Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Stew

So... I've been making this recipe a ton lately.

It's the perfect comfort food, yet still plenty healthy. I buy organic or pasture-raised stew beef whenever I can find it. In fact, I just bought some at my local farmers market today.

I love a few things about this recipe. For starters, it's a slow cooker recipe, so I throw it in early and then smell it simmering away all day, and by the time dinner rolls around I feel like somebody has cooked for me (even though it was little ole me all along). I also love that it's foolproof. That's the great thing about slow cookers. You just can't mess it up.

Though the recipe specifies certain vegetables, you can play around with it and add or subtract what you want.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling extra fancy, I make cornbread, such as this:

Gluten Free Blackberry Cornbread

Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Stew
Serves 4 to 6 people
Cooking time
Gluten-free; dairy-free

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

6 ounce can tomato paste

32 ounces beef broth

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cups baby carrots

4-5 small red potatoes, cut into cubes (about 3 cups)

2 cups green beans, chopped

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)

1 cup frozen peas

2-4 tablespoons gluten free flour

salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine beef, celery, carrots, onion, potatoes, green beans, garlic, parsley, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and tomato paste in the slow cooker. Stir to combine the ingredients and mix in the tomato paste. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8-10 hours. 

2. About 30 minutes before serving, mix the flour into the slow cooker to achieve desired thickness. Mix until well combined. This will add a nice thickness to the stew. Continue cooking covered for 30 minutes.

3. Before serving, pick out the rosemary sprigs and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Organic Whole Chicken with Carrots & Potatoes

I'll put it this way...

I'm obsessed with my slow cooker. It's an oval crock pot. It was quite inexpensive. And it's one of my favorite kitchen essentials. I've been using it a lot recently. One of my staple recipes is my Slow Cooker Whole Chicken. There's no easier way to make a chicken.

Cooking a whole chicken—instead of chicken breasts, for example—has many benefits. One is flavor, which comes from skin and bones and fat (all lacking in the straight chicken breast). Another is that you can use the carcass to make chicken stock in your slow cooker overnight. Then the fun starts. You can use your homemade stock and leftover chicken to make chicken soup in the crock pot the next day. Just add any variety of beans, quinoa, and vegetables. Also, homemade chicken stock has a huge array of health benefits that store bought doesn't have.

To make homemade stock, just return the chicken carcass to the slow cooker (along with any drippings from cooking it). You may add onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, ginger if you want, but this is in no way required. What is required—raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or another acid. I throw in about one or two tablespoons. This helps leach the important minerals out of the bones. Cover the carcass with filtered water and cook on low for ten hours or so (overnight).

When you get up the next morning, strain the broth. I usually then place it in the fridge at this point to allow the fat on top to congeal. The fat can then be easily removed from the stock. You can cook with it, for example making chicken chili or soup in the slow cooker, or freeze it for later use. It keeps for about six months in the freezer. Always great to have on hand for soups and risottos.

In case you're wondering, I buy my chickens from either Whole Foods (pastured if available) or Trader Joe's. I'm a fan of their Brined Organic Whole Chickens. And I make a whole chicken about once a week or every other week. It's an absolute staple in my household.

This recipe for Slow Cooker Whole Chicken with Carrots & Potatoes is a whole meal in one pot. That's what I love about it. Put everything in the slow cooker in the morning and then by dinnertime your house smells amazing and you have a full meal. If you want to get some extra greens, you can serve the chicken and carrots and potatoes with a nice salad.

My favorite salad to make lately is organic mixed greens with dried cherries, crumbled goat cheese, candied pecans, tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette (recipe forthcoming).

Now I'm hungry!

Slow Cooker Organic Whole Chicken with Carrots & Potatoes
Serves about 4 people
Cooking time 6 hours on high
Dairy-free; gluten-free

Ingredients
1 organic whole chicken
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch chunks
4 medium red potatoes, cut into one-inch chunks
1/2 cup dry white wine
bunch of thyme or other herbs to stuff in side the chicken (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Note: You may season the chicken with any dried herbs or seasoning mixtures you desire (lemon pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, etc.). I was just keeping this recipe simple.

