Raspberry Lemon Muffins

The batter turned out super thick but I went with it and they turned out fine. Could have used a touch more liquid but were tasty nonetheless. Lemon is a great complement to raspberries. Original called for 3/4 c sugar but I used less. It still turned out a little too sweet for me - would reduce further next time.
Feb 2013: Made these again, again batter was really thick, so added some milk. Came out to only 11 very small muffins. Needs improving.
2/8/13: Made these again adding 1/2 t baking soda, 1/2 c milk + 1 T lemon juice, and another egg. Made 12 good sized muffins that rose appropriately.
5/6/13: Changed it up again and finally got these with a good texture. Modifying below and putting original in parens.
5/24/15: Used a newer baking powder and it was bubbling while stirring it altogether which has never happened before. Also used less sugar and just as good, so also adjusted below. Very spongy.

• 1.5 c flour
• 1/2 c sugar (2/3 c)
• 2 t powder
• 1/2 t soda (not in original recipe)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t grated lemon zest
• 1 c (1/2 c) vanilla yogurt (or plain)
• 3 T canola oil
• 4 (3) T lemon juice
• 2 (1) eggs
• 1 c frozen raspberries

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, powder, salt and lemon zest.
2. In small bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, oil, lemon juice and egg.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
4. Stir in raspberries.
5. Divvy out to 12 muffin cups and bake at 400F/200C for 27 (22) minutes (or until the top springs back when lightly touched).
6. Let cool on wire rack. Eat some now and freeze the rest for eating later (microwave at 30 seconds to warm).

Pongal - Karnataka style

Had this for lunch, and then snack. Can't find curry leaves in Toronto so didn't use them. Very different from other pongals I've had, but in a good way - coconut adds nice texture and wonderful smell.

• 1 c rice
• 1/4 c mung dal (or channa dal [the bigger one])
• 1/2 c dried coconut
• 3 c water
• 2-3 T ghee
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 1 t mustard seeds (brown or black)
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 1 t freshly ground pepper
• 6 curry leaves
• salt to taste

1. Rinse and then soak dal for 20 minutes (to ensure even cooking time with rice).
2. Combine dal, rice, coconut and water in rice cooker. Cook.
3. In the meantime, heat the ghee in a small pan. Then add the spices and lightly toast over medium/low-med heat, until aromatic (about 2 min). Transfer to cup.
4. When rice cooker is done, stir the rice. Pour in the spice mixture and stir until evenly spread.

Variations

- add a cinnamon stick to rice

- add raisins

- add minced ginger and finely chopped chili

Slow Cooker Brown Chicken

Made this a couple days ago and it turned out alright. Leftovers tasted even better. Search on 'shoyu chicken' turns up all sorts of recipes with different ratios and some slight variations in ingredients. Hard to go wrong it seems.

• 1 c soy sauce (shoyu)
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c water *
• 1/2 c sake
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1" ginger, sliced
• value pack of skinless (boneless) chicken thighs

1. Combine everything but the chicken.
2. Place thighs in slow cooker dish. Pour sauce over. Add extra water to cover thighs (for 16 thighs I added 1 c water). Note that they float so some will not be fully covered.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, turning chicken once (I turned after 4 hours).
4. Serve with rice and veggies.

Variations

- add chopped scallions

- add 1 T vinegar

Falafels

Relatively easy to make. Inspired by crockpot365 but pureed chickpeas instead of fork mashing for ease.

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cl garlic
• 1 T dried parsley
• 1 egg
• 1 t salt (really)
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 t cumin
• 1 t coriander
• 1/2 t cayenne
• juice from 1 lemon (3 T)
• ~3/4 c bread crumbs
• 2 T olive oil

1. Pulse onion and garlic.
2. Add spices, egg and lemon juice. Puree.
3. Add chickpeas and blend.
4. Transfer to bowl and add 1/2 c bread crumbs. Add more as needed until mixture is wet and sticky but balls can be formed.
5. Pour 2 T olive oil on bottom of crock pot.
6. Form golf ball sized balls and dip in oil. Place on bottom of pot - ok to touch or layer.
7. Cook on high for 3.5-4.5 hours, until balls are golden brown.

