Southwestern Style Pork Chops

This meal is easy as a wink to prepare, warm and filling, oh and did I mention delicious?!  One chop was a little tough (I can’t figure out why) but the rest just pulled apart with our forks. 

Southwestern Style Pork Chops

• 6 pork chops, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 15-ounce can chili beans
• 1-1/4 cups salsa (I’d recommend a fresher salsa for this recipe  since the sauce will only be as good as the salsa you pick)
• 1 cup whole kernel corn

Place chops in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add chili beans and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. During the last hour of cooking time stir in corn. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream if desired.

Kim’s note:  This is a lactose-free meal, cheese and sour cream are only an add-on for those who want it.

Swiss Pork Chops (slow cooker)

Here's some comfort food at its best:

I recommend to lessen the number of potatoes in the pot and make mashed potatoes on the side.  We eat the fresh mashed potatoes with dinner, then send the roasted ones with Hubby to work as leftovers.

Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops

• 1.5 lbs pork chops, trimmed of fat
• pepper
• 2 medium red potatoes cut into bite sized pieces (or more if not doing mashed potatoes)
• 1.5 c. baby carrots
• 1 med onion, cut into wedges
• 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
• 2 packets pork gravy mix
• 1 c. cold water
• mashed potatoes, if desired

Layer potatoes, onion and pork in your slow cooker. Sprinkle chops with pepper.  Add tomatoes.  Mix up one packet of gravy with 1 cup cold water and pour into crock pot.  Top everything with the baby carrots.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until pork and vegetables are tender. I did 5 hours on low, then one more hour on high with great results.

Kim’s notes:  If you want to serve this meal with mashed potatoes, then make them near the end of your cooking time.  Use the second packet of gravy for serving, or add liquid from the slow cooker to the package gravy and and then thicken it.

Never thickened your own gravy? It’s easy as can be – add 1/4 c. of flour to 1 c. of water, shake until combined, or if you don’t have a shaker of some sort you can use a wire whisk to get the clumps out.  Add just a little of the flour mixture at a time to your gravy so that you don’t over thicken it.  Be sure to taste the gravy along the way so that you don’t over flour it or so that you can add spices/pepper if desired.

French Dips (Slow Cooker)

French Dips have always been one of my Hubby's favorite sandwiches, so when I saw this recipe that was so easy & delicious looking I just had to give it a go.

I even made fresh rolls with my French Bread recipe and the results were INCREDIBLE!  As I prepared things I tasted the meat & thought "Uh oh, bland." Then I tried the sauce and thought, "Uh oh, is that right?" Then we put them all together and it sang.

We ate it so fast we didn't even get a picture. : )


French Dips (Slow Cooker) - from blogchef.net

• 1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
• ½ cup soy sauce (I used light, low sodium)
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crushed)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 onion, quartered, 2 handfuls baby carrots, 3 stalks celery
• Bread for serving - I used this recipe to make 8 buns

Cooking Instructions:

Remove any visible fat from the roast and discard the fat. Place the roast into a slow cooker. In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, beef bouillon cube, bay leaf, black peppers corns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour the mixture over the roast. Add enough water to almost over the roast. Add any vegetables if you desire. Cover and cook in the slow cooker for 10 hours* on low heat until the roast is very tender. (*Know your cooker! Mine was done in 8 hours, maybe less.)

Remove the roast from the broth (reserving the broth). Shred the roast with two forks.  Set aside.

Remove broth from slow cooker and strain - the finer mesh the better! I strained mine right into a sauce pan and let it simmer on low until time to serve. Discard veggies, or eat them as sides - I chopped my onion and put it back in with the meat to serve.  Put meat with a few ladles of liquid back in the slow cooker and keep it on warm until time to serve.  Stuff your bread with meat and serve with broth for dipping.

French Bread (Bread Maker)

I was shocked at this recipe - it doesn't do the normal egg-wash, steam pan steps that I've come to associate with French bread recipes and yet it came out with the same flavor and texture that I get from grocery store bread.  I'll make this again A LOT!

French Bread for Bread Maker (adapted from vegweb.com)

• 1 3/8 cups water (3/8 cup = 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 

Add ingredients to bread maker according to manufacturer instructions (for me it goes water, oil, salt, sugar, flour, yeast).

