Everything but the Kitchen Sink – Indian Curry in a Slow Cooker

So I've been lazy lately.  I was out of town two weeks ago and last week I had a lot of catching up to do around the house, so I'm long overdo for a recipe.  I promise I'll make something this week, but in the meantime, I wanted to post this AMAZING recipe I received from my lovely colleague, Katie Boswell.  She prepared this delicious meal a couple weeks ago and my mouth has been watering since.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink – Indian Curry in a Slow Cooker
Source: Katie Boswell
Photo Credit: Katie Boswell

Prep time is about 20 minutes and cook time is about approximately 4 hours.

This recipe was inspired by a curry dish my mother made that I felt could be adapted to a slow cooker. Be prepared, it does have an authentic Indian heat to it!" - Katie Boswell

You can put pretty much use any vegetable in a curry dish but I felt the heartier ones would hold up better in the slow cooker, Don’t be scared to add your fave veggies to this dish. Butternut squash, eggplant, etc would all be nice additions.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 sweet onion chopped chopped/slice/diced to the size you prefer
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup of Curry powder
• 2 tbs of flour ( I recommend Wondra flour)
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 or 3 large bell peppers, color of your choosing
• 1/2 head of Cauliflower pulled apart
• 1 cup of chickpeas
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk, unsweetened
• 1 ½ cup carrots cut into matchstick size
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 oz sliced mushrooms (I use a blend of baby bella, shitake and oyster but any ones will do)

Directions

1. Place potatoes , onion and garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker
2. Combine curry powder, flour, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Sprinkle spices over the potato mixture and coat evenly
3. Add bell peppers, cauliflower, chick peas, coconut milk, and stir to combine
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low until the mixture is bubbling, add some water or additional coconut milk if it looks dry and allow to cook on low for about 3 hours or until the potatoes are tender and can easily be cut in half with a fork
5. Add carrots, mushrooms and cilantro and cook until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes
6. Salt dish to taste
7. Garnish bowl dish with cilantro to serve

Curry Tip: Some curry spice can end up a tad bitter when not used in the correct proportion or cooked at too high a heat. If you find a curry to be a tad bitter add 1 tsp of salt + 1 tsp sugar and stir, repeat until the bitterness is gone.

Split Pea Soup

Been craving soup, soup, SOUP lately!  Perhaps because it finally feels like WINTER!  There's snow on the ground at last. As much as I hate being cold, I love the beauty of snow, particularly fresh snow.  Anyway, here is a recipe for a hearty winter soup, slow cooked split pea soup.  It turned out great and it was super easy (I...love...you...crock pot...!)

Slow Cooked Split Pea Soup
Source: food.com 

Takes 5-8 hours depends on if you cook it on high or low. Serves 6-8 people.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz split peas
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 -1 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , smashed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbs salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 6 cups hot water

Directions:

1. 
Layer ingredients in order listed above.  Do not stir. 
2. 
Cover and cook until peas are soft. (High: 4-5 hours or Low: 8-10 hours)

3. Remove bay leaf and garlic (if it has held together) before serving.

The cleanup factor:

"The cleanup factor" is a new part I've decided to add to my blog, since cleaning up is the worst part of making any recipe. As implied by the title, I will just mention how light or rough the cleanup was after making the recipe. The slow cooked split pea soup's cleanup factor was very light.  Just some scraps to go down the garbage disposal and a few dishes, like the knife used to chop the veggies, measuring cups, cutting board, and the crock pot itself to wash.