Chicken and Cashew Masala...5 mins to prepare

For my brother, Buddy, and a good friend from Physie.

Slow cooking is great! Easy! Quick! and tasty!!

This is today's creation. According to The Man it is: "The best, most delicious lunch ever!" But then he is my enthusiastic, 6 year old boy.

Ingredients:

8 Chicken thighs, (I always check them over, cut off the easy to cut off bits of fat and feel for bone.)
1 or 2 Onions
4 or more Carrots
1 head of broccoli
2 or more zucchini
Pataks Cashew Masala simmer sauce (500g)
About a mug of lentils
About a mug and a half of water
Half a can of coconut milk

I have a Borner V Slicer. This is how I can prepare it so quickly. This brand is cost effective and long lasting. My last one lasted me 7 years, and I only had to buy a new one because the hand guard thing died. Oh and don't use it without a hand guard.

So, after checking over the chicken, put it in the bottom of the slow cooker (throw was the case this morning), then "julienne" all the vegies (dice might be an option if you don't have the slicer). Throw all the rest of the ingredients in. Stir so that the lentils are covered.

Set slow cooker on number 2 (fast) setting if you need it in 3 or 4 hours. Set it on number 1 (slow) setting if you are off for the day. Make sure the lid is on and then forget it.

If you open your slow cooker lid, it slows down the cooking time by half an hour as you have let the heat out. When you are ready to eat, give it a stir and the meat will start to fall apart. You can break it up with a spoon or serve as is.

Serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt if some is at hand. You could also serve with rice.

I did the preparation of this meal in 5 minutes because it is a Sunday, and we need to have our Sunday meal as soon as we get home. Sunday's are always an incredible rush for us...and today was no different, in fact Christian said we had to leave for church 10 minutes earlier. It is always so nice to come home to the smell of a hot meal, and knowing there is nothing to do but set the table. I also like to have left overs for Sunday evening or Monday lunch so that I reduce my overall preparation time in the kitchen.

I like to ensure that my family is getting their proper amount of vegies, thus the excessive amount of vegies. The lentils add bulk, instead of adding potato or rice. It's the lentils that needed the water. You could cook rice in the slow cooker in this dish, just remember if you add a cup of rice, you add two of water (plus a half a cup or so for dehydration).

If I had time...I would cut the chicken up and brown it, and I would brown the onions too. This needs to be done in a separate pan if you have a crock pot (I have a metal pot in mine - best buy yet!).