Directions
1. Layer the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Rinse the chicken with cool water and pat dry. Season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with the fresh herbs if desired. Place the chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker. You may truss the bird if you wish, but it's not necessary in the slow cooker. Pour the white wine into the slow cooker. Place the carrots and potatoes around the chicken.

2. Drizzle the chicken and vegetables with olive oil and season them liberally with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for about six hours. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken & Cauliflower

Happy Monday & Happy November!

This is a big week with so much in flux. The East Coast still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. A huge election tomorrow. The holiday season approaching.

When the weather turns colder and everything gets hectic (though it seems to be ninety degrees in LA), I turn to my slow-cooker to provide healthy, homemade comfort food. I love throwing my ingredients in there first thing in the morning and smelling them cooking all day long. I also love feeling like somebody else cooked me dinner, even though I did the work.

This is an easy, healthy slow-cooker dish I threw together last week. The main ingredients are chicken thighs and cauliflower, but I also threw in curry spices, green peas, and red bell pepper. I served the dish over brown rice for a warm, tender meal.

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken & Cauliflower

Serves 6-8 people
Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 4-6 hours on high (6-8 hours on low)
Dairy-free; gluten-free

Ingredients

1 pound organic chicken thighs
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons curry powder (any curry blend will work)
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped cilantro for garnishing (optional)
brown rice for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk the tomato paste and curry powder into the chicken broth. Place all of the ingredients into the slow-cooker, stirring to combine.

2. Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To serve, ladle the Chicken & Cauliflower Curried Stew over brown rice and garnish with a little chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

Happy Meatless Monday!

I have a lot of great things in store for you in the upcoming weeks, including a Q&A with Chef Jorge Chicas, the executive chef of The Bazaar by Jose Andres (featuring a behind the scenes look at their kitchen), a Q&A with Chef Jodi of The Griddle Cafe, and an article on Pinot Days, the upcoming wine tasting event. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here's another great meatless recipe for Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes. I stumbled across this recipe in the January 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine. As you may know, I'm a sucker for all things slow-cooked. I love putting food into my slow-cooker in the morning, and like magic, having a fully prepared meal waiting for me in the evening.

Simple Suppers: Slow-Cooker Organic Chicken With Fingerling Potatoes

If you ask me, one of the best meals on the planet Earth is Roast Chicken.

My mom, The Original Diva, makes a killer roast chicken (click here for her recipe), which I grew up eating and loving.  In fact, Julia Child says that roast chicken is the test of a great chef, and in France it seems they take their chicken seriously.  Very seriously.  Perfectly roasting a chicken is equal parts skill and art involving much babysitting of the bird, and while the results can be spectacular, sometimes there just isn't time for crying out loud!! I mean, we're busy divas! 

But that doesn't mean you should sacrifice your health or give up on having a home-cooked meal just because you don't have hours to slave away in the kitchen.  That's why I started my Simple Suppers series in the first place - to bring you delicious, healthy meals that can be prepared quickly.

So here's a low maintenance way to make a whole chicken!  Did you know you can just throw it in your slow-cooker (crock pot) with fabulous results?  You can prep it in the morning and return home from work to find a home-cooked meal waiting for you.  The chicken will be moist, falling off the bones, and if you add little fingerling potatoes to the slow-cooker, you'll almost have a complete meal.  Just don't forget a salad or veggie!

With chicken (as with all meat), I strongly recommend buying organic for a slew of health, environmental and moral reasons.  Yes, it's a little pricier, but a great chicken can go a long way.  Not only will one chicken give you at least two meals, but you can save the carcass to make scrumptious, nutrient dense stock.  My shortcut is to make the stock in my slow-cooker, too!  It'll freeze for up to six months and is great for making risottos and soups (click here for my slow-cooker chicken stock recipe).  I procure my organic chickens from Healthy Family Farms, CSA, a local family farming operation that's certified organic and feeds all its livestock on pasture (meaning the meat is chocked full of omega-3's).

So the next time you're short on time, give this recipe a shot!  It's got all the home-cooking qualities without having to stay home to cook it.
 

