Slow Cooker Moroccan Butternut Squash & Chickpea Stew

I haven’t used my slow cooker in a while so I’m super happy to have another crockpot recipe on my blog! The reason for this one is that I’m staying at my mum’s at the moment; and we had some butternut squash lying around but didn’t know what to do with it. Neither of us have really used it much before, in fact she doesn’t think she ever has, and I have only used it a couple of times before in a root veg mash, or had shop-bought ‘boodles’. Anyway, it’s a great ingredient for adding substance to a meal without making it too starchy. It’s lighter than sweet potato but kind of similar.

This recipe is sooooo easy it’s ridiculous. A ‘method’ section isn’t even required, as it’s basically just “put everything in a slow cooker and turn it on.” The garnishes of greek yogurt and rocket  respectively add a freshness and zing to this warm and comforting meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup red lentils
• 1 x 400g drained and rinsed
• 400g passata
• 1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 heaped tsp turmeric
• 1 heaped tsp cumin
• 2 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• Brown rice

Garnish:

• Greek yogurt
• Rocket

Method:

Literally add everything except the rice to a slow cooker (no need to brown anything first), stir, turn on to high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Remove the lid for the last hour to thicken the sauce.

Sever with brown rice and garnishes.

Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Chicken Stew

I recently purchased a slow cooker, and I can tell you, it’s the best thing I ever bought! I’m such an impatient cook, like I can never make a stew or curry properly, because if you cook it the normal way you have to really wait at least an hour and a half with it on the hob or in the oven for the flavours to really infuse. I get too hungry smelling it bubbling away and imagining that juicy goodness so near but yet so far away, so I always take it off before it’s ready and then you just don’t get the meal at its absolute best.

However, with one of these beauties you leave it on while you’re at work, or sleeping, or whatever else you want to do for 6-10 hours, so it’s not really like you’re waiting for the food to cook, you can totally forget about it until you’re ready to eat.

My preference is to cook it while I’m at work, so I chop up the ingredients in the evening before bed, combine them and leave in a bowl in the fridge overnight, and then in the morning I bung it in the slow cooker and skip off out for the day. Then when I return after a long day’s work my home smells amazing and it’s as if I have a live in chef who has prepared me a meal without me having to lift a finger (even though I did earlier, but not many, and not for very long).

Anyway, this jerk chicken stew, which I adapted from a chilli recipe, is one of my favourite recipes for the slow cooker. You can make it really hot (which I accidentally did the first time I made it) but this recipe is medium, just make sure you deseed your chilli if it’s a hot one. My jerk marinade was hot too. Make it milder by omitting the chilli altogether. It also has a pleasant sweetness to it, not so much that it could be described as a sweet dish, but enough to complement the spices nicely.

Without further ado, here’s the (very simple) recipe!

Ingredients:

• 500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 8 spring onions, plus more to garnish, if desired
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 1 1/2 peppers, diced (I used one red, and half an orange one)
• 1 pepper, finely minced and seeds removed
• 100g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup Jamaican jerk marinade
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Juice of 1 lime
• Small handful fresh coriander, chopped
• Shredded cheddar cheese, to top (optional)
• Sliced avocado, to top

Method:

Combine all ingredients, except for the last four,  in a bowl and mix well. Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

When it’s done, add the lime juice and the coriander and stir in.

Top with the cheese and serve with rice or your choice of bread.