Slow cooker cashew chicken

Adapted from here.

What I had:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 16 oz frozen broccoli florets
• 16 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup cashews 

What I did:

• Put chicken breasts on the bottom of a 7 quart slow cooker
• Layered the vegetables on top - broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, ginger, and garlic
• Poured the soy sauce, ketchup, and vinegar over the vegetables
• Sprinkled the brown sugar over everything
• Cooked on low for 5 hrs
• Shredded the chicken breasts, added the cashews, and mixed everything together
• Served over thin spaghetti noodles with some hot sauce, added some crushed cashews on top for garnish

Verdict:

Delicious! Could be spicier but since I was feeding the toddler, I just added the hot sauce to my plate. It's got the perfect level of sweet ad spicy, with a lot of vegetable servings.

Indian chili chicken

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Marinade:

• 4 green chillies
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tsp gluten free soy sauce
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon juice

For the chicken:

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp corn flour

Sauce:

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium whie onions, sliced thick
• 2 orange bell peppers, sliced thinly
• 6 green and red chillis, cut into small rounds
• 3/4 warm water 
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Maggi hot 'n sweet sauce

What I did:

• Ground the garlic and chilies for the marinade.
• Added that to the chicken pieces, along with the soy sauce, vinegar and lemon juice in a small container.
• Left it in the fridge overnight.
• Next evening, added 1 beaten egg to the chicken pieces, coating them completely. Repeated with the corn flour.
• Cooked the chicken pieces in olive oil in a 12 inch deep skillet till lightly browned and cooked through. Pulled them out and put aside.
• Removed all except 2 tbsp oil from the skillet. Added garlic to the pan till fragrant.
• Added onions till soft, then added both peppers.
• Mixed the 3/4 cup warm water with the 2 tbsp corn starch; added to the skillet till it comes to boiling.
• Added the chicken pieces to the pan and heated it well.
• Served it with yogurt to cut the heat and roti.

Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Stew

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless breasts, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bag crinkle cut frozen carrots
• 3 stalks celery, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used 3 bullion cubes in 2 cups boiling water)
• 3 cups water
• 3.4 cup Goya Barley
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water

What I did:

• Layered onions on the bottom of slow cooker, added the carrots and celery on top
• Added the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables
• Poured in the broth and water
• Added some coarse ground black pepper
• Cooked on low for 8 hours

We haven't eaten it yet, but it smells great. From the small taste I did, I'll probably add a little salt and paprika to my bowl. Serve it with some fresh baked rolls on a rainy evening.

Possibly the best cookies ever

 and easiest ever! Chewy on the inside, burst of ginger and cinnamon flavor!

What I used:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• A box of Pillsbury pumpkin Quick Bread mix
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 cup raisin
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• A mix of sugar and cinnamon to roll cookies in

What I did:

• Mixed the butter and egg well
• Added the bread mix, raisin, cinnamon and ginger, mixed till everything was wet
• Rolled 1 inch balls through the sugar and cinnamon mix
• Baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
• Inhaled 2 within 2 seconds!

I don't even like pumpkin and I swear these were the best cookies ever!

Mac and cheese muffins

Or cupcakes, as Oli called them.

What I had:

• Ronzoni small elbow macaroni, entire box cooked al dente
• 3 oz shredded gruyere cheese
• 3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 oz cut spinach (I used frozen, defrosted and drained)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder

What I did:

• Melted the butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pan
• Added the flour and whisked it fast to avoid clumping
• Poured the milk and garlic in, continuously whisking
• Brought it to a boil and added both cheeses, mixing till its a creamy cheese sauce
• Mixed the pasta, spinach and cheese sauce in a large bowl till everything is covered in cheese
• Poured heaping spoonfuls into a greased muffin pan
• Baked at 400 for 15 minutes
• Let sit for 5 minutes before taking the muffins out

Next time, I would add more cheese. I think I used more pasta than the original recipe did here.

Slow cooker coconut chicken

Recipe adapted from here

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large red onion
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 very large tomato
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp paprika

What I did:

• Put the chicken in the crock pot
• Put everything else in a blender and mixed till pulverized
• Poured the sauce over the chicken
• Cooked on high for 5 hours
• Shredded the chicken in the sauce
• Served over rice, with a side of steamed veggies

This was toddler approved, he ate a big bowl of rice and the curry without a single complaint!

the red flecks are tomato skin, I didn't have any paste

Vegetable Tian

What I had:

• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow squash, sliced thin
• 1 zucchini. sliced thin
• 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 large tomato, sliced thin
• variety of spices, I used salt, paprika, garlic, parsley
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• olive oil

What I did:

• Cooked garlic and onions in olive oil till soft
• Sprayed an 8X8 glass baking pan
• Layered garlic and onions on the bottom
• Created rows of sliced vegetables, alternating them for beauty
• Sprinkled spices over the vegetables
• Covered with aluminum foil and cooked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
• Removed the foil, sprinkled cheese over everything and cooked for another 15 minutes

It was delicious! One note, for next time, I would put spices on all vegetables before lining them up in the pan to more evenly distribute the flavor.