Slow-Cooker Organic Chicken With Fingerling Potatoes
Serves 4 people
Cooking time: 6 hours

Ingredients
1 medium organic chicken
1 onion, chopped
2 cups fingerling potatoes, halved
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions
To prep the chicken, remove any innards. Rinse the chicken inside and outside and pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle the outside with the paprika, salt and pepper. To truss the chicken, tuck the wings underneath the bird and tie the legs together with a bit of kitchen twine.

Note: if you've never made a whole chicken and need further instruction, there are tons of how to videos on YouTube.

Place the onions and broth in the bottom of the slow-cooker. Add the thyme. Lay the chicken in the slow-cooker on top of the onions and thyme with the breast side facing up (like in the picture).  Scatter the potatoes around the chicken. Cook the chicken in the slow-cooker on high for about 6 hours, or until the meat if tender and falling off the bones. 

To serve, remove the chicken from the slow-cooker and place on a platter for carving. Spoon out the potatoes, toss with parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you wish, make a quick gravy, strain the cooking liquid from the slow-cooker. Reduce in half on the stove top. Add half a cup of white wine and reduce in half again. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
organic chicken (Healthy Family Farms, CSA), fingerling potatoes, organic onion, organic thyme, organic parsley from Hollywood Farmers Market

Meatless Monday: Slow-Cooker Cauliflower And Potatoes With Indian Spices (Aloo Gobi)

Here we go for Meatless Monday!

Not only am I always looking for fast, healthy meals, but I'm also a fiend for Indian food.  I simply can't get enough of the tumeric, cumin, corriander, ginger and garlic.  Oh, the flavor!  It's like a party on my tongue.  And oh, the health benefits!  I could write a thesis on just about every one of these glorious spices.  Ginger is great for digestion, reduces inflammation, may help lower cholesterol and even fight cancer.  Tumeric is considered to be a powerful anti-inflammatory that may protect against arthritis, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.  So put that in your pipe and smoke it!  Err... I mean, eat it!

This recipe is my take on Aloo Gobi, a traditional dish made with cauliflower, potatoes and Indian spices. I also added green peas to the mix. To make this a complete meal, I tossed in garbanzo beans (high in protein) and served the whole kit and caboodle over a long grain brown rice (whole grains people!).

Oh yeah, and this dish is a snap to make!  Just throw all the ingredients into your slow-cooker (click here to view) and let it go.  That's it.  No cooking actually involved - just chopping.  How's that for a fool proof meal?

As I settled into my first bite, I was in heaven - Indian food heaven!  Now this is my idea of comfort food.  Forget the burgers and pizza and fries, this was warm and soothing, flavorful and filling, so good in fact, that I was scraping my bowl and quickly downing seconds.  I even caught Kuzak, a self-proclaimed dissenter when it comes to all things Indian food, sneaking into the kitchen for more!  This recipe is so tasty - and so easy - I promise, you'll want seconds, too.

Slow-Cooker Cauliflower and Potatoes with Indian Spices (Aloo Gobi)
Serves 6-8 people
Cooking time: 4-6 hours in a slow-cooker

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
salt and pepper

optional
2 cups long grain brown rice, cooked
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Place all of the ingredients except the salt, pepper and rice into the slower cooker.  Stir to combine.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, scoop some brown rice in the bottom of a bowl or plate.  Top with a generous portion of the Aloo Gobi.  Sprinkle with the cilantro.  Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
organic cauliflower, organic purple potatoes, ginger and organic onion from The Hollywood Farmers Market

organic elephant garlic, organic canned garbanzo beans, curry powder, tomato paste, organic vegetable broth and organic long grain brown rice from Whole Foods

Music on Tap

Muse - The Resistance

Not only does Muse have a reputation of being one of the best live bands around (and they better be considering they've been touring for the better part of the last seven years), but on this album they finally show their full potential!  Part pro-rock, part-Radiohead, part-Depeche Mode, part-electronica, part-Queen, this album defies categorization.  However, it will rock your socks off!  If you ask me, it's worth buying for hit single "Uprising" alone. 'Nough said.

Click here to check out this album!

Simple Suppers: Slow-Cooker Beef, Vegetable & Barley Stew

I've recently been fielding lots of requests for more slow-cooker recipes, so on this blustery cold December day (OK, maybe it is 60 degrees, but that's cold for LA!), I'm writing up one of my favorite recipes for Organic Beef, Vegetable & Barley Stew.

