Crockpot Indian Butter Chicken, aka Chicken Makhani

This recipe is from the Crockpot Lady, Stephanie....the original recipe is here. Stephanie actually got it from a fellow blogger, Kindra, and modified it to suit herself. Kindra's recipe is here.

Crockpot Chicken Makhani

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (can be frozen)
1 med onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 stick butter, cut into chunks
15 cardamom pods (sewn together or tied in cheesecloth)
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T garam masala
approx 1 inch grated fresh ginger root
1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 T lemon or lime juice
1 C plain yogurt
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)

NOTE: If you don't have cardamom pods, you can use 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, maybe a bit more. You can always add salt, more spices, to taste. Always feel free to modify it to suit your own taste buds!

Directions

Use a 5 quart or larger crockpot. You can either sew together the cardamom pods using a needle and thread or you can tie them in a little cheese cloth bundle instead, if you have cheesecloth in the house. Put some sliced onion in the bottom of the crockpot, then place chicken on top. Scatter rest of onion and garlic over chicken. Combine dry spices, grated ginger, tomato paste, lemon or lime juice, and coconut milk in a medium sized bowl and pour the resulting mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the pot. Drop chunks of butter randomly over the top.


Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 (I doubled the recipe and cooked it on high for 2 and low for 4). The chicken will shred easily when fully cooked.

Stir in the plain yogurt 15 minutes before serving.


Discard cardamom pods. Salt to taste, serve with white or brown basmati rice. Enjoy!!

Chicken and Dumplings, Updated

Here again is basically the same Chicken and Dumplings recipe (also from Stephanie) that I've already published. The main differences are using ThickenThin/NotStarch, almond milk, and arrowroot, plus I used my Grain-Free Biscuits to make the dumplings and they WORKED! I was really craving some Chicken and Dumplings and was so glad to find out that I can make it grain-free and casein free!

Ingredients

2 T arrowroot
ThickenThin/NotStarch
1 cup almond milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
16 ounces frozen vegetables

Plus one batch of drop biscuits: I used the grain-free biscuits recipe.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, mix the milk and broth with the arrowroot powder while whisking constantly, and cook until thickened; stir in the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. If necessary, add the ThickenThin one teaspoon at a time (whisking well!!) until the sauce is thick enough.

Any Crockpot with a capacity of 4 quarts or more will work. Put the chicken and vegetables into the bottom of the Crockpot. Add the milk-broth mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. An hour before serving, shred chicken with two large forks, and mix up the biscuit dough. Drop the dough in large spoonfuls on top of the hot chicken stew and replace the lid.

Cover and cook on high for another 45 minutes - 1 hour. The dumplings are done when you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. They will be spongy but firm to the touch.

Serve in bowls, with a dumpling or two per person.

Crockpot Cranberry-Orange Roast

Another recipe from my other blog, it was inspired by a recipe on Stephanie's website, although I've changed it a bit (note: this is technically not grain free because there's cornstarch in Lipton Onion Soup Mix, and it also contains some soy):

Ingredients:

3-5 lb beef roast (or pork roast or stew chunks)
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix (yes, it's gluten free!)
3 T gluten-free soy sauce
2/3 of a bag of fresh cranberries
1/2 - 1 C orange juice
1/4 - 1/2 C agave nectar

Directions:

First make a cranberry sauce using the fresh cranberries, orange juice and agave nectar. Put washed cranberries into a medium saucepan; add orange juice until the level of the juice is about 1/2 inch below the level of the cranberries...you don't want so much juice that it's covering the berries. Add agave nectar; start with 1/4 C and add a bit more if it's not sweet enough (or add a tiny bit of stevia). Place pan on stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. You want it to be higher than a simmer but not a fast boil. Stir often. The cranberries will begin to pop; after most are popped removed from heat.

I have a large (7 qt) Crockpot, and the roast I used was about 4 1/2 lbs, and SOLIDLY frozen. You don't have to use frozen but it works just fine if you do (add a little more time or cook on "High"). Put roast in Crockpot then sprinkle the onion soup mix and soy sauce over. Pour the cranberry-orange-agave sauce over the top. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. If you are cooking on high, you may want to break apart the meat into smaller chunks an hour or so before serving so that the juice penetrates more deeply into the meat.

