tonight and it was delicious!  After we ate most of it Andrew said, "This is really good. You should take a picture for your blog."   Since he went to the trouble of taking the picture for me... here it is. Just don't tell him no one reads this!

Week 2: Red Beans and Barley

Is non-pearled barley available anywhere?  Not at Trader Joe's, Henry's or Ralph's.  Between the two of us,  Liz and I hit three grocery stores and only found pearled barley.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup uncooked barley, rinsed (long-cooking variety; not pearl)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed or more to taste

15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

2 pieces bay leaf

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in order listed in a 5 quart slow cooker; do not stir.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours; stir and serve.

Since "long-cooking barley" seems to be a myth in San Diego, I used pearl barley.  And it was delicious!  I added red pepper flakes to my serving to heat things up a bit.  It was filling and perfect for a cold and rainy day.  Did the kids eat it?  Truthfully no, but I think if they would have given it a chance they would have liked it.  I'll definitely make this again.  Maybe with a side of sausage. Yum.

Week 1: Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

I rounded up my sister and a friend and got them to agree to Crock Pot Wednesdays.  Time to finally try out some of the recipes I've collected and dust off the crock pot.  Meal planning! It will change your life, right?  OK not really.  H picked the first recipe:

Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

• 1 medium eggplant, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, or half of each color, seeded, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped, or 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cans garbanzo beans, (14 oz each), drained and rinsed
• 1 can artichoke hearts packed in water (14 oz), drained and quartered
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package egg noodles

Combine all ingredients except noodles in slow cooker and stir well. Cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Serve with hot cooked noodles.

The verdict?  It was so-so.  I added lots of red pepper flakes to my serving.  Kids weren't thrilled with it but I got them to eat a fair amount by putting grated cheddar cheese on top and giving them crackers to spread it on.

I didn't know I was going to start a blog so I didn't take a picture.  Next week.