Indian Butter Chicken

This has become an absolute family favorite! It's so easy and truly delicious. Everyone loves chicken tikka masala but that involves marinating and grilling the chicken which takes some serious forethought and effort. We've found that we like butter chicken just as much and it's way less work. It works great in an Instapot but could also work fine in a crockpot. 

Many people in my family make variations of this recipe quite regularly and we often have it at family reunions at Bear Lake - it feeds a crowd very nicely!

Ingredients:

2 14-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (or 1 28-ounce cans)

6-10 cloves of minced garlic (can use 1-2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic, depends on how much you like garlic!)

2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp garam masala (fresh ground if you have it)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp ground ginger (or fresh grated ginger)

1 tsp cayenne pepper or pepper flakes (a little more if you want it more spicy, a little less if you aren't crazy about spiciness)

2 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika works)

2 tsp kosher salt

2-3 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or use thighs if you like) - some people like it more saucy, others like more chicken in it

4 tsp (half a cube) of butter (cut into small pieces)

12-16 ounces (or 1 1/2 to 2 cups) of heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk to make it dairy-free) - use less to make it more tomato-y and spicy, more to make it more creamy

1 cup chopped cilantro (or more if you like cilantro - we use about 2 cups for this size recipe)

4 cups Basmati rice (or more if you like a lot of rice with your sauce)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients prior to the chicken in the order listed into the instant pot. Mix the sauce well then push the chicken into the sauce, making sure the chicken is well-coated and mostly submerged. Close the cooker and set for 10-20 minutes on high (20+ for thick frozen chicken breasts, 10-12 for defrosted chicken breasts) then let it release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. After that, release all remaining pressure. 

Open up the pot, remove the chicken and place on cutting board.  Chop up the chicken into small bite-sized chunks. Let the tomato mixture cool a bit while you chop the chicken. Then stir the butter, cream and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro into the sauce. Stir the chicken into the sauce. If the sauce is really thin, don't worry, it'll thicken as you let it cool a bit. 

Cook the basmati rice according to the rice package or your rice cooker's directions. Cook the rice with about 1/2 tsp salt per cup of rice. Mix in some cumin seeds and a splash of oil or some ghee (clarified butter) after cooking if you want to make it fancy and extra flavorful.

Serve the curry and chicken sauce over the basmati rice (or used riced cauliflower or chopped spinach if you like).

Makes 6-8 servings

* Adapted from a recipe my sister Saydi got from my sister-in-law Julie and I'm not sure where it originally came from!

New Recipe to Share: Dahl (Lentils) with Tomatoes and Onions

This recipe is one that I can make in about 30 minutes and it involves ingredients that I pretty much always have on hand in my pantry or fridge (don't need anything fresh except some yogurt/sour cream and cilantro for toppings - those are nice but not necessary). It's savory, filling, and very cheap to make. It's from an Indian cooking class I took ages ago when I lived in DC. I can still hear the teacher's beautiful Indian accent as she explained everything to us. While it's Indian, it's not spicy/hot and it's got flavors that most everyone likes.

I like to make the full batch (serves 12) and then use leftovers for lunches or another dinner. The flavor actually improves as it sits in the fridge for a couple days. And it freezes well if you want to make a lot and save some for later.

I read an article about lentils back when I was living with roommates and working in DC and trying to spend very little money on food while trying to eat really healthily. I learned that lentils are chock-full of vitamins and protein and that they have a great meaty sort of texture and flavor. You can even use them in place of hamburger in a recipe. So I got really into lentils back then. And we probably have a recipe with lentils a couple times a month these days.

Anyway, here goes with the recipe:

Dahl (Lentils) with Tomatoes and Onions

Ingredients:

1 tbsp canola oil

1 large onion OR 2 small onions, minced

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root (can use the bottled pre-grated stuff)

1 tbsp minced garlic (can used the bottled, pre-minced stuff)

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp curry powder

2 cups lentils (red, yellow, brown, whatever kind of lentils)

2 28-oz cans of petite diced

4 cups water

2 tsp salt (to taste)

1 fresh green chili, finely chopped (if desired, makes more spicy)

fresh chopped cilantro leaves to garnish

plain yogurt or sour cream as topping

Directions:

Saute together onions, ginger, and garlic in the oil until limp and slightly browned. Add chili powder and curry powder. Add the lentils and mix together over the heat. Mix in the two cans of tomatoes (including juice - dump in the whole can). Then add the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until lentils are soft (add a little more water if necessary to keep lentils moist while cooking). Stir in salt. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and a dollop of yogurt/sour cream. Garnish wtih chopped chilis for more heat. Good over basmati rice. 