I know we talk a lot about organics and sustainability issues on this blog, but for the record, I'm a believer in eating some meat as part of a balanced diet.  For this recipe, I used grass-fed, organic stew beef, which is exceptionally lean, affordable and delicious.  It's a great source of lean protein when eaten in moderation, like with a serving of this stew.  Also, because this type of beef is low in fat, it doesn't need to be precooked to drain the fat before adding it to your slow-cooker.  Simply toss it in with your other ingredients, and you're ready to go!

I also piled this stew full of a great variety of vegetables like cremini mushrooms and bell peppers, which you can vary by season, and pearl barley, a fantastic, nutty whole grown that's low in the glycemic index.

Don't eat beef?

A great alternative would be bison stew meat, which I always have squirreled away in my freezer from Lindner Bison, or for you non-red meat eaters, substituting chicken and chicken broth for the beef and beef broth would be delicious.

This stew is an absolute snap to make - just pile everything into your slow-cooker and leave it all day.  Also, it's a complete meal unto itself, composed of protein, vegetables and whole grain, making it the perfect Simple Supper.  Another suggestion?  Make a huge batch and freeze half of it to eat down the road.

Slow-Cooker Beef, Vegetable & Barley Stew
Serves 4-6 people

1 lb organic stew beef
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup cremini mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup fresh or frozen lima beans
6 cups beef broth
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme sprigs & sage leaves tied together with kitchen twine)

optional: 1 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle and tied up in a cheesecloth satchel tied with kitchen twine 

Directions:

Throw all the ingredients in a slow-cooker.  Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  Once the beef is tender and cooked through, and the vegetables and barley are cooked, remove the bouquet garni and the cardamom satchel.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle into a bowl and drizzle with good olive oil, if desired.  Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients:

organic stew beef, organic cremini mushrooms, organic onion, organic celery, organic garlic and pearl barley from Whole Foods

organic red bell pepper, organic heirloom carrots & organic fresh lima beans from the Hollywood Farmers Market

Slow-Cooker Curried Lentils with Mint Rice

I've just survived the horror of all horrors!

For the first time in as long as I can remember, hell maybe even since the dawn of the Adorable Monster, it's actually raining in Los Angeles.  Now given Los Angelenos general disdain for all moisture that hurls from the sky, you might think that's the horror I endured, but you'd be wrong.  I actually enjoy the rain - it's refreshing, cleansing, it washes the smog out of the sky and the soot off the streets.

It was what happened after it rained.  My house lost power.  For almost 10 hours.  That's how craptacular this city is!  It rains one measly day a year, and the freaking power goes out.  I mean, it's not like it was even windy or anything.

No Power = No Internet!

This was the horror of all horrors, but I've survived to blog another day!  I escaped the house with the A-Girl and we grabbed dinner and a movie while Kuzak slaved late into the night, preparing for his trial next week.  The poor Monster sat alone in the dark house, but besides giving me an extra hyperactive greeting complete with excitement pee when I returned home, he seems otherwise unaffected by the outage.

Enough about me, and onto FOOD!  Today I'm bringing you another "Meatless Monday" recipe.  Now I'm perfectly aware that it is not Monday, but the idea behind the Meatless Monday campaign, a nonprofit initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health, is to persuade people to consider eating vegetarian once a week.  I'm a big supporter of this cause!  Just reducing meat consumption by one day a week can have enormous impact on both your health and the health of the planet.  Plus, I figure if I post this recipe today, you'll have time to figure out how to make it by Monday!

In addition to supporting the idea of one meatless meal a week, I am also a big advocate of convincing people to serve much smaller portions of meat than is normal in the U.S., the land of the supersized!  My suggestions are also in line with what the FDA recommends.  I suggest portions of meat be 4 ounces (or less) per person.  All of my recipes are served in this proportion.  Not only is this the healthier choice, it will also save you real cashola in your grocery bills.  I regularly buy fillets of fish and break them down at home into smaller servings.

