Recipe: Slow Cooker Kebsa in Dakkous

I'm fond of converting recipes to slow cooker recipes. Here, I've combined kebsa, a traditional Saudi dish made with chicken and exotic spices, and dakkous (a flavorful tomato sauce served with kebsa) into one recipe, making it fast and easy to prepare.

Kebsa is traditionally served with rice made from the poaching broth used to cook the chicken, so if you'd like to enjoy your kebsa with rice, I suggest preparing the rice using chicken broth instead of water.

You can enjoy kebsa as is (as in the picture), in a sandwich, or served on rice or mashed potatoes, but my favorite way to enjoy it is on a pita, like an individual pizza. It's hardly traditional, especially if you add cheese, but it's delicious!

Slow Cooker Kebsa in Dakkous

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can mild green chiles
1/2 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Directions:

Combine tomatoes, paste, chiles, onion, coriander, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in slow cooker. Add chicken and cook on LOW 4 - 6 hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe: Hummus

Hummus is a classic Middle Eastern recipe, which means there are many opinions and variations. In the Middle East, hummus is usually prepared with tahini (sesame seed butter), but in Greece, olive oil is used. I find raw olive oil upsets my stomach, so I opt for canola oil. It'll be delicious no matter how you prepare it! Serve with pita chips, a veggie platter, or use as a spread for sandwiches in lieu of mayonnaise. Yum!

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup bottled minced garlic (or 8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped)
1/4 cup canola oil, olive oil, or tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Combine chickpeas, water, garlic, oil or tahini, and lemon juice in blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.

Recipe: Hot Spiced Cider

While this recipe isn't especially unusual, it's incredibly popular with guests when I serve it, so I'd like to share it with you. It's one of my favorites for get-togethers, because it's made in the slow cooker. So, I can prepare it in advance, and it's ready for company when they arrive...and it fills the house with the aroma of spices, too!

When I make it for company, I use apple juice, but when I prepare it for myself, I use a sugar-free apple juice drink mix. I'm okay with sugar substitutes, and it's a calorie-free holiday option.

Hot Spiced Cider

Ingredients:

8 cups (2 quarts) apple juice
3 (3") cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
3 allspice berries
1/2 orange, thickly sliced
1/2 lemon, thickly sliced
Brandy or rum (optional)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on HIGH until boiling. Reduce heat to LOW. If desired, add a splash of brandy or rum to each glass before serving.

Recipe: Pumpkin Hummus

It's that time of year when pumpkin recipes abound! -- and one of my favorites is pumpkin hummus. Pumpkin hummus is good with cut raw veggies or plain pita chips, but it's sublime with cinnamon pita chips or cinnamon pretzels. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup bottled minced garlic (or 8 garlic cloves, minced)
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini paste
salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine pumpkin, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. Add salt to taste.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

We're headed to the Renaissance Faire tomorrow! -- and we're excited to share many of our favorite Spanish choreographies tomorrow, so it's no surprise I'm thinking about mole. Mole is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. Given my sweet tooth, that's not surprising: Mole incorporates cocoa powder and sugar. That also makes mole the perfect recipe for Halloween -- a little chocolate in my dinner makes it easier to steer clear of all the candy and treats! I use the slow cooker to prepare mole, which makes this a terrific recipe if you're hosting a party or headed out to celebrate the evening.

My husband was reluctant to try my take on mole because his mother and aunts prepared mole that was more sweet than spicy. Mole is typically a high-fat dish, too. I've eliminated nearly all of the fat, and struck a balance between sweet, spicy, and savory flavors, so my husband and I can both enjoy mole. !Buen provecho!

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/2 ounce) package dried pasilla, mulato, or ancho chiles
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Directions:

Remove stems from chiles, if necessary. Combine chiles and tomato sauce in blender, and puree until chiles are well-integrated into sauce.

Pour sauce into slow cooker. Add cornmeal, cocoa powder, sugar, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, and cloves, and stir to combine. Place chicken on top of sauce. Cook on LOW setting 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe: Mediterranean Potato Salad

This Mediterranean take on classic potato salad makes a cool, refreshing side dish for a hot summer's day. I like to serve it on top of a bed of chopped greens and garnish it with chopped tomato to make it a meal. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Potato Salad

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, waxy-type
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 teaspoon whole coriander, crushed
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground peppercorn mix

Directions:

Boil potatoes until just soft. Drain and cool. Chop into 1/2" cubes.

Place potatoes, yogurt, celery, onion, dill weed, coriander, and peppercorn mix in medium bowl, and gently stir to combine.

Recipe: Foul Mudhammas

I've put off posting this recipe, even though it's one of my favorite go-to meals, for several reasons...beginning with the unusual name. It's actually pronounced fool moodhammus, but that's only something of an improvement!

I also held off sharing this recipe until I found a source for canned fava beans. You can use cooked dried fava beans (readily available at Indian or Middle Eastern markets), but that'll require an extra step, which takes away from how terrific this dish is for a super-quick lunch or a light supper. If you can't find canned fava beans at your local Indian or Middle Eastern market, you can find them online at  www.ranis.com.

It's well worth the effort to look past the name, and round up canned fava beans. This recipe is healthy, filling, quick and easy to prepare, and it's absolutely delish in an Arabic or Greek pita. Enjoy!

Foul Mudhammas

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green onions
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (14-ounce) cans fava beans, drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-high hat. Add onion, chiles, garlic, parley, and cumin, and cook, stirring often, for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add fava beans and lemon juice, and stir constantly until mushy (to desired consistency). Add a tablespoon or two of water, if necessary.

When heated through and at desired consistency, serve in pita bread as sandwiches.

Recipe: Tzatziki (Cucumber Yogurt Dressing)

Tzatziki is one of my favorite dressings. It's delicious with all sorts of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, from kebbeh to foul moudhammus, but it's a classic with falafel. It makes a wonderful chunky salad dressing, too. Enjoy!

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek yogurt
2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons dried dill weed

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Serve chilled.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Kebsa in Dakkous

I'm fond of converting recipes to slow cooker recipes. Here, I've combined kebsa, a traditional Saudi dish made with chicken and exotic spices, and dakkous (a flavorful tomato sauce served with kebsa) into one recipe, making it fast and easy to prepare.

Kebsa is traditionally served with rice made from the poaching broth used to cook the chicken, so if you'd like to enjoy your kebsa with rice, I suggest preparing it using chicken broth instead of water.

You can enjoy kebsa as is (as in the picture), in a sandwich, or served on rice or mashed potatoes, but my favorite way to enjoy it is on a pita, like an individual pizza. It's hardly traditional, especially if you add cheese, but it's delicious!

Slow Cooker Kebsa in Dakkous

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can mild green chiles
1/2 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Directions:

Combine tomatoes, paste, childes, onion, coriander, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in slow cooker. Add chicken and cook on HIGH 4 - 6 hours, or on LOW 6 - 8 hours, until chicken is cooked through.