Serves 12.

Southwest Pizza

I've been a bit un-motivated about cooking this summer (to say the least). After helping to cook for 30-50 people every day at Bear Lake (where we ate like kings thanks to so many great ideas from so many great cooks - read details here on my mom's blog), I just needed a break and we all felt content with pretty simple stuff - pasta and red sauce, beans and rice, tuna sandwiches, that sort of thing . . .

But I'm getting back into the swing of more tasty and imaginative food now. Especially since several of the kids set summer goals involving learning to make a meal and they've only got this week to finish their goals.

Here's a new favorite we came up with one day last week when we were trying to be creative with what we had in the fridge. It was super easy and an instant favorite and we'll be making it again and again!

SOUTHWEST PIZZA

This picture shows you most of what you need to know but some instructions are below.

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (make some or buy some already made, can also use pre-cooked pita bread as a pizza crust and have everyone make their own little pizza)
• Your favorite salsa
• Queso fresca (crumbly white Mexican cheese) or whatever cheese you want
• corn (frozen or canned, whatever you've got)
• a can of black beans (drained)
• chopped cilantro (as much as you want)

You could also add some canned green chile peppers (mild or hot, your choice), grilled chicken, taco meat, sliced green or red peppers, etc.

Directions:

• spray cookie sheet/baking tray generously with cooking spray
• stretch out dough nice and thin into a circle/oval (you can roll it out but just stretching it out by hand works well for me)
• spread on salsa
• top with cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, whatever else you want
• cook at 425 for about 12-15 minutes or until crust edges are golden and cheese is melted. You might need to use a paper towel to soak up extra liquid if your salsa/corn is extra liquidy (I had to).

Chicken Spaghetti (with goat cheese)

Here's a recent super-duper easy favorite. This takes about 5 minutes to put into the crock pot, about 6 hours to cook in the crock pot, then about 8 minutes to cook the pasta while you shred the chicken.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 large frozen chicken breasts (depends on how heavy on the chicken you want it to be - and how much chicken you happen to have)
• 1 jar marinara sauce (my favorite is Bertolli's marinara but any kind works fine)
• 1/4 cup basalmic vinegar (gives it a nice little tang, makes it taste a little more special)
• 1-2 packages of pasta (we usually use capellinni because it's so fast to cook and the kids like the thin noodles but linguine, penne, or bow-tie all work great as well)
• shredded mozzarella or parmesean cheese or crumbled goat cheese (my favorite) to sprinkle on top

Instructions:
Place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot. Dump marinara sauce and basalmic vinegar over the top. Cook in crock pot on high for 5-6 hours (or until chicken is falling apart). About 10 minutes before you want to eat, put water in a post (with quite a bit of salt in the water), bring water to the boil, dump in pasta, cook until tender but still a bit firm (pasta package directions should tell you about how long - usually 6-10 minutes depending on how thick the pasta is). While pasta cooks, shred/pull apart chicken (still in crock pot) using two forks. If you have a little time, leave the shredded chicken to stew a bit longer in its now-shredded state. Taste the chicken and sauce and add a bit of salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

When pasta is done, drain and rinse it (rinsing helps prevent it from sticking together too much). Serve chicken marinara sauce on top of pasta. Top with the cheese of your choice. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS PAELLA

A neighbor made this for me one time and gave me the recipe. It's since been tweaked and made about a thousand times. I love how quick, easy and flavorful it is - plus it's very healthy. Sometimes I use couscous, sometimes quinoa. Both work great. It takes me about 30 minutes from start to finish to make this.



