Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry

Since I went full-time at my practicum in June, I have been all about crock pot meals. This one is a favorite and one that I like to make on Sunday afternoons. I love how good our house smells when we walk in the door after church. I like to serve a yummy salad and garlic naan or grilled pita with olive oil and garlic with this meal.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

•  1 cup of brown rice
• 2 cups of water
• A handful of baby carrots, cut into thirds
• 2 potatoes, cut into cubes
• 1 zucchini
• 1 15-oz. can of garbonzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1 cup of coarsely chopped onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground corriander
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 14-oz. can or vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes, undrained 
• cashews
• Shredded mozzarella or Parmesan cheese
• lemon pepper

You could cook your rice separately but I throw mine in the crock pot with everything else, adding the water for the rice (ingredient number two on the list).  You could also replace the water with broth. Then add everything else and cook on high for 3.5-4.5 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with lemon pepper, cashews, and cheese.

While this is a vegetarian dish, you could easily add some chicken, or cook some up and have it separately. Whatever you do, don't put your hot crock pot on your table with only a thin towel under it. It will ruin your table and you will be grumpy. Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Another delicious salad recipe. The dressing makes this salad amazing. It is similar to the dressing used on the festive salad below, but this one has a stronger lemony flavor that goes perfectly with the strawberries.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 10-oz. bag fresh baby spinach
1/2-1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber, seeded and sliced (you can peel it first if you want)
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 c. sliced almonds, toasted


Dressing
2-3 large lemons (use as needed–you’ll need 1/3 c. juice and 1 tsp. zest)
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. canola oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. grated onion
1 clove finely pressed garlic
Using a Microplane or other fine grater, grate 1 tsp. lemon rind off the lemons.  Grate 1 tsp. onion.  Add remaining ingredients. Place in a small container with a lid and shake or use a small chopper to blend everything together.   If possible, refrigerate at least an hour before serving.  Shake well before serving.



*Optional: Grilled, sliced chicken breasts.
*Optional: Avocado (I added this to mine and it was delicious). 

Recipe from Our Best Bites.

Festive Tossed Salad

I got this yummy salad recipe from my mom. I took it to our friends' house for Easter Dinner and everyone really liked it. It's simple but also perfect for special occasions. Enjoy!

10 cups torn romaine
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (or mozzarella)
3 medium apples, cored and cubed (soak them in Sprite to keep them from turning brown)
1 medium pear, cored and cubed
1/4 to 1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped cashews

Dressing

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider or red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil (I use olive oil)*
2 to 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds**

In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion, and salt. Cover and process until blended. With blender running, gradually add oil. Add poppy seeds and blend. In a salad bowl, combine the romaine, cheese,e apple, pear, and cranberries. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Add cashews and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 8-10 servings.

*I only use 1/3 cup of oil and I think it is plenty.
**I think 3 Tbsp. of poppy seeds is too many.

Classic Chicken Curry

This recipe is delicious! It's pretty simple to make, too. I started with a recipe from Becky Higgins and made a few adjustments.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2-3 pieces)
2 Tbsp. curry powder (look among the spices)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
10 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 bag of sugar snap peas, cut in half
1 1/2 c. (14 oz. can) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (my preference)
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooked brown rice
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, torn and / or 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. (1 oz.) cashews

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut it into 1-inch pieces and place in a bowl (I usually boil the chicken first and then cut it up once it's cooked but you could do it either way). Sprinkle it with the curry and cinnamon, toss, and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Add the broth, coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Return the onion and zucchini to the skillet and heat until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and peas. For a little stronger curry flavor, sprinkle some more of the curry powder into the liquid mixture.

Sprinkle the curry with basil, cilantro and cashews right before serving.

A tip from Becky: You can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Consider substituting heavy cream for the coconut milk, eggplant for the zucchini, or almonds for the cashews.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Apple and Walnut Salad

My co-worker brought this salad to a potluck at work several weeks ago and I was hooked from first bite. I've made it a few times since and I can't seem to get enough of it. I love that it's not only yummy but also has only a few ingredients and can be put together in a few minutes.

Ingredients:

spinach
green apple
walnuts
bleu cheese crumbles

Directions: Cut up part of the apple and toss everything together (no concrete amounts - just toss in however much you think you need for how many you are feeding). This salad is really good with Annie's Organic Creamy Balsamic dressing (I found it in the natural food section of my grocery store).

*Optional: Strawberries are also really good in this salad.

Yogurt Deliciousness

Lately I have been loving this treat. It only requires a few ingredients and it's super fast and easy to throw together. Here's what you need:

plain yogurt (Greek style)
strawberries
walnuts
honey

Add the strawberries and walnuts to the yogurt and drizzle a little honey on top and you've got yourself the perfect Summer treat.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilladas

4 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. lime juice

1 Tbs. oil

2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

[Mix together]

Mexican blend shredded cheese

Tortillas {medium size}

1 can green enchilada sauce


Cook and shred 4 chicken breasts. Mix above sauce with shredded chicken. Roll chicken mixture and grated cheese into flour tortillas. Top with green enchilada sauce and a little grated cheese.


Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered...take off foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.


* The recipe didn't call for it but I garnished them with pico de gallo, guacamole and cilantro.