Crockpot Chicken Marrakesh

This is a chicken dinner all-in-one! It's so easy to prepare and makes a delicious warm meal for a cold night. I chose to use chicken breasts because they are lower calorie than boneless, skinless chicken thighs but thighs would work well in this recipe too and turn out more tender than the chicken breasts.

Add vegetables to the well of the crockpot.

Mix well.

Add spices.

Add chicken.

Mix well, cover, and set to low for 6 hours.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" pieces
• 2 large yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. ground tumeric
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1 t. dried parsley
• 1 t. salt

Directions: 

• Add all ingredients into the crockpot, mix well.
• Set on low for 6 hours. 
• Serve!

Yields: 10 servings
Serving Size: 1 cup
Weight Watchers Points: 5

Chicken Pot Pie

Well this chicken pot pie was a hit! Seth's dad came into town for a visit over New Year's and we had this for dinner with a spinach salad on the side and it was deeee-licious.

This recipe is so easy because it uses a variation of my Crockpot Chicken Stew as the filling and puff pastry as the crust.

Here's the secret... make my chicken stew recipe and set aside 4 cups for the chicken pot pie (don't worry, you'll still have plenty to eat for lunches or other meals since the recipe makes 10 cups of stew).

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Crockpot Chicken Stew
• 1/2 c. light sour cream
• 1 pkg. puff pastry
• 1 egg

Directions: 

• Thaw puff pastry according to directions on package
• Place one sheet in bottom of 8" or 9" square casserole dish and press along the insides walls of the dish
• Cover with foil (against the dough not just over the dish) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix 4 cups of chicken stew with sour cream (this is your filling) 
• Pastry should be golden brown when it comes out of the oven, add filling to casserole dish and then create your lattice work top crust
• Take the 2nd sheet of puff pastry dough and cut it into 10 or 11 even strips. Create a lattice work top. 
• Brush with egg wash (mix 1 egg with 1 T. water to create an egg wash) 
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbling 

Yields: 9 servings
Weight Watchers Points, per serving: 9

Crockpot Chicken Stew

Crockpot Chicken Stew

Here's my original recipe for crockpot chicken stew. It's hearty, yummy, and low calorie. You can eat it by itself with a spoon or if you're like my husband, you might want to put it over some egg noodles or other type of pasta. It's comfort food that makes you feel warm  all the way down to your toes and it's a recipe that even kids and picky eaters will love (if you have any of those in your life).

Step 1: Chop all your veggies and throw them in the crockpot!

Step 2: Add your spices and mix well.

Step 3: Add chicken to the crockpot. Cover with chicken broth. 

Step 3: About 20-30 minutes before you serve, add peas, corn, and thickener and let it cook.

Vegetable Tofu Curry

If you've never tried to make curry at home before, now is the time. It is such an aromatic dish and the epitome of comfort food. Plus, it'll impress anyone you have for dinner. I made my curry tonight with tofu because I wasn't in the mood to defrost chicken thighs - but you could certainly make this with chicken instead. Just cook the chicken until tender before adding to the curry.

The key to this dish is time. It's one of those dishes that you should make when you want to drink a glass of wine while you cook and enjoy the process. The longer you let this dish simmer, the more flavor it will have.

I love this with Trader Joe's  brown rice. It comes in the frozen section and cooks perfectly in the microwave in only 3 minutes.  

Ingredients: 

• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 c. mushrooms, chopped
• 1 c. pineapple chunks (canned or fresh if you have it!)
• 1/2 of a 14 oz. package of firm tofu
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 T. curry seasoning
• 1/4 t. paprika
• 1/4 t. cumin
• 1/8 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 T. brown sugar

Directions: 

• Put vegetable oil in medium high skillet. Saute onions, peppers, zucchini and broccoli. Hold the mushrooms and pineapple for later - they are added last.
• While veggies saute (about 10 minutes), drain tofu and set out on paper towels to sop moisture. Then cut tofu into 1" squares and set aside. 
• Add 1/2 T. of curry seasoning, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg to veggies. Mix well and let cook for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 c. coconut milk and let it simmer for 10 minutes. 
• Add another 1/2 c. coconut milk and another 1/2 T. curry seasoning. Let simmer for another 10 minutes. 
• Add the last of the coconut milk and the last 1/2 T of curry seasoning. Let simmer again for 10-15 minutes. 
• Add 1/2 T. brown sugar to pan. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes. 
• Add mushrooms and pineapple. Let simmer for 10 minutes. 
• Add tofu, let simmer for 15 minutes. 
• Serve over brown rice or white rice. 

Yields approx. 4 cups. 

Serving size = 1 cup.

Weight Watchers points (not including brown rice) = 4 pts.

Crockpot Turkey Chili

This recipe is one that my mother often made for us when I was growing up in Atlanta. I always looked forward to coming home from school on those days because the house smelled so incredibly delicious. This recipe is one of the absolute easiest dinners you can make. Simply put all the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning, set it on low for 8 hours, and dinner is served!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground turkey - browned in a skillet
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small can of roasted and chopped green chiles
• 1 can of stewed or crushed tomatoes
• 1 large can of crushed pureed tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 can hot chili beans, undrained
• 1 packet of chili seasoning (I choose hot but you can go mild if you want)
• 1 T. siracha
• light sour cream (optional) 
• shredded chedder cheese (optional) 

Directions: 

• In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey. Once brown, add packet of chili seasoning to the meat and mix well. Let cook for 1 minute.
• Transfer meat into crockpot. 
• Add onion, green chiles, crushed tomatoes, pureed tomatoes, black beans, garbanzo beans, hot chili beans, and siracha. Mix well. 
• Set crockpot to low for 8 hours. 
• Serve with shredded chedder cheese and sour cream on top if you wish. 

Yields 12 cups

Serving 1 cup.

Weight Watchers Points (without cheese/sour cream) = 4 pts