Week One: Moroccan Chcken Thighs

My friend Laura is 47 years old and doesn't own an electric mixer.  When I asked if she had kitchen shears to cut the fat from the chicken thighs during our first week of cooking lessons, I was not surprised she responded in the negative. We used our well-washed hands to remove skin and fat from the meat for this recipe.

Then came time to open the bag of dried apricots to continue making this wonderfully flavorful Moroccan Chicken recipe and she said, "I have scissors." She pulled her "scissors" out of the drawer and handed them to me. "I got them with my knives," she said. You guessed it, she had no idea they were kitchen shears.

Laura's recipe repertoire is thin and she mostly relied on convenience foods and take-out; Laura's late husband never seemed to mind. You read correctly. Laura is a young widow with a 10 year old son. Most people do not understand the grief and the tremendous life change that a widow or widower is going through. And the truth may be that none of us want to see it, we prefer to believe it when we hear, "I'm fine."

Everything changed a little more than a month ago when a sick and exhausted Laura hit the wall and landed in the hospital for a week.  It's a long road turning overwhelming life changes and grief to renewal of body, mind and spirit. She has a lot going for her; a 10 year old bundle of energy named JJ, a nice home, a good job and lots of family and friends to help her find her way to a healthy and happy life. One big goal is to learn how to cook. And that's where I come in.

I love to cook and I am a good cook. This is an easy recipe with exotic appeal, a perfect starting point for a new cook to really feel good about their new adventure. The finished product proudly posted on Laura's Facebook page started people asking for the recipe. So Laura and I decided to start this blog. You'll be hearing from both of us as we travel down our cooking highway and we'll post one new recipe every week. Who knows? We may BOTH learn a thing or two about food and about each other.

I hope you'll enjoy coming along for the ride!

Slow Cooker Moroccan Spiced Chicken Thighs
Active Time: 25 minutes 
Cooking Time: 6 hours on Low
Ingredients
4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 can low fat low sodium chicken broth
1 can 15-ounce diced tomatoes, drained (no salt added)
1 can 15-ounce white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped 
1/2 small onion, grated 
1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced
2 cups cooked couscous
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water (or apple cider)
Directions
In gallon-size resealable plastic bag, combine chicken thighs with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger and pepper; refrigerate overnight.

Combine chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, sweet potato, onion, and apricots in your slow cooker bowl. Place chicken in slow cooker bowl on top of vegetables.  Cover and cook 6 hours on low.  Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil tent to keep warm.

Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl until blended.  Drain cooking liquid into a small pan.  Add cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Stir dash of sea salt into thickened cooking liquid.

Serve chicken and vegetables over cooked couscous. Drizzle with sauce. Garnish with almonds.