So in support of this cause, I'm bringing you my recipe for Curried Lentils with Mint Rice!  I love beans, and when paired with a whole grain rice, they serve as a complete protein.  The great thing about lentils is that they require no soaking (so no advance preparation needed).  I always keep a bag of organic lentils stashed in my cupboard at all times.

I cooked my lentils in my favorite slow-cooker, but they would be great cooked stove top as well.  I paired the lentils with a simple long grain brown rice tossed with chopped mint.  The mint offers a fantastic counterbalance to the spicy curry and adds a great component to this dish.

So next Monday, try going without meat!  Making this recipe would be a great start!

Slow-Cooker Curried Lentils with Mint Rice
Serves 4-6 

2 cups lentils
8-10 cups low sodium vegetable stock
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups baby carrots or 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
6 small potatoes, quartered
salt & pepper

mint rice:
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp mint, chopped, plus extra for garnishing

Directions:

Place all ingredients except the salt & pepper into the slow-cooker.  Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the lentils are cooked and the carrots and potatoes are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the rice, place two cups of filtered water, the rice and the olive oil in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a low and cover.  Cook for about 35-40 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.  Remove from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes and toss with the mint.

To plate, spoon some of the mint rice onto a plate and top with the lentils.  Garnish with chopped mint.  Enjoy!

Businesses Mentioned:

Meatless Monday

A nonprofit initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health, their goal is to persuade people to go without meat one day a week!  Their fabulous website is packed with health news and meatless recipes to inspire your cooking!  CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR WEBSITE!

Source for Ingredients:

organic lentils, organic potatoes, organic mint, organic long-grain brown rice & organic carrots from Whole Foods

Simple Suppers: Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry

I'm a huge fan of slow-cooking!  It's a healthy way to cook, needing almost no fat, and it's great for all busy divas.  You throw your dinner together in the morning, and when you come home, presto chango, dinner is ready!  Yesterday, I purchased a brand new crock pot from Target, and I couldn't be more excited to test it out.  The new one is larger, so I can cook whole chickens, and it has a fancy timer!

In celebration of my new purchase, here's one of my favorite slow-cooker recipes for Chicken Curry, one of my favorite dishes in the whole world!  I make this dish at least once or twice a month on average, and maybe even once a week sometimes. Not only do I love chicken curry for its complete deliciousness, I also love it for its health benefits!  First and foremost, curry contains spices like tumeric that have major anti-inflammatory benefits.  You really can't get enough of that stuff in your diet!  Second, this dish has a nice mixture of protein (chicken), vegetables (onions, carrots, peppers, garlic) and carbs (potatoes & rice).  For an extra healthy version, serve the curry over a brown basmati or other long grain rice instead of the traditional white rice.

This is also a great dish to serve for company!  I even made it for my Dad's 60th birthday party this summer.  Allow your guests to serve themselves family style and provide a bunch of fun garnishes for them to choose from, such as chopped peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts and lime wedges.

Note: For vegetarians & vegans, tofu may be substituted for the chicken and vegetable broth for the chicken broth, making this a perfect meatless recipe!

Domestic Diva's Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry

1 lb organic chicken thighs, excess fat removed
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
6 small yukon gold potatoes, halved
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thick pieces
1 tbsp curry powder
3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 can light coconut milk
salt & pepper

rice:
1 cup basmati rice or other long grain rice
2 cups water
1 tsp olive oil

garnishes (optional):
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges
peanuts, toasted & chopped
bean sprouts

Directions:

Place all the ingredients except the coconut milk, salt and pepper into the slow-cooker, stirring to combine.  Make sure that the chicken broth covers all the ingredients.  Cook on high for about 4 hours, or on low for 6 hours.

Once the chicken is tender and cooked through, stir in the coconut milk and season to taste with salt & pepper.

To plate, put some rice in a bowl and ladle the curry on top.  Then, add preferred garnishes & enjoy!

Source for Ingredients:

organic chicken from Trader Joe's

organic bell pepper and organic carrots from Hollywood Farmers Market

organic onion, organic garlic, organic ginger & organic curry power from Whole Foods

Music on Tap:

Steve Martin - The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo

Doesn't it seem like some people have all the talent?  In addition to his comedy and prolific writing, Steve Martin also happens to be an accomplished songwriter and banjo musician!  His new bluegrass album is fantastic, full of warmth, charm and great wit, all characteristics associated with Steve Martin himself.  Tonight, Kuzak and I fortunate enough to be catching his life performancewith the Steep Canyon Rangers at a small venue called Largo, one of our favorite places to see live music in Los Angeles!  It promises to be a real treat!

