When we first introduced food to my son we were following the “Baby Led Weaning” (BLW) method in which you skip purees. There were a lot of things I liked about this concept but in reality it proved to be a little more difficult for us than for friends of mine who’ve used this method of introducing solids to their children. The idea is that your kids eat what you eat. Sounds great! But only if you’re eating what they CAN eat, which wasn’t often the case. I’d start off thinking “Oh, my son can have some of this!” but after making it I’d realize “no, it’s too early for soy sauce” or “there’s too much sugar in here” or “there are too many new ingredients here” (as I have lots of food allergies I’ve been cautious about introducing each new food). After we introduced applesauce and yogurt we realized how much my son enjoyed eating off of a spoon. At first he’d even guide the spoon to his mouth (unfortunately that particular skill has seemed to have been lost on him now). It was then that we adopted a “hybrid” method of eating. Yes, he gets traditional baby food, but he also gets finger food and adult food off of a fork. Since we’ve adopted this style of feeding my son’s been ingesting much more food (and is therefore happier) and it’s been easier for me to introduce new ingredients to him. But, I don’t have to use baby food meats which give me the heebie-jeebies.

That crazy long introduction on how we feed our son does fit into today’s recipe, I promise. What I loved most from learning about BLW was that spices are A-OK. And my baby is no exception to wanting food with flavor. When I heated up a bowl of this slow cooker chicken tikka masala for lunch the next day, half of my serving ended up going to him! I was surprised that he enjoyed it so much. (Wow, these photos were taken almost 3 months ago!)

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 3/4 C pureed canned whole tomatoes
• 1 C plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp garam masala
• 3/4 tsp tumeric
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (or more, to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 – 1 tsp lime juice

Steps:

1. Place chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, pureed tomatoes, yogurt, oil, spices, and bay leaf in the slow cooker. Gently toss to combine and coat chicken completely.
2. Cover and cook on LOW 7-8 hours.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the cream and corn starch. Add to the slow cooker and let cook another 20 minutes to thicken. Stir in lime juice.
4. Serve over brown rice. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.

*This recipe is modified from Julie at http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot/*