Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken

The first time I made this recipe was about two years ago. Each time we have it, I think of another way to improve upon an already-good thing. What follows is my latest iteration, modified for the CrockPot.



Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
heavily modified from this recipe on allrecipes.com
serves 2-4

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
8oz canned pineapple chunks with juice reserved
1 1/2 Tbsp Sucanat
1 tsp jerk seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder*
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes*
1 medium onion, cubed
2 bell peppers (different colors), seeded and cubed
4oz mushrooms, cut in half
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups cooked brown rice
(*I didn't have these separately today, so I used 1/2 tsp taco seasoning instead)

1. In a medium bowl, combine cubed chicken with 1/2 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp pineapple juice, sucanat, jerk seasoning, cinnamon, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Set aside to let flavors combine.



2. Meanwhile, chop the onion, peppers, and mushrooms, and place in crock with pineapple chunks.



3. Heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken in small batches and cook until lightly browned but not cooked through, turning over to brown the underside. Make sure not to crowd the pieces. As they brown, transfer them to the crock.



4. Once all the chicken is in the crock, deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water. Add 2 Tbsp of the reserved pineapple juice and let reduce for 1 minute. Pour over the chicken and veggies in the crock.

5. Cover crock and cook on low 3-4 hours, or until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through. Serve over hot cooked rice.



The H really enjoyed this. I didn't care for how soft the peppers got, but that's my own fault for socializing too much after running group! This was on low for almost 5 hours before we ate it, and it was just too long. The chicken wasn't dry, but the peppers were too soft, and that was my only complaint.

Red Pepper Tabbouleh

OK, so the recipe card this is printed on spells it "tabbouli" but I've grown up with it spelled the way I wrote it in the subject, so that's what I'm going with.

This is another clip-and-keep recipe from Clean Eating Magazine. It appealed to me for several reasons:

1. We love tabbouleh

2. It calls for tons of veggies that I happen have

3. I get to use up several odds and ends before going out of town

To make it safe for The H, I subbed cooked, leftover quinoa for the bulgur (cracked wheat). This meant I could skip Step 1 altogether. I also added some green onions--to use them up, and because my mom's recipe calls for them--to Step 4.

Red Pepper Tabbouleh

from Clean Eating Magazine

serves 8

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgur

1 tsp olive oil

2 red peppers, diced (2 cups)

2 stalks celery, diced (1 cup)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch parsley, minced (1 cup)

For the dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. In a medium sized heatproof bowl with lid, pour 2 cups boiling water over bulgur. Cover and place in refrigerator for 45 minutes.

2. Pour oil into a large nonstick skillet. Add peppers and celery, sprinkle with basil and salt, and saute on medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In another small bowl, stir together dressing ingredients.

4. When bulgur is finished soaking and water is absorbed, spoon it into a large bowl with the sauteed vegetables. Add parsley. Pour dressing over and stir gently.

I love watching a pile of fresh parsley go from this

to this. It makes such a satisfying crunchy sound, and smells so fresh!

The recipe states 1 cup of celery, so that is what I was going for--it took me four celery hearts to get there.

I snacked on some with Food Should Taste Good buffalo tortilla chips this afternoon. While it's different than what I'm used to, it was very good. Never would I have thought to add celery, balsamic vin, or basil to my tabbouleh--let alone cook some of it--but it was a nice change from the usual. There is no difference (in my humble opinion) between using quinoa or bulgur for the grain portion.

How do *you* spell tabbouleh/tabbouli?

Nutrition information for 3/4 cup serving, minus chips:

Calories - 93

Total fat - 2g

Saturated fat - 0g

Carbs - 17g

Fiber - 4g

Sugars - 2g

Protein - 3g

Sodium - 89mg

Cholesterol - 17mg

Grilled chicken and veggies

Yesterday was a typical Saturday for us. We met our running group for a long run (actually, we hosted the long run), did some housework and yardwork, and asked each other "What should we have for dinner?" Since one of The H's errands was getting a new propane tank for the grill, and the only thing I had in mind was "chicken", it made sense that we combine forces. Thus, dinner was born. And I was proud of us for not going out to eat!

First I got a pot (ok, a rice cooker) of quinoa going. I used vegetable broth, two chopped green onions, and a few tablespoons of jarred dehydrated vegetables. Doesn't look like much, but it cooked up nice and fluffy! The little guy loved it.

While that was simmering, I chopped a handful of colorful bell peppers and half of a sweet onion and set them aside to marinate in olive oil and balsamic vinegar until The H was ready to throw them on the grill.

Our chicken got a very basic barbecue sauce bath, but it turned out great.

I put together a quick little snack plate for us--rice crackers, homemade roasted garlic, Laughing Cow light cheese wedges, and sliced smoked gouda--and then the three of us hung out together while The H manned the grill. The little guy and I took turns sharing cheese crackers and playing with sidewalk chalk. Not pictured is the beautifully delicious red wine we popped open.