If you want to bake it in the bread maker: set it to the french setting and let it go.

If you want to bake it like me:  Set maker to dough cycle. When the cycle ends, remove dough, punch down and form into 4 loaves, place on a baking sheet that is greased or has a no-stick lining (I use no-stick foil). Cover with greased saran wrap and let rise in a warm place* until double or triple in size (the bread rises like CRAZY).  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Check for doneness, if the outside is browned and it sounds hollow when tapped then you're good!

I made mine the night before, covered it and set it in the fridge. 3 hours before bake time I took it out of the fridge and let it warm to room temp before baking.

Also makes GREAT garlic bread sticks or add 2 tsp italian herbs for an herb-y loaf.

Sweet Citrus Kabobs

This marinade was called "Unbelievable Chicken" on allrecipes.com, and it is just that - especially now that I tweaked it to be healthier and turned it into kabobs!

These were so unreal, that now my Hubby is talking about getting a decent grill just so we can eat these more often.

Sweet Citrus Kabobs

For Marinade:

• 2 Tbs cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoons prepared coarse-ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbs lime juice
• 1/2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2  teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs olive oil

For Kabobs: Pictured above are kabobs made of 2 chicken breasts, 1 red pepper, 1 small onion, 1 zucchini (made 3 large). BUT other possibilities could have other meats, whole small tomatoes, mushrooms, whatever you like.

Prep chicken and veggies the night before, run them on the skewers (if using wood skewers, soak them in water for 10 minutes).  Mix the marinade, pour over kabobs and seal them all together in a bag or container. Place in the fridge and let marinade all day, turning the bag or container from time to time to make sure everything gets saturated.  Grill over med flame until done (or broil in your oven).
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Wonder Bars

Wonder Bars, a classic treat from my childhood.  They are a wonder, because they are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – homemade style.  They are wonderfully tasty, but also wonderfully fattening, so proceed with caution.

Wonder Bars

• 3/4 c. margarine or butter
• 1 3/4 c. graham crackers, crushed (11 crackers)
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 16oz. milk chocolate chips

Melt margarine, add peanut butter and mix. Add graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar to butter mixture then blend well. Pad “dough” into a 13×9 in pan. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Spread on top of PB mixture. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to help the chocolate set.

Kim’s tips:  Doing half of this recipe in an 8×8 square pan is great for smaller families.  Also, if you choose to chill your wonder bars to help the chocolate set faster, let them come back up to room temp before cutting them so that the chocolate doesn’t crack.

Ultimate Bean Burritos

This next recipe really surprised me and Jay. It was super easy, super tasty, and super filling. This one is definitely going to stick in our house!

Ultimate Bean Burritos (from Blogchef.net)

• 1 can refried beans
• 1 c. cooked rice
• 1 c. salsa (for this a flavorful but saucier salsa is best)
• shredded cheddar cheese (I used about a cup, but use as much as you like, or none at all for a lactose-free version)
• 8-10 flour tortillas (depending on size and how full you stuff them)

Toppings: sour cream, lettuce, tomato, onion, whatever you like in Mexican food

In a large bowl combine refried beans, salsa, and rice. Mix well. Put a line of cheddar cheese along the center of each tortilla, top cheese with about 1/3 c. of bean mixture, then fold so that all tortilla edges tuck under. Place folded burrito in a lightly greased (spray worked perfectly to prevent sticking) casserole dish. Once all burritos are finished and placed, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until warmed through. Top burritos with favorite Mexican toppings.

Orange Peanut Sauce

Great served over steamed or stir fried veggies with rice. Use edamame for protien or try with a meat.

Orange Peanut Sauce (adapted from Whole Foods)

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons raw cashew butter or almond butter
1 teaspoon liquid aminos or reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 clove garlic

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

Orange BBQ Pulled Chicken

This recipe can be served over rice or in a bun.  It's not a favorite of mine, but it does add some variety from normal BBQ dishes.

Orange BBQ Pulled Chicken (adapted from Sparkrecipes)

• 5 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of gristle and fat
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 c. Orange Marmalade
• 1 c. favorite BBQ sauce
• 1/4 c. + 1 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce

Put chicken breasts in a bag or tupperware with the powdered ginger and shake until coated.  Put the chicken into your slow cooker.  Mix the remaining ingredients, then pour over chicken. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken from pot, use a fine strainer to clean sauce if desired. Shred chicken and return to slow cooker, mix with sauce.  Keep on warm setting until ready to serve.

