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.

Moroccan Cous Cous

1 cup uncooked couscous
water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas
2 cups vegetables (good for this recipe would be peppers, zucchini, or carrots but use whatever you have on hand), chopped to match in size the chickpeas
1 cup jarred or homemade salsa
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons golden raisins (or whatever dried fruit you have on hand)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or whatever natural sweetener you have on hand)
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cooked couscous in water according to packaged directions. Cover to keep warm and set aside. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute your veggies in the oil until softened, about 5 minutes. The last one minute, add garlic, being careful not to burn it. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, stirring to combine. Let simmer/warm for 10-20 minutes, letting the flavors blend.

**Note-this is a recipe I altered to fit what I had in my cupboard at the time. It is very versatile and perfect for using up little bits of left over things. Don't have brown sugar? Use honey! Don't have raisins, use dried apricots! There is a lot of play in this recipe, which is great when you clean out your cupboard and realize you have 2 bags of dried cranberries and don't know what to do with them.