Slow Cooker Chicken and Artichokes

2 jars artichoke hearts, drained and divided **
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2- 2 pounds chicken**
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/5 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 cups whole wheat cous cous OR 1 cup quinoa**
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a slow cooker, combine one jar of artichoke hearts, the onion, garlic, spices, broth and chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Then place zucchini, tomatoes, and second package of artichokes in the cooker; re-cover and heat for another 15-30 minutes, or until veggies are cooked. (You know it is done when the tomatoes are just about to burst or a few have.) Remove chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon; cover them with foil to keep warm. Stir the couscous or quinoa into the remaining liquid; add lemon juice. Cover and cook until grain is done and (most of) the liquid is absorbed. Serve chicken and vegetables over couscous or quinoa.

**Note-If you want your artichokes to have a more mild flavor, then add both jars in at the beginning. Adding the second jar the last 30 minutes of cooking makes the artichoke have a stronger taste.
**Note-Use any sort of chicken you have on hand. If you are using bone-in, use about 2lbs. If you are using boneless then 1 1/2 lbs should be fine. When you remove the veggies and chicken, set aside your chicken so you can take the skin off and the bones out and just have the meat in with the veggies. After cooking so long the chicken should fall right off.
**Note-If you are using cous cous, you can add it to the slower cooker and it will cooking in 5-10 minutes. If you are using quinoa, it may take much, much longer, possibly an hour. If you don't have that sort of time, I recommend putting your remaining broth in a pot on the stove and cooking your quinoa according to packaged directions.

Roasted Chicken

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon dried thyme, divided
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
2-3 potatoes (any variety, including sweet potatoes) cut into very large pieces**
1 large yellow onion, very thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
Olive oil

Oven at 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, remaining thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

**Note-Feel free to substitute any root/winter veggies you have on hand.

**Note-this is a pretty easy recipe and although I personally don't think the lemon, garlic and thyme add much taste to the chicken itself, it does make a very yummy sauce/thin gravy for the veggies and chicken.

Fiesta Chicken with Tomato-Avacado Salsa

Tomato-Avocado Salsa
2 medium tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
4 medium green onions diced
1-2 tablespoons lime juice (May substitute lemon juice)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno chili (optional)
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt

Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup lime juice (may substitute lemon juice)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt

Mix chicken marinade. Reserve half to pour over chicken while it bakes. Pour other half over chicken. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. In medium glass or plastic bowl, gently mix all salsa ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Heat oven to 375. Spray 9 inch pan with cooking spray. Place chicken skin sides up, in pan. Pour reserved marinade over chicken. (Discard marinade that was in the fridge with the chicken.) Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer, basting with marinade. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

**I have also added 1-2 cups of mango to the salsa and it was delicious!

Italian Meatball and Escarole Soup

½ lb. ground Turkey (or Chicken)
½ tsp. Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Egg White (I use the whole egg)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tb. Parsley, chopped
1 Tb. Parmesan cheese
5 C Chicken broth
½ C Orzo pasta
1 bu. Escarole, washed and shredded
2 Tb. Lemon juice

In a bowl, mix together turkey, egg white, garlic, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. In a large pot, bring broth to a boil. Add meatballs and orzo, reduce heat to med. low, cover and simmer 15 min., or until meatballs are cooked through. Add escarole and lemon juice. Cover and simmer 5 min, or until escarole is tender. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

**Note-This is one of my favorite soups. Do not omit the lemon juice-it makes this dish!
**Note-You may substitute the orzo for any type of small pasta-I have used extra alphabet pasta I couldn't find another use for. You could even use broken up pieces of pasta you've saved from the bottom of your other pasta boxes.

Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I used plain and added 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning plus 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce, 26-28 oz-use your favorite
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Oven at 400 degrees. Dip chicken in egg,then breadcrumbs, coating well. In a greased/sprayed 13x9 inch glass* baking dish, arrange chicken. Bake 20 minutes uncovered. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken then top with cheese. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Serve over cooked pasta if desired.
*If using a metal baking dish, increase oven temperature by 25 degrees.

**Note-This is such a great and easy dish! Big hit with the family!

Salsa Chicken over rice

2 cups cooked rice
1-2 tablespoon oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, sliced
1 cup salsa
Shredded cheese

Cook chicken, onion and peppers in oil until chicken is cooked through-about 10-12 minutes. Add salsa. Heat through. Remove from heat and cover with cheese. When cheese is melted, serve over rice.