Serve over rice or on buns.

Mexican Filling

Awhile back I found a recipe for an enchilada casserole – you know the kind; layers of filling, layers of corn tortillas.  The only thing is, I really dislike corn tortillas. I dunno, it’s something to do with their texture that gives me the heebie jeebies.

But, I wanted to eat the filling… oh it sounded delightful, decadent, delicious…

So I made it, the filling only, and made tacos instead.  They were a hit!  This recipe is a perfect blend of flavors that can lend itself to tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salads – the possibilities are nearly endless!
The moral of the story: Don’t ever be afraid to take recipes apart and make them your own – you may find a real gem!

Mexican Filling

• ½ pound lean ground beef or turkey
• about ¾ c. chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• 1 (15 oz) can of pinto beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chili peppers
• ½ c. water
• 2 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro, if desired

Sauté beef, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, drain.  Add all other ingredients to fry pan and cook together until most of the water has evaporated.

Serve as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salads, or however you wish.

Manhattan Meatballs

We first tried this no fry meatball recipe during our move to Texas because our pots were lost. It's a tangy BBQ recipe for beef, but turkey could be a fine substitute. This is the recipe that I first came across, but we prefer to make it with more sauce.

*No Fry* Manhattan Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey (get the leanest meat possible since you don’t get to drain it)
• 1/2 c. onion, chopped
• 2 c. soft bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs fresh parsley (I substituted about 3/4 Tbs dried)
• 2 tsp salt
• 10 oz apricot preserves
• 1/2 c. BBQ sauce

In a large bowl combine beef, crumbs, onion, eggs, parsley, and salt. Form into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Combine preserves and BBQ sauce in separate bowl. Brown the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees (this doesn’t take too long, 5-10 minutes, just keep an eye on them). Place the browned meatballs in a casserole dish and cover with the sauce mix. Put back in the oven and cook for another 40 minutes or until cooked through. Serve meatballs with sauce over rice.

My Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

My mom is a lot of things – among her traits and talents she happens to be a world class cookie maker (at least in the eyes of her family and friends).  These cookies have been bringing my family happiness and good luck for years, and now I’m passing the recipe on to you.  When I told my mom that I was going to take her recipe public she said, “Be sure to tell them how I halved the fat from the original recipe.”  See where I get it. : )
My Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 stick margarine, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ¾ c. sugar
• ¾ c. packed brown sugar
• 2 ½ c. flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir together margarine, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Add flour and baking soda and stir thoroughly. (My mom always sifts them in, but if you don’t have a sifter that’s ok – you may just need to add a little water to moisten the dough if the unsifted flour makes it too dry.)  Add chocolate chips and stir to mix them in evenly.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees.

The baking time is my mom’s big secret.  She doesn’t like hard or overdone cookies, so she bakes hers for only 7 minutes, then sets them on top of the stove to continue warming/cooking for about 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

When I make these cookies Hubby prefers that I cook them a little longer, so I let them go 9-11 minutes, then do the same cooling method my mom uses.

Here’s the side by side comparison:

 

My mom’s cookies are done when there’s just a little browning on the edges.  They are very chewy and go great in the freezer because they are still soft right out of the cold.  My cookies are done when there’s coloring on the edges and on the top cookie peaks.  Mine are better right out of the oven, but aren’t as chewy.

Cafe Rio Cilantro Rice

To go with Cafe Rio Pork, enjoy!

Cafe Rio Cilantro Rice

• 2 cup rice, either long grain or basmati
• 4 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 Tbs lime juice
• 1 Tbs butter/margarine
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in a pot & add all seasonings & cilantro. Add rice & cook over medium heat for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add stock & lime juice return to simmer, turn to heat to low. Cover & cook about 30 minutes.

Kim's note - these instructions came with the original recipe, but I just threw everything in my rice cooker (using only 2.5 cups of broth as per my cooker) and it came out great.

