...the onion in this recipe isn't legal, IP only allows raw onions.
It really frustrates me to keep seeing this mistake being made over and over and over again. Cooking onions does NOT make them illegal unless you let them reach caramelization. The simple reason that cooked onions APPEAR to have more calories than raw onions is because a measured cup of onions AFTER cooking them is substantially more than a measured cup of raw onions. That being said, with ANY recipe, the measurements of ingredients should always be done to the RAW precooked ingredient. Cooking onions until they are wilted or until they are soft and translucent is a good way to get onions and some of the recommended olive / grapeseed oil that you are supposed to be ingesting everyday.
Now, there are two things you should be keeping in mind when introducing onions to your IP diet.
Whenever possible you should choose white onions instead of the sweet yellow or red ones as the sugar content in white onions is considerably less and much less chance of reaching caramelization.
When cooking onions in a crockpot meal, you should not add the onions at the beginning. They should only allowed to cook long enough to wilt or become soft and translucent. Cooking them beyond that point risks reaching caramelization no matter what temp they are cooked at.
Cooking onions is a good thing. Just remember your proper measurments are done raw and do not let them caramelize. Anyone that is telling you differently is simply passing on misinformation.
I put turnip or rutabega in overnight with WF maplesyrup. The next morning they were still hard so I added my meat and by the time I got home from work, all was cooked and delish. The "potatoes" tasted sweet, like sweet potatoes, and definitely not "turnip"
I did this again -- rutabegas the night before with the WF syrup in with the water and chicken broth. I also added pork tenderloin this time, with a "smoke applewood" spice. This inspired me to add 3 tiny macintosh apples to the chicken broth I cooked it in. The smell was so yummy, I added a wee bit o' cinnamon and garam marsala spice as well. Then I threw in 8 pieces of garlic as my hubby likes garlic.
It was GOoooo--oood! DH said he LOVED the rutabega. We don't really know what it's supposed to taste like as I've never cooked it before, but this way they were sweet and smokey and absorbed the smoked apple flavour. ...mmm...
I'll never make it to having my own recipe thread -- nothing is "repeatable" in my house -- a handful of this, a few shakes of that... Hubby always says "This is really good! Can we ever have it again?"... Nope. Something similar perhaps, but no meal is the same twice at my house. But I don't think you can go wrong when you use a crockpot
I love orange chicken and I found this to be very satisfying.
1. 1 whole chicken (skin removed)
2. 1 jar of walden farms orange marmalade
3. 1/2 cup water
4. Sea Salt to taste
5. Black Pepper
I'm not very creative with spices but you could tweak to your tastes.
I put the whole chicken, jar of wf orange mamalade, 1/2 cup water, and spices in the crockpot.
I let it cook on high for at least 4-6 hours and then I turn it to low for the last hour or so. I've used a frozen chicken too but it takes about 2 more hours and you have to peel the skin off when it's hot.
Someone posted this awhile back and it is one of my favorites. So delicious. Don't know if the onion mix is legal (maybe use half), but I think it'd be just as good without it.
I also LOVE chicken with buffalo sauce shredded over a salad. I totally meant to make that today but forgot to put it together before I left for work.
Just checked out the recipe in your link - for those with high blood pressure, this could be a problem...nearly 1370 mg of sodium p/serving!!! Would def substitue regular onions & some garlic powder. Cooked onions are ok as long as you don't let them 'carmelize'. That creates sugar. I have cooked onions all the time in numerous recipes.
Thanks for this thread, I'm always looking for slow-cooker ideas.
Glad you like this as much as I do. I've made it twice now since I posted this recipe. The onion soup mix does have 16 carbs per packet. This works out to 2.6 carbs per 8 oz meat from a 3 lb chuck roast. I really only use a minimal amount of the juice in a serving (2T), so the carbs would definitely be 1 or less. Not a concern in my opinion.
I substituted the onion soup mix with the Goya Sazon seasoning packets....zero carbs! and very delicious.
Just checked out the recipe in your link - for those with high blood pressure, this could be a problem...nearly 1370 mg of sodium p/serving!!! Would def substitue regular onions & some garlic powder. Cooked onions are ok as long as you don't let them 'carmelize'. That creates sugar. I have cooked onions all the time in numerous recipes.
Hi greeniris. When you use onion, do you just wait (as per DakotahDaddy's post above) and add them after the rest of the dish has cooked somewhat - so they don't have time to carmelize? I've been using dehydrated/minced onion quite a bit, and just wait until everything is practically cooked, adding it then. Somehow (?!) I never thought of doing that with fresh onion. I love 'real' onion and miss it.
It really frustrates me to keep seeing this mistake being made over and over and over again. Cooking onions does NOT make them illegal unless you let them reach caramelization. The simple reason that cooked onions APPEAR to have more calories than raw onions is because a measured cup of onions AFTER cooking them is substantially more than a measured cup of raw onions. That being said, with ANY recipe, the measurements of ingredients should always be done to the RAW precooked ingredient. Cooking onions until they are wilted or until they are soft and translucent is a good way to get onions and some of the recommended olive / grapeseed oil that you are supposed to be ingesting everyday.
Now, there are two things you should be keeping in mind when introducing onions to your IP diet.
