I cook this when I don't have the time to sit in the kitchen preparing an entire meal, but I do have time for prep-work.

I mix up the homemade BBQ sauce, chop up the onions and garlic, plop the chicken into the crock pot- turn it on, and let it GO!

And I am rewarded with a ready for later dinner for that night. It only gets better with age, and the leftovers seem to be better than the first night.

I'd never heard of adding chocolate to BBQ sauce, but when I tasted it, it seemed Oh so right! (Just make sure it's the dark variety).

I paired this BBQ pulled chicken with a toasted bun. Enjoy.

Spicy-Sweet-Smoky BBQ Slow Cooked Chicken

 

Ingredients: 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup minced red onion 1 yellow onion-sliced into thin slices 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups ketchup 2 tbsp molasses 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce 2 tsp chipotle chili pepper, ground 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp Ancho chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder ½ cup Adobo sauce 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Siracha 3 tablespoons soy sauce Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup water 8 ounces dark chocolate squares (I used Godiva) or 1 cup cocoa powder 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast   Directions: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, adobo, honey, vinegar, siracha, soy sauce, water, olive oil and spices. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add in the ketchup & spice mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat.   Turn crockpot to medium. Add chicken, chocolate squares, and then cover with sliced onions, & pour BBQ sauce over the top.  Cook for 4-6 hours, turning heat down to low after the first hour. Stir chicken about once an hour. In the last hour, shred chicken, and then place back into sauce. Stir again. The longer you let it simmer in the sauce, the better your chicken will taste. The sauce will thicken as it cooks down. Taste before serving and make any seasoning adjustments. If the BBQ sauce gets too thick, dilute with water until you get the desired consistency.

 

Sate Chicken Skewers

This is BY FAR one of my family's favorite meals. We usually grill this in the summer, then sit outside in the evening and enjoy a delcious meal together. The skewers are healthy, and low in fat, yet highly flavorful. We hope you enjoy it too.

Sate Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

**Inspired by a Rasa Malaysia Recipe

Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken breast, sliced into chicken tender sized slices

30 wooden skewers, pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes

2 Cucumbers, sliced

Marinade:

3 tablespoons Fish sauce

4 whole cloves of Garlic

2 teaspoons sweet Soy sauce

1 teaspoon Soy sauce

2.5 teaspoons Coconut or Palm Sugar

1/4 teaspoon white Pepper

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon Coriander

4 tablespoons Red Curry Paste

1 cup Coconut milk

1/8 cup Olive (oil optional)

Peanut Sauce:

2 teaspoons Red Curry paste

2 tablespoons Fish sauce

3 tablespoons Tamarind puree

3 tablespoons creamy Peanut butter

1 tablespoon Palm or Coconut sugar

1 teaspoon paprika powder

2 whole cloves Garlic

2 cups Coconut milk

1 cup crushed Peanuts

Directions:

Prepare the marinade by adding all your ingredients to a blender, blending on high until smooth and creamy.

Slice the chicken breasts, then add to a large zip lock bag, then mix in the Marinade and make sure all pieces are coated. Marinate the meat overnight, or at least 4 hours in a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator.

Prepare the peanut sauce by adding all the Peanut Sauce ingredients in a 2 quart sauce pan. Mix well and cook on medium heat. Stir the sauce while cooking. Turn off the heat when the sauce is slightly thickened. It takes about 10-15 minutes.

Take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Insert the wooden skewers through the meat lengthwise. Grill the Sate for 4 minutes on each side or until desired tenderness. I grill them on the lowest heat, turning frequently so they don't burn.  

Serve with Peanut Sauce and peeled and sliced cucumbers, and Thai sticky rice.

Green Papaya Salad

We are currently living in an area that doesn't have green papaya. However, someone told me to use cucumber as a substitute. I actually tried it this time, and it worked well. The texture is pretty much the same, yet doesn't retain its firmness as well.

