Honey and Chili Chicken Thighs

This week in class is all about slow cookers also known as crock pots! Slow cookers are great because you can prepare everything the night before or the morning of, plug it in, go to work, and come home to a delicious dinner! Slow cookers get their name because that is exactly what they do, cook your foods very slowly for a long period of time. You can cook most meals in a slow cooker with a little bit of tweaking. Check out THIS post to find out 7 tips to convert your recipes to slow cooker recipes.

This recipe serves 8 - 10 people.

Chicken leg and thighs fresh out of the oven.

Enjoy a honey & chili chicken leg!

What you'll need:

• Knife 
• Cutting board
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk
• Mixing spoon
• Baking dish/pan
• Peeler 

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Talbespoon chili powder
• 1/3 Cup apple cider
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• Roughly chopped cilantro for garnish
• 3 Sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1 inch strips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the honey, chili powder, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. 
3. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and stir until the thighs are evenly coated. At this point you can either bake the thighs immediately or refrigerate them for up to three hours to let them merinade. 





4. Arrange the chicken thighs in the baking dish and pour the remaining sauce over the top of them. Now mix in the chopped sweet potatoes. 





5. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes, until cooked through and the thickest part of the thighs register 165F with an instant read thermometer. 
6. Serve the chicken thigh and sweet potatoes immediately after roasting. Spoon any extra glaze from the pan over the hot chicken and garnish with roughly chopped cilantro. 

This week we only made one slow cooker recipe with a salad, then prepared a slow cooker recipe to be cooked the next day, and then one more slow cooker recipe as a take home challenge recipe. Curious about them? Click on any of them below and you can see their recipes!

• Honey and Chili Chicken Thighs
• Green Goddess Salad
• Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas
• Collard Greens Stew with Meat and Garlic 

And as always if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!

Collard Greens Stew with Meat and Garlic

This week in class is all about slow cookers also known as crock pots! Slow cookers are great because you can prepare everything the night before or the morning of, plug it in, go to work, and come home to a delicious dinner! Slow cookers get their name because that is exactly what they do, cook your foods very slowly for a long period of time. You can cook most meals in a slow cooker with a little bit of tweaking. Check out THIS post to find out 7 tips to convert your recipes to slow cooker recipes. This is a great quick and easy salad to serve with your slow cooked meal! This recipe is also our challenge recipe. We want you to go home and try this on your own!

Serves 4 people

What you'll need:

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Medium saucepan
• Slow cooker
• Mixing spoon

Ingredients

• 1/2 Pound stew meat (or you can use sausage)
• 1 Pound collard greens (one big bunch)
• 2 15 ounce cans of beans your choice - If using dry beans, soak overnight and discard the water before using
• 2-3 Carrots, diced
• 2 Medium yellow onions, about 1/2 pound, peeled and diced
• 6 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 4 Cups chicken broth
• 1/2 Cup cooking wine
• 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar 

Directions

1. Brown the meat in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the meat is browned.
2. Meanwhile cut the collards into ribbons. Fold each leaf in half and slit the large center rib away and discard it. Stack the halved leaves on top of each other, roll up from the short end into a cigar shape and cut lengthwise down the center. Then cut crosswise into short ribbons about 1/2 inch wide.
3. Add the onions and garlic ,along with the paprika and salt as well as the red pepper flakes if desired, Cook for another 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the collard green ribbons slowly, handful by handful, stirring them in so that they wilt down and make room for more.
4. Transfer to a slow cooker and pour in the chicken broth, sherry, and cider vinegar and cook for 3 to 4 hours on LOW or until the collards are quite tender. 

This week we only made one slow cooker recipe with a salad, then prepared a slow cooker recipe to be cooked the next day, and then one more slow cooker recipe as a take home challenge recipe. Curious about them? Click on any of them below and you can see their recipes!

• Honey and Chili Chicken Thighs
• Green Goddess Salad
• Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas
• Collard Greens Stew with Meat and Garlic 

And as always if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!

Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas

This week in class is all about slow cookers also known as crock pots! Slow cookers are great because you can prepare everything the night before or the morning of, plug it in, go to work, and come home to a delicious dinner! Slow cookers get their name because that is exactly what they do, cook your foods very slowly for a long period of time. You can cook most meals in a slow cooker with a little bit of tweaking. Check out THIS post to find out 7 tips to convert your recipes to slow cooker recipes. This is a great quick and easy salad to serve with your slow cooked meal!

The recipe serves 6 - 8 people.

What you'll need

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Large saucepan
• Slow cooker
• Mixing spoon
• Foil

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 Pounds chicken legs and thighs (about 4 each)
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1 Teaspoon coriander
• 1 Teaspoon cumin
• 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Cup chicken stock
• 1 Cup dried couscous
• 1/2 Cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1/4 Cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 Cups (1 15 ounce can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro, optional, for serving 

Directions

1. Warm one tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan or tagine over medium high heat until the oil flows easily and you can see it shimmering. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and place as many as will fit into the pan without crowding. 
2. Sear the chicken for 5 to 8 minutes, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown. This will help trap in some of the juiciness even after it's been in the slow cooker. 
3. Transfer the seared chicken directly to a slow cooker and continue searing the rest of the chicken pieces. If necessary add more oil to keep a thin film on the bottom of the pan. If the oil starts smoking, turn down the heat.







































4. Pour off all but a teaspoon of oil and return the pan to medium heat. Sauté the onions and carrots with a half teaspoon of salt until softened and beginning to brown. This will take about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant which will be about 30 seconds. Then sprinkle the ginger and spices over top and cook until fragrant which will take about 1 minutes.





