Cooking in Pajamas

2 c. Green lentils 1/2 c. Chickpeas, soaked overnight 1 large Onion, diced 6 pc. Chicken thighs 3 c. Chicken broth, low sodium 1 c. Water 1 tbsp Curry powder 1 tsp Ground tumeric 1 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Ground coriander 1 tbsp Chinese garlic chili sauce (or chilli pepper flakes) 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp White sugar 1 tbsp Ginger root, minced 4 cloves Garlic, minced 1 pkg Curry paste 1 can Diced tomatoes Plain yogurt (optional) [Vegetarian option: Omit the chicken thighs and substitute in a vegetable stock.] Put everything, except for the chicken, in the slowcooker.  Stir to mix. Place the chicken thighs on top and baste them with a little bit of liquid.  Add more water if necessary. Cook for 4-8 hours. When the curry is done, de-bone the chicken thighs and stir the meat back into the curry. Serve with basmati rice and a dollop of plain yogurt. My comments: I have always been hesitant in making curry from scratch for two simple reasons: 1. I was told ...

1 Sweet pickled pork cottage roll (Maple Leaf) 1/2 head Cabbage 3 Onions, medium size 5 Carrots 3 Bay leaves Water Cut all vegetables in large pieces. Place all ingredients in the slowcooker. Fill the slowcooker water, up to 1-inch from the top. Cook for 8-10 hours. My comments: This slowcooker meal was very easy to prepare and very delicious. The pork was very tender and moist. Since the pork was pickled, the vegetables absorbed the pork flavours and tasted great without the addition of spices.

12 Pork chops 4 Onions, sliced 1 can Diced tomatoes (800 mL) 1 can Crushed tomatoes (800 mL) 1 pkg Mushrooms, sliced 2 tbsp Garlic, minced Chilli peppers Salt and pepper Mix all the vegetables together and sprinkle the desired amount of chilli peppers. In a slowcooker, place an alternating layer of vegetable mix and pork chops. The top and bottom layer should be vegetables. Cook for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice. My comments: We absolutely love our slowcooker. I don't normally like pork chops because I always find them very dry and chewy, but this pork chops were superb! The slowcooker does an excellent job of keeping the meat moist and the meat was so tender you can almost eat the whole meal without using the knife! My only complaint about this was that we didn't cut the fat off the pork chops before cooking them. So on the second day, I scooped up 1.5 cups of fat jellies; it was pretty gross. I think it's important to keep the fat on the meat when you are cooking it in the o...

2 c. Brown sugar 1/2 c. Ketchup 1/2 c. Dijion mustard 4 tbsp Worchester sauce 5 lb. Chicken wings 1 Onion, chopped Cut the wings into 3 pieces. Throw away the tips. Place the chicken wings in the slowcooker. Sprinkle the onions on top. Mix the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and worchester sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken wings. Cook for 4-6 hours. Stiring occasionally. My comments: These were absolutely delicious!! It's a simple and cheap recipe with ingredients you can easily find at home. We cooked the wings on high for 6 hours and it was perfect. The meat readily fell off the bones but the bones were not so soft that they break apart. I think next time, we'll add a bit of hot sauce or jalapeno peppers into the sauce to spice it up a little.

2 Onions, sliced 3 Cloves garlic, minced 1-2 Jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced 2 Tomatoes, chopped 1 can Tomato juice (2L) Dried parsley Dried Basil Ground peppercorn 8 Flour Tortilla (large size) Shredded Chicken 1 c. Green onion, chopped 3 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Place a layer of vegetables and herbs on the bottom of the slow cooker: onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkled with parsley, basil and ground pepper. Cover the bottom with a bit of tomato juice. Pour tomato juice into a large bowl. Dip a tortilla in the juice, turning to moisten all parts of the tortilla. Lay the tortilla on a plate and spread with shredded chicken, green onion and cheese. Fold the ends over and roll up. Lay the stuffed tortilla in the slow cooker. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Between the layers of tortillas, add a layer of vegetable and herbs mixture. Finally, place the remaining vegetables on the top tortilla layer. Pour in the remaining tomato juice into the slow cooker. C...

4-5 lbs Chicken legs, skin on 1 Onion, quartered 1 tsp Dried oregano leaves 1 Bay leaf Salt & Pepper Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Add water to cover. Cook the chicken on low for 10 hours. Allow the chicken to cool in the liquid. Pull the meat off the bones and shred them into smaller pieces. Discard the bones and the skin. Great for sandwiches, tacos and enchiladas. My comments: We saved the chicken for the enchiladas the next day. We had a few pieces of the shredded chicken and they were yummy. It's so easy to make and they will make delicious chicken sandwiches.

5 Lamb Chops 3 tbsp Canola Oil 2 tbsp Lime juice 1 tsp Garlic Salt 2 tsp Rosemary ½ tsp Salt Pepper In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, garlic salt, rosemary, salt and pepper. Dip all lamb chops in the marinade evenly on both sides. Pour the rest of the marinade on the chops. Marinade for at least 1 hour, turning once. Preheat the BBQ. Cook the lamb chops for about 12 minutes, turning once. My comments: We bought the lamb chops from one of our favourite meat shop in Chinatown. They only sell halal meat and they are fantastic. Their meat is always fresh, tender and never bloody. Their steaks are to DIE for!! These lamb chops has certainly met our expectations. They are local lamb (ie. non-New Zealand) and so they are flavourful but not too strong. The meat was slightly fatty on the edges but they kept the meat moist while on the grill and they can be cut off easily when served. They were simply delicious! Lime juice: I marinaded the lamb chops with lime juice instead o...