Hot Fudge Slow Cooker Cake

I love using my crock pot for unexpected things.  Not the best cake I've ever eaten, but when paired with vanilla ice cream it is the essence of comfort food.

Hot Fudge Slow Cooker Cake (adapted from Betty Crocker)

• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 Tbs baking cocoa
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 1 Tbs natural applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c. baking cocoa
• 1 1/2 c. hot water
• possible add-ins: 1/2 c. chopped nuts, or 1/4 c. chocolate chips, or nothing at all

Mix together first 8 ingredients.  Once combined add your chosen mix-in, or move on to the next step.  Spread batter evenly in the slow cooker (will be kind of thin, don’t worry).  Next mix the brown sugar, 1/4 c. cocoa in a small bowl, add the hot water stirring until dissolved and smooth. Pour sauce evenly over batter in the slow cooker.

Cook on high for 2 hours, or until cake passes the toothpick test.  Turn off the slow cooker and allow cake to rest 30-40 minutes.*  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Kim’s note:  When I opened my slow cooker I thought I’d burnt my cake!  But it turns out that the sauce settles to the bottom and the cake rises up to the top during the baking process.  The top will look dry, but the gooey sauce is just down under the surface.

Stuffing Casserole

We had a box of stuffing.  Stuffing that didn’t get used at Thanksgiving and that I didn’t know what to do with now.


I’m not roasting another turkey just to make dollar stuffing, I thought.

But Hubby told me that men need stuffing sometimes and that he knew I’d come up with something.
I usually don’t even like stuffing, but I do like experimenting, so I took him up on the challenge.  I looked over all of the recipes on the box, threw together the parts from all of them that I liked, added what I had in my average pantry and ended up with, Stuffing Casserole:

Easy, tasty, flavorful.  Not a bad use of lost, abandoned, forgotten, stuffing mix.

Stuffing Casserole

• 4 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite size pieces or 1.25 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, sliced or chopped depending on your preferences
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 can reduced fat cream of chicken or mushroom soup
• 1/2 c. skim milk
• 1 c. frozen peas and carrots
• 2 celery stalks sliced lengthwise then chopped medium-thin
• 1 package turkey stuffing (I used Stove Top)
• 1 2/3 c. hot water

Saute meat with onions until mostly cooked, then add celery slices for the last few minutes.  Mix stuffing with hot water and let stand, covered for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile drain excess moisture from the chicken and veggies, then mix them with remaining ingredients.  Prepare a 2 quart baking dish with a little cooking spray, put down a thin later of stuffing, top with chicken mixture, then top chicken with remaining stuffing.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Happy Cooking!

Half the Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I love cookies. LOVE them!  Growing up with my parents, how could I not?  My mom is a cookie artist and my Dad is a Cookie Monster.  What I don’t love are the cookies that are SO buttered that they leave grease behind on your fingers or napkin.

Here’s a little secret – you can half the butter on LOTS of cookie recipes.

I even used low-cal butter.

That being said, the flavor was perfect.  Not too sweet, smooth inside and slightly crisp on the outside.  Fierce.

Half-the-Butter Oatmeal Cookies

• 1/4 c. butter/margarine, softened (I used light Blue Bonnet)
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 c. quick oats
• 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used the mini-chips and they were great)

Cream together the soft butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients all at once, then stir until well blended.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.  Bake at 325 for 13 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet, then transfer for racks.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Green Chile Coconut Curry

Green Chile Chicken Curry

• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 (4 oz) can green chiles
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 c onion thinly sliced
• 2 Tbs water
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 2 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 2-3 c cooked rice

Trim chicken and cut into pieces (whatever size you want). Saute chicken and onion together until chicken is no longer pink.  While that’s cooking whisk together coconut milk, green chiles, curry, cumin, water, and corn starch in a bowl. Add this mixture to the chicken and let boil uncovered until sauce reaches desired thickness. Serve over rice with chopped cilantro as garnish.

Kim's notes: Vegetables such as carrots and red potatoes add into this recipe really easily and are delicious!  If you decided to add them in, I suggest pre-steaming the veggies in the microwave so that they are soft enough without having to simmer for a long time.