Variations

- fry in pan (requires more oil)

- bake in oven (faster at higher heat but uses more energy)

Potato Soup II

Made this slow cooker potato soup and it turned out very tasty. It's very similar to the potato soup I made several years ago on the stove (well all potato soups are similar) but I think this one is better. Can't be sure as it wasn't a side by side taste test. I used yellow potatoes. This filled up the whole pot and made 3 jars of leftovers after dinner (one of which went into the freezer).
12/19/12 update: had the freezer one today. Texture was very strange - would not recommend freezing this after all. Just refrigerate. 

• less than 3 lbs potatoes
• 5 cups broth
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• black pepper
• 1/4 t cayenne
• 1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz)

1. Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks (~1" cubes).
2. Put all ingredients in slow cooker, EXCEPT for cream cheese.
3. Cook on high for 4.5 hours. The potatoes should be fork tender.
4. Puree half of the soup, along with cubed cream cheese.
5. Optional: Garnish with chopped scallions, shredded cheese, bacon, etc.

Related

Potato Soup I - stove top

Split Pea Soup II

This one is from the Whole Foods website. It differs from version I in that it has fresh parsley and pork hocks, whereas the other has cloves and brown sugar. The tastes are decidedly different, though in a blind taste test Ma couldn't tell the difference! Need to see how the leftovers taste before I judge which one is better. This filled up my 4 qt slow cooker - don't go any smaller without adjusting the recipe. 
9/6/13 Finally return of cooler weather allowed me to use the slow cooker again. Made this tonight for dinner, excluding onions and salt. Used a mix of 2 kinds of green dahl. Increased garlic to 5 cloves and also added cumin and curry powder. Used no-salt chicken broth. Cooked on high for 5 hours - meat was not falling off bone like last time, but was cooked through. Served with baguettes.
Nov 2015 - Made this again with a giant smoked ham hock and only 4 c of beef broth, no onion, plus added cumin and curry powder. Was the best one according to MM.

• 2 1/4 c dried green dahl, rinsed (16 oz)
• 2 pork hocks (the small kind)
• 2 carrots, chopped (~1 c)
• 1/2 onion, chopped (less than 1 c)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped (incl leaves if there are any)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• handful chopped fresh parsley (1/4 c)
• 6 c chicken broth

1. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given. Do not stir.
2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high 4-5 hours), until meat falls off bone (or until peas are very soft).
3. Take out bay leaf and hocks. Pull of meat from bones and add back to pot.
4. Optional: add salt and pepper.

Variations

• Substitute 2 cups meat for the pork hocks, such as sauteed chicken sausage, ham, diced smoked turkey
• Add a small diced potato.
• Add rosemary.

Related Recipes

Split Pea Soup I - vegetarian, with cloves, curry powder, cumin and brown sugar

Slow Cooker Spinach Lasagna

original recipe
Threw together this afternoon, with many interruptions. Would prefer a recipe that didn't require mixing spinach with cheese. Defrosting and squeezing excess water also took a while. Otherwise was very simple to prepare and turned out ok. Would add sliced mushrooms/zucchini next time (of course that also makes it more labor intensive). I used a jar of Paul Newmans basil and tomato sauce, followed by Ragu original (which was much more watery than the Paul Newman jar). ***
12/6/12 Made this with giant mushroom in the first layer, half a zucchini in the 2nd, and another mushroom on the top layer. More delicious! Used a jar of Paul Newmans cheese tomato sauce and topped off with Classico portobello mushroom. ****
10/10/19 Used 4 layers for volume, but reacting badly to lactose. :(

• 2 pkg frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 c ricotta
• 1/2 c parmesan
• 3 c spaghetti sauce (1 jar + a bit from another)
• 6 lasagna noodles, no boil kind (or not)
• 1.5 c shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 c parmesan*
• optional: extra veggies (mushroom, zucchini, ...)

1. Combine spinach, ricotta and parmesan.
2. Put 3/4 cup sauce on bottom of 4 quart slow cooker. Spread evenly.
3. Layer 2 noodles, broken apart to fit. Spread 3/4 c sauce, then half of the spinach mixture, (optional veggies,) and 1/2 c mozzarella. Repeat.
4. Layer 2 noodles, remaining 3/4 c sauce, (optional veggies,) 1/2 c mozzarella and 1/4 c parmesan.
5. Cover and cook on low for 3.5-4 hours, until noodles are done and cheese is slightly browned.