Ingredients:
2 tsp canola or olive oil
1 chopped red bell pepper (can also do an orange pepper)
1 chopped large sweet yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (or 1tsp garlic powder)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (or curry powder if you don't have tumeric)
  ******          
2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 pound of firm or medium firm tofu, cut into little cubes (smaller than 1/2 inch)
1/2 pound shelled precooked tail-off frozen shrimp
1-2 cups frozen peas (I like lots of peas)
1 cup quick-cooking couscous (or 1 cup quinoa)
1 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
ground black pepper (to taste)

Optional: coursely chopped or slivered toasted almonds, chopped fresh parsley, lemon wedges

Put everything down through the turmeric into a large saute or frying pan and stir together over medium high heat until onions are limp. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add everything else and if you're using couscous, just turn off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then stir. If you're using quinoa, turn stove down to a simmer and let it cook for about 15 more minutes or until the little circles on the quinoa start to separate and the grains are soft.

Serve with chopped almonds, parsley and lemon on top if you like.

Great hot, warm, or at room temperature. Can be served as a main dish or side dish.

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Here's our family's favorite lasagna recipe. It's pretty quick to make (you use noodles that don't need to be boiled). It's healthier than many other lasagna recipes (uses less cheese but still feels decadent). And the sausage adds a lot of great flavor and makes this different than your average lasagna.

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Italian seasoned ground turkey (Jennie O brand is great) or regular mild Italian sausage (or you can slice up chicken Italian sausage links)
1 onion, chopped
1 24 oz pkg of low fat small curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
2 jars of your favorite tomato pasta sauce (my favorites are Classico Tomato Basil or Bertolli's Marinara)
12 oz box of oven-ready lasagna
2 cups of finely shredded mozzarella cheese Italian blend cheese
(optional - thinly sliced zucchini coins from 3-4 small zucchini)

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet, brown sausage with onion. Then add in 1 jar of tomato sauce.

2. While the meat is cooking, mix cottage cheese with 2 eggs, parmesan cheese, and oregano in a mixing bowl.

3. Spread 1 cup of red sauce on the bottom of a 9-13 pan. Arrange oven-ready uncooked lasagna noodles on top of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese on top of the cottage cheese layer. Spread 1/2 of meat and sauce mixture on that (then a layer of sliced zucchini if you like). Put on another layer of lasagna noodles on top. Repeat with the other half of the cottage cheese mixture, another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and the rest of the sauce and meat from the skillet (then another layer of sliced zucchini). Then do a final layer or noodles and spread the second jar of sauce on top of the noodles. Then spread the final cup of shredded cheese on top (can reserve a little of the meat to put on top with the sauce if you like).

4. Bake at 375 for 40 min covered with foil. Take off foil and cook for about 15 more minutes.

Fresh Pesto, Mozerella and Tomato Sandwiches

We have TONS of fresh basil this year. So I've finally learned to make pesto. And it was so easy!

Thanks to all our pesto, here's what we had for lunch the other day. SOOOOO good. And we're having it again for an easy Conference evening dinner while Ashton and Jared are at the priesthood session (they're so excited they get to go to the Conference Center and see it in person).

This is just nice whole wheat bread (Aspen Mills - a lot like Great Harvest), pesto spread, fresh mozzerella, fresh garden tomatoes. YUM! The whole family loved these sandwiches. These sandwiches are great cold or you can grill them. The same filling is also really good served on sourdough bread or Italian crusty bread (great if you have a panini maker).

Fresh Basil Pesto

4 cups fresh basil leaves (packed down a bit - about 3 large bunches)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves (or 1/2 tsp crushed garlic)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional - I usually leave it out and add a little Parmesan into whatever dish I use the pesto in and like it as a spread w/o the cheese mixed in. It doesn't freeze well if it has cheese in it, otherwise, it freezes great.)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or regular salt is fine)

Pulse in blender or food processor until it reaches the desired consistency (I don't like it totally pulverized, I like a little texture - but it's good any which way).

Serve mixed into pasta, as a spread on sandwiches, etc.

Creamy Orzo with Veggies

My sister-in-law Julie recommended this recipe (original is here) and it's become a family favorite - we've had it once a week for the past month. I generally stick to low-fat recipes and go for tomato-based sauces rather than cream or cheese-based sauces. But sometime a nice creamy dish just totally hits the spot. And my kids LOVE this. The said it was WAY better than macaroni and cheese (and way better for them!).

It only takes me about 1/2 hour to make this whole recipe from beginning to end (would take longer to prep if I used chicken as suggested in the original recipe but I don't bother with the chicken - it's delicious as a vegetarian meal and there's protein in the cheese).

