High Protein, High Fibre Mexican Chicken & Kidney Bean Slow Cook

I make this weekly now after my fussy son said "oh mum this is one to put on the menu every week." And to be honest, some days call for a recipe that does the work for you..... and recipe does just that (slow cooking smugness activated).

It's the perfect thing to put on in the morning and then enjoy that night (and for leftovers the next day). We have it after soccer training, and the tired Carolyn who has been seeing clients all day, often from 7am, who races to school pick up to take Jude to 4pm soccer training and then works in the car, is very happy with morning Carolyn who put this dish on. It means I can come home, shower, keep working if needed and dinner is taken care of.

I put it on low for about 6-8 hours in the slow cooker, then its twenty minutes in the oven, and dinner is done without you standing over a stove watching it.

I use this base in a number of ways depending on the vibe of the day. I add it to high protein pasta, I do it as an enchilada bake, I use it as burritos filling, sprinkle cheese over it and then bake. I eat it on its own with a side of broccoli. I have it with rice. We have it with corn chips. You name it.

Ingredients

Slow cooker

• 700g chicken breast

• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

• a punnet of cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 400g canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 zucchini, diced (add this towards the end though so it doesn’t become too sloppy IYKYK)

• 400g canned organic diced tomatoes

• 190g mild chunky salsa dip (aim for low sugar and check on the Yuka app to make sure it doesn’t have preservatives).

• 1 tbsp bone broth concentrate (I use best of the bone mushroom broth or Nutra Organics chicken broth - the gooey one not the powdered one)

• Tbsp tomato paste

To finish

• 6 good-quality gluten free tortillas, quartered

• 1 cup tasty cheddar cheese, grated

OR

• Good quality pasta

• Rice

• Steamed greens

• Burritos

• Corn chips

Method

1. Add the chicken, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, salsa dip, bone broth concentrate and tomato paste to the slow cooker. Lid on, cook on low for 8 hours.

2. With an hour to go, add in your zucchini. I prefer it not to be too soggy so this is why I add it later on. If you don’t have issues with the texture of zucchini, you can add it at the start.

3. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

4. Transfer the contents to a baking dish and shred the chicken with two forks.

5. Stir through the tortilla pieces.

6. Top with the cheddar cheese and bake for around 20 minutes, until melted and bubbling.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, some jalapeños and a fresh tomato, avocado and coriander salsa.

How I Serve It

This one is a family favourite in our house, and part of why I keep coming back to it is how many ways it can be served up.....

• My way: I stir mine through high protein pasta for an extra hit of protein and a bit more staying power especially if I have been really active that day. I add parmasen on top instead of tasty cheese.

• My husband and son's way: They have theirs as the baked enchiladas, or rolled up and baked as burritos for something heartier.

• On its own: it holds up perfectly as a bowl meal, no extra carb needed, especially if you're keeping things a little lighter. Throw in some steamed greens.

However you serve it, the base does the heavy lifting..... it's just a matter of building it around what your body needs that day. We also all have it as left overs the next day. I find it serves about 6 to 8 people depending on how you have it.

Enjoy. Let me know how you go.