Crock Pot Monday - Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Chick Pea Curry

My co-worker and friend, Fast Eddie, was telling me last week about his wife's DELICIOUS white chicken chili. I've never made white chicken chili, but until right now, I forgot that it was going to be my crock pot Monday meal this week...

So alas, I will have to save it for NEXT Monday, as I have the pot going today with curry. The autumn hasn't QUITE set in here in Georgia, but after reading a delicious-sounding recipe in a Clean Eating FB group I'm in, I decided Chicken Curry would be our Crock meal this week.

I did a hybrid of two recipes I found online:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-curry-with-coconut-milk-43-pts/
http://www.5dollardinners.com/31-days-of-slow-cooker-meals-sweet-potato-chicken-curry/

Also, I'm not positive how the servings will work out for this, but I hope to have either 2 servings for leftovers, or leftovers and a freezer meal. I'll update after we've eaten to reflect the servings.

**NOTE on Garam Masala - You can purchase it already mixed, or you can make your own at home! It's a spice blend, and uses spices you most likely already have in your pantry. Recipe here.


**UPDATED! I found the original recipe a bit bland, so I made some adjustments. Also, the recipe easily serves 8. We each had a serving last night, packed two leftovers, and have 4 servings leftover, which I put in the freezer for future yumyums!


Amber's Crock Pot Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Chick Pea Curry

1/2 Large Onion, diced
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Cumin
1Tbsp Garam Masala
1/4 Cup Curry (adjust to your liking)
4 Chicken Thighs, Boneless & Skinless (you could also sub breasts. Use about 1.5 #)
1 Can Chick Peas (15.5 oz)
3 Small Tomatoes, diced
3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, diced
2 Cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 Tsp Salt

1) In a small skillet sprayed with cooking spray, over Medium Heat, sauté the Onions and Garlic for about 1 minute, until they become fragrant. Add spices, and stir for one more minute. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, and scrape the bottom of the pan, releasing any cooked-on spices, and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
2) Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray (you can skip this if you use those liners).
3) Add diced tomatoes, and sweet potatoes to the bottom of the crock pot. Top with the Onion/Spice Mixture. Add can of Chick Peas, and remaining coconut milk.
4) Add chicken thighs to the mixture, and mix, so they get covered in the sauce/milk and spices.
5) Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (ours usually goes about 10, just due to how long we are away from the house).
6) About 30 minutes before eating, add the yogurt, and taste, adjusting spices as needed (I found it bland and had to add salt and more curry!)
7) After the full crock time, if you find the sauce too thin, remove the lid, increase to high, and allow it to simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until the sauce is the consistency you're looking for.
8) Serve over Jasmine or white rice, or for a healthier option, brown rice.

I usually shred the chicken in the sauce, but you could also remove the thighs and cut them up and put them back in, if you prefer.

Oodles of Zoodles!

So, after talking for MONTHS with my friend Michele about Zoodles, and Vegetti, I caved and purchased one. They had the Vegetti spiralizer at Marshalls for $7.99! Score.

Well, I intended on embarking on a Whole30 this week, after Labor Day ended. Then, when Mike saw I brought home a Vegetti, and was talking about making Zoodles, he went on a rant about how people should just "eat the food we're meant to eat", and how he didn't like it when foods are presented as food that they're not. Translated: he doesn't want to eat a f*ing zoodle. It's not a secret he hates veggies, but simply not eating so much hasn't resulted in any weight loss for me. I'm not a picky eater, and I love veggies, so simply eating more veggies/better food would probably be beneficial to me, but I don't enjoy preparing food that he hates or will bitch about eating.

So, my fix was to make a zoodle salad for at work! and he won't have to eat it! This way, I can eat healthy while at work, and then eat delicious/less healthy at home for dinner. Seems like a good compromise. And that's what marriage is all about (she says after it took her 6 years to figure out).

I made a variation on this recipe, from www.tasteandsee.com: http://tasteandsee.com/chicken-satay-zoodle-salad-recipe/
These are the changes I made:
- Instead of doing tenderloin strips, I had full chicken breasts, so I chopped them into bite size pieces, marinated per the recipe, and sautéed. Also, after it cooled, I tossed the bite-sized chicken bits in with the rest of the salad.
- I did half the dressing recipe, and of that half, I only used half of *it* in the salad. I put the rest in a small container and took it with me for lunch. The salad actually turned kind of "runny" before I got it to work at lunch, so I drained off the watery stuff, and then put about a tablespoon of the additional dressing on top. Mucho bueno.
- I zoodled BOTH the zucchini and the cucumber! One can't have to many noodle-shaped items, after all.
- I also omitted these items: bell pepper, snap peas, jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro. I didn't have all these items, except cilantro, but knowing that I intended on stretching this salad all week, I know the cilantro would have a tendency to wilt, and become off-flavored, so I left it out.

I actually make Mike taste it, and he liked it! Not enough to eat, say, a full portion, but he did eat some, and didn't make gagging noises, so all in all it's a win.

Mostly, I typed this blog so I can make it again.

We both agreed that we should zoodle a sweet potato and make fries. Cuz, yum.