As I knew I would be, not two hours after that big ole salad (nearly the same one I had yesterday) I was slammed with stomach pains and hunger! Thankfully I had 10 sheet pans of granola to take from for a snack.
Clusters rock.
And I had a Siggi’s in the cooler to pair with them. (Unpictured: about 6 more giant nuggets of cluster!)
My afternoon was lovely (finished the recon! Yeah! I took a mastermind to figure out – so glad I have one of those) and then it was time to bike back home. It’s SO COOL here – only 85* and it feels fabulous! The forecast doesn’t have a single 90’* day coming up!
Dinner was simmering in the crockpot all afternoon! And boy was it good. I made this recipe from CD Kitchen that Karen brought over the ingredients for a few months ago. We just around to thawing the second half of the [lorganic = local/organic] leg of lamb we bought months ago from the Organic Butcher:
Moroccan Lamb And Fruit Stew
I absolutely LOVE stewed fruit!!
The only changes to the recipe I made:
- Omitted the onion and added a big eggplant in its place. Great decision – the eggplant was awesome
- Karen brought prunes instead of dates and left out the apricots. I LOVED the prunes!! So succulent and sweet on the inside
We served the dish with brown rice and sautéed spinach and topped it all with toasted almonds
A little KERFweiser to sip [sparling water + beer mix to lighten the load]
Winning recipe for sure!
Going to chill out!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
August 10, 2011 at 8:10 pmSmooth move replacing the dates with prunes (tee hee)! I like prunes better too. Looks delish!
Cait's Plate says
August 10, 2011 at 8:16 pmOkay. I LOVE prunes! And people think I’m weird for it and tell me that I’m not a 90 year old woman so I shouldn’t be eating them! Haha. Next time that comes up I am pointing people to this recipe in support of my love!!
Enjoy your (cool) night. SO glad the temps are lowering a bit lately, couldn’t take that heat for much longer!
Angel7 says
August 10, 2011 at 8:16 pmThat Moroccan Lamb and Fruit Stew packed a powerful punch!
I like the texture of prunes.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Maggie says
August 10, 2011 at 8:16 pmYou sure can do amazing things with a crockpot.
Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing says
August 10, 2011 at 8:17 pmFor some reason, stewed fruit is not my favorite! I feel like a weirdo. But I love my crockpot — take my kitchen, but don’t take my crockpot! 😉
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
August 10, 2011 at 8:19 pmI love prunes! They’re so juicy. Prune juice, on the other hand- ewwww!
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
August 10, 2011 at 8:20 pmYum! I have never had stewed prunes before, but love dates, apples and apricots stewed with meats and such. What a great looking dish 🙂
Emma (Namaste Everyday) says
August 10, 2011 at 8:21 pm“lorganic” – you should patent that term! that’s perfect, I shall begin to incorporate it into my own vocab lol
Kristin @ eat healthy. be happy. live well. says
August 10, 2011 at 8:21 pmWow, that sounds really incredible! Very different from anything I’ve ever tried making!
Hannah says
August 10, 2011 at 8:22 pmLove your enthusiasm, because the reason I got into cooking as a tween was because I thought that, if I cooked dinner, I’d never have to eat mum’s lamb and prune casserole again 😛
CJ @ http://healthy-happy-whole.com/ says
August 10, 2011 at 8:24 pmThat looks like a meal straight from a restaurant!
Chloe (In Fine Feather) says
August 10, 2011 at 8:25 pmThe stew looks so flavorful! I love cooking with my crockpot, it makes everything easier & I’ve yet to make something I didn’t like.
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
August 10, 2011 at 8:25 pmOk I have a potty brain b/c the minute someone says prune juice, there is only one thing that comes to mind…lol
The meal looks divine, lovely, Kath!
Dee says
August 10, 2011 at 8:26 pmOh em gee. All of these cooked fruit dishes are killing me today. YUM!
Amy* says
August 10, 2011 at 8:30 pmI’m jealous of your cool weather! Send some of that in my direction!*
Baking N Books says
August 10, 2011 at 8:30 pmI should use my crock-pot more…
Watching SYTYCD. What do you think of Katie Holmes judging? She is well-spoken. Not sure where they come up with these judges though!
KathEats says
August 10, 2011 at 9:07 pmWell I LOVE Katie – she is so gorgeous – but her comments are rather fluffy..
Baking N Books says
August 10, 2011 at 9:54 pmI know – actually I found she commented more on what they were wearing than the performance…and yes she is gorgeous.
shannon says
August 10, 2011 at 8:35 pmDid you read ‘The Hunger Games’ ? Katniss’ favorite meal, lamb and prune stew.