Whenever possible you should choose white onions instead of the sweet yellow or red ones as the sugar content in white onions is considerably less and much less chance of reaching caramelization.
When cooking onions in a crockpot meal, you should not add the onions at the beginning. They should only allowed to cook long enough to wilt or become soft and translucent. Cooking them beyond that point risks reaching caramelization no matter what temp they are cooked at.
Cooking onions is a good thing. Just remember your proper measurments are done raw and do not let them caramelize. Anyone that is telling you differently is simply passing on misinformation.
My sheet says "onions (raw only)", so to me that means if you cook them they are no longer IP legal. Also, if I use a crockpot, I am at work and therefore not home to remove onions once they become wilted, I can't really see the point of adding onions in after my meal has cooked all day, I can't imagine how that would really change the flavour.
Last edited by Bella73123; 10-22-2012 at 11:53 AM.
Off and on I've used canned diced tomatoes that have seasoning added--basil, garlic, oregano, etc. But it is hard to find brands that don't also have sugar or high fructose corn syrup added. My grocery store has been out of my preferred brand, so I took matters into my own hands and made my own in the crockpot this weekend. I used two large cans of diced tomatoes, chopped celery and onions -- just a bit-I've been following the cooked onion discussion -- some basil and bay leaf. I let it cook on high for several hours. I divided it up into small containers and froze most of it. Had some for dinner last night added to stir fry veggies and it was delicious.
I think I might make another batch adding some chopped peppers and using Mexican seasoning. I get spice blends at the local health food store that are seasoned for tacos or fajitas.
Another crock pot meal I enjoy is swiss steak--round steak cooked with the seasoned tomatoes. I don't do much to the steak other than brown it and season lightly, then put it in the crock. This is a great time of year to be thinking of crockpot recipes! Thanks for all the great ideas!
I'm sorry Tunafish, but I thought I should mention that the onion in this recipe isn't legal, IP only allows raw onions. Ketchup isn't allowed either unless you are using the low carb one, some coaches might allow that, mine does not.
My coach allows me to cook onions till just translucent, not carmalized so I can cook them. The carmalization is what creates the sugars that we don't want in our body right now. Just thought I would mention that. I use onions all the time, cooked but not carmilized and have not had any problems. Tunafish, you should ask your coach just to be safe. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This is a recipe that I got from our Fairbanks IP coach Heidi. I have made it and have to say, Everyone that I know LoVed it!! Check with your coaches first, but it is very simple and yummy!
Heidi’s Crock pot Pork Loin
1 pork loin (to fit in your crock pot)
1 jar Sauerkraut, rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
Garlic, fresh, minced or powder
Onion sliced
Put your roast in the crock pot, pour all ingredients over your roast place sliced onions on the top and cook for 6 hours on high . ( I will also take yellow mustard and pour over the top, it’s fantastic.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
**side note** I didn't use the mustard, I used dry mustard and mixed it with my curry powder and sprinkled it over. Also, make sure your can of tomatos are not flavored, and check lable for any added sugars.
Peel & slice a large rutabaga in big chunks.
Spray crockpot with EVOO spray
Rub a 3lb pork roast with a mix of 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp parsley, 2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper.
Heat a skillet to high. Sear the pork roast on all sides (about 2 minutes per side).
Arrange the rutabaga on the bottom of the crockpot. Place pork roast on top of the rutabaga. Add 1 cup fat free veggie/chicken broth, or plain water if you prefer. Cover and cook on low for 6 hrs.
Voila, meat and potatoes dinner! You can do the same with a beef roast, just adjust this way:
Rub beef with a mix of 2tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp sea salt. Sear on all sides to seal in the juices. Instead of chicken/veggie broth, add 1/2 cup water or beef broth, and 1/2 cup black coffee (preferably yesterday's coffee!). Cook on low 6 hours.
Do you think Turnips would be good? I have never used a rutabaga, honestly, don't even know what to look for LOL...I saw a recipe in Liz'z link for rutabaga pie, says its like sweet potato...want to try it if i can find the darn thing
Nancy Allen’s Crockpot Curried Chicken - serves 2
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup onion, cut into thin slices
1 Tablespoon curry powder, make sure its 0-0-0
1 Tablespoon tumeric
1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 cup red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspooon sea salt
Dash of cayenne pepper (more if you want it hotter)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place everything in a crockpot and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low
for 4-6 hours. Stir occasionally to break up meat (it will want to stick
together). Serve over cauliflower rice or add other veggies in and eat as
is. If you want to take the extra step, cook sauce down after it is cooked,
for sauce. Enjoy!
Nancy Allen’s Crockpot Curried Chicken - serves 2
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup onion, cut into thin slices
1 Tablespoon curry powder, make sure its 0-0-0
1 Tablespoon tumeric
1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 cup red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspooon sea salt
Dash of cayenne pepper (more if you want it hotter)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place everything in a crockpot and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low
for 4-6 hours. Stir occasionally to break up meat (it will want to stick
together). Serve over cauliflower rice or add other veggies in and eat as
is. If you want to take the extra step, cook sauce down after it is cooked,
for sauce. Enjoy!
-- some basil and bay leaf. I let it cook on high for several hours. I divided it up into small containers and froze most of it. Had some for dinner last night added to stir fry veggies and it was delicious. 
Heidi's crock pot pork loin