Green Papaya Salad

 Ingredients:  

1 clove Garlic

1 or 2 red Thai Chilies

2 tablespoons dried Shrimp

Thai palm sugar, to taste

1/4 cup roasted Peanuts

2 cups green Papaya strands

6 cherry Tomatoes

Juice of 1 fresh lime- to taste

Soy sauce

Fish sauce, to taste

Method:

Pound the garlic and bird’s eye chilies until they form a smooth paste.

Add the dried shrimp and pound until the pieces are broken up, but not completely pulverized.

Add the palm sugar (cut into small pieces), maybe 2-3 teaspoons at first. Add the peanuts and lightly pound until they are broken into small pieces, but not to the point where they form a thick paste.

Add the papaya and tomatoes and pound on them until the tomatoes begin to burst. Add a few teaspoons of fish sauce and a couple of teaspoons of lime juice to the mix.

Adjust taste by adding additional palm sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and fish sauce. Serve cold immediately.

Vegetable Chicken Pasta Soup

I usually make this when there are veggies in the house that need to get used. Although this variation is utilizing zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, swiss chard, spinach and celery, you could really use most green vegetables, and any type of shell or small variety pasta. Enjoy!

Vegetable Chicken Pasta Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock

1 pound skinless chicken breasts-diced

1 bunch (1 cup) roughly chopped Sweet Basil

1 Yellow Onion-diced

4-5 cloves Garlic-minced

6-7 stalks Celery-thinly sliced lengthwise then chopped


1 cup diced Carrots

2 Zucchini-diced

2 Tomatoes-diced (or you can use whole stewed canned) 12 oz.

2 cups dry pasta (Fusilli or shell)

2 cups fresh Baby Spinach or Swiss Chard

½ Teaspoon dried Red Pepper flakes

2 cubed Chicken Bouillon

½ teaspoon Thyme

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Salt & Pepper or Nature’s seasoning to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic and basil in a few tablespoons of Olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add chicken, stir and cover. Stir chicken every couple of minutes, cooking for about 10 minutes. Add dry spices, tomatoes, chicken stock, and cover.

Wash, dry & dice your vegetables. Remove middle section of red stems from swiss chard, before rough chopping & adding to soup. Add to pot, stir and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Ensure that you have enough broth to cover dry pasta noodles, add pasta, season broth, & cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until your pasta is tender. Serve.

Wild Rice Asian Salad

Wild Rice Asian Salad

Ingredients:

¼ cup extra virgin Organic Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Butter

Toasted Sesame seeds

2 tablespoons Sesame oil-for dressing

4 green onions-chopped

1 tablespoon White Pepper

3-4 cloves Garlic-minced

1 whole Yellow Onion-minced

1 cup freshly chopped Thai Basil

1 cup uncooked Wild Rice pilaf (use quick cook-or soak for 1 hour beforehand)

2 cups Long-Grain Jasmine Rice

2-3 tablespoons low-sodium Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

1/2 finely chopped green Chili (optional)

1 cup chopped water Chestnuts (canned)

3 cups sliced sautéed Baby Portabella Mushrooms

1 tablespoon grated fresh Ginger

1 green Bell Pepper-diced

½ red Bell Pepper-diced

3 stalks Celery-chipped finely

Juice of 1 Lemon

Salt to taste

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

 Optional** Toasted Almond Slivers

Directions:

Over stovetop over medium-high heat, in a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil, then add garlic & onions. Sautee until fragrant & golden brown. Add mushrooms, chili, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté until they have a golden brown color. Add uncooked rice, and stock, mix well. Reduce heat to lowest setting, and cover. Cook until all liquid is gone, and when rice is tender.

Remove rice from heat and add to a large bowl. Add any seasonings, and spices, sesame oil, vegetables, ginger, lemon juice and adjust to taste. Toss well. Serve immediately.

Crockpot Spicy Ribs

These are mega easy to make, & perfect when you don't have the time to spend in the kitche. Prep em, turn em on, & leave em! That's it.

