There's nothing better than coming home and having dinner ready and waiting for you on the counter. There's also nothing better than winning the lottery, but that's not really in the cards for me (at least not today).
Allow me to preface this entry by saying that I've not had good luck with crock pots. My boyfriend has even worse luck than I do (sorry Aric, but you know it's true). I don't know how we do it, but stuff in the crock pot just doesn't have that warm, tasty, delicious, comforting quality that other peoples' crock pots spit out.
I made lentil soup in the crock pot a few weeks ago (because I was still trying to figure out what to do with the damn lentils), and it was not pretty. Everything was kind of floating on its own, the soup didn't really come together in a soup-y way, and, to top it all off, the lentils were still hard and dry. They hadn't absorbed any water, and they'd been cooking on high for EIGHT HOURS.
So yeah. Crock pots? Not really my thing.
But I am stubborn, if nothing else, and rarely learn from past mistakes. So when I found a recipe for crock pot chicken curry, I had to try it.
Guess what, you guys?
IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!
I work 10am - 6pm, and my boyfriend works 2pm - 9pm, so he threw it together before he went to work, so it could cook for the allotted "3-5 hours." He actually texted me to tell me how it went. His description?
"It smells good but looks like vomit. Perfect crock pot meal!"
See? We both have a similar way with words. Farts and vomit, folks, that's all you're getting out of us!
Anyway, I came home and the house smelled sweet and spicy and wonderful. I lifted the lid, gave the stuff a stir, and had a sample spoonful. I had a lot of trouble not eating it all while I waited for my rice to cook. (I refuse to use minute rice - it's just creepy. I mean, what do they put in it that it can cook that quickly???)
And now, what you've all been waiting for...the main event!
CROCKPOT CHICKEN CURRY
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup onion
1 cup tomato
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tbsp. ginger powder
2 tbsp. rosemary
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground red chili pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Dice chicken, onion, and tomato.
2) Mix all of the ingredients together in the crock pot.
3) Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
4) Serve over rice.
WHAT ARIC DID DIFFERENTLY
1) We don't have tomatoes yet (the garden isn't quite ready), so he used half a can of diced tomatoes.
2) We don't have rosemary, either, so we substituted 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 tsp. tarragon. Did you know that there are whole websites devoted to herb and spice substitutions??? Perfect for someone like me, who rarely reads the instructions fully to make sure she has everything before she gets halfway through and goes "oops, I don't have that."
3) Bottled lime juice is just as good as squeezing limes, in my opinion. I can't taste the difference. So how do I know he used bottled juice? I saw the squeezey lime in the kitchen trash.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is mighty tasty and mighty easy to prepare. The cooking time is a little weird - you could probably leave it going for 8 hours, since that's a normal workday, but I don't know.
And it really is the perfect crock pot dish - smells and tastes yummy, but looks like something your stomach rejected upon arrival.
This recipe is a keeper!
5/22/09
Adventures in Cooking - Mujadarrah
I made something really delicious for dinner last night. It's called mujadarrah (and that is just one of many spelling variations). Basically it is lentils and rice and onions, plus some tasty spices.
I found it while cruising around one of many recipe websites I frequent (I am obsessed with finding new foods lately). I was specifically looking for recipes that include lentils, because I bought two bags of dried lentils and then realized I didn't know how to cook them. I don't know - I broke the Golden Rule of Grocery Shopping and didn't eat before I went, so I came back with some wacky stuff.
Around 8pm last night I decided it was probably time to eat, so I cooked up a batch of this tasty deliciousness. And now I'm going to share the recipe, because I love it so much.
MUJADARRAH
3 large onions, cut into rings (as thick or as thin as you like)
3/4 cup of EVOO
1 1/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup long grain rice
4 1/2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 tsp. of the pre-minced stuff, if that's how you roll)
SPICE BLEND
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
A NOTE ABOUT THE SPICES
I don't have allspice, apparently. What I DO have is garam masala, which is basically a blend of Indian-type spices (cumin, corriander, cardamom, cloves...basically all the C's). I figured that since allspice is a blend of largely warm-tasting spices, garam masala would do the trick. I was right. It. Was. SO. GOOD.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Mix spices together, set aside.
3) When oil is hot, fry onions until they become tender and start to brown (have a splatter screen handy - trust me). Remove from oil and set aside in a covered dish.
4) Add garlic and spice mix to the oil. Cook until garlic becomes soft, being careful not to burn the garlic.
5) Add the water and bring to a boil.
6) Add dried lentils and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7) Add rice. Turn heat to low and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
8) Add onions and stir gently. Serve.
I find that it pairs quite nicely with multi-grain french bread, but I think pita bread or something similar would also be good. Basically any kind of bread that's got a nice nuttiness to it.