We ate it over mashed potatoes with a green salad, per Stephanie's suggestion. What a fabulous meal for a cold night!!

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady, keeps coming out with great recipes, even though her year of Crockpotting is officially over! Here is another one:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch pieces
1/2 C gluten free flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 T kosher salt
6 oz (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (little or no pulp is best)
3 T brown sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 T ketchup

Directions:

Stephanie says to use a 4 quart Crockpot for best results. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off any excess. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken on all sides. Sear it just enough for the flour to stick.

Place the chicken pieces into the Crockpot. In a small mixing bowl, combine orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste; add more sugar if you want it sweeter. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Baby Back Ribs

Fall-off-the-bone good....!

Ingredients:

5-7 lbs baby back ribs
gluten free barbecue sauce (I used Homemade BBQ Sauce version 2)

Directions:

Separate the ribs into serving sized pieces (4-5 ribs) and place in the Crockpot, basting with your favorite gluten free barbecue sauce. Cook for 6-7 hours on High.

Remove ribs gently (they fall apart easily at this point) and place on a cookie sheet or roasting pan, and baste generously with more sauce. Place under broiler for a few minutes, just until the sauce starts to "crisp up" a bit; you don't want them burnt....watch them closely!!

NOTE: If you're still working on side dishes for dinner, you can bake the ribs at 250-300 degrees for up to 45 minutes to keep them warm, and turn on the broiler at the last minute, just before you serve dinner.

Crockpot Pesto Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is from Stephanie, who has SO many wonderful gluten-free Crockpot recipes on her blog! If you're not already familiar with her, you should visit her blog site immediately! :)

I'm making this today!

Ingredients:

for the pesto:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
4 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh basil
2 tablespoons pinenuts, or walnuts, or sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

4 - 6 chicken thighs, or breast halves
sliced mozzarella cheese
aluminum foil or parchment paper
4 small sweet potatoes, well scrubbed, skin on

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, combine the ingredients for the pesto. When liquidy, taste. If you need to add more citrus or salt or pepper, do so now.

In the bottom of a large slow cooker, arrange chicken pieces. You can use frozen chicken. Layer on slices of mozzarella cheese. Pour pesto evenly on top. Cover with a layer of foil or parchment paper. Scrub sweet potatoes well, prick with a fork, and lay them on top of the paper or foil. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your chicken is frozen it will take a bit longer.

If you're using fresh chicken, and your sweet potatoes are quite large, you may choose to swap layers, and put the sweet potatoes on the bottom. Newer slow cookers cook from the sides as well as from the bottom, but some people swear the stuff on the bottom cooks faster.

Carefully remove the sweet potatoes with tongs, and remove foil or parchment. The steam that comes out will be quite hot, keep small children away.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

I found this recipe on RecipeZaar and altered it slightly to be gluten free. I should mention that Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free in the United States, but (oddly enough) is NOT gluten free in Canada!

You can cook it on the stove in the traditional manner, or use the Crockpot. Instructions for both methods are included.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs stew meat (tenderized works best)
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or gluten free substitute)
1 container sour cream, divided
white wine (as needed for taste)
Worcestershire sauce (as needed for taste)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper
milk (if needed)
sweet rice flour (if needed)
cooked gluten-free egg noodles

Directions (stove top):

Heat butter in large skillet. Add stew meat, cook on medium heat until browned, stirring often. Remove meat from skillet and set aside. Add onion and saute in the butter until almost soft, a few minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook until onion is soft but not browned and mushrooms are slightly wilted.

Put meat back into pan, add cream of mushroom soup, wine, worcestershire sauce, garlic and pepper. Stir constantly until soup thins out. Decrease heat to low, cover and simmer.

This can simmer anywhere from 1 to 4 hrs depending on the texture of the beef; you want it to be tender. Towards the end of the cooking time, you can add sweet rice flour to thicken it or milk to thin it out as needed. When almost done add half of the tub of sour cream.

Serve over cooked egg noodles (or rice or mashed potatoes) with the remainder of the sour cream as a topping.

