Cornish Hens with Apples and Lemons

Although this recipe does not follow the pattern for The Suburban Challenge, I found it while exploring my French cookbooks. I translated and converted...and ate. Delish.  So, I'll share.

Serves Four:
1 onion chopped
2 Cornish hens
4 tablespoons canola or corn oil
3 apples, cored and sliced into wedges with their skins left on
zest of 1 lemon
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup raisins optional
1 fresh sprig of rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of dry white wine
1 chicken bouillon
3 carrots, pealed and sliced into rounds
4 green onions diced

1. In a small pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, In a large oval roasting pot (my slow cooker insert can go on the stove top, so I used it) heat the rest of the oil over medium high heat. Place the chickens in the pot and brown them, about five minutes each side. Browning the chicken before you cook it allows the skin to harden on the outside and lock in the chicken's juices while it cooks.
3. Add the onion, apple wedges, and lemon zest and cook for five more minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the top of the dish with the cloves and add the bay leaf, raisins if using, white wine, bouillon, and place the Rosemary on top. Cook on low heat for one hour.
4. Add the carrots and green onions and continue to cook for another hour on low.
5. Serve by cutting hen in half down the middle of the breast, neck to butt.

The chicken fell off the bones! In one dish, you have a low fat protein, a fruit serving, and a vegetable serving. Seen here with a serving of rice before Steve split it for the two of us.