Slow Cooker Curried Chicken

If you'd like an easy and unique tasty slow cooker meal, this recipe is for you. The best part is that you can do all of the prep the night before. Then, in the morning, before you head off to work or whatever other activity awaits you, stick it in the slow cooker and come home to a fabulous curry! Pair it with some rice or couscous and a vegetable for a quick, healthy dinner.

Slow Cooker Curried Chicken
From Slow Cooker Revolution

2 onions, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons minced or grated fresh ginger
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup raisins
2 granny smith apples, minced
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

 1. Put onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, oil, and tomato paste in a bowl and microwave, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Put the mixture into the slow cooker
2. Add the broth to the slow cooker and stir in the tapioca. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to everything else. At this point, you can leave overnight in the fridge and cook in the morning. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender on low 4 to 6 hours for breasts or 6 to 8 hours for thighs.
3. Add the raisins and apples to the chicken with the slow cooker still on and heat for about 10 minutes. Move the chicken to a serving platter. Let the liquid in the slow cooker settle for 5 minutes, and then remove fat on the surface with a large spoon.
 4. Stir 1/4 cup sauce into the yogurt to temper, and then stir mixture back into slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour 1 cup sauce over chicken and serve with almonds, cilantro and remaining sauce. Alternately, put chicken back into slow cooker with cilantro and almonds and serve altogether. Serve with rice or couscous.

Tomato Soup Slow Cooker Style

Yes the cheese sandwich is in a weird position

Since I've been sharing a lot of baked goods lately I figured I'd share a healthier meal idea with you. I don't know about where you live, but the weather has been quite wintry around here lately. Winter is cold and when I'm cold I crave warm soup! Here's an awesome recipe that is really nice to come home to after a long day. It calls for 4-6 hours of cooking, but we've left it in the slow cooker for 8 to 9 hours and it's been fine. There's a little bit of advance prep (about 15 minutes) the night before or the morning of, but it's totally worth it!

Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Soup
adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt and more to taste
pepper
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups low sodium chicken broth (plus more as needed)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream (we've made it with less and it's still been good)
pinch cayenne pepper

In a 12 inch skillet on medium high heat, melt the butter. Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes and reserve the juices. After the butter is melted, add the tomatoes, onion, brown sugar, tomato paste and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly browned. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Then, whisk in a cup of broth, scrape up browned bits, and move the mixture to the slow cooker. Add the rest of the broth, tomato juice and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low. The soup is done once the tomatoes start to break down, but it's fine to leave it a little longer. Puree the soup in batches, making sure to discard the bay leaves first. Transfer the pureed soup to a saucepan and heat. Add cream, cayenne, and more broth as desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with cheese sandwiches!

Super Easy Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew

Just so you know, this recipe works much better if you remember to put the beef in the slow cooker. But, I can attest now that it works either way. 

I guess this is more a technique than a recipe. I chop up whatever hearty vegetables I have around (here carrots and potatoes) throw them in the slow cooker with a couple cans of diced tomatoes, lots of spices, some beef and cook! This is great for when you won't have much time to cook in the evening, but you still want something new.

The reason I forgot the beef this time is that I prepped everything the night before because I knew I wanted to sleep in. I cut the beef, but kept it separate from the veggies in the fridge overnight for food safety reasons. I slept in more than I expected the next morning and in my rush I only remembered the chopped veggies and cans of diced tomatoes in the morning. Halfway to school I remembered the beef, but I couldn't turn back or I'd be late.

Luckily, the beef was defrosted that night and we sauteed it in the skillet and tossed it in. It wasn't quite as tender as it would have been otherwise, but it still tasted good! Also, this makes great leftovers which are perfect to stick in the freezer for later days when you don't want to make dinner.

Here's an approximate recipe:

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Serves 6 (or 2 for 3 days!)

1 pound cut stewing beef

2-3 pounds cut hearty vegetables (ie potatoes, carrots, onions, some mushrooms, leeks, etc.)

2 cans diced tomatoes

2ish cups water or beef broth (enough to almost cover everything)

Spices (ex: salt, pepper, bay leaf, paprika, garlic powder, dehydrated onions, fennel seed, oregano)

The night before: cut the hearty vegetables and combine them with the spices. Refrigerate. If your slow cooker has a removable insert you can put them in there. Cut the beef and refrigerate in a separate container. Maybe put it on top of the vegetables so you don't forget it. 

The morning of: put everything you prepped into the slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes and water. Set on low for 8ish hours. Luckily this is pretty flexible and forgiving depending on your schedule. Come back and enjoy! Or come back and realize you forgot the beef. Then cook that real quick and enjoy!