I use whatever veggies I've got on hand (and I added in more quantities of veggies to the recipe - way better with more veggies I think). It's great with broccoli or fresh green beans instead of the asparagus, with grape tomatoes cut in half instead of the red peppers (but don't add those until the very end or they'll get all mushy), and the mushrooms can be left out if you don't have them on hand (my kids pick them out and give them to me and my husband - we love them). I've made a few other changes to the recipe as noted below.

Enjoy!

Creamy Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus and Red Pepper

1 lb. orzo pasta
1 cup reserved pasta water or chicken broth (see below)
1-2 tsps olive oil (or some olive oil spray)
2 medium chicken breasts (1-1.5 lbs.), cut into chunks (optional)
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 - 1 sweet onion, diced
1-2 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces (or
1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme (depends on how much you like thyme - I just like 1/2 tsp)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1-2 tsp crushed/diced garlic from a jar)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (I always use 1/3 less fat cream cheese or Neufchatel)
1/2 teaspoon salt (add more to taste once everything's assembled)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (I usually skip the parsley)
juice of 1-2 lemons (don't skip this! It's what makes it so good.)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender (but not overdone!). When the orzo is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the orzo and set aside. (I don't use the pasta water, I use chicken broth instead - makes it tastier I think. Plus I can never remember to save the pasta water...)

While the orzo cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat or just spray the pan with a good coating of olive oil spray. Put garlic and onion in the pan and saute a little. If you're using chicken, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. When nicely browned (but not quite all the way cooked through), add the peppers, mushrooms, asparagus and thyme. If you're doing it w/o chicken as I usually do, put the veggies in the skillet and saute a bit then add a tablespoon of water and cover to let veggies steam and soften - 5-10 minutes depending on the hardness of the veggies used. Take lid off and allow veggies to brown a bit (spray with a little more olive oil if you like). Stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Veggies shouldn't be totally done since they'll cook a bit more once you add in the cheeses.

While the veggies cook, cut cream cheese into chunks (like 6-8 chunks from one cube). When veggies are mostly done, add the cream cheese and the grated parmesan and stir so that the cream cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables (can cover and leave on low to let it melt). Add the reserved pasta water or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir. Add the orzo, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with additional Parmesan if you wish and have some lemon slices available to squeeze over the top of individual portions if you wish.

Serves 6-8. Best to serve in a bowl since it can be pretty creamy.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

I was in a cooking slump for a while. It was so hot and we were going so many different directions. Our meals got pretty basic for a while. But now that we've got cooler weather and more of a set schedule, I'm getting into cooking again. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I get something lovely and tasty on the table and we enjoy a nice family dinner. Some nights dinner is leftovers (love having leftovers on hand!) or simple pasta and sauce. But at least 3 nights a week, it's my goal to make something a little more involved (but still very easy).

I got this great recipe from my sister Shawni.  I think it's a great Indian Summer recipe - involves some cooking and some nice fall flavors but is served cold.

For info on how to cook dry beans really really easily and more bean recipes, visit this post.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

3 c. cooled cooked quinoa (=1 c. raw quinoa and 2 c. chicken or vegetable broth; cook it like rice by bringing it to a boil then letting it simmer for 15-20 minutes - when the little circle things come loose from the grains and all the liquid is absorbed, it's done)
2 cups of cooked and drained black beans (or one 12-oz can, drained)
1 can white corn (drained...I use frozen corn)
1 c. grape tomatoes (sliced in half) or 3-4 chopped large tomatoes
1/2 red pepper (chopped)
1/2 a chopped red onion or 4-5 chopped green onions (to taste)
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Mix everything together. Then pour the dressing over the top and mix it in:

Dressing:
2-3 tbs. balsamic vinegar (I like it with 3 tbs because I love basalmic vinegar)
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. lime juice
1/2 tsp salt (or more if you didn't use chicken broth to cook the quinoa - just add to taste)
1/2 tsp sugar

Serve at room temperature. I like to add avocado chunks too - mix them in or serve on top. You can also add feta or craisins. I often serve on a bed of lettuce (as in the photo). And a little extra lime squeezed on top is nice.

Serves 4-6 people. I usually double or triple this. It freezes well if you want to make a lot!

8 Favorite Bean Recipes

We love beans in our family. They're cheap. They're tasty. They're easy. And they're super good for you. What's not to like?



I hear from a lot of people that they simply don't know what to do with beans.

