Now, and for the forseeable future, I don’t have an oven. Nor do I have a stove. Actually, I stand corrected. I don’t have an oven. However, I do have a portable electric burner that can boil water and saute vegetables. You can’t imagine how excited I was when that came along…
In November, we moved into our “new old” house and have plans for a renovation in the new year. Until then, we are what I call “fancy camping.” I was hoping that my whole kitchen (or lack thereof) situation would remain transparent for the purpose of getyouryummyback because despite the circumstances, I remain as committed as ever to preparing and eating healthy and delicious food at home. However, without coming clean about my circumstances, how would I possibly explain the fact that I am about to share a recipe for – um – the crock pot. Yep. That’s right. I’ve had one I’ve been avoiding for years. Last week I dusted it off and since then I have stewed up some tasty stuff!
It all started with Green Chili Stew. This is a delicious one-pot meal that can be served over brown rice or as a filling for burritos. The ingredients are simple and make great use of leftover chicken or turkey. I prepped the vegetables the night before (on my portable burner!) and refrigerated them. In the morning, I threw it all in the crock pot, turned it on low, returned 8 hours later, and it was a delicious meal, straight from the pot.
Today, I did a whole chicken in the crock pot. This morning, I tossed chopped carrots, celery, and onion into the pot. Next, I added the whole (rinsed) chicken. Then, I poured about 1/2 cup white wine and 1/4 cup chicken stock into the pot. I added salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. I turned the pot on low and went to work for 9 hours. Oh. My. Goodness. When I got home, I went to take the chicken out and the meat basically fell off the bone, it was so tender. The vegetables had cooked through and the broth was delicious. I ended up removing the chicken from the pot. Then I shredded half the meat and added it back to the pot (I saved the other half for later use). I added one cup of cooked brown rice and chicken broth to reach my desired consistency for Chicken and Rice Soup. I tell you what – it was delicious, healthy, and simple. Yes, it can be done – even without and oven or a stove…
I am catering a party soon and can’t wait to share this Mango Gazpacho. We will be passing it as a starter, in dessert-size shooters. It also makes an elegant starter for a meal, served by the cup. I ate it for breakfast!
