My crock pot has become a life saver more than once, and if I play it right will become so much more important. I'm looking to save time, money and calories.
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 02-06-2013 at 04:58 PM.
I've found some good recipes here. My crockpot is a lifesaver right now. Work is crazy busy and lunch is on the road just about every day. Healthy dinners are a must, as are breakfast beans and eggs to start the day.
I don't want to derail this thread. I will post recipes of my own but I'd rather not draw traffic away from these blogs by posting their recipes here. I want them to get plenty of traffic so they keep posting Just a warning - my recipes tend to be very flexible.
Breakfast Porridge (great to wake up to on a cold morning)
2 cups whole grain - I like 1 cup steel cut oats, 1/2c quinoa, and 1/2c wheat, spelt, or rye berries for texture
6 cups water or nondairy milk
dried fruit
1 banana
lots of cinnamon
Cook on low overnight. I've cooked as long as 8 hours.
fresh or frozen fruit
chopped nuts
If using dried fruit I add it with the grains, if using fresh I stir it in before serving.
I rarely add sweetener if I use the banana. This makes enough for the week here. It's great leftover either reheated or add an egg and make a pancake.
These are as good or better than any of the reduced fat refried beans in a can. They're also a lot cheaper! I eat these most mornings with an egg, cheese, & salsa
Makes about 8 1/2 cup servings
2 cups of dried beans (pintos, black, kidney, etc)
water
1 1/2 yellow onions
1 1/2 red onions
5 whole garlic cloves
1.5 T cumin
2 tsp coriander
Soak the beans overnight
Put the beans in the crockpot & cover with water, about 1 inch over the beans.
Stir in the cumin and coriander.
Peel and cut the onions & garlic in half & add to crockpot.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are tender. I used the full 10 hours.
Discard onions. If there is a lot of extra liquid drain some and save it. Mash the beans with a potato masher. Season to taste.
The original recipe called for removing the garlic too but that seemed wrong. I added a generous amount of a Mexican seasoning blend to mine.
Ingredients:
1 whole frozen chicken, giblets removed (I get pastured chickens which are pretty small)
About 1/2 C of your favorite liquid (e.g. water, white wine, apple cider, etc.)
Your favorite spices
Put whole frozen chicken in crock pot, breast side up if it'll fit that way, otherwise however you can fit it. Add liquid and spices. Cook on low for 10 hours.
I love this because I don't have to remember to defrost the chicken first; it goes in frozen and comes out with the meat falling off the bones. The skin gets pretty soggy esp. on the bottom, but we all take the skin off around here anyway, right? It's very easy to shred up whatever meat is left after you eat what you want and use in other recipes, plus you'll get some broth left at the bottom (though you will need to strain off the fat).
*My own note - I make this recipe vegetarian more often than not, and it turns out deliciously. Just skip the ham hock parts, do everything else as directed. You do not need to soak the beans overnight.*
PREP-AHEAD TRIPS: You can store the following ingredients together:
1. Cook the vegetables as described in step 1, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
2. Pick over and rinse the black beans and refrigerate.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions , minced
3 celery ribs , chopped medium
2 medium carrots , chopped medium
6 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
5 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
3 cups water
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound dried black beans (about 2 1/4 cups), picked over and rinsed
2 medium smoked ham hocks
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
Ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, cumin, pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker insert and stir in the water, broth, black beans, ham hocks, and bay leaves until evenly combined. Cover and cook on low until the soup has thickened and the beans are tender, 8 to 10 hours. (Alternatively, cover and cook on high for 6 to 7 hours.)
3. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove the ham hocks and transfer them to a plate to cool. Meanwhile, puree 2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth, then stir back into the slow cooker insert. When the hocks are cool enough to handle, remove any meat, discarding the skin, fat, and bones, and add the meat back to the soup. Stir in the cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
One of my favorite recipe sites is Italianfoodforever.com Nothing I've fixed from that site was bad! She has only one slow cooker recipe, though. It does meet my requirements of a long cooking time!
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Turkey Thighs (About 2 Pounds Total Weight), Skin Removed & Trimmed of Fat
2 Carrots, Or 1/2 Cup Finely Diced
1 Celery Stalk, Or 1/2 Cup Finely Diced
1/2 Medium Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
4 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Minced
3/4 Cup Red Wine
1 (28 Ounce) Can Chopped Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Tomato Paste
1 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper
1 Pound Pasta of Choice
To Serve:
Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the turkey thighs well on all sides, about 8 minutes.
