Indian curries made with ghee (clarified butter), coconut milk or cream are seductively rich and undeniably delicious _ but they're often high in saturated fat, calories and sodium.
The American Heart Association advises to choose curries with a vegetable or dal (a pulse of dried lentils, peas and beans) base instead. The health organization also advises choosing chicken or seafood over beef or lamb.
The Kansas City Star's Indian-Inspired Slow Cooker Chicken uses reduced-sodium broth, no-salt-added tomatoes and with fat-free or light sour cream for a touch of richness.
Curry may rhyme with "hurry," but curries actually lend themselves to preparation in the slow cooker.
Preparation tip: Spices are critical to this dish. It's important to use the freshest available. Curry is a complex mixture of herbs and spices, most often including coriander, cumin and turmeric, as well as fresh or dried chiles. If you shy away from curry because of its implied heat level, rest assured this one is flavorful but mild.
Serving tip: Basmati rice would be typical with this style of entree, but whole-grain brown rice adds more fiber.
