Caribbean Jerked Chicken

This sauce name always brings out the middle schooler in me.... I can't help but giggle that the chicken is being a jerk.  I know, lame.

Another fav of Abe's.  He's getting it for dinner this Wednesday, in fact.  Very easy to make and delicious!  You can make this recipe with pork and beef, too.  I know the recipe calls for chicken thighs, but I've made it with chicken breasts, too.  Just make sure they are the thick ones (if using boneless breasts, I'd cut the cook time down to 4 to 5 hours).

Don't worry if you don't have a wire rack that fits your slow cooker.  I don't, so I just put the chicken in the cooker after spraying it a bit with Pam.

Serve with long-grained rice seasoned with chopped green onions and toasted almonds, along with a green salad with slices of papaya.

I got this from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes.

Caribbean Jerked Chicken
Serves 4
Cooker: Medium or large round or oval
Setting and cook time: LOW for 5 to 6 hours

1/2 cup sliced green onions (white part and some of the green; about 12)
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 jalapenos, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 to 2 cloves garlic, to your taste, pressed
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin on and 4 drumsticks

1. In a food processor, combine the green onions, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, oil, jalapenos, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and garlic and process until very finely chopped, almost smooth.  Stir in the brown sugar, vinegar, orange juice and the Worcestershire sauce to form a paste.  Using a brush, apply the jerk sauce so it completely coats the chicken; use up all of the sauce.

2.  Put a wire rack in the slow cooker.  Place the chicken on the rack.  Cover and cook on LOW until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 5 to 6 hours.  Serve immediately.

Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce

I found this recipe while playing with a relative's IPhone.  He knew that I loved to cook and was showing me how you can look up recipes with one of his applications.  That phone is so damn cool....

I've been wanting to try panko breadcrumbs, which are Japanese and make for a lighter and crunchier crust. If you lay the chicken on a baking rack before putting it into the oil, the breadcrumb crust will stay more on the chicken and less stick to the pan.

I got this from Epicurious.com via the IPhone.

Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce
Serves 2

2 8-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise in half
1 large egg
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon coarse-grained mustard
1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter

1. Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken in resealable plastic bag to 1/3-to 1/2-inch thickness. Whisk egg, parsley, and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard in large bowl. Place chicken in egg mixture; turn to coat.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dip each chicken piece in panko; turn to coat. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until brown and cooked through, about
4 minutes per side.

2. Meanwhile, whisk broth, syrup, coarse-grained mustard, and remaining 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard in glass measuring cup. Transfer chicken to plates. Add broth mixture to skillet; boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add butter; whisk until melted. Spoon sauce alongside chicken.

Chinese Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Sesame Seeds

This is one of Jimi's go-to recipes when he gets to choose dinner.  How often do you come home to homemade Chinese food waiting for you?  Now you can with this easy recipe since it's made in the crock pot.

The recipe calls for a whole fryer chicken, but I just make it with 3-4 large chicken breasts since that's what I have on hand.  The sesame seeds can be found already toasted in the spice section.

Serve with rice and Asian broccoli. 

I got this out of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes.

Chinese Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Sesame Seeds
Serves 4-6

One 3 to 4 pound broiler/fryer (or 3-4 large chicken breasts)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, trimmed and halved
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1  tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant

1. Wash and dry chicken thoroughly.  Trim off fat.  Put chicken in the cooker, breast side up.  Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sherry, ketchup, red pepper flakes, green onions and garlic in a small bowl; pour over the chicken.  Cover and cook on HIGH until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh reads 180 degrees, 3 1/4 to 4 hours.

2.  Transfer the chicken to a platter.  Remove and discard the green onions.  Combine the corn starch and water and stir the slurry into the sauce.  Cook on HIGH until thickened.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms

I made this for Abe's dinner tonight and while he was initially hesitant, he ended up really enjoying it. It's very easy, just brown the meat and toss everything in the slow cooker.  It made the house smell so good when I came home from work- and that's from a vegetarian!

I served it with green salad.  I will add a side dish of rice next time to round out the meal.

I got this from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes.

Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms

Serves 4
Cooker: Medium oval or large round or oval

4 thick bone-in pork chops, at least 1 inch thick, blotted dry
8 ounce mushrooms, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into rings or strips
1 clove garlic, minced
Two 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

1. In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, brown the pork chops on both sides.

2. In the slow cooker, combine the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Nestle the pork chops on top.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the tomato sauce, vinegar, parsley, oregano, basil and salt.  Pour over the chops.  Cover and cook on LOW until the meat is tender, 6 to 8 hours.

4.  Transfer the pork to a platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Transfer the tomato sauce to a medium-size saucepan.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth, and stir the slurry into the sauce.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Serve the sauce over the pork chops.

Chipotle-Black Bean Chili

Cool Fall weather just begs for warm comfort food, like chili.  This recipe is new for us, but it was a hit from first bite.  It's a spicy chili, so if you're a wimp... I mean, don't like spice.... maybe cut it down to 1 jalapeno.

I served it with jalapeno corn bread muffins.  Yum!

I got this from my The Big Book of Vegetarian. 

Chipotle-Black Bean Chili

Serve 4 to 6

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, diced
2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
One 14- ounce can Mexican-style diced or stewed tomatoes
Two 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (no need to defrost if frozen)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables being to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the spices, tomatoes and beans and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the corn and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in cilantro and serve.

Maple Glaze Roast Pork Tenderloin

This is so simple and both Abe and Jimi love it.  They gobble it up!

Watch the cloves.  If you accidentally add more, it will not be tasty.  Don't skimp on it though.  Use real maple syrup, not the fake stuff (use the rest on your pancakes; so much tastier than the fake stuff!)

The great thing about the recipe is it's tasty and low in fat/calories.  It's only 230 calories and 9 grams of fat (2.5 grams saturated) per serving.

I got this recipe from Light Recipes- Cook's Illustrated.

Maple Glaze Roast Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

2 (12-ounce) pork tenderloin, silver skin removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Maple Glaze:

10 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown tenderloins on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins smoking, about 10 minutes.  Transfer tenderloins to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

3.  Pour off fat left in skillet.  Add all glaze ingredients to skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until slightly thickened and fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Brush glaze over tenderloins.

4.  Roast tenderloins until thickest part registers 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping the tenderloins halfway through roasting time.

5.  Transfer tenderloins to carving board, cover with foil and let rest until pork reaches internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes, before slicing into 1/4 inch-thick pieces.