Here's what I do with them:

1. STEP ONE: I make a big crock pot full of black or pinto beans every other week or so. I just throw dry beans and about 3x as much water as beans into the crock pot and cook on high for like 6 hours (or until they're tender - all crock pots are a bit different). No soaking is really required for black beans or pinto beans or white beans - the only ones I make. I've heard beans are supposed to give you more gas if you don't soak them first but I've never found any difference whether I soak them first or not and after the first few times we had beans, our systems seemed to get used to the beans and voila! no more gassiness.... I hear you are supposed to soak kidney beans and some other types of beans to reduce toxins or something like that but I just stick with the beans I know.... Here's a great post with step-by-step instructions and photos to make it ultra-easy to make beans in a crock pot (dry beans are easier to store, don't involve cans that need to be recycled, so much cheaper, more tasty, and really not much harder than canned beans).  I have a big crock pot so I usually make about 2 lbs of dry beans at a time (double the recipes offered on this blog I've linked to). Sometimes I make the beans plain so I can use them in a bunch of different recipes just as I would canned beans. Mostly though, I make them seasoned as explained here: Not Refried Beans (my kids LOVE them like that). Sometimes I mash them like the recipe says. Sometimes I don't mash them, just make them as seasoned whole beans. Often I drain the water when they're cooked and add a big can of crushed or diced tomatoes plus a bit more chili powder (about 2 more tsps or more - to taste). I usually skip the peppers since they add work and too much spice for my kids' taste (my husband and I add hot sauce to our servings...you'll want to experiment a bit to get the seasoning just right for your taste).

In both of the posts linked above, she says to lay out the beans on a cookie sheet and make sure there are no rocks and wash them carefully. I buy the triple-washed beans and check for stones as I pour them somewhat slowly into the crock pot - have yet to find any stones...

Here's how the cooked pinto beans look:


Here's how the cooked black beans look:


2. STEP TWO: I freeze half the beans once they're cooked and cooled (just throw them in a zip lock freezer bag and use a sharpie to right "plain" or "seasoned" right on the bag) so they're ready to use on days I don't have 6 hours of crock pot time. Over time, I end up with a nice variety of beans in my freezer, plain black beans, plain pinto beans, seasoned pintos, seasoned pintos in crushed tomatoes...  On a night when I don't have much time to cook, I grab a bag of seasoned pintos and tomatoes out of the freezer, cook up some rice, and voila, easy, healthy and tasty beans and rice meal, ready to go.

3. STEP THREE: I use the other half for 2-3 meals that week. I then use these seasoned beans the night I've made them for one of these favorite family meals and save the rest in the fridge to use for another couple meals that week, warming them up as needed.

Here are EIGHT favorite recipes/meals using beans:

RICE AND BEANS

Just serve the nicely seasoned beans on top of rice with a choice of toppings. When serving over rice, the beans are best if you mix in some canned diced or crushed tomatoes and some extra chili powder, in my opinion. My family's favorite toppings are shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, chopped romaine, guacamole, sour cream, spicy salsa (me and Jared like it a bit spicier). Often the toppings are just some cheese and a bit of sour cream. We just use what we've got.

BURRITOS

Burrito night is always a fiesta around here - the kids LOVE it. I have the kids cook up a bunch of the great uncooked tortillas (sold in bulk at Costco) and then everyone puts what they like in their burritos -  the seasoned bean mixture (with added canned tomatoes or without) plus usually cheese and a bit of sour cream plus whatever else we've got (often leftovers from rice-and-beans night). I like to coat my tortilla with baby spinach before putting on the hot beans that sort of cook the spinach a bit then I add a little cheese, a little sour cream or plain yogurt, a little hot sauce, a little cilantro, wrap it up and dip it in guacamole as I eat it (see photo of burrito before wrapping above). Makes my mouth water to think about it.

ENCHILADA BAKE:
This lasagne-style enchilada dish is super easy and super tasty. Here are the directions (takes about 15 minutes to assemble and 45 to bake in the oven - can assemble ahead of time and then put it in the oven while you're helping with homework or whatever...)