KathEats says
August 10, 2011 at 9:07 pmHaha – no way! I haven’t read it yet
E says
August 11, 2011 at 4:11 amDefinitely make it a priority to read the series (3 books) – I loved them all & had ’em finished it less than a week. 🙂
Melissa says
August 10, 2011 at 8:37 pmHello Kath,
Can you please tell me how do you make your brown rice? I keep trying, and trying… and… nothing :-(. Although, I must say that i was able to do it right only ONCE, once!! I really need help lol. Thank you 🙂
KathEats says
August 10, 2011 at 9:08 pmGet short grain brown rice. My favorite kind is Lungburg. I just do 2:1 water to rice and simmer for 45 minutes. It’s not my favorite grain, but the short grain is stickier and creamier. I hate long grain rice!
Tt in nyc says
August 10, 2011 at 10:50 pmAlso search online for mark bittman’s rice cooking techniques, he has one for baking the rice in the oven in a covered pot ( genius!) and another way of cooking in a big pot of water just like pasta- his cookbook “how to cook everything vegetarian” will be the best book uou ever ordered from amazon!
Ps
Add a cup of v8 when cooking your rice
Sonya says
August 11, 2011 at 10:44 amI will vouch for cooking brown rice in a big pot of water just like pasta! It works like a charm! To drain the water, I use a colander and a cheese cloth to avoid having the rice escape through the holes. The rice turns out fully cooked and soft. I followed this recipe except I used more rice. http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfect-Brown-Rice
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
August 10, 2011 at 8:38 pmPrunes are one of those foods that have such a bad rep for being a nasty old person’s food…but they’re really delicious!
Emily says
August 10, 2011 at 8:45 pmThe stew looks delicious! I always forget about the crockpot until wintertime but what a great way to get a home cooked meal on a hot summer day 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love and Oats says
August 10, 2011 at 8:48 pmsparkling water and beer?? I’ll have to give it a try!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
August 10, 2011 at 8:50 pmI LOVE prunes! I even add them to meatballs. So good. I bet the flavors were amazing. Yummy. 🙂
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
August 10, 2011 at 8:51 pmPS. Prune + cheese sandwich = Kath would love! (I think) 😀
KathEats says
August 10, 2011 at 9:08 pmHaha – That sounds great!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
August 10, 2011 at 9:06 pmthe words “prune juice” make me cringe b/c I think of being forced to eat them as a kid but, in this recipe it actually looks good!
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
August 10, 2011 at 9:06 pmYum! I’ve never had lamb and am honestly not too big on the idea of it but that sounds sooo good!
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
August 10, 2011 at 9:09 pmNo shame, I love prunes…. Like a lot! 🙂 ….Your kerfwiser sounds like a good thing! Especially on a hot day! …..Have fun relaxing! 🙂
katie @KatieDid says
August 10, 2011 at 9:13 pmI’ve never had a prune, I always associate them with issues down below if you know what I mean haha. So I’ve never given them a chance, but I like dates I’m sure they aren’t too different. Lamb is my favorite meat, yummm dinner!
Betsy says
August 10, 2011 at 9:21 pmI LOVE prunes, and I also love dates! I eat both daily – dates in salads, stuffed with nuts or all by themselves! I can’t even decide which I love more! My favorite chicken dish has prunes in fact – you must try Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate Cookbook(even Oprah likes it! http://www.oprah.com/food/Chicken-Marbella) On another prune note, prune juice! Here is my version of Overnight Oats…. 3 ingredients
1/3 c. dry oat bran
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 T prune juice
mix it all together, let it sit overnight in the fridge.
It becomes much more voluminous, sprinkle on chia seeds, or ground flax and maybe a scoop of pumpkin. A fiber-licious breaky-fast! Keeps me full for a LONG time.
Recipe for your crock pot Lamb dish? Looks divine!
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says
August 10, 2011 at 9:23 pmEnjoy the weather!! It is gorgeous here in DC so I can only imagine how pretty it is in Charlottesville this week.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
August 10, 2011 at 9:28 pmWhat a grand dinner! That surely looks yummy! Very Morroccon-ish, if I may say (minus the spinach of course).
lynn @ the actor's diet says
August 10, 2011 at 9:39 pmi love stewed fruit too! when i married my husband, i was introduced to the jewish dish tsimmes, which is essentially stewed dried fruit and sweet potatoes.
Namaste Gurl says
August 10, 2011 at 9:42 pmMmmm, looks delicious as always.
Only 85? Sorry, but for me that’s super hot as in Santa Cruz 75 is considered hot!
kaila @ healthyhelper says
August 10, 2011 at 9:51 pmThis looks so delish! Love sweet and savory combos!
Katherina @ Zephyr Runs says
August 10, 2011 at 10:25 pmPrune juice always reminds me of my grandmother; she’d keep a gallon in her bathroom!! :X
willow says
August 10, 2011 at 11:11 pmI love, love, love your blog!