Easy Curry

I’ve had two roommates in my life that have been missionaries to Japan.  Though they didn’t serve in the same place, they both came home with one unifying passion: Curry!  Sporadically throughout the school year we would host curry parties at our apt.  We’d break out the HUGE rice cooker, the biggest stew pot that we could find, and dish this up for anyone who wanted some with the specially set aside “Curry Spoon” (it used to be white, but with all the curry scooping the ladle part changed to a lovely shade of yellow, thus dictating its status as the Curry Spoon so that no other utensils would have to go through its same fate).

Anyway this meal is filling, delicious, a step away from ordinary, and EASY!  It’s so easy that I’m having Jay make it for us this week while I’m laid up.  The ticket for success, the key ingredient, is this stuff:

It can be found in any grocery store in the Asian food section, usually on or near the top shelf.  I always recommend getting the medium-hot.  Jay has no tolerance for spice, but he eats this with no problems.  We tried the mild once, but it had no flavor.  As my Grandpa would say, “It was like sticking your tongue out the window.” Trust me on this, medium-hot, the green label.

Easy Curry

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (can use steak or seafood also, check box for recommendations and amounts)
• 1 med onion, sliced
• 4 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small cubes (don’t peel)
• 2 c. baby carrots, chunked
• water
• Golden Curry sauce mix, med-hot

Cut up potatoes and carrots first.  Put them in a microwave safe bowl with about ¼ c. water, cover loosely with saran wrap, then microwave them until just starting to soften – about 10  minutes, then test them and add more time as needed.  By softening the veggies first you cut down your simmering time by a TON! It’s really worth it.

While the veggies are steaming, sauté the onion and chicken in a little cooking spray in the bottom of a large stew pot.  Once the onions have softened and the chicken is cooked through, add the potatoes and carrots.  Now fill the stew pot with water until everything is just about covered.  Chunk up the curry block and add to water.  Bring to a boil and stir, helping the curry to dissolve.  Reduce heat, but continue to boil the curry until it reaches the consistency that you want and the veggies are as soft as you want.  Serve over rice.

Happy Cooking!

Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

Very few people love banana bread as much as my hubster – I’d say in the history of Banana Bread Lovers he’s easily in the top 5.

Because of the crumble topping we make the “bread” brownie-style and cut it into squares. It’s moist, delicious, and if you chose to cut out the oil, it’s a healthier alternative to normal baked goods. My Banana Bread Monster gives it the Two-Helpings-in-One-Sitting approval.


Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread**

For the bread:

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup natural applesauce, oil, or a combo of both
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water

For the topping:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease pan with cooking spray.


In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, eggs, applesauce, honey, and water. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake bread about an hour, or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

**  I've never understood why sweet banana recipes always call for so much sugar!  Today I healthified this recipe and I wanted to note what I did for future reference or for others that are looking for ways to cut out the excess.

I used VERY ripe bananas, and cut back my sugar to only 1/2 c + 1 Tbs
I used 1 c whole wheat white flour, and 1/2 c bread flour (all purpose would work just as well)
I used 1/4 c natural applesauce and 1/4 c canola oil 
I used 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
For the topping I used 3 Tbs packed brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp white sugar (and I stopped sprinkling it on once the batter was well covered, I had a lot left over).

Chicken Peanut Molé

When I found this recipe I thought it had great potential.  I told Hubby that I’d make a special Peanut Molé for him this week and he said, “Peanut Butter Mexican food? Yuck, those flavors don’t go together.”


But that didn’t stop me.  With a couple of small tweaks here and there I took this recipe that was originally fried and turned it into a tender crock pot meal.  In the end I wouldn’t call it Mexican – it was much more like an Indian or Thai food.  Jay admitted that he was wrong about the flavors, and was even more shocked when I told him that the secret ingredient to this dish is chocolate!  We all agreed it was delicious, especially with  Cilantro-Citrus rice.

Chicken Peanut Molé

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 med onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. low sodium broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• ¼ c. peanut butter
• 1 Tbs baking cocoa
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Trim chicken breasts of excess fat and gristle, place in bottom of crock pot.  Combine all other ingredients (except cilantro) in a large mixing bowl.  Stir until ingredients are evenly distributed then pour over chicken.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Shred chicken and stir into sauce.  Stir in cilantro and allow to warm with lid off for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve over rice (is a-mazing with Cilantro-Citrus rice).