Directions (Crockpot):

Add meat, chopped onion, sliced mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup (or gluten free substitute), wine, worcestershire sauce, garlic and pepper to the Crockpot. Stir well.

Cook for approximately 8 - 10 hours on Low, or 5 - 6 hours on High. You can add sweet rice flour (or cornstarch dissolved in a little milk or water) to thicken it or milk to thin it out as needed. At the end of the cooking time, turn off the Crockpot and allow to cool to the point where the stroganoff is barely simmering, then add half of the tub of sour cream.

Serve over cooked gluten free egg noodles (or rice or mashed potatoes) with the remainder of the sour cream as a topping.

Crockpot Chicken with Chickpeas and Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken breast, cut in cubes
1 lg onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
3 tomatoes
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
grill seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 T garam masala (or more to taste)

Directions:

In a large skillet sear chunks of chicken that you've sprinkled with grill seasoning. Drain and pour into Crockpot. Saute onion, garlic, and tomatoes until tomatoes release juice. Add chunks of potato and can of drained, rinsed chickpeas. Season with cumin, powdered coriander, red pepper, garam masala. Dump everything in the slow cooker and mix together; cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or until the potatoes are tender and chicken cooked through.

Crockpot Sausage and Potato Dinner

(Recipe has been slightly edited on 6/21/09)

Ingredients:

2 T butter
2 T sweet rice flour
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground dry mustard
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 C grated cheddar
(NOTE: this is to make a thick cheese sauce to replace the canned cheddar cheese soup in the original recipe - canned cheddar cheese soup is not usually gluten free!)

10 medium potatoes, about 3 pounds, sliced
12 to 16 oz gluten free smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, chicken apple sausage or other similar sausage, sliced
1 large onion, diced

3/4 cup evaporated milk
Paprika

Directions:

Make the cheese sauce first by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the rice flour. Cook, stirring (best to use a wire whisk), for about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in the cream a little at a time to keep mixture smooth, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Continue cooking, and add the chicken broth a little at time while whisking constantly, until the mixture has the thickness and consistency of paint. You don't want it to be too thick, because it will thicken when you add the cheese. Add more or less chicken broth until you achieve the right consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, dry mustard, black pepper, garlic powder, and cheese; continue to stir until cheese is melted. Set the cheese sauce aside.

Toss sliced potatoes, sausages, and onions together in a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. In the sauce pan, combine cheese sauce and evaporated milk (NOTE: you can use more or less evaporated milk depending on whether you want it to be thicker or more like a potato-cheese-sausage soup). Gently stir the cheese sauce mixture into the potatoes and sausages. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until potatoes are tender, stirring GENTLY once about halfway through the cooking time.

Crockpot Garlic Balsamic Chicken

This is a modification of a recipe I saw on Cooks.com:

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 T balsamic vinegar
3/4 C chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Put chicken in Crockpot; scatter the mushrooms over the top. Combine the vinegar, broth, and seasonings and pour over all. Cover and cook for 4-5 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low. If you're using frozen chicken it will take a bit longer.

NOTE: Before serving, you may want to thicken the juices with a bit of cornstarch dissolved in white wine or broth, which will give you something nice to pour over gluten free noodles or rice.

Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Inspired by one of Stephanie's Crockpot recipes:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C brown rice
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C milk, divided (any type)
3/4 C gluten-free all purpose flour mix (your choice)
1 onion, diced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
3-4 chicken breast halves or equivalent parts
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix (it's gluten free!)

Directions:

Use a 4-quart or larger Crockpot for this recipe.

Combine all of the chicken broth (1 1/2 cups) and 1/2 cup of milk in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat on the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of milk with 3/4 cup flour.

When the broth and milk have begun to boil, reduce heat, and slowly stir in the milk and flour mixture. When everything is fully incorporated, set the pot aside to cool.

Spray the inside of the Crockpot with cooking spray.

Add the rice to the Crockpot. Chop up the onion, and add it with the mushrooms. Lay the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the Lipton Onion Soup Mix over the chicken pieces, then pour your broth, flour, and milk mixture over all. (Actually, I was thinking about this....I did it this way when I used to make this recipe in the oven, but for a crockpot, you might want to pour the liquid on first, then sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over.)

