slow cooker moroccan chicken.

greetings darlings. i do not know if you have a slow cooker, but just in case you do, i thought i would share this absolutely delicious slow cooker recipe i found yesterday. cooked it. served it over a bed of rice. ate it. simply scrumptious. 

sadly i did not take a picture, but next time i make up a plate, i will take a picture and add it here.

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 2 inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 3 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• rice or couscous (i used rice)

Directions

Place chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes, peaches, garbanzo beans, dried apricots, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Pour in the chicken broth. Cook on Low for 5 hours.

Remove the chicken and keep warm. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on High until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and heat through. Serve on top of rice or couscous. Garnish with fresh cilantro and almonds before serving.

tasty treats on a budget.

okay so i guess i was hiding under a rock when the memo was sent out letting us know that crab meat costs a small fortune. i always knew crab legs were pricey, but i thought that buckets of the meat would just be regular fishy prices. kinda like tuna....you want a fillet? lay out the cash. you want chunks? pick up a can el-cheapo. no dice with crab. needless to say i was astonished that 8 ounces of lump meat was $10.99. and this recipe requires 16 ounces. jeepers.

now i don't know about you, but the mister and i are on a budget, so i decided to get creative and try out the imitation crab (it does contain some crab, so it is not 100% imitation). 19 ounces for $3.99. now that's our kind of price! and it is already cooked, so you simultaneously save money and eliminate the need to worry and fret about cooking it all the way through. and happy times...the imitation meat worked brilliantly. we still have not had real crab cakes, but our tummies are appeased by the deliciousness of the fake crab cakes.

our semi-imitation crab meat.

once I got past that hurdle everything was delightfully straightforward. the crab cakes held together nicely and i was able to squeeze a bunch into the pan, so it only took two rounds to cook them all. i added wild rice to our plates. it was a perfect compliment to the vegetables. and the plate was delish delish delish. the mister and i have enjoyed it for lunch and dinner twice and we keep wanting more.

yummy yummy!!

and the pear cobbler? amazing.

crab cakes with roasted vegetables and tangy butter sauce.

ever since tasting a salmon patty, i have always wanted to try crab cakes, so here we go!!! this recipe comes to us from the folks at "cooking light" magazine. i also posted a recipe for a dessert to satisfy your sweet tooths.

ingredients for crab cakes:

• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon old bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound  lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 1/2 cups panko (japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• cooking spray

ingredients for roasted vegetables:

• 21 baby carrots (about 12 ounces)
• 5 small red potatoes, quartered (about 8 ounces)
• 4 medium shallots, halved lengthwise
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 oounces haricots verts (french green beans), trimmed

ingredients for sauce:

• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter

directions:

1. 1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko.
3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.
4. Preheat oven to 450°.
5. To prepare vegetables, leave root and 1-inch stem on carrots; scrub with a brush. Combine carrots, potatoes, and shallots in a small roasting pan. Coat vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Toss. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes, turning once. Coat haricots verts with cooking spray. Add haricots verts to vegetable mixture; toss. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
6. To prepare sauce, combine broth, shallots, and vinegar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 4 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in butter. Serve with crab cakes and vegetables.

source: cooking light magazine.

pear pie with streusel topping and caramel sauce.

just the other day the mister was asking me why i do not make pies more often, so i have decided to add a pie to this month's repertoire of recipes. happy baking!!!

bartlett or anjou pears work best in this pie. be sure to purchase firm, slightly under-ripe fruit for this pie since the pears soften and give off juice as they cook.

ingredients for pie:

• 3 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 2/3 cup)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 medium firm pears, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough
• cooking spray
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

ingredients for sauce:

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons water

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare pie, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add juice and pears to flour mixture; toss gently to coat. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under and flute. Arrange pear mixture in an even layer in prepared crust.
3. Combine remaining 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) flour and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons cold butter to brown sugar mixture; cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle butter mixture evenly over pears. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.
4. To prepare sauce, combine 1/3 cup brown sugar, cream, and 2 tablespoons softened butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 2 teaspoons water. Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed with pie.

source: cooking light magazine.

substitution central.

ummmm...may? may? hello? where did you go? somehow or another may slipped right by and we never had a chance to whip up the may recipe. but better late than never, we hunted down the ingredients (sort of) and had a feast tonight and this post is back-dated so it will be sorted into the right month.

larger than life greens.

first there was no swiss chard in our grocery store, but ms. gingkochef had forewarned me that i might not find it. at first i was going to use spinach, but then i decided to go out on a limb and buy turnip greens. not necessarily my brightest moment. the sprayer had just finished dousing all of the greens, so i had to buy a sopping wet bunch. as it turns out, if you want turnip greens you have to buy the farm. yup. the bunch would not fit in the produce bag. and then it covered my hands and the floor and the grocery cart and the checkout stand with leaves. it got smashed when i crammed it into my bike basket, but it was still ginormous. the mister and i have still not decided what to do with the leftover greens.

the other substitution was the quinoa. apparently that is not available in our grocery store. totally unsure of how to deal with this missing ingredient, i opted to make orzo. never made it before and it is a small pasta...in pickel logic that made perfect sense. once again, this was not one of my shining moments. ever try to cook pasta with "just enough" liquid to be absorbed and still be al dente? right. it does not really work. so it was a bit slimy, but once mixed with all the other goodies, it stood its ground and seemed to do the trick of providing a foundation for the dish. i still wish i could have tried quinoa.

anyhow, the meal was complete with not too much craziness. it is actually a relatively simple recipe to put together, except that i have zero confidence in my ability to cook fish. but i did. and then we got to the hard part...neither of us is a big fish person, but we both ate it. the mister liked it. i did not. we both liked the mixture of yummies piled up next to the fish, but unless it is fish sticks, i think i am going to leave the fish cooking to the restaurants.

thanks for the recipe ms. gingkochef!!!!! :)

A Picture for Inspiration

They say a picture says a thousand words. Enjoy!

May Dinner - Champagne Salmon with Swiss Chard Quinoa

Hello ladies...

Where does the time go? I can't believe that it is already May, particularly because I never made April's meal. Hopefully we will be able to catch up. But, here is a recipe I have been wanting to make. I am not usually a big chard nor quinoa eater, so here goes. Also, I really like this blog's recipes. Happy cooking and eating!

Champagne Salmon with Swiss Chard Quinoa
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1 bottle sweet champagne
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 dried bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 salmon filets (ours were 7 ounces each)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stem removed and coarsely chopped (2 packed cups)
1/3 cup golden raisins
Juice of half a lemon

Directions:
Place quinoa and chicken stock in a stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

Place champagne, vinegar, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt in a stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and bring liquid to a simmer. Place salmon filets in the pot and simmer for 10 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.

Meanwhile, place pine nuts in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, or until toasted. Remove pine nuts from the skillet and pour in olive oil. Sauté red onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir in Swiss chard and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted.

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl and stir in cooked Swiss chard, pine nuts, raisins, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve poached salmon over quinoa. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition: 684 calories, 30.1g fat, 7.0g fiber, 50.0g protein per serving
Cost: $5.54 per serving (not counting the champagne)