Slow Cooker Chicken Provence with Red Potatoes

 I still love my slow cooker! Especially this time of year, when life is busy and you don't want to be inside all afternoon. The days are getting warmer, the sunlight lasts longer and you want to enjoy every minute of it.

This is a recipe I threw together the other day with ingredients I had on hand. Defrosted bone-in chicken thighs, and a big five pound bag of large red potatoes.

One way I love to fix potatoes with any protein in the slow cooker, is to simply place the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker whole. The potatoes will then sort of act like a rack to hold the protein up. it's great because the protein will actually roast and turn golden brown, especially if you have a little fat on the protein that will get crispy over the long cooking period.  The potatoes will then cook in the savory juices from the meat along with any additional ingredients you add.

This one's super easy and super versatile. Don't have Herbs de Provence? Try it with your favorite seasoning blend instead! It would be delicious with Victoria's Gourmet Tuscan Blend, Chili Cinnamon Rub, or even the Ginger Citrus blend! Victoria's Gourmet sent me a huge package of seasoning blends several years ago and I still use them nearly every day! Check out my favorite way to store the small seasoning tins!

Slow Cooker Chicken Provence with Red Potatoes
free of gluten, dairy, soy, and grains
created by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com
printer-friendly version

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 5 medium size red potatoes (enough to fit the bottom of a 4 quart oval slow cooker)
• 1/3 cup white wine or cider vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon herbs de provence seasoning blend (McCormick's Gourmet is a great brand too, look for it in the spice aisle of your grocery store)
• freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste
• Optional: 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice for serving

Directions: 

1. Place (washed & patted dry) whole red potatoes in the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker. (You can easily double this recipe if you have a larger 6-quart slow cooker!) 
2. Place the chicken thighs on top of the potatoes. Drizzle the white wine over the potatoes followed by the olive oil. 
3. Sprinkle the herbs de provence and the ground salt & pepper evenly over the chicken. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. 
4. Serve 1 chicken thigh per person with a quartered red potato. Make sure to ladle some of the juices from the bottom of the slow cooker over the chicken and potatoes, it's delicious! To brighten the dish just before serving squeeze some fresh lemon juice or lime juice over each plate. Serve with a fresh salad on the side. 

Carrie's Kitchen Notes: 

•  If you have any leftover chicken and potatoes, remove the chicken from the bone and cut into small pieces, dice up the potatoes and mix with the juices in the bottom of the slow cooker for a chicken & potato stew. You can add cooked green beans and carrots to make a more complete meal. 
• I prefer bone-in chicken because it has more flavor and it will withstand long cooking times in the slow cooker without falling apart or losing texture. 
• You can use any type of potatoes you'd like in this dish. Red potatoes worked great, but it would be delicious with yellow, white, or purple potatoes too! 
• You can also add a few heirloom tomatoes chopped up to the slow cooker before cooking for extra flavor. 

Farewell to Florida -- Tips for Making Gluten-Free Guests Feel At Home

It's been real, Florida. And we'll be back.

6 days in Fleming Island, Fl. Complete with Winn Dixie stores that have separate gluten-free sections, a Mellow Mushroom, Chick-Fil-A, and... oh yeah.. beaches. Beaches are good.

We ate well here. Mostly in my sister-in-law's kitchen. Grilled ribs, twice baked potatoes, gluten-free pancakes, gluten-free pulled pork barbecue, coleslaw, homemade black-eyed peas... I could go on!

And we not only ate well here, we were welcomed here. We felt at home.

Want to know how to make a Celiac or somebody who's gluten sensitive or allergic... or ANYBODY with food allergies --> feel at home?  Here are a few tips, all of which were put into practice without any help from me by my husband's wonderful sister Lisa and her family:

• Offer naturally gluten-free foods for meals that the whole family can enjoy.

• Going out to eat? Ask the gluten-free guest where they would like to eat. If you have favorite places in your area call them ahead of time and ask if they have a gluten-free menu. 

• Ask your gluten-free guest ahead of time what types of snacks they enjoy. If you can find gluten-free crackers, chips, and even cookies available in your local stores: surprise your guest with a gluten-free item. 

• Have lots of healthy, naturally gluten-free snacks available such as: fresh fruits and vegetables, roasted nuts like pecans, peanuts, or cashews, boiled eggs and/or cheese sticks in the fridge, etc... 