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for about 8.

When you take the lid off of the Crockpot, stir the rice. If the rice is fully cooked and you have extra liquid, turn to high and keep the lid off for about 15 minutes. The liquid should absorb quickly. This recipe is casein free if you use rice or soy or almond milk instead of regular cow's milk.

Crockpot Country Captain (Chicken and Shrimp)

From Sunset Crockery Cookbook:

Ingredients:

2 Granny Smith apples
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T raisins or currants
1 T curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup uncooked rice
1 lb raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/3 C slivered almonds
salt
parsley

Directions:

Quarter, core and dice unpeeled apples. Combine apples, vegetables, spices, raisins in Crockpot. Rinse chicken and pat dry; arrange on top of fruit and veggie mixture. Add broth. Cover and cook on Low 6-7 hours.

Remove chicken to warm plate; cover and keep in warm oven (200 degrees). Add rice to cooking liquid in Crockpot; turn heat to high and cook for about 30 - 35 minutes, until rice is almost tender. Add raw shrimp and cook until shrimp are opaque in center (about 10 more minutes). Toast almonds in small pan until golden; set aside. Season rice mixture with salt to taste; mound on a large serving dish and arrange chicken on top, then sprinkle with parsley and almonds. Makes 6 servings.

Directions:

Crockpot Beef Stew

Based on a recipe from the Sunset Crockery Cookbook, altered to be gluten free:

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 C baby carrots
1 lb baby red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 - 3 lbs stew beef or beef round, cubed
1/4 C sweet rice flour
2 tsp thyme
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 C red wine or beef broth
1 pkg frozen peas (about 10 oz)
salt and pepper

Directions:

Place vegetables into Crockpot; coat beef cubes with sweet rice flour, add to Crockpot and sprinkle with thyme. Add tomatoes and wine or broth. Cover and cook 8 - 10 hours on Low. Skim off any fat and stir in frozen peas. Turn heat to High, cook until peas are heated through (15 minutes or so). Adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.

Best Barbecue Ribs (or Chicken)!

This recipe is based on one from RecipeZaar; I've incorporated a number of variations from people who actually tried it and commented:

Ingredients:

3 - 6 lbs pork back ribs (or chicken pieces)
1 (8 ounce) jar honey
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 T Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/2 C dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped
12 oz barbecue sauce (I used homemade BBQ sauce)
1/4 C white sugar (or white or apple cider vinegar if you want it less sweet)

Directions:

This can be made in the oven in a roasting pan or in the Crockpot. I've included directions for both, as well as directions for chicken.

Mix all ingredients except ribs together. Cut ribs apart for easier serving. Place into roasting pan or Crockpot and coat all ribs with the sauce.

Roasting pan directions (ribs):

Line the bottom of the roasting pan with silicon sheet for easier cleanup (very sticky!). Spread ribs out evenly on bottom of pan; coat with sauce and cover lightly with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 3 hours. Turn and baste occasionally. At the end of cooking time, broil the ribs for a couple of minutes before serving.

Roasting pan directions (chicken):

Line the bottom of the roasting pan with silicon sheet for easier cleanup (very sticky!). Spread chicken pieces out evenly on bottom of pan; coat with sauce and cover lightly with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 1 hour covered, then 1/2 hour uncovered. Turn and baste occasionally.

NOTE: if using boneless chicken, you should reduce cooking time. Bake covered until internal temperature is 160 degrees, then bake uncovered for approximately 15 minutes longer (probably 45 min total).

Crockpot directions (ribs and chicken):

Place ribs in Crockpot, cover and cook on high for 6 - 7 1/2 hours. (Bone-in chicken would probably take about 6 hours; boneless would take about 4-5 hours on high. Check internal temperatures to make certain they are done!)

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

There are a lot of different versions of this delicious recipe out there on the Internet; this is mine (based in part on recipes found on RecipeZaar and A Year of Crockpotting):

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken pieces
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced thick or quartered

4 T butter
4 T sweet rice flour
1 C milk
1 C chicken broth

8 oz cream cheese

Directions:

Place chicken in crock pot and sprinkle with herbs and spices. Add chopped vegetables.

