Learning to Love the Crock Pot

I went back to work full time recently, and as expected, family dinners have suffered. It's not that my family isn't helpful. In fact, they've stepped up to the plate more than I anticipated. It's just that I used to pride myself on always having dinner on the table, and since I've been getting home at 6 or later, sometimes it's kind of slap dash and not always as balanced as I'd like. (Wow, that makes me sound like some kind of super mom -- my kids eat Fruit Loops for breakfast, don't be fooled)

So I bought this cookbook from Cooks Illustrated a few weeks ago, "The Make Ahead Cook," thinking it might help. And believe me, it has. Not everything is fabulous -- and it's a lot of work even making ahead, but at the very least, it's given me some new ideas. One of the best sections so far is the "Come Home to Dinner" section. The other night I made the Slow-Cooker Garden Minestrone and it was fabulous. I believe part of the great flavor came from the Parmesan rinds I'd saved and thrown into the pot -- but it was also the recipe. I wouldn't say everyone was voting make again on this, but it was a good hot nutritious meal (mitigating the Fruit Loops in the morning) and a great lunch the next day. Whether they said so or not, I'm going to make again.

Slow-Cooker Garden Minestrone

1 onion chopped fine
2 T. tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 t. minced fresh oregano (1/2 t. dried)
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
7 c. chicken broth
1 c. cannellini beans (dried)

To finish:
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
8 oz. Swiss chard, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c. elbow macaroni
1 lb. tomatoes (cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
1/4 c. minced fresh basil

To Prep:
1. Microwave onion, tomato paste, garlic, oil, oregano, and pepper flakes in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened (about 5 minutes). Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth and beans.

To Cook:
2. Cover and cook until beans are tender, 9 to 10 hours on low (6 to 7 on high)

To Finish and Serve:
Stir in zucchini, chard, pasta, and tomatoes; cover and cook on high until vegetables and pasta are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

My sister Gretchen, who has worked full time for years now is a crock pot fan -- and told me about skinnytaste.com. I found this recipe there and the biggest, pickiest kid (i.e., the husband) not only told me that it was really good, but he went back for seconds during dinner! Mission accomplished.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups + cheese • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 260.9 • Fat: 6.6 g • Protein: 25.4 g • Carb: 29.9 g • Fiber: 6.7 g • Sugar: 4.1 g
Sodium: 572 mg (without salt)


Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth
8 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 tsp chipotle chili in adobo sauce (or more to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish)
 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 8 oz skinless chicken breasts (16 oz total)
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for topping
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and chipotle adobo sauce and bring to a boil. Add cilantro and remove from heat. Pour into crock pot.

To the crockpot, add drained beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano and stir. Add the chicken breasts; cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add chicken back into the soup, adjust salt and cumin to taste. Serve in bowls and top with fat free sour cream, cheese, scallions and cilantro. You can also top with avocado or crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

This recipe is from Pinterest -- my friend Mindy pinned it and I thought it looked good. And it was! The kids were calling it Chipolte chicken. That's a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one.




Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 servings • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

Ingredients:

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  
• salt to taste

Directions:
Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.  

Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste. Serve over rice or tortillas and your favorite toppings.

Southwestern Corn Chowder

It mystifies me what my family likes and doesn't like. This one has all the ingredients they love -- corn, potatoes, creamy soup. It was met with not a great deal of enthusiasm. I, on the other hand, enjoyed this soup. Crock pot, somewhat low fat, soup... what's not to love? I'm going to keep serving it and see what happens.

Ingredients

• 4 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled (optional) and diced
• 2 4 oz cans of shopped green chilies
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 (2-3 oz) chorizo sausage links, skinned and diced
• 4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 c fat free half and half
• 4 tbsp flour

Instructions

1. place all ingredients (except for the last two) in slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours, until potatoes are tender
2. about 15-30 minutes before serving, mix the half and half and flour together until smooth and add to the mixture to thicken
3. adjust seasonings to taste and serve

I Vow to Use the Crock Pot

UGH! Back to school craziness -- everyone running every which way.  As the kids get older, everyone sitting down together to dinner seems to be getting rare.  And, as tuition approaches, I'm working more and more to make sure we aren't living in a cardboard box in 2015.  All that said, Mondays are the craziest day, so I've taken a solemn oath to use my crock pot on Monday.

First Monday was Pulled Pork Sandwiches -- which yielded enough to freeze and eat the following Monday.  Second crock pot attempt was Shrimp Creole.  You guessed it -- the pork was way more popular (served with cole slaw and pickles, what's not to like?).  The shrimp dish was expensive, healthier, and less adored, but hey, they ate it.  I grilled chicken for the non-shrimp eaters.... I'm getting soft in my old age.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
2-3 lb. boneless pork roast, cubed
2 onions chopped
12 oz. bottle of barbecue sauce
1/4 c. honey

Throw it all in the crock pot, turn it on low for 6-8 hours. Use two forks to shred the meat, serve on rolls.

Shrimp Creole
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
1 onion sliced
1 green pepper diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 1/2 large carrots diced
2 3/4 lb. can tomatoes
3/4 c. water
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 garlic clove
1 T. sugar
3 bay leaves
1 t. salt
1/8 t. dried oregano
1 lb. shrimp

Melt butter in skillet, add flour and brown.  Add onions, peppers, celery, and carrots.  Cook for 5-10 minutes, add to slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients (except shrimp), and stir well
Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low

To serve, make rice, cook shrimp (peel and de-vein) -- mix shrimp into finished creole; serve over rice.

Black Bean Soup -- Slow Cooker

I cannot for the life of me remember where I found this recipe -- but since no one really reads this blog, I guess I don't need to be all uptight about citing my sources....

I've found that the love of black beans is pretty universal here in our house, and as mentioned previously I'm working on: 1. More soup and 2. (previously un-announced) more slow cooker recipes.  TA DA -- the perfect marriage of both.

Now spicy is an issue -- and this recipe originally called for chipoltes -- which is too much for most of us.  So I substituted roasted pablanos -- I think it still needs a bit of a kick, next time I think I may put a few dashes of hot sauce --


Black Bean Soup

Yields 6 main course servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium-size red onions, chopped
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 16-ounce package dried black beans
1 pablano pepper (roasted for about 12 minutes in 350 degree oven) seeded and chopped
7 cups hot water (I just used very hot tap water)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and both bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cumin; stir one minute. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add beans and chipotles, then 7 cups hot water. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 3 hours. [See note up top.]
Use the wand blender to puree until smooth. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste; we found we needed more salt. Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon dollop of toasted cumin seed cream (below) over each bowl and serve.
Do ahead: This soup keeps great in the fridge, and even thickens a bit. In a good way!

Toasted Cumin Seed Crème Fraîche
Hacked from Bobby Flay
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
1 cup crema or crème fraîche (or make your own crema, make your own crème fraîche, or swap sour cream or yogurt, for a close-enough taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place the cumin in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until coarse. Stir it into the creme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Could have sworn I got this from The Bitten Word -- but can't find it there now...