THE MEXICAN INVASION


I've had my slow cooker for almost as long as we've been living in this house but apart from the occasional pot roast, I haven't really used it for anything else. And that's a pity cause for someone who's into multi-tasking as much as I am, the slow cooker IS the next best thing to sliced bread. I don't know how much easier it could possibly get to toss things together and leave it for 8-10 hours.

So one day I bought myself a Betty Crocker cookbook for slow cookers and had a hand on these two wonderful recipes.




MEXICAN CHICKEN CHILI

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (the recipe says thighs but breast is healthier)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 medium stalks celery, sliced (3/4 cup)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) stewed tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained (if not available, you can use regular stewed tomatoes and add a tsp of finely chopped garlic)
2 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans, undrained
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup scoop-shaped corn chips, if desired
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

• Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all ingredients except sour cream and cilantro.
• Cover; cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.
• Stir mixture to break up chicken. Top each serving with corn chips, sour cream and cilantro.

SOUTHWESTERN PORK BURRITOS

Ingredients:

1 boneless pork shoulder roast (1 1/2 lb), trimmed of fat
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp honey
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
flour tortillas (although I managed to get those made from whole wheat... again, they're more healthy)
assorted toppings: sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, Mexican blend cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, asadero, queso quesadilla - again I got the healtheir variety, reduced fat)

• Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place pork in cooker.
• In blender, place tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, garlic, chili powder and salt. Cover; blend on medium high speed 10 seconds, stopping blender frequently to scrape sides. Pour over pork.
• Cover; cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
• Remove pork from cooker; place on cutting board. Shred pork with 2 forks; return to cooker and mix well.
• Serve pork mixture on tortillas with toppings; roll up. Pork mixture will hold on low heat setting up to 2 hours.

Okay, so what do these two dishes taste like? If it's enough to tell you they're good, then that's as much as I will tell you.

But if you have a few seconds to spare, perhaps I can also tell you...

...that they taste like a husband taking in a deep breath, and then letting out a long sigh... of that husband gathering you close and holding you tight and whispering soft in your ears, 'Thank you.'