Also, I know it seems like a lot of EVOO at the beginning, but trust me - it's worth it. The onion come out so tender and so delicious, and they infuse the oil with onion-y goodness. Please don't skip that step. It's like adding a belt to a pair of pants - it just finishes off the dish perfectly.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
1) Cut the salt in half. I thought it was a lot of salt at the time, but I figured the recipe had a good reason. Turns out my instinct was right. If you like salt, cool. But next time I'm going for 1 tsp.
2) Cut the onions into long strips, instead of rings. My eyes are pretty sensitive to onion fumes to begin with, but to take the time to separate the onion rings? Oh man, I broke so many of those toxic onion cell walls, I was practically BAWLING by the time I was done. So next time I am going to save myself some hassle and a lot of tears, and cut them into long strips.
3) Eat a spinach salad alongside. It's a good, hearty meal, but I really wished that I had some vegetables (and unfortunately, fried onions don't count as a veggie).
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is both tasty and filling, and I suspect it might even be food for you. This is a very easy dish to make, and it goes relatively quickly (it's a good "oh crap what am I going to eat tonight?" kind of dinner). This dish is versatile - you can serve it as a main course or as a side.
This is also a relatively inexpensive dish (I had all of the ingredients on-hand. If you don't have some of the spices, it might run you a little more, but try to think of it as an investment in tasty). I like it, and once I'm done farting from all the lentils I ate last night, I am definitely going to make it again.
I found it while cruising around one of many recipe websites I frequent (I am obsessed with finding new foods lately). I was specifically looking for recipes that include lentils, because I bought two bags of dried lentils and then realized I didn't know how to cook them. I don't know - I broke the Golden Rule of Grocery Shopping and didn't eat before I went, so I came back with some wacky stuff.
Around 8pm last night I decided it was probably time to eat, so I cooked up a batch of this tasty deliciousness. And now I'm going to share the recipe, because I love it so much.
MUJADARRAH
3 large onions, cut into rings (as thick or as thin as you like)
3/4 cup of EVOO
1 1/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup long grain rice
4 1/2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 tsp. of the pre-minced stuff, if that's how you roll)
SPICE BLEND
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
A NOTE ABOUT THE SPICES
I don't have allspice, apparently. What I DO have is garam masala, which is basically a blend of Indian-type spices (cumin, corriander, cardamom, cloves...basically all the C's). I figured that since allspice is a blend of largely warm-tasting spices, garam masala would do the trick. I was right. It. Was. SO. GOOD.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Mix spices together, set aside.
3) When oil is hot, fry onions until they become tender and start to brown (have a splatter screen handy - trust me). Remove from oil and set aside in a covered dish.
4) Add garlic and spice mix to the oil. Cook until garlic becomes soft, being careful not to burn the garlic.
5) Add the water and bring to a boil.
6) Add dried lentils and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7) Add rice. Turn heat to low and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
8) Add onions and stir gently. Serve.
I find that it pairs quite nicely with multi-grain french bread, but I think pita bread or something similar would also be good. Basically any kind of bread that's got a nice nuttiness to it.
Also, I know it seems like a lot of EVOO at the beginning, but trust me - it's worth it. The onion come out so tender and so delicious, and they infuse the oil with onion-y goodness. Please don't skip that step. It's like adding a belt to a pair of pants - it just finishes off the dish perfectly.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
1) Cut the salt in half. I thought it was a lot of salt at the time, but I figured the recipe had a good reason. Turns out my instinct was right. If you like salt, cool. But next time I'm going for 1 tsp.
2) Cut the onions into long strips, instead of rings. My eyes are pretty sensitive to onion fumes to begin with, but to take the time to separate the onion rings? Oh man, I broke so many of those toxic onion cell walls, I was practically BAWLING by the time I was done. So next time I am going to save myself some hassle and a lot of tears, and cut them into long strips.
3) Eat a spinach salad alongside. It's a good, hearty meal, but I really wished that I had some vegetables (and unfortunately, fried onions don't count as a veggie).
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is both tasty and filling, and I suspect it might even be food for you. This is a very easy dish to make, and it goes relatively quickly (it's a good "oh crap what am I going to eat tonight?" kind of dinner). This dish is versatile - you can serve it as a main course or as a side.
This is also a relatively inexpensive dish (I had all of the ingredients on-hand. If you don't have some of the spices, it might run you a little more, but try to think of it as an investment in tasty). I like it, and once I'm done farting from all the lentils I ate last night, I am definitely going to make it again.
Obligatory Awkward Getting-to-Know-You Post
Can't just jump into this blogging thing without a few little introductions.
The Details:
23 years old.
Lives in Michigan.
Has a cat and a boyfriend.
Likes cooking.
Likes eating even more.
Starting to garden.
Makes jewelry.
Sassy.
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