Chicken Fajitas

This recipe was adapted for solar cooking from cookingclassy.com. It is fast and easy to prepare, and like most slow cooker recipes, it worked perfectly in the solar oven.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 red, orange and green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp honey

For serving: Flour tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, monterrey jack or cheddar cheese

Pour half of the canned tomatoes into the bottom of your graniteware pot. Top with half of the peppers and half of the onions. Sprinkle garlic in. Top with chicken breasts.

In a bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip chicken and sprinkle in remainder. Top with remaining half of the tomatoes, then layer in remaining peppers and onions.

Cover and cook in the Solavore Sport until chicken has cooked through and veggies are tender (approximately 3-4 hours).

Remove chicken, and cut into strips, or shred. Ladle out 1 cup of the broth from pot (mostly tomato liquid) and discard. In a small bowl whisk together lime juice and honey and add to slow cooker along with chicken and season with additional salt to taste if desired. Gently toss. Sere warm in warmed tortillas with sour cream and optional guacamole, cheese and salsa.

Oxtail

This recipe was adapted for solar cooking from the original found on marthastewart.com.

• 4 pounds large, meaty oxtail pieces, patted dry
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons safflower or other neutral-tasting oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 bunch watercress, trimmed

1. Season oxtail generously with salt and pepper. In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow pie pan; season with salt and pepper. Dredge oxtail in flour mixture until coated all over, shaking off excess flour.

2. Working in batches, sear oxtail until well browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Remove oxtail and set aside. Place oxtail in Sport graniteware pots. Add wine and enough water to cover one quarter of the oxtail. Place in the Solavore Sport to cook. After 3 hours, add additional 2 cups water if necessary. Continue cooking until meat is tender and pulls away from bone, 3 hours more.

3. Remove oxtail and set aside. Pour cooking liquid into a fat separator. Allow fat to rise to top. Pour defatted cooking liquid back into pot. Cook until reduced and thickened, about 15-30 minutes. Return oxtail topot and stir in watercress. Cook until oxtail is heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Serve oxtail either on the bone or with meat removed from bone and transferred to a shallow dish. Pour reduced cooking liquid and watercress mixture over meat and serve immediately.

Solavore Smokin' Chili

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 pounds ground chuck beef, ground for chili
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 habanero chile, seeded and very finely chopped
1/4 cup chile powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper
4 (14.5-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes, coarsely chopped with their juices
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
1 (12-ounce) bottle amber beer
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed  
Tortilla chips, for serving
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Chopped tomatoes, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving 

Directions 

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add beef and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; drain in a colander, discarding fat, and set aside. 

2. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onions, garlic, and habanero; season with salt. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. 

3. Combine beef, onion mixture, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and chipotle pepper; stir to combine. Add tomatoes, cilantro, and beer.  Divide evenly between two Solavore Sport Granite Ware pots.  Cover, set in sun and cook for 5 hours.  You may wish to use reflectors if you are getting a late start (noon or later) or there are passing clouds.  (Chili may be frozen at this point and re-heated at a later date.  Thaw completely before proceeding to next step.)

4. Add kidney beans and season with salt and pepper.   Continue cooking for an additional hour or until beans are heated through.   Garnish with cilantro and serve with desired toppings.

Chicken Mole

Solar oven chicken mole is extremely easy, and delicious served over rice. The recipe makes two pots of chicken that cook together in the Solavore Sport. If you'd like to free up your second pot to cook rice, just cut the recipe in half.

• 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12) 
• Coarse salt 
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes 
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped 
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, or 2 t. ancho chile powder
• 1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce 
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted 
• 1/4 cup raisins 
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (1/2 cup) 
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions 

1. Season chicken thighs with salt and divide between two Solavore Sport pots.

2. In a blender, puree tomatoes, onion, ancho and chipotle chiles, almonds, raisins, chocolate, garlic, oil, cumin, and cinnamon until smooth. 

3. Add tomato mixture to Sport pot(s), cover, and cook with reflectors until chicken is tender, 2-3 

hours (or 4-6 hours without reflectors). Serve chicken and sauce topped with cilantro.

Baked Barbecue Beans

1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 pound ground sirloin
1 onion diced
1 28 oz can pork and beans
1 can butler, lima or cannelini beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Cook bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and cook the onions and ground beef in bacon fat. Add remaining ingredients and cooked bacon. Cover and place in solar oven for 6 hours.