CLICK HERE FOR AMAZON LINK TO THIS ALBUM!

My other upcoming live shows include Thom Yorke (of Radiohead) at The Orpheum on Sunday night.  He's performing with Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Nigel Godrich (Beck, Radiohead) and Joey Waronker (REM, Beck).  Wow!  And, finally, Pearl Jam at the Gibson Ampitheater, my birthday present to Kuzak.  We'll be sitting in our Ten Club fan seats, of course!

Slow-Cooker White Beans with Herbs & Garlic

So, when it's a million, bizillion degrees outside and the mercury is about to explode, who wants to go near at stove? Last night, Kuzak and I dragged our mattress into our one air-conditioned room, which is not the kitchen, and set up camp. Right now, the Monster and I are huddled together by the A/C, only emerging for food and very quick walks outside, with me urging, "Hurry Up!" while the Monster pants and sniffs and digs and then pants and sniffs a new spot, all while refusing to go. Thank goodness I'm heading north tomorrow, first to San Francisco and then further up the coast for Portland, Oregon!

What do I have in store for you? Well, first up, I'm reuniting with my parents, The Original Diva and The Wine Lover, and on Sunday, we're heading to my Top Chef Brother's restaurant, Picco, for a feast! The next day, we're following it up with a visit to Alice Waters' famed Chez Panisse. I'm sure we'll sneak in many other meals, but we're also booked into Beast and Wildwood Restaurant in Portland! I simply can't wait to escape the heat and do some serious eating!

But in the meantime, here's one of my favorite recipes, and it's perfect for hot days because you don't have to go near a stove! Instead, in the morning when it's still cool, plug in your favorite slow-cooker or crock pot, which uses much less energy, and let it go all day. By the time dinner roles around and the sun fades away, you'll be ready to eat! Also, did I mention that white beans are exceptionally healthy? Full of nutrients and fiber? This dish makes an excellent side dish to just about any meal, serve them alongside grilled fish, or pair them with lamb! A truly winning dish!


Domestic Diva's Slow-Cooker White Beans

1 cup cannellini beans, soaked overnight
bouquet garni (rosemary, thyme & a bay leaf tied together with twine)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
salt & pepper

Directions:

Place the soaked beans in the slow-cooker and cover with filtered water. Add the olive oil, garlic cloves & bouquet garni. Simmer the beans for 4-6 hours until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Businesses Mentioned:

Chez Panisse Cafe
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 548-5049

Alice Waters' famed Berkeley establishment, the cafe is a wonderful alternative to the more formal restaurant. Dine on her food in a relaxed atmosphere and save a buck while you're at it!

Picco Restaurant
320 Magnolia Ave.
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 924-0300

My Top Chef Brother's restaurant! They feature a family style restaurant next to a pizzeria and wine shop. A must visit when in the area!

Beast
5425 NE 30th Ave
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 841-6968

Wildwood
1221 NW 21st Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 248-9663

Music on Tap:

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam

Kuzak just returned from seeing Pearl Jam in Chicago - a great who from what I hear! - and got me in the mood to revisit their latest album. They have a new one slated for September release and I already have my Ten Club tickets for the Oct. 6th show in LA! Favorites off this album include, "Life Wasted" and "World Wide Suicide."

Happy 4th of July: Slow-Cooker Organic Pork Chili!

Happy 4th of July to all my divas! I know it's customary to fire up the grill on the 4th, cooking up all manner of meat. I'll actually be grilling up some sea bass for dinner myself, but I thought as my holiday gift, I'd do something a little different and share a great chili recipe with you! As many of you already know, I'm a big fan of my crock pot. I love throwing a bunch of ingredients into it first thing in the morning and letting it cook all day. After smelling it burbling away for hours, it's such a pleasure when the time finally comes to enjoy the food. This time around, I'm sharing a new chili recipe, this time made with beautiful organic ground pork! This dish is protein-packed and healthy, full of fiber and nutrients.