Remove the thighs and place in your slow cooker.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the skillet, and cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
Add the wine to the skillet and reduce to less than half over high heat.
Add the vegetables and wine to the crockpot along with the tomatoes, paste, water, and seasonings.
Stir well, and turn the crackpot on low for 8 hours, removing the lid during the last hour.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water until it is "al dente".
Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
Toss the pasta with a large scoop of sauce.
Serve in individual bowls, with a scoop of additional sauce on each.
Pass the grated cheese at the table.
Ingredients:
5 lbs potatoes (russet has worked best for me, idaho went badly)
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup reduced fat milk of needed
6-8 cups chicken broth or stock
1 while onion, med or lrge to taste
4-6 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tbsp oil
Black pepper
Salt
Preparation :
- Chop onion and garlic fine in chopper or food proccesor
- brown garlic and onion to desired level in skillet with oil, pour into slow cooker pot
- Peel potatoes if desired, I don't as the peel gives good flavor. Chop potatoes into small pieces, place in slow cooker. Decrease potato volume for smaller slow cooker (mine is 6.5)
- cover potatoes completely with broth
-liberally pepper (Dh says the two most important ingredients in potato soup are potatoes and pepper, so I put in what I think I need, then put in some more, then add more during cooking and at the end)
- stir to blend all ingredients
- cook on low for 8-9 hours
- stir in cream, let cook for 15 minutes or so
-add more pepper, salt to taste. If you want you can stir in shredded cheese here.
- at this point you can go several ways. If you like thin soup, puree with stick blender. I like chunky, so I break the potatoes up with a fork. After 8-9 hours they break up well on their own. I'm getting a potato masher soon to try.
- this will hold on warm for a long time, and will thicken as it warms. Add reduced fat milk or skim 1/4 cup at a time to Thin, or when you add the cream if you want thinner.
- top with shredded cheese, bacon bits, scallions, whatever you like
With the listed ingredients the entire crock comes to 2600 calories and makes about 8 servings. Reheat beautifully.
SLOW COOKER GUMBO
For roux:
1/4 C oil - I used olive, some say canola
1/4 C all-purpose flour
For the gumbo:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 lb Andouille sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 medium to large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C frozen cut okra (or more if you’re an okra lover)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained, or fresh tomatoes if you'd rather
1 small can mild diced green chilies, undrained
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
black pepper to taste (but be pretty generous)
1 tsp Creole seasoning, such as Zatarain’s (If you happen to have it. If not, you’ll be fine without it.)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and cooked
A roux is an equal mix of flour and fat (either butter or oil), and it basically thickens and helps to flavor a dish. Depending on how long you cook your roux, it can be either light, medium, or dark. If your roux begins to burn at all, there’s no saving it. You’ll need to throw it out and start over. It’s disheartening, but it’s not the end of the world. To help prevent this from happening, you will need to:
- Make sure your heat is not too high.
- Stir constantly.
- Remove from heat before you think it’s quite done. The heat from the pan will continue to cook and darken the roux.
In a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat (closer to medium than high), combine oil and flour to make your roux. Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes, until the roux becomes fragrant and just begins to darken. Turn heat down to low and whisk constantly for several more minutes, or until the roux is about the color of peanut butter. I made two cups and split it - took me about 40 minutes to cook all that to the right color. You can really tell when it turns, the smell is gorgeous.
Pour the roux into the crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT shrimp. The mixture will seem all raw and gross at this point. Trust. Stir and cover. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.
When you have about 20 minutes to go, add the shrimp.
Serve over rice.
- I made this as a prep ahead and freeze meal. I put all ingredients in a freezer bag and froze it flat. I made the roux in a large batch and froze it in individual disks, dropped one disk in the baggie as I froze it. It might have worked better if I'd poured it in liquid and let it freeze coating it, which I might try next time I make roux. As it was I have 7 roux disks individually frozen in baggies to add as needed.
To cook the freezer bag, pull out of freezer, pour into cooker, cook on low for 8-9 hours. I added a can of rotel in the pot when I poured in the freezer bag, and about 1/8 cup of chicken broth to give a little liquid. You can let the bag sit in the sink to thaw for half an hour or so if you need to be able to break up the veg to fit in your cooker pot.
- Add cayenne pepper in the last couple of hours if you like it spicier as I do. It needed the spice kicked up a little.
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 07-18-2013 at 03:51 PM.
Reason: title
Maintenance Crock Pot Recipes
Just a warning - my recipes tend to be very flexible.
