African Peanut Chicken (slow cooker)

This tasty, full-flavored dish makes lots of good sauce and is great served over steamed rice. Pop it in your slow cooker before heading off to work for a delicious meal to come home to!

Makes about 4 servings
1 lb SUNSET® Campari® Tomatoes, halved (i used one 14 oz. can of drained, diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 – 1 1/2 tsp hot sauce (depending on how much spiciness you like), or substitute a pinch of cayenne pepper
4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander

Place tomatoes in bottom of slow cooker. Distribute onion over tomatoes, dollop with peanut butter, and drizzle with hot sauce. Arrange chicken on top of onions, sprinkle evenly with salt and spices, and then turn chicken pieces over.

Set slow cooker on high and cook chicken for 8 hours, or on low for 12 hours. When chicken is done, transfer the pieces to a deep platter or bowl. Stir sauce to mix ingredients, and spoon over chicken.

Chef's Notes: If you happen to have ground cloves in your pantry, they make a nice addition; try adding 1/8 tsp to the spices.

Vegetarian Moussaka

I used the recipe from Cooking Light, March 2011. The only substitution I made was basil for the oregano and I used Fire Roasted Tomatoes with salt. The link is here. They have a nice photo.

• 3 peeled eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Romano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

• 1. Preheat broiler to high.
• 2. Brush eggplant slices with 1 tablespoon oil. Place half of eggplant on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 5 inches from heat for 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant. Set eggplant aside.
• 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chopped onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add bulgur; cook 3 minutes or until bulgur is lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Add ground allspice, cinnamon, and cloves; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vegetable broth, oregano, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
• 4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk until well blended. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese and salt. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Add egg, stirring well with a whisk.
• 5. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 6. Arrange half of eggplant in an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread the bulgur mixture evenly over eggplant; arrange remaining eggplant over bulgur mixture. Top with milk mixture. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes, and remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 475°. Return dish to oven for 4 minutes or until the top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light
MARCH 2011

The Very Best Prune Rolls

Dough
2 yeast cakes
1 cup warm milk
1 1/2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 sugar
1 cup shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups flour

Inside Mixture
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
melted butter
24 prunes

Dissolve yeast in warm milk, allow to rest covered in a warm place for approximately 15 minutes. Add eggs and lemon extract, stir. Add sugar, shortening, salt, cinnamon and flour. Mix with an electric mixer (dough arm) or knead approximately 5 minutes. Allow to rise in a warm place, covered, for one hour. The dough should double in size.

On a floured board roll out dough, approximately 24 inches x 18 inches. Brush the melted butter on the dough; sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture on the dough. Roll the dough (it should be 24 inches long). Slice into 24 rolls.

Place slices in a cake pan lined with parchment or on a cookie sheet. The slices should be near each other, with some room to rise. Tuck a stewed prune into each roll's center. Cover the rolls and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. The rolls should double in size.

Bake in preheated oven, 380-390 degrees, approximately 18 minutes.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Vegetables
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3-4 carrots, sliced
3 stalks of celery, sliced
3 potatoes, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
3/4 cup frozen peas
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Roux Sauce
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup flour
approx. 2 cups milk (I used soy milk, for freezing purposes)
approx. 2 vegetable stock

Biscuit Crust (I used Bisquick recipe and added cheddar cheese)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender (5-7 mintues). Add carrots and celery, saute additional 5 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (15 minutes).

In a separate pan, melt butter. Add flour and lightly brown. With a whisk, slowly whisk in milk, one cup at a time, allowing mixture to return to temperature and thicken. Continue with the vegetable broth, adding enough to achieve your desired thickness. The roux will thicken slightly while it cools.

Add the roux sauce to the vegetables and gently stir in peas, parsley and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into a buttered pan. Cover with desired crust. Bake 35-45 minutes, 375 degrees.