• Get a big can (28 oz) of enchilada sauce (mild or medium, depends on what your family likes, try different ones to see what people like best. My favorite is Las Palmas medium green chile enchilada sauce). 
• Spread a 1/2 cup in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan then line the bottom with 6 little corn tortillas. I spread a layer of beans (seasoned or not seasoned - I usually use the seasoned ones, often even the seasoned ones with crushed tomatoes mixed in) on top of the tortillas, then about a 1/2 cup shredded cheese (or crumbled queso fresca - my favorite), then a 1/2 cup of sauce. 
• Repeat the tortillas, beans, cheese, and sauce two more times, ending with about a cup (instead of a 1/2 cup) of enchilada sauce and cheese on the top layer of beans. 
• Cover with tin foil and cook at 350 for about 45 minutes (take foil off for the last 10 minutes or so if you want the top to be nicely browned)
• Serve in squares topped with chopped tomatoes, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt if you want. 

SWEET POTATOES AND BLACK BEANS

My whole family loves this unique and tasty recipe -  http://looslifamily.blogspot.com/2011/10/so-although-i-love-cooking-healthy.html

BLACK BEAN SOUP
This is a favorite of everyone who's tried it - easy and oh-so-yummy. Scroll down in this post for the recipe -  http://looslifamily.blogspot.com/2011/11/good-food-and-great-recipes.html

LOUISIANA BEANS AND RICE WITH SAUSAGE (OR CHICKEN)

This calls for red beans but I just use the unseasoned pinto beans I've got in my fridge or freezer:  http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2010/03/louisiana-red-beans-rice-848-recipe-085.html

TOMATILLO CHICKEN CHILI

This recipe I posted about a while back uses dry white beans. You just put the beans, chicken and everything else together in the crock pot to cook all day - no pre-cooked beans necessary here.

CHILI
Use the cooked pinto beans you've frozen or just made in your favorite chili recipe.

Easy, Delicious Thai Curry

Lately, Thai curry has been a huge family favorite. I make some version pretty much every week (and the kids would like it more than once a week...). Sound fancy and complicated? Well, it's actually super easy and takes about a 1/2 hour. Here's the only stuff you might need to go out and buy (and you just need something similar - exact brands don't matter a bit). Everything else, you've probably got around your house.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of uncooked white rice (whatever kind you've got)
• 2 tsp canola oil or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic (I buy the pre-minced bottled stuff but you can use fresh or substitute 1/2 tsp of granulated garlic if you like)
• 1-3 tsp curry paste (Start with 1 tsp if you're worried it might be too spicy and haven't tried a particular brand before and add more if you want more of a kick.There's red, green and yellow curry paste. They're all good, all a bit different. You can get curry paste at many grocery stores -Thai Kitchen is a common brand in the Asian section of most grocery stores- but every Asian grocery store has several varieties - generally all good.)
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk (lite or regular, any brand)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (from can or make with bouillon)
• Vegetables (chopped carrots, frozen peas, chopped bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, chopped cabbage or bok choi, sweet potatoes chopped very small, regular potatoes chopped very small, whatever veggies you've got on hand work great - nice with at least 2-3 kinds of veggies. The version in the photo above has sliced baby carrots, peas, green peppers, and chopped cabbage in it. My family's favorite version has sweet potatoes, peas, cabbage and red peppers. The more veggies the better! )
• Chicken or shrimp (1-2 cups of frozen pre-cooked tail-off shrimp or 1-2 chicken breasts sliced in small bits works great. I usually use a can of cubed chicken breasts and crumble the chunks in at the end - so very quick and easy and tastes great)
• Fresh basil or cilantro (chopped) if you happen to have some on hand (find without)

Directions:

• Bring rice and 4 cups of water plus 2 tsp salt to a boil in a sauce pan, then partially cover and turn down to simmer for 20-25 minutes while you do the rest.
• Saute a chopped onion and minced garlic in oil until slightly browned
• Stir in curry paste
• Add hard veggies (carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes) and chicken (if you're using raw chicken). Saute until veggies get a bit soft and chicken isn't pink anymore
• Add a can of coconut milk and bring to a boil
• Turn down to simmer and add quick veggies (frozen peas, cabbage, pre-cooked veggies if you've got some) plus chicken broth. Keep simmering until it's slightly thickened (5-10 minutes)
• Stir in about a tsp of salt (start with 1/2 tsp and see if it needs more) 
• Cook until veggies are pretty soft
• Serve over rice (garnish with some fresh ground pepper and a little fresh basil or cilantro if you've got some)

Serves 4. (I usually double this for my family and it's GONE!)