Diva Cooking Tip of the Day: Bypass the cheese please! Instead, top your chili with sliced avocado for richness and chopped cilantro. I also add brown rice to my chili, which when combined with beans, forms a complete protein. Also try topping it with spicy salsa for some extra kick!

Note: If you'd prefer, ground turkey may be substituted for the pork in this dish.

Domestic Diva's Slow Cooker Organic Pork Chili

3/4 cup white beans, soaked overnight (may substitute canned)
3/4 cup cranberry or pinto beans, soaked overnight (may substitute canned)
4 cups chicken stock
1 lb ground pork, browned and drained of fat
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili flakes
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes

Garnishes:
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 avocado, sliced
cilantro, chopped

Directions:

After browning the ground pork in a skillet and draining the fat, add it to the slow cooker. Add all of the other ingredients and allow to simmer for 6-8 hours, or until the beans are tender. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

To serve, fill a bowl with chili. Top with the brown rice, avocado & cilantro. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Vegetable, Bean & Quinoa Soup

As promised, I'm bringing you another meatless recipe for Meatless Mondays! This time around, I'm sharing one of my favorite soups to throw together quickly in my crock pot - it's a total cinch to make. I combine vegetables, beans and quinoa and let it simmer slowly all day long. The beans and quinoa add extra protein to this very healthy dish.

Slow-Cooker Vegetable, Bean & Quinoa Soup

4 cups vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cups mixed vegetables, chopped (fresh or frozen works)
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup quinoa
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients into the crock pot. Simmer for 4-6 hours, or until cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Slow-Cooker Two Bean Chili

Whew! I'm still catching my breath after a whirlwind weekend with Kuzak's parents. I promise to report soon on all of our fabulous meals at joints like Comme Ca, The Bazaar by Jose Andres & Lucques. In the meantime, I'm going to leave you with a great, simple crock pot recipe that also happens to be vegetarian (as I promised I'm blogging meatless recipes). Beans, in addition to having fiber and nutrients, also make a complete protein when paired with rice. I serve this two bean chili with a whole grain rice. So give this a try - I promise you'll love it!

Domestic Diva's Slow-Cooker Two Bean Chili

1 cup cranberry or pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 cup white beans, soaked overnight
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup cooked whole grain rice

Directions:

Add everything except the rice to the crock pot or slow cooker. Simmer for 6-8 hours, or until the beans are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with 1/2 cup of the rice. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Hey my busy divas, I know we're all looking for ways to do it all. To eat healthy, perform at our jobs, work out, and oh yeah, still have time for a jumpin' social life. Maybe some of us can do it all perfectly (not), but most likely you're a lot like me. We strive for perfection, but we fall a little short. Well, don't worry, because The Diva is here to help make your quest to do it all a little bit easier. With the economy in its current state, we're all trying to cut back, too. So here's a recipe based on a few simple, inexpensive ingredients I scooped up at Trader Joe's. It's healthy, a cinch to throw together, and as Kuzak admitted, "divalicious."

Domestic Diva's Quick Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

1 package organic chicken thighs, fat trimmed
1 bottle BBQ sauce
2 whole wheat buns
1 bottle ginger mango chutney (from TJs)
1 cup organic microgreens

Directions:

In a crock pot or slow cooker, add the chicken. Cover with BBQ sauce. Simmer for approximately 5 hours, or until very tender. Shred the chicken with a fork.


Once the chicken is cooked, toast the buns. Spread with chutney, add a good helping of BBQ chicken and top with the microgreens. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Lentil Soup with Quinoa, Kale & Fresh Ginger

Everyone hates getting sick, and I'm no different, having come down with a sore throat that has progressed to a cough. Just lovely! But often, I think we get sick precisely so we can appreciate what it's like to be healthy. Like anything in life, it all depends on how you look at it, and usually, I think of sick days, the ones where you sit around in your PJ's all day watching daytime television you would usually never subject yourself to, give us a chance to take a time out from our hectic lives. Of course, it's better if we can do that without needing to be sick to take a day off work or have a night with no social commitments, but few of us would ever slow down otherwise.