5. Pour the onion mixture over the chicken and cover.
6. Stir the chicken stock and apricots into the pan, scraping up any seared bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan.
7. Cook for 4-6 hours on HIGH or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
8. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and cover with foil. Add the honey, almonds, and chickpeas to the pan with the apricots and onions, and increase the heat to medium-high. 
9. Bring the stew to a rapid simmer and cook until it has thickened slightly. Taste the sauce and add salt if necessary. 

This week we only made one slow cooker recipe with a salad, then prepared a slow cooker recipe to be cooked the next day, and then one more slow cooker recipe as a take home challenge recipe. Curious about them? Click on any of them below and you can see their recipes!

• Honey and Chili Chicken Thighs
• Green Goddess Salad
• Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas
• Collard Greens Stew with Meat and Garlic 

And as always if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!

Green Goddess Salad

This week in class is all about slow cookers also known as crock pots! Slow cookers are great because you can prepare everything the night before or the morning of, plug it in, go to work, and come home to a delicious dinner! Slow cookers get their name because that is exactly what they do, cook your foods very slowly for a long period of time. You can cook most meals in a slow cooker with a little bit of tweaking. Check out THIS post to find out 7 tips to convert your recipes to slow cooker recipes. This is a great quick and easy salad to serve with your slow cooked meal!

Delicious looking salad!

Salad with dressing!

Close up of salad

What you'll need:

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Food processor or blender
• Large serving bowl

Ingredients

For the salad

• 4 Cups spinach 
• 1 -2 Cups pea shoots
• 1/4 to 1/2 Cup feta cheese
• 1/4 to 1/2 Cup almonds, crushed or chopped
• 1 Avocado, cut into chunks 

For the Dressing

• 1/2 Jalapeño pepper (you can leave ribs and seeds if you prefer it spicy)
• 2/3 Cup Greek yogurt
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon maple
• 1/2 Teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 Cup packed cilantro

Directions

1. Puree all the dressing ingredients together, adding the cilantro last until you reach a texture/consistency you like.
2. Toss together all of the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.
3. Either toss the dressing into the salad or serve the dressing on the side.

This week we only made one slow cooker recipe with a salad, then prepared a slow cooker recipe to be cooked the next day, and then one more slow cooker recipe as a take home challenge recipe. Curious about them? Click on any of them below and you can see their recipes!

• Honey and Chili Chicken Thighs
• Green Goddess Salad
• Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas
• Collard Greens Stew with Meat and Garlic 

Honey chili chicken with green goddess salad!

And as always if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!

Tips For Converting a Recipe to a Slow Cooker Recipe

This week in class is all about slow cookers also known as crock pots! Slow cookers are great because you can prepare everything the night before or the morning of, plug it in, go to work, and come home to a delicious dinner! Slow cookers get their name because that is exactly what they do, cook your foods very slowly for a long period of time. You can cook most meals in a slow cooker with a little bit of tweaking so below are 7 tips to help you change your recipe to a slow cooker recipe.

1. Ingredients you should add at the beginning

Some ingredients stand up to and even benefit from having longer cooking times, while others not so much. All of these can be added at the very start of cooking:

• Vegetables - Onions, root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, winter squashes, tomatoes (they will break down and add depth to stews and soups), celery, cauliflower and broccoli (these last two depend on the recipe and cooking time. I like mine a little more crisp so I don't add them to the bottom, but if you want them to be soft adding them at the beginning is the perfect time!)

• Meats - Lean cuts from the shoulder and rump of beef, lamb, goat, pork, whole chickens, chicken thighs, and chicken legs.

• Spices - Most spices can and should be added at the beginning of cooking. The only exception may be rosemary that can become bitter over the longest cooking times so may be best when added at the end.

2. Ingredients to add at the end

These are quicker-cooking ingredients that wouldn't hold up over hours of cooking and add some fresh flavor to a slow-cooked dish. Add all of the following ingredients in the last 30-45 minutes of cooking:

• Vegetables - Softer vegetables like peas, corn, bell peppers, and spinach.

• Meat - Chicken breast, fish, and other seafood. Check the chicken breast for doneness at the end of cooking and give it a little more time if it's still pink in the middle.

• Pantry Items - Rice, noodles, and other grains. You can add these already cooked, though uncooked grains are helpful for soaking up excess liquid and it makes them more flavorful. Beans can cause some debate; personally, I like to add them at the end of cooking so they retain some firmness, though they can be added at the beginning if that's easier for you.

• Dairy products - Milk, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese. Coconut milk is also best added at the end.