Finally, almost dinner time! What does a bored, tired little guy do while his mom sets the table? Kick back with a cold one, of course! (Please note: sippy contains milk!)

So I was all proud of these "progression pics" but would you believe that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product? Of course you would. I guess that's what a 9-mile run and two glasses of wine will do to a person... sorry! (In related news, I slept like a rock.) The leftover chicken and peppers got chopped up and tossed into a bowl of quinoa for one of our lunches this week. Hope you had a great and successful Saturday, too!

Sunday, Sunday...

Lunch today was a gorgeous frittata with homemade chicken apple sausage patties made from ground chicken, apple, and onion from last month's co-op pickup. The eggs, potatoes, and arugula in the frittata were local as well; I guess that will count as my DDC meal; too bad I wasn't prepared with the camera!

After grocery shopping we had leftovers for dinner and I did some prep for a few meals, which included roasting and peeling three huge red bell peppers, de-flowering a gigantic head of cauliflower (I seriously almost needed two hands to lift it), and making a batch of guacamole since the jalapenos I had were getting wrinkly. Guess that's what happens when you stash fresh produce in the pantry and forget about it. What I didn't use for the guac I chopped and put into the wells of an ice cube tray to freeze for later use.

My meal plan for this week may look a little sparse; that's because The H is heading out of town for work mid-week, and I tend to either make things he doesn't like or scavenge the leftovers (hooray for a freezer stash!) for dinner.

The peppers I roasted are for lunches or a light dinner after a run one night. I've had these roasted red pepper sandwiches on my "to make" list for ages now. Instead of the ciabatta bread, I bought a seedy whole-grain loaf to use. Other meals are as follows:

- BBQ chicken breasts, roasted parmesan broccoli, brown rice (I'll make extra for other uses)

- Roasted red pepper sandwiches

- Branny's baked cauliflower and vanilla-bean roasted squash

- Jenn's turkey bolognese with rice pasta spaghetti, gluten-free breadsticks (made from Bob's Red Mill pizza crust mix), spinach salad

- And I'm hoping to bum a meal off my sister one night if/when she watches the little guy for me!

In my freezer stash I have chicken stew, beef stew, minestrone soup, sloppy joe filling, black bean burgers, tofu burrito filling, edamame, and countless frozen fruits (for smoothies) and veggies (for ad-hoc soups). If my household is going to die of starvation, it won't be this week.

CrockPot Stuffed Peppers

Today is Tuesday. In this house, Tuesday = CrockPot Day because our running group meets at 6pm and it's easiest to have dinner immediately ready for us when we are done. My original plan was Chicken Barley Stew from Clean Eating Magazine, which we've had once before, but then I saw red peppers on sale at the grocery store. Not local, but huge, sweet, and delicious! And a great price. So I bought 8. And tonight they became "Quinoa-Stuffed CrockPot Peppers." This was my first attempt at stuffed peppers in a slow cooker. The H commented that no matter how many times we have the same recipe, it's never really the *same* recipe. That's just how I roll! By now you should know that I don't really measure anything so here is how I made them; feel free to substitute your favorite fillings and flavors.

Quinoa-Stuffed CrockPot Peppers

4 large bell peppers

3 green onions, chopped

Cooked quinoa

1 can kidney beans (black would've been delightful, too), drained and rinsed

1 cup canned or frozen corn

1 cup diced, chopped, or crushed canned tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Taco seasoning (I used two teaspoons, plus the 1 that I cooked the quinoa in)

Cheddar cheese, divided, optional

1 cup water

1. Wash peppers and cut the tops off. Clean out the seeds and ribs, toss the stem, set the peppers aside, and chop the remaining lid pieces. Place diced tops in a large bowl.

2. Add onions, quinoa, beans, corn, and tomatoes. Stir well to combine.

3. Season mixture to taste with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Mix in half of the cheese.

4. Fill hollowed peppers with quinoa mixture and set into large (6 quart) slow cooker that has been sprayed or lightly oiled. Pour up to 1 cup water around bottoms of peppers (to prevent scorching of any filling that falls out; I might have omitted this if I had been home to keep an eye on them). Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

5. Just before serving, top peppers with remaining cheese. Turn off slow cooker. Cover until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

The peppers turned pretty soft, which The H and I don't *really* love, but they were good. Next time I might cook on high for 2 hours and low for 2 to have kind of a little crunch left. If I hadn't been making this with my son in mind as well, I might have bumped up the taco seasoning a little. The kind we have is a special blend from my spice guy (his "medium" blend) and it's got some kick to it. Having the quinoa cooked ahead of time made me a little nervous because I didn't want it to become completely mushy. It was soft, but not overdone.

One of the most appealing parts of using this method for stuffed peppers is that it only took 4 hours, when most slow cooker recipes are all-day affairs. Using my rice cooker for the quinoa was another winner. I didn't have to worry about it burning or boiling over while I got everything else put together. Overall, this was a great choice for a busy day. I didn't get it into the CrockPot until after 3:30, and we were sitting down to it almost exactly 4 hours later.