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and add the sweet rice flour to make a roux. Add chicken broth slowly while whisking, then add milk. Stir until thickened and smooth. It should be thick, but you may need to add a little more broth; I try to aim for the consistency of canned cream of chicken soup (well, maybe a little runnier than that!). Pour over chicken and vegetables in Crockpot, cook on high 4 - 5 hours until chicken is cooked through and can be shredded with a fork.

Add cream cheese to Crockpot and cook on high for half an hour, until cream cheese is melted. Stir to mix thoroughly and serve over gluten free pasta or rice.

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

I found this recipe on Stephanie's blog; my 3-year-old LOVES it! In fact, we all do...it's easy and tasty...has a sort of sweet Asian flavor. I served it over white rice:

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (7-up or whatever)
2/3 cup vinegar (white wine, regular white, or apple cider work fine)
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Place the chicken into Crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It may bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be. If you wish, you may add 1/3 C cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 water at the very end to thicken the broth a little.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

Crockpot Garlic Chicken

Yet another great recipe from Stephanie, the Gluten-free Crockpot Lady:

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds chicken pieces
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

Directions:

Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert of your Crockpot. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into Crockpot, on top of the onion.

NOTE: if you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, add 1 cup of white wine or apple juice.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook chicken-on-the-bone, the more tender it will be. If you use drumsticks, the ones on the side will brown and may stick to the sides of the crock, burning a bit. If this bothers you, you can rearrange them with tongs an hour before serving.

P.S. I made this recently and started it around 6am; I fully intended to shut it off after 8 hours or so but was unable to. It ended up cooking on Low for more than 12 hours! And it was WONDERFUL! The liquid and the onions and garlic cloves turned a deep golden brown (caramelized) color...the veggies were so soft they basically disintegrated into the liquid. The chicken was incredibly tender, as usual. I thickened the liquid with cornstarch to make a sauce and served the chicken in the sauce over mashed potatoes.....YUM!

Crockpot Chile Verde

This is a very flavorful dish from Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady. We've eaten the leftovers served over mashed potatoes, in burritos, over rice....it tastes wonderful any way you eat it.

Ingredients:

4 pound chuck roast, or pork shoulder/butt
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced chilis, mild
3 medium tomatoes, diced
10 tomatillos, diced (peel off the outer wrapper, if they have one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sage
1 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

Trim any visible fat from the meat, and place in the Crockpot. Add diced bell pepper and onion. If tomatillos have the leafy-outer skin left on them, take the skin and stem off, and dice finely. Pour in the diced chilis and diced tomatoes. Add spices. Stir a bit to get the spices down the sides of the meat. Add chopped cilantro to the top.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 6, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Serve with rice, corn tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. Yum!!

Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry

Wonderful recipe!! Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady, got this one from Rachel Ray when she appeared on her show:


Ingredients:

1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
1 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free, and so is Tamari wheat-free)
1 T Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste
1 tsp fish sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large eggplant, chopped
1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 sweet potato, diced (large chunks)
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and/or breasts, boneless, skinless

Directions:

Combine the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, and fish sauce in the bottom of your crockpot. Taste. If you think you need more chili paste, add some, carefully. It's hot stuff!

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, flipping them over a few times so they get nice and saucy.

Wash and cut the vegetables, and add to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. This is done when the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

Serve over white or brown rice.

Stephanie's Crockpot Honey Lentils

This is a very tasty way to use lentils (which are very cost-effective!!) from Stephanie's blog:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups lentils
3 cups water
1/2 red onion, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 T soy sauce (La Choy or Tamari Wheat Free are GF)
1/3 cup honey (and maybe another 1 T later to taste)
1 dried bay leaf or 2 fresh

Directions:

Rinse off the lentils and dump them in the crockpot. Add the water. Chop up the onion, and add along with the carrots. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and add. Stir in the dried mustard, salt, and ginger. Add the soy sauce and honey. Stir to combine. Float the bay leaf on top.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-5 hours. Taste. If desired, stir in an extra tablespoon of honey.

This works as a vegetarian main dish served over rice, or as side dish.