Slow Cooker Chicken Spinach Curry

1/2 cup red lentils
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, boiling
8 chicken thighs, skinned
8 0z frozen spinach
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt
black pepper

1. Rinse and drain lentils.
2. Put lentils, curry powder, coriander, cumin seeds and stock in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
3. Place chicken in the slow cooker and push down into sauce. Recover and cook for 3 hours on high.
4. Add spinach and cilantro to slow cooker and push into sauce. Cook for another 30 minutes, until spinach wilts.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I serve this with basmati rice, cabbage bhaji, and sweet pickles.

Curry Powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground (dry) mustard
1/2 taspoon ground ginger

1. Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Today, I found myself out of curry powder for the slow cooker chicken curry I was making, so I made do with this recipe.

Root Vegetable Mash

5 carrots
2-3 parsnips
2 small turnips
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Peel all the vegetables and chop into chunks.
2. Heat water to boiling in a large pot and add all vegetables. Bring back to a boil and simmer until tender, about 30 mins.
3. Drain well.
4. Add butter, salt and pepper and mash vegetables until well mixed.
   

Pommes de Terre au Gratin

6 medium potatoes*
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
8 oz roughly grated Cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Scrub potatoes, rinse, and cut into thin slices.
2. Melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add onion to butter and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in flour, pepper and salt.
5. Remove from heat and add milk and 1 and 1/2 cups cheese.
6. Return to heat and stir until boiling. Allow to bubble for 1 minute.
7. Layer potato slices in a large baking dish.
8. Pour cheese sauce over potatoes.
9. Bake in preheated 360 degree oven until lightly browned, 45-60 mins.
10. Mix breadcrumbs and remaining cheese, and sprinkle this topping over the potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika.
    
11. Return dish to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and top is golden brown.
    

*I used Idaho potatoes.

Raspberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat baking mix
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
Butter

1. Beat together the baking mix, milk and eggs.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat.
3. Add a dab of butter to the center of the skillet. Pour1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet and immediately dot the pancake with 3-7 raspberries.
4. As soon as the pancake is firm, flip over and cook until light brown.
5. Repeat steps 4 and 5.

Makes 15 pancakes.

Serve these pancakes with maple syrup or raspberry syrup and butter. They're an excellent way to sneak fruit into a pancake-lover's diet.

Chocolate Almond Meringues

3 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat oven at 150 degrees. (My oven only goes down to 170, but lower would be better.)
2. Using the fastest setting on your mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks.
3. Sift sugar and cocoa powder into mixture. Beat until combined.
4. Add almond extract and stir in.
5. If the eggs are no longer holding their stiff peaks, beat again until they do.
6. Pipe 2-3 tablespoon mounds onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I find it easiest to spoon the mixture into a disposable zipper bag, seal it, and snip a corner off.
   
7. Bake for two hours. Turn cookie sheet halfway through to ensure that meringues dry evenly.
8. Leave meringues to dry overnight.

These meringues turned out chewier than I wanted. Next time, I'll store them with a desiccant packet, and perhaps try meringue powder.

Sticky Spicy Meatballs

For the meatballs
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large onion
1 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the sauce
14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tbsp garlic chili sauce*
1 inch ginger root, finely chopped
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Meatballs

1. Mix beef, onion, cilantro, salt and pepper until evenly mixed and smooth, either by hand or in a mixer.
2. Roll into balls, 1 tbsp of mixture each, with moistened hands. It is easiest to stack layers with Saran wrap between them.
   
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat in a large frying pan and brown meatballs on all sides. Add oil as needed, and remove any onion pieces before adding a new batch to the frying pan.
4. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in a 9" x 13" baking dish. (After this step, meatballs can be refrigerated overnight.
   

Sauce

1. Heat remaining oil on medium in a saucepan.
2. Fry onion until the edges begin to brown.
3. Add tomatoes and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add ginger, pepper and soy sauce. Simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Putting it together

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Ladle sauce over prepared meatballs.
3. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 mins.
4. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

*I use the Maggi Taste of Asia Sweet Chili Sauce, available in the "ethnic foods" section of the store.

This is my mother's recipe, and I've been asked to share it a number of times. The work it takes is worth it!

Sausage Apple Breakfast Bake

1 medium apple
12 small sausage links
1 cup whole wheat baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease 9" pie plate.
   
3. Peel, core and finely chop apple.
4. Cook sausage on medium-low, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Drain sausage on paper towels.
6. In a large bowl, mix baking mix, milk, egg, sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
7. Stir in apple.
8. Spread batter in the greased pie plate.
9. Arrange sausages in a spoke pattern on top of the batter.
10. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

I took this recipe from the back of a package of Hormel Maple Little Sizzlers.

Whole Wheat Baking Mix

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup dry nonfat milk
1 cup shortening

1. Place all ingredients in your mixer bowl.
2. Use whisk attachment and mix at low speed until mixture is evenly mixed. It will look mealy.
3. Store in air-tight container and store either in refrigerator or at room temperature. Use within about 3 months.
   

This mix can replace Bisquick or other purchased mixes in pancakes, muffins and other baked goods.