Loving my slow cooker

With the arrival of fall in Texas it finally feels appropriate to bring out my slow cooker. I have been stalking delicious-looking stews and main dishes for weeks on my favorite recipe blogs, and then using Pininterest to bookmark them for later.

I have made three different meals in the slow cooker over the past month, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were all FANTASTIC! While preparing a meal in the slow cooker is about as easy as it gets, I think having the right combiniation of spices and flavors is key for making a good recipe really taste great. I remember reading something like this on one of the source websites (referenced below), and I have to agree. All of these dishes have some amount of spice in them (either asian or mexican) plus lots of garlic and onion, which I think gives them the necessary kick to survive numerous hours simmering away in the cooker.

I have designated Sundays for using the slow cooker, preparing a large portion of the dish that we can either eat for dinner for Sunday night or later in the week. This works well for me in reducing meal planning for the week, and we have the added benefit of delicious aromas wafting through the house all day on Sundays. Yum.

The three dishes I prepared were:

1) Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
2) Slow Cooked Sweet Potato Chili
3) Slow Roasted Asian Pork

Recipes for these delicious meals are below, along with references to the website where I found the recipe. For the most part I followed the instructions per each original post, but I have adapted them a bit to include the few modifications I made along the way.

I encourage you to try one or all of these dishes - they are all amazing! I think the chili was my favorite, followed closely by the pork and tikka masala.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

(source: http://www.eatliverun.com/)

Ingredients:

FOR THE CHICKEN:
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup yogurt
4 tablespoons butter
1 whole jalapeno pepper, stem removed, pepper pierced several times with a sharp knife

FOR THE SAUCE:
4 tablespoons butter
1 whole large onion, peeled And diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled And minced
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons garam masala
1 piece fresh ginger, about 2-3 Inches, peeled And grated
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-½ cup heavy cream

TO SERVE:
Hot buttered rice and peas
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Cut the chicken breasts into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle the coriander, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Cover lightly and let sit for 10 minutes before proceeding. Melt 2 tablespoons the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Raise the heat to medium high and quickly brown about 1/2 of the chicken. Transfer browned chicken to the slow cooker as it is finished, repeating until all of the chicken is in the slow-cooker. Throw the pierced jalapeno in on top of the chicken.

Prepare the sauce. Return the pan to the heat and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and kosher salt, then stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to lightly brown around the edges. Stir in the garam masala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) before raising the heat to high and adding the crushed and diced tomatoes and sugar. Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil. Pour over the chicken in the slow-cooker.


Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender. Use a fork or whisk to stir the cornstarch or cleargel into the heavy cream until smooth. Pour into the slow-cooker and stir gently until the colour is even. Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. Serve over hot rice and peas, topped with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.


Slow Cooked Sweet Potato Chili


(source: http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/)


Ingredients:
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounce can kidney beans
15 ounce can black beans
1 lb ground beef sirloin (optional)


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the base of your slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on low for 10 hours.



Slow Roasted Asian Pork


(source: http://www.skinnytaste.com/)

Ingredients:
2 lb lean boneless pork sirloin roast (aka pork center rib roast, pork center loin roast)
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
non-stick oil spray (PAM)
1 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms

1 bunch bok choy, chopped

For topping:
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Season pork on all side with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, spray with a little oil and brown the pork on all sides for about 7 - 8 minutes. In the crock pot, combine all remaining ingredients with the exception of the mushrooms and bok choy. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours on low. Thirty minutes before the timer goes off, remove pork to let it rest, and add mushrooms and bok choy to the crock pot contents. Cover and let mushrooms and bok choy cook with the liquid mixture for 30 minutes. Shred the pork and return to crock pot. Serve with scallions and cilantro over rice.