The Ingredient: Oranges

Florida oranges are great during the summa-time, as they are the easiest snack to bring to the beach.  They don't melt or get soggy; you just peel and eat!

I absolutely love walking into my man's back yard and eating an orange right off the tree. Talk about refreshing!  The hottest months (May, June, & July) are when you can find the juiciest oranges, which is why I picked this ingredient.

From what I understand, oranges are very diverse when it comes to cooking...you can use the rind, zest, juice and flesh. 

I can't wait to see how this yummy fruit cooks in the crock!

Tips and Tricks:

• All about oranges
• Send a gift of Sunshine - FloridaOrange.com
• Check out the link below to watch videos on how oranges are grown & harvested:
• Florida Department of Citrus

- Chef Mimi

The Consumption: O-M-Gyros

I discovered a couple of things while making this meal:

• I love garbanzos even more!
• Lamb is a delicious baby animal that I drool over!
• I heart cooking with wine!

Garbanzos were already a fav of mine, as stated in my earlier post, The Ingredient.  There is something about those mealy little peas I can’t get enough of.  I think it’s because they create so much unique texture.  


Preparing the meat was the WORST part, but eating the meat was the BEST part.  The aromas coming from my skillet while browning made my mouth water.  Now, I was anxious to see what lamb actually tasted like.  I hate to admit it, but I was feeling very carnivorous!  

I believe wine was the key ingredient in the flavor of this dish, and can't wait to cook with it again!

I served the lamb/garbz mix in a whole wheat flatbread and wrapped the end in wax paper so the “stuffings” wouldn’t fall out.

There was some trouble mastering the tzatsiki sauce; some of my dinner guests thought it could be a little "thicker”.  I may have blended it too much, but I thought it was still a refreshing compliment to our dinner.

Overall, this dish was impressive, yummy and extremely filling!  

I am so stoked I was introduced to another type of cuisine.  This recipe proves again, how versatile your crock can be!  

Tips & Tricks:

• Sheep 101
• World's Healthiest Food

- Chef Mimi

The Recipe: Mediterranean Lamb Pitas

Prep:  25 mins
Cook:  Low 8 hours, High 5 hours; plus 15 mins
Serving Size:  10
Category:  Beef, Pork and Lamb

Ingredients:

• 2-pound portion boneless lamb leg roast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup dry red wine (I used a cabernet sauvignon)
• 1 6-ounce  can of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 medium tomato
• Pita Bread 
• Tzatziki Sauce

Preparation:
Trim the fat from the lamb roast. If necessary, cut roast to fit crock. In a large skillet brown lamb on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat.

Meanwhile, combine drained garbanzo beans, wine, tomato paste, water, onion, garlic, allspice, cumin, mint, salt and pepper in the crock.  I just poured everything in and used a big spoon to mix it all together.

Place browned meat over bean mixture. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-5 hours.

The original recipe says to remove the meat from the crock to shred, but all I had to do was stir it and the meat completely fell apart. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove meat and beans with a slotted spoon, making sure to drain as much of the juice as possible. Otherwise you will have an extremely messy and soggy sandwich.

Warm each pita in the oven, until soft. Spread tzatziki sauce down the middle, top with the meat/bean mixture, chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

Twist the sandwich in wax paper and serve.

Tips & Tricks:

• The freshness of the meat is very important in this dish! Find a local butcher that sells lamb, instead of going to the Lix. 
• Easy Tzatziki Sauce Recipes 

You will be so surprised at how easy and tasty this meal is!

- Chef Tiffany

The Ingredient: Garbanzo Beans

We asked our readers: 

"Which bean would you like to see thrown in the crock?"

Below are the results of the poll:

Black Beans: 2

Kidney Beans:  0

Garbanzo Beans: 4

Great Northern Beans: 3

I am really excited about this challenge! I heart garbanzo beans, as they are the key ingredient in one of my favorite things to eat, hummus.

I must admit, I am a little nervous about using them in the crock, but can't wait to see what kind of recipe is posted.

- Chef Mimi

The Consumption: Wah-Wah Thai Coconut Chix Soup

BEFORE

This attempt at slow cookin' proved, I still have a lot to learn!

Notice my before pic above...It may appear delish at first, but look closer and you will notice a big mistake!

This week, I invited my Mom to join me on my Crock-n-Roll mission, giving me the opportunity to prepare her first slow cooked meal, EVER!

I sliced the chicken, peppers, onions, carrots and shrooms with pure perfection.  Then I added the lemon grass (FYI:  Do NOT eat this alone!), garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper; covered and crocked on HIGH for 3 hours. 

I decided to create a nice outdoor setting, allowing us to really enjoy this meal. Unfortunately, our first bites tasted like pure fire!

I began sweating and turning red right away, quickly motioning for everyone to move inside.  The A/C felt great, but I was still breathing fire! 

My Mom kept asking, "What did you add to make this so spicy?"  I started listing the ingredients:  cilantro, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper.  As we reviewed the recipe I instantly knew what happened.

The recipe calls for only a teaspoon of crushed red pepper and I added a tablespoon (you may recall I did this once before, preparing the Asian Chicken Soup)!

Although the veggies tasted amaz, this soup was a hot mess. 

I'm not going to let this get me down...I loved experimenting with the coconut milk and can not wait to perfect this recipe.  Next time I will make sure to pay closer attention to the measurements.

AFTER

Tips & Tricks:

• Turn the heat up!
• What the heck is lemon grass?

- Chef Mimi

The Recipe: Thai-Style Coconut-Chicken Soup

Prep:  20 mins
Cook:  Low 6 hours, High 3 hours
Serving Size:  6
Category:  Soups & Stews

Ingredients:  

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts; cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups bias-sliced carrots 
• 1 large onion; sliced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic; minced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon grass paste
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 medium red pepper, orange pepper and yellow pepper; sliced 
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms; cut in half
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro; chopped

Preparation: 

Combine chicken, broth, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, crushed red pepper, mushrooms and sweet peppers in the crock. 

Cover; cook on low-heat for 6-7 hours or on high-heat for 3-3.5 hours. If necessary, skim off fat. 

Stir coconut milk and the fresh cilantro into the soup. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with more fresh cilantro. 

So GOOD!!!

- Chef Tiffany


Tips & Tricks:

• How to Grate Fresh Ginger Root
• Cooking with Lemon Grass Paste
• How to Chop Cilantro 

The Ingredient: Coconut Milk

Chef Tiffany has suggested to use this next ingredient in the crock.  She is notorious for loving Thai food.  I remember the first time I ever ate Thai food was with Tiff.   I had no clue what anything was on the menu, and she made great suggestions!  I remember trying the coconut soup.  It sounded so bizarre to me becuase when I think of coconut, I do not think of Thai cuisine, I immediately think of island foods from Hawaii or rum drinks like Pina Coladas.  The flavors from my dinner with Tiff are still stuck in my memory because I never knew a soup could taste this amazing!  It had two main flavors, milky sweet and spicy hot.  I can not wait to try the next recipe!

Tip & Tricks

• What is coconut milk?
• Coconut Milk Health Benefits
• About Thai Cuisine

- Chef Mimi