So even though my boyfriend, Kuzak, and I are both on injured reserve today, much to my puppy, the Adorable Monster's, chagrin, that's no excuse to eat bad food! We all know how great a bowl of hearty soup tastes when you're under the weather. When I know I'm not feeling great, I often throw a big crock pot full of soup on first thing in the morning. That way, with minimal effort, there's something healthy to eat all day long that will help me get better faster! (At least I think it will!) This morning, I settled on making a classic lentil soup. It's fast cooking, hearty, and full of protein when paired with a grain. I also decided to add quinoa, an ancient high protein grain. To juice up the health factor, I chopped up some kale. Finally, to season the broth, I used fresh ginger, tumeric and cumin.

The resulting soup was positively divalicious, even by my standards. The flavors blended beautifully, making this a great winter soup, full of protein, fiber and vitamins. The fresh ginger infused the broth with a ton of spicy flavor, and the cumin and tumeric gave it even more character. Not to mention, using my crock pot, it was a cinch to make. I highly recommend trying this recipe. It's great for lunch, or filling enough to be eaten for dinner. So hopefully you won't have to get sick to have an excuse to try this recipe out!!

Note: If you don't own a crock pot, this could be made traditionally on the stovetop. Just begin by sauteing onions, carrots and celery in olive oil before adding the other ingredients.

"Hey Diva, if you're not gonna give me a big walk,
can I at least try some of your soup?"
-The Adorable Monster

Domestic Diva's Slow-Cooker Lentil Soup with Quinoa, Kale & Fresh Ginger

1 1/2 cups lentils
1/2 cup quinoa
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
2 cups kale chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Throw all the ingredients together in the crock pot. Turn it on and allow it to cook, covered, for several hours until the lentils and vegetables are cooked through.


Salt and pepper to taste. Told you it was a cinch! Enjoy.

Cooking 101: Slow-Cooker Chicken Stock

The Diva here with another secret to divalicious cooking! Yes, I'm invoking the scary S-Word! Making your own stocks is the one biggest thing you can do to improve your cooking by leaps and bounds. Yes, in a pinch, store bought will suffice, but for truly transcendent food, going the homemade route is a must! In fact, many times, you're better off adding water than crappy stock to a great dish.

Usually when I mention making stock, my girlfriends stare at me in abject horror, picturing a 1950s housewife slaving all day over a hot stove. "We don't have time!" they exclaim. "And doesn't it like go bad?" Or they'll ask, "Where on earth do we get a chicken carcass?"

The Diva to the rescue! First, you can store chicken broth in your freezer for 6 months to a year. Second, to get a chicken carcass, you can make a roast chicken for dinner! Soon, I'll post a recipe for my Divalicious Roast Chicken, but in the meantime, one of my favorite to go meals is a rotisserie chicken from the Whole Foods deli. It's healthy and delicious! Pick up a chicken one night for a quick meal in a pinch and then save your carcass to make stock. In these morbid economic times, this is an awesome way to stretch your money by getting double use out of your product! And finally, erase images of slaving for hours over a hot stove with my crock pot chicken stock recipe!

If you don't own a crock pot, you should! It's essentially a slow cooking device that can be left alone all day. They're inexpensive - I paid around $30 for my basic crock pot (see my Amazon store - click here). While you can buy a fancier version, this one works great. All you have to do to make stock, is throw all your ingredients into your crock pot and leave it all day. The longer it cooks, the better! At the end of the day, you can return to strain and freeze your stock. Presto Chango! You have your own, beautiful, homemade stock available anytime you need it!

Domestic Diva's Slow-Cooker Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass
2 celery stalks (including tops) roughly chopped
1 onion roughly chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf bunch of thyme
1 tsp peppercorns
filtered water

Directions:

Add leftover chicken carcass to crock pot.


Add all the the other ingredients to crock pot.



Cover with filtered water.


Simmer stock all day, then turn off heat and allow to cool.


Strain through a mesh sieve. Divide stock in half and pour into freezer bags. Freeze for up to six months!

For this recipe's inspiration, shout out's go to my Top Chef Brother for teaching me the importance of making my own stock and to Momma Diva for prodding me to get a crock pot!