How useful do you find the slow cooker? My only experiences so far have been ridiculously large portions (there are only so many days straight I can eat leftovers!) and pretty grandma-ish recipes. This looks delish, and only grandma-ish in the prune part. So, is the slow cooker worth the cupboard space?
KathEats says
August 11, 2011 at 9:06 amI really like it when I use it, but I only do a few time a month. I would recommend getting a small one!! There are lots of smaller portion slow cooker recipes, and you can always halve the recipe too so it makes less. I used to have a 4 quart one (I think) and it was a nice size for serving two
Kathy Hester says
August 11, 2011 at 1:34 pmWillow, If you look around you’ll find more websites with modern (and even healthy) recipes in the slow cooker. On my blog I use a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker for breakfasts and a 3.5 to 4 quart one for dinner. Most of my recipes make about 4 to 6 portions and freeze really well. Mostly if I have leftovers I just use them for lunch the next day.
Plus it’s great for baking in when it’s summer – I have a pound cake recipes I make in it and top with fresh berries!
Amelia (Eating Made Easy) says
August 11, 2011 at 12:16 amI’m also a huge fan of stewed fruit, especially with meat — it is such a fantastic combo! I love this Chicken with Tomatillos and Stewed Fruit — its a Bon Appetit recipe that I tweaked a little to be a bit healthier, and include even more stewed fruit 🙂
http://eating-made-easy.com/2010/05/03/pre-partying-for-cinco-de-mayo/
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
August 11, 2011 at 12:58 amDinner looks delicious!
I’m glad to hear that it’s cooling down in Charlottesville – I’m moving to town on Monday from Portland, Oregon where we’ve only had a handful of days where the temp was above 85. I’m not ready to face the heat + humidity! 🙂
KathEats says
August 11, 2011 at 9:06 amOh really!! How fun! We should get together soon
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
August 11, 2011 at 5:22 pmDefinitely! I can’t wait to stop by the bakery 🙂
Khushboo says
August 11, 2011 at 2:07 amThat dinner looks SO delicious, I think it would have been on my mind all day knowing that it was simmering! The flaked almonds on top must have been a great touch!
Jumanah @ Healthy Living in the Middle East says
August 11, 2011 at 3:37 amPrunes are the only fruit I do not like but they look so delicious in your dish!
rumfunandsun says
August 11, 2011 at 4:19 amI am just wondering what watered down beer would taste like because my immediate reaction is…gross.
KathEats says
August 11, 2011 at 9:06 amWell as a beer lover, that would be mine too!
It’s not watered down beer…it’s beer-flavored sparkling water. Different mindset. Big improvement from plain water.
rumfunandsun says
August 11, 2011 at 2:29 pmOkay, that makes me feel a little better about it! 😉
Aine @ Something to Chew Over says
August 11, 2011 at 5:13 amYum I love stewed fruit! This looks delish 🙂
robin says
August 11, 2011 at 6:20 am75 here in Indiana and lovin every minute of it also. Also LOVE prunes…..
allpointswhole says
August 11, 2011 at 6:44 amThat meal looks quite creative and delicious!
Molly @ RDexposed says
August 11, 2011 at 7:13 amOH THE HORROR!!!!!
Lamb? No not lamb! As a kid my dad used to have a sheep farm and we’d occasionally have to nurse a runt at home. I had 2 lamb “pets” affectionately named Kevin (Home Alone inspired) and Buddy (the only pet name that kids can think of).
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says
August 11, 2011 at 7:46 amI love prunes and feel like such an old lady for admitting it. They’re so sweet!
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
August 11, 2011 at 7:50 amI love fruit in my dinner! I’ve never tried stewing them like this though. It looks good!
Hillary says
August 11, 2011 at 8:13 amI have never even THOUGHT to stew fruit before. A lightbulb just went off! Gonna have to try this ASAP.
Jessica says
August 11, 2011 at 11:14 amThis looks so fabulous and unique! Fruit must add such a nice touch of sweetness to the meal!
@stampylisa says
August 11, 2011 at 1:15 pmi LOVE your retro daisy/asterisky glasses!!
Ben the Crock Pot King says
August 11, 2011 at 6:44 pmHi Kath,
Great Great Article!!!! Love how you demonstrated everything. I’ve cooked for a long time myself, and I like what you’ve done. And I don’t say that a lot, so whatever you do, please keep it up, because it’s obvious you have a love for food. Bravo once again!!!
Shana says
August 11, 2011 at 7:01 pmI just ate a handful of prunes today and was thinking about how tasty they are. I won’t eat them in front of people because I feel like such a dork but I really enjoy them!