Picture by Flickr user wintersoul1.

3 large bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup blackberry jam
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Arrange the chicken breasts in the slow cooker so that they are not overlapping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes, and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chicken on LOW for 4 to 5 hours until the chicken is fully cooked.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the slow cooker (reserving the liquids) and place it on a cutting board. Remove the bones then use two forks to shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry.

Transfer the liquids from the slow cooker into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and whisk in the slurry. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook it until it reduces and has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour enough sauce over the chicken to cover (you won’t use all of it), tossing to combine. Serve the chicken topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

NOTES:
Depending on the kind of chicken you get, you’ll end up with a LOT of sauce. You only need to use a little to cover the chicken as much as you want. You can use the remaining sauce later to marinade shrimp or salmon OR as dipping sauce for any other dish.

The post Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.

A squeeze of lime just before eating tastes amazing.

Pho is a classic Vietnamese street food, much the same way Pad Thai is to Thai cuisine or fried rice is to Chinese cuisine. This dish calls for some ingredients that you may not use for any other recipe, so we’ve included some substitutions. Also – the recipe instructs you to add a lot of whole spices to simmer for hours, then remove at the end. Using a slotted spoon works best. The following recipe does make a lot of pho – which can be frozen and reheated wonderfully on cold winter days. This is almost like the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup, but the fresh herbs and squeeze of lime just before serving takes it to a new level.

Pho is naturally gluten-free if you use rice noodles (be sure to check the box). You can make this vegetarian/vegan by removing the chicken, using vegetable broth, and replacing the fish sauce with soy sauce. Adapted from Slow-Cooker Chicken Pho recipe on EatingWell.com.

8 cups low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth (two 32-ounce boxes)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce    << Um, fish sauce?
5 whole star anise (or 2 1/2 tsp of regular anise seed)
6 whole cloves
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total), halved
6 ounces wide rice noodles (like pad thai noodles)
6 cups chopped bok choy (or leeks or cabbage)
2 cups mung bean sprouts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 fresh Thai chile or serrano, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible.

1. Combine broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, star anise, cloves, ginger and cinnamon stick in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add chicken breasts, meat-side down. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours (or on Low for 6 hours).
2. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Remove spices and discard. Add noodles and bok choy to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.
3. Shred with two forks. When the noodles are tender, stir in the shredded chicken. Serve bowls of soup with bean sprouts, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced chile and lime wedges on the side so everyone can add their own toppings.

The post Vietnamese Noodle Stew (Pho) – Slow Cooker appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.

These wraps are delicious. Light, yet filling – and full of flavor. I credit the original recipe to Food.com, but have made some modifications that make it tastier and easier to cooking and eat. First I quarter the chicken breasts so it cooks faster and more even. Second, I swap out the iceberg with Bibb or Boston lettuce because it’s easier to wrap.

3 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, quartered
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon (2-3 cloves) minced garlic
1 can sliced water chestnut, drained and minced into small pieces
2/3 cup minced mushroom (any will do, but I like shiitake and portobello)
1 head of Bibb/Boston lettuce

Stir Fry Sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP light brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Special Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
2 TBSP ketchup
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 TBSP dijon or spicy brown (just not the yellow ballpark variety)
Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce (to taste)

1. First, in a small bowl, make the Special Dipping Sauce by whisking the sugar, water, lemon juice together until the sugar has been dissolved. Whisk the remaining soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sesame oil, and mustard. Depending on how spicy you like it, add sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce) to taste. Set aside. You can do this days in advance and store it in an airtight plastic container.
2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, whisk together the all the ingredients to the stir fry sauce in a small bowl. Keep it close to you since you’ll need to use it soon.
3. Set a large pan to medium heat, add the oil, and then add the chicken breasts. Cook until insides are done. Remove from oil (keeping as much oil in the pan) and let cool on a plate and cover with foil to keep moisture in. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
4. With the remaining oil in the pan, saute the onions, minced garlic, minced water chestnut, and minced mushrooms. If the pan looks dry, add another tablespoon of oil.
5. While the vegetables are cooking, mince the chicken the same size of the mushrooms or water chestnuts. Add those back to the pan.
6. Add in the stir fry sauce and gently stir for 30 seconds so that it is incorporated in chicken and veggies. Remove from heat.

You’re now ready to serve! Remove leaves of lettuce on a plate. Add the chicken/veggie mix to the lettuce and top with Special Sauce. If you’ve made the Special Dipping Sauce ahead of time, you may want to stir it well (or shake it if it’s in a tightly closed container) like you would a salad dressing.

This recipe has a LOT of ingredients – so it’s critical to make the sauces ahead of time. It’s also important to cut all the vegetables & chicken and place them in individual bowls before turning on the stove (also known as “prep”). Then you just need to throw each ingredient in the pan when needed. Mise en place!

The post Chicken Lettuce Wraps appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.

1 package buckwheat soba noodles
8-10 shitake mushrooms
10-12 shrimp (we prefer “31/40″ sized raw, tail-on for best flavor, but cooked shrimp can also work)
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/8 cup sesame seeds, toasted
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
canola oil

Dressing:
3 TBSP sesame oil
2 TBSP wheat-free tamari
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP maple syrup
1-2 tsp hot pepper sesame oil
1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

Use all organic ingredients when possible

1. Cook the noodles according to the package. Drain and rinse with cool water, set aside.
2. In a saute pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  If using raw shrimp saute the shrimp until done (they’ll take on a firm texture and white color). Remove from pan (keeping oil in pan) and saute the green onions, mushrooms and cabbage for 5 mins. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for the dressing.
4. In a large mixing bowl, stir in the cooked noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds and toss. Pour prepared dressing over noodle mixture. Toss/stir well and serve with sriracha sauce and garnish with cilantro or more green onion.

This can be made gluten-free (using 100% buckwheat soba noodles), vegetarian/vegan (by omitting the shrimp or replacing it with organic tofu).

The post Buckwheat Soba Noodle Salad appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.

½ cup mango chutney
¼ cup bottled sweet chili sauce (or chili dipping sauce)
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 ½ tsp grated fresh ginger or ½ tsp ground ginger
1 packet chicken breasts (or 12 chicken thighs)
1 bunch asparagus or broccoli (trimmed) or ¾ lb green beans (trimmed)

Slow Cooker

1. Cut up any large pieces of fruit in the chutney. In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine chutney, chili sauce, tapioca, and ginger. Add chicken, turning to coat.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high setting for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Before Serving

1. Shred cooked chicken with forks and stir to combine with ginger chutney and chili sauce in the slow cooker.
2. Sautee asparagus or green beans in olive oil with garlic salt or steam broccoli.
3. Serve shredded chicken mixture over rice, couscous, quinoa and top with freshly cooked veggies.

The post Gingered Mango Chutney Chicken appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.