3. Cut all ingredients to be the same size

This ensures that all the ingredients will cook basically at the same time.

Image taken from this blog.

4. Take the time to brown your ingredients

With our busy schedules it's tempting and sometimes necessary to just dump all of our ingredients into the slow cooker and press go. This is a-ok and will give you a nice warm dinner to come home to however if you have a few extra minutes and really want to bring your meal up to the next level browning and searing your meat and vegetables before will trap in some of their flavors. This means your meal will have richer and more intense flavors!

5. Use less liquid

There is very little evaporation when using a slow cooker. If you're adapting a regular soup recipe it's likely you won't need to use all the liquid called for. So how do you know how much liquid to use? Put all of your ingredients in the slow cooker and then pour the broth over the top. It should cover the vegetables by about 1/2 inch. If you have excess liquid at the end of cooking try removing the lid for the last 30 minutes to let some of it evaporate. Or maybe you could use the extra liquid as a sauce if you are cooking meats.

6. Place longer-cooking ingredients on the bottom

Meats and root vegetables will take longer to become tender than say cauliflower. For the items that will take more time, nestle them around the bottom and sides of the slow cooker where they will have more direct contact with the slow cooker's heating element.

7. Choosing a cooking time

Recipes with meat like chili and pork shoulder are best when cooked for six hours minimum or up to ten hours. Vegetarian recipes are best cooked for around four hours, but can do a minimum of two hours or maximum of six hours (after six hours the vegetables will start to get unpleasantly mushy). 

This week we only made one slow cooker recipe with a salad, then prepared a slow cooker recipe to be cooked the next day, and then one more slow cooker recipe as a take home challenge recipe. Curious about them? Click on any of them below and you can see their recipes!

• Honey and Chili Chicken Thighs
• Green Goddess Salad
• Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas
• Collard Greens Stew with Meat and Garlic 

And as always if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!

Eggplant Parmesan

This week is all about redoing comfort foods and providing some healthier alternatives. When trying to make a recipe healthier than it's original version try to find a way to sneak in some vegetables. This recipe is a delicious way to enjoy eggplant and will serve between 4 and 6 people!

What you'll need:

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 9x13 inch baking dish
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk 
• Ladle or large spoon

How to make a béchamel (white sauce)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups 1% reduced fat milk (or 2% milk)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of ground white pepper

Directions:

1. Combine milk and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium high heat; bring to a simmer. Then remove from heat and cover. Let it stand for 15 minutes. Then strain the milk mixture through a sieve over a bowl and discard the solids (This step is optional)
2. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add flour to pan and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Do not let the butter/flour mixture brown! Gradually add strained milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and pepper.

Never done this before? Check out this video on how to!

Ingredients

• 1 whole egg
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 6 cups homemade red sauce or spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 recipe Béchamel (as follows)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded, shaved or both)
• Cooking spray 
• Chives, diced (Optional to be used as a garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Beat together the egg, egg whites, and water in a shallow bowl. 
3. Then dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture fully coating them in the mixture and then dip them in the bread crumbs, again fully coating the eggplant. 
4. Place coated eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and spray the top with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and the centers are tender when poked with a fork. This will take about 15 minutes or 7 - 10 minutes on each side.
5. Spread enough of the spaghetti sauce or red sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Then place a layer of the eggplant slices in the sauce.
6. Using a ladle drizzle a thin layer of white sauce (Béchamel) over the eggplant slices.
7. Repeat with remaining ingredients until they are gone. Then sprinkle the top with parmesan.
8. Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Garnish with the diced chives and enjoy.

For this weeks theme of healthier comfort food we made three different recipes!

• Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Mashed Cauliflower

Click on any of the above to see the recipe on how to make it and as always feel free to leave questions or comments below!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

This week is all about taking comfort foods and changing them to be healthier! When trying to make a recipe healthier than it's original version try to find a way to sneak in some vegetables. Todays recipe looks just like regular Mac and Cheese because the squash keeps the orange cheesy look to it. This recipe was adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com.

What you'll need

• Pot
• 2 Sauce pans
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing spoon
• Baking dish
• Food processor or blender 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni (try a gluten-free rice noodle)
• 1 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cup low fat milk
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 cup aged white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs 

Directions 

1. Preheat your oven to 375F
2. Combine the squash, broth, milk, garlic, rosemary and nutmeg ina medium saucepan and bring it to a to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling reduce heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. This will take about 25 minutes. Then remove from heat and throw away the rosemary sprig.
   
3. While the squash mixture is being prepped, cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Make sure when the noodles are prepared to drain away the water.
4. Add the butternut squash mixture to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Then add in the Greek yogurt and puree again.
5. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl and add the cheeses; stir until combined and the cheeses have mostly melted.
6. Combine pasta and squash mixture in a baking dish.
7. In a large skillet over medium heat add the butter and melt it. After it's melted add the breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
8. Remove the breadcrumbs from the heat and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta mixture.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. 

For this weeks theme of healthier comfort food we made three different recipes! 

• Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Mashed Cauliflower

Click on any of the above to see the recipe on how to make it and as always feel free to leave questions or comments below!