Cooking with diabetes

Chicken, vegetables make carefree dish

This recipe takes advantage of a bounty of fresh vegetables -- green beans, eggplant, onion, tomatoes -- by joining them with chicken thighs and a slurry of light coconut milk, curry powder, ginger, garlic and tomato paste. When I made mine, I set the timer for three hours, headed out the door for a leisurely walk in the park and then stopped for an iced coffee with a friend. I returned home to a fragrant stew, full of juicy chicken and softened vegetables in a amber-colored, creamy sauce -- a satisfying meal to cap off an easy, no-sweat afternoon.

Slow Cooker Curried Chicken and Summer Vegetables

3 medium eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 pounds total)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided use

1 (13 1/2-ounce) can light coconut milk, shaken well

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon PLUS 1 1/2 teaspoons mild curry powder

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed

1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half-moons

1 pound fresh or frozen/defrosted green beans, trimmed

3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

Place the eggplant in a colander over a bowl or in the sink and toss with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse the eggplant with cool water, lay it on paper towels and pat dry to remove as much moisture as possible.

Whisk together the coconut milk, tomato paste, curry powder, ginger, garlic, pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in the slow cooker. Add the chicken, and then the drained eggplant, onion, green beans and tomato wedges. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 260 calories, 27 g protein, 9 g fat, 21 g carbohydrate (9 g sugar), 105 mg cholesterol, 340 mg sodium and 8 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1 1/2.

Food on 09/19/2018

Upcoming Events