Crock pot BBQ Garlic Chicken

Call me crazy, but I feel like loading up on garlic is one of the mainstays of our "stay-healthy" routine around here. I usually kick it up an extra notch or 10 right before we travel, must be a blast to work out next to me this week.

Here is one that came, as usual, from what we had and an extreme lack of time or planning. So much so, all I have is the blurry photo above from the day after we had it for dinner on potato bread as my quick lunch while getting ready for our trip! Sorry bout that guys!!

Here is what you will need:

1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts

about 1 1/2 cup bbq sauce

8-10 cloves of garlic (I used a whole head, c'mon!)- peeled and cut in half or crushed a bit

about 1/2 a cup water or broth (veggie or chicken)

salt, paprika, garlic powder

Put chicken and garlic in crock pot

add about 3/4-1 cup bbq sauce (cover top of chicken)

Pour water or broth in on the side, not over the bbq sauce chicken

Low for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through & shreds eaisily- mine was done-da-da at 4 hours but well done, I probably could have finished it off at 3:30 or 3:45.

Transfer chicken to bowl, use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic as well.

shred chicken using two forks

Sprinkle on about 1 tsp paprika, and 2-3tsp garlic powder

add 1/4-1/2 cup bbq sauce

use forks to mix well

taste, then add salt if needed

What you do with this garlic gloriousness is up to you! Top a salad? Roll in a tortilla? Stuff a yummy Hawaiian roll or pita pocket?  (or on potato bread for a blurry sandwich photo, perhaps??) lol.

Awesome Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Wow, these were EASY and soooooo delicious! A while ago my sister told me I had to go get the Salsa Verde from Trader Joe's and mix it with Greek yogurt- then put it on everything, because it's awesome. The time finally came this past weekend, I tried it, and I'm hooked.
This is a perfect summer crock pot recipe that I will definitely make again and again, it's relatively inexpensive and could not be any easier.

Here's what you need:

1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package whole wheat tortillas
2 jars Trader Joe's salsa verde
1 container Greek yogurt (you will use about a cup)
3/4 a sweet onion diced
2 cups shredded cheese

Lightly spray the inside of the crock pot with olive oil to help prevent sticking. Scatter a small handful of onions across the bottom, place chicken on top of onions, pour about 2/3 of one of the jars of salsa over the top of the chicken. Cook on low about 4-6 hours or until completely cooked through and easily shreddable.
Remove chicken from crock pot, discard liquid.
Place chicken in a large bowl and use two forks to shred it up, let it cool a bit, then add 1 cup Greek yogurt and the remaining salsa in the first jar, use forks to combine well. (I did this on Sunday, then put the chicken mix in the fridge and did all the steps below for dinner Monday)

Preheat oven to 375
(for a freezer meal, follow the steps below, except baking, cover, freeze and bake for about 45 minutes at 375 from frozen when ready)
Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil
Lay a tortilla on a plate and scoop about 3 forkfuls of chicken mix onto the tortilla, top with a half of a handful of onions, 1 T of salsa and wrap shut- place in pan seam side down, repeat until you are out of chicken or the pan is full.
Pour salsa from the 2nd jar generously over the tortillