Chicken Stew (and Vegetarianism)
Bought ingredients today for a chicken stew I'm making and was horrified at the cost of meat. Do people really buy this stuff every day without howling in pain? My eyes bugged out when I saw the price tag. No wonder I always used to cook vegetarian! That's difficult now, with all of Shannon's food constraints (no beans and no dairy, in particular, make vegetarian cooking difficult), so meat it is.
(I was vegetarian when I met Shannon and for the first year or so that we were together. I don't remember how I managed to eat vegetarian back then. Maybe he didn't have the food sensitivities at the time. I still have the same ethical objections to eating meat, so I've often wished that I could go back to being a vegetarian and see if I still had the meat cravings I had last time -- which was why I stopped -- but being vegetarian would be difficult with Shannon, unless I cooked just for myself and let him eat frozen dinners, which wouldn't seem right.)
The recipe I'm making should provide enough for 6-8 servings, but it'll probably still be more expensive than frozen dinners. Healthier, though. A lot healthier. Fresher, low sodium, etc.
Chicken Stew
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes (I bought 1.71 lbs, because that was the largest package they had and it cost a mint anyway)
* 2 large onions, quartered and cut into 1/2-inch slices
* 1 cup baby carrots, or 2 large carrots cut into 1-inch slices
* 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon celery seed
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or seasoned pepper mix
* salt to taste
* 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
* 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
* 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients, except peas, in the slow cooker/Crock Pot; stir well. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until chicken is done and vegetables are tender; stir in peas the last 30 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8.
I'm going to do all the prep work tonight, so that I can just toss it all into the Crock-Pot in the morning before I leave for the city.
(I was vegetarian when I met Shannon and for the first year or so that we were together. I don't remember how I managed to eat vegetarian back then. Maybe he didn't have the food sensitivities at the time. I still have the same ethical objections to eating meat, so I've often wished that I could go back to being a vegetarian and see if I still had the meat cravings I had last time -- which was why I stopped -- but being vegetarian would be difficult with Shannon, unless I cooked just for myself and let him eat frozen dinners, which wouldn't seem right.)
The recipe I'm making should provide enough for 6-8 servings, but it'll probably still be more expensive than frozen dinners. Healthier, though. A lot healthier. Fresher, low sodium, etc.
Chicken Stew
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes (I bought 1.71 lbs, because that was the largest package they had and it cost a mint anyway)
* 2 large onions, quartered and cut into 1/2-inch slices
* 1 cup baby carrots, or 2 large carrots cut into 1-inch slices
* 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon celery seed
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or seasoned pepper mix
* salt to taste
* 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
* 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
* 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients, except peas, in the slow cooker/Crock Pot; stir well. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until chicken is done and vegetables are tender; stir in peas the last 30 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8.
I'm going to do all the prep work tonight, so that I can just toss it all into the Crock-Pot in the morning before I leave for the city.