• If you are making regular meals WITH gluten along with gluten-free meals... make SURE to prepare the gluten-free meals FIRST with clean utensils, bowls, chopping boards, and cookware, on a freshly cleaned surface. 

• Don't make a big deal about it. Sure, it takes some preparation and extra thought, but help your guests to feel normal by not making a big deal out their dietary restrictions. If they want to talk about it and share with you, awesome! But many gluten-free folks can feel like they are "putting people out" or making things difficult by having to be different. This is especially important when you have gluten-free kids visiting! They need to feel like normal kids, not "the problem" kid... 

• Relax. Many people have multiple food sensitivities and/or food allergies that can be a challenge. If that's the case, ask your guest if they would prefer to cook for themselves and ask for suggestions on how you can help (ie... purchasing certain groceries, what special equipment they might need, etc...) In some cases it may be easier to allow your guest to have full control over his or her menu while they are visiting. Don't be offended if they cannot eat your food, they are simply looking out for their health and don't want to be sick while they are enjoying your company! 

What are your tips for feeding guests with strict dietary requirements? Do you cook for them? Buy groceries? Allow them to cook for themselves? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Rosemary Garlic Pan Steak with Wilted Spinach Recipe

We eat a lot of meals that look kind of like the above photo here. Lean, healthy proteins served over lightly sauteed spinach. Spinach is the new pasta. Did you know? It's so easy to cook, and you don't even have to cook it if you don't want too. I will serve just about anything over spinach. Except cupcakes. Cupcakes don't really jive with spinach. 

This was a meal from Monday night. It took about 25 minutes to make from start to finish, complete with the caramelized onion & mushroom sauce. I will say, if my kitchen is clean (as it was on Monday night -- and as it's continued to be this week -- last week was a whole 'nother ball game) I'm much more inclined to cook. If it's a mess... I'll find excuses not too. 

This meal is made in two steps (well three if you count the minute it takes to saute the spinach). You first caramelize the onions and cook the mushrooms to create the sauce to serve over the spinach and steak. The majority of the cooking time is spent caramelizing the onions, that will take about 15 minutes. Once you've finished the sauce, you set it aside and keep it warm in a small bowl, and then make the steak in the same pan. 

I served this steak with homemade applesauce on the side. Not really a popular side dish for steak... but we liked it! Again it was a really quick side dish to make. Have you ever made homemade apple sauce? You simply cook (peeled & seeded) apples for about 10 minutes with a little water. That's it. You can add cinnamon, maybe a little sugar if your apples are tart... but that's all you have to do. 

Rosemary Garlic Pan Steak with Wilted Spinach and Caramelized Onions

naturally gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly, and soy free

created by Carrie Forbes, of Gingerlemongirl.com

printer-friendly recipe

For the caramelized onions & mushrooms:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 small (6 oz. - 8 oz.) package button mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
1/2 cup gluten free beef broth

For the rosemary garlic steaks:
2 (4 oz. - 8 oz.) ribeye steaks
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 cloves minced garlic
salt & pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. butter or olive oil

For bed of spinach:
1 (9 oz.) bag of fresh baby spinach

Directions:

1. Heat a large, heavy-duty skillet (cast iron is my favorite.) Add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions and cook over medium-low heat, slowly for about 8-10 minutes until onions are starting to become very soft and browned (caramelized.) Add mushrooms and beef broth. Continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 8-10 minutes until broth has reduced and mushrooms are softened and cooked through. Transfer onions, mushrooms, and sauce to a small bowl and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. 
2. Place skillet back on stove. Place on medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp. butter to pan. When butter is hot & sizzling add steaks. Add half of rosemary, garlic, salt & pepper to each side of the steaks. Cook steaks for 3-5 minutes on each side, until done to your preferences. Finish steaks by placing 1 tbsp. butter on each and allow to melt. Remove steaks from pan and place on a serving plate. 
3. Add bag of fresh baby spinach to the skillet and cook for 1-3 minutes until spinach is wilted to your preference. Add half of spinach to each plate. 
4. Slice steaks into small strips and place 3-4 ounces of steak (or whole steak depending on how hungry you are!) onto each serving of spinach. Add about 1/3 cup of onions & mushrooms with sauce over the steak and serve immediately. 
5. For our family -- the steaks & caramelized onion sauce makes 4 servings, so we have half a steak each for dinner and save the rest for lunch the next day. TO make 4 servings of spinach, I would wilt 2 bags instead of 1. The spinach is best, when just cooked though, which is why I prefer to only cook as much as needed initially.