Crockpot, friend or Foe?  I am a true foodie, but I do not turn my nose up at the oh so humble crockpot.  The crockpot of yesteryear is new and it is hot, or warm so to speak.  Top chefs are now weighing in on this old workhorse of the kitchen and jumping on the slow moving wagon to tout their new cookbooks.  I have a few crock pot cookbooks in my library, but truly only ended up using only a handful of recipes out of each one as I found so many of the recipes were “dump and run”.  The crockpot is the modern invention of something simmering on the stove or in a kettle over an open fire all day.  You can produce incredibly tender braised meats, delicious ethnic dishes and even amazing desserts!  I highly recommend this cookbook:Â

The author has a blog: Â
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com

She cooked something out of her crockpot each day of the year.  Now that is the opposite end of the spectrum of Julie and Julia (which book and movie I adore by the way, that is a subject for another time).    She had some definite bombs, but many successes, which made it into this book.  I loved it so much that I bought them for several family members as gifts.Â

It has even inspired me to try some new inventions of my own.  Here is what I made for dinner tonight, and it was delish!

Coconut Curry in not a big hurry
1/2 Red Pepper chopped finely (so kids can’t pick out the pieces)
1/2 Green Pepper chopped finely (see above)
3 carrots, diced
4 small garnet yams, diced
5 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
1 Tbsp Curry powder
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Cumin
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup good quality or home made chicken stockSalt and Pepper to taste (add sparingly, add more at end)
1/2 can Garbanzo Beans (optional)  (add at last 1/2 hour of cooking or they might get too mushy)

Put all veggies in Crockpot, layer chicken next, spices then liquids.  Put lid on and cook for 5-6 hours on low or about 3 on high.  (I got a late start on it, so it went to high immediately)

Before serving, add a few squeezes of Lime Juice, chopped cilantro and serve over Basmati Rice

If you like it on the spicy side, I recommend Sriracha Hot Sauce.  It is a staple in my house and it goes on the table with the salt and pepper.  It really goes well with the curry sauce flavor. Â

Now you and your slow cooker have just taken a trip to India.Â

*The nice thing about doing a curry in not a hurry is that you can alter the meat and veggies.  Try pork or cheaper cuts of beef.