Crockpot Ribs:

Ingredients:
5 lbs pork loin back ribs
1 can Dr. pepper
2 cups water
1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 red onion
3 cloves garlic-smashed & peeled
4 tablespoons Salt

Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika

2 tablespoons Smoked Paprika

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

1 bottle regular BBQ sauce

1/8 cup Molasses

3 teaspoons Honey

½ small (6 oz. can) Chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce

Directions:

Place crock pot on high. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients except ribs & Dr. Pepper together. Trim & clean ribs, rinse and pat dry. Place into crock pot sideways, so that riblets run vertical. I usually trim mine down so that they will fit into the crockpot easily. I also have an enormous oval shaped crock pot, but for half a recipe will use my regular sized round crock pot.

Pour barbeque sauce over the top, then add can of Dr. Pepper. Stir, then cover. Check a few times throughout the day, and decrease heat after the first 3 hours. Cook for up to 8 hours. In the last 30 minutes, pre-heat oven to 400, & place ribs onto a rib rack. Brown in oven, while basting with extra sauce for 20 minutes.

I also reduce some of the BBQ sauce from the crock pot over the stove top to serve on the side.

This soup is a meal it itself. A little crusty Italian bread on the side, and you're good to go. It's cheesy, hearty & spicy. And it will warm you on a cold night. I like making this when the weather is cold, and I need a nice comfort meal to fill me up. It's packed with enough veggies to make it healthy.

Spicy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

½ of a large Velveeta cheese loaf (About 2 cups of diced cheese)

6-7 large stalks of fresh Celery- chopped finely

½ yellow Onion-diced

½ head of fresh Broccoli-chopped finely (about 2 ½ cups)

1 Serrano pepper-minced (I usually remove about half of the seeds to make sure it doesn’t get too spicy)

3 tablespoons Butter

1 cup Whole Cream

1 pint half and half

1 cup chicken stock

2 chicken bouillon cubes or Chicken flavoring

Nature’s Seasoning (to taste)- or salt & pepper

Directions:

Sauté in a large pot over medium-high heat butter, Serrano peppers, and onions. Add celery & broccoli, & reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes until all the veggies cook down. Add stock & stir frequently.

Add cubed Velveeta, seasonings, cream & half and half. Stir constantly as cheese melts down on very low heat. Taste & season accordingly.

Chicken and Tomato Kabobs with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

This is truly an easy meal to prepare. The best part is that you can make the sauce the night before, throw your chicken into a bag, & let it sit overnight. The next day all you need to do it slide them into the skewers with your tomatoes, & pop them into the oven or onto the grill.

In the summer, we grill these outdoors, but it is just too cold right now. It’s still a nice summery and healthy meal, which we serve over Jasmine rice….and a little of the sauce we saved. The tomatoes get a really flavorful caramelized flavor, and the chicken is delicious when you marinate it overnight. Mmmmmm!

Chicken & Tomato Kabobs with Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound whole, skin removed Chicken Breasts (about 3 chicken breasts)

1 large bunch of Cilantro-Washed, dried & roughly chopped

3 large cloves fresh Garlic-peeled

2 teaspoons ground Cumin

Salt & pepper

¼ - ½ cup Olive Oil

½ Serrano pepper-1/2 seeds removed

1 & ½ quarts Grape Tomatoes

Wooden skewers

Directions:

Begin by adding cilantro, garlic, cumin, Serrano pepper, and salt & pepper to food processor. As you pulse the ingredients, slowly add olive oil. Adjust & increase amount of olive oil as you reach the desired consistency for cilantro sauce. It should be fairly thick, somewhat like a dipping sauce. Retain a small amount of sauce before you add the chicken to use to serve as a dipping sauce the next day.

Cut chicken into bite sized cubes. They need to be thick enough so that they will stay on the skewer. Add cilantro sauce & chicken cubes to a large zip lock bag, and allow to marinade for at least 4 hours, and up to the next day.

 The next day:

Preheat oven to 400. Remove chicken cubes from bag, and alternate a tomato, and a chicken cube in skewers. Rub remaining marinade onto the tomatoes & place in a large greased baking sheet with sides. It should look somewhat like this:

And then this after it's cooked:

Bake for about 25 minutes, gradually turning the chicken in the pan so that all sides cook evenly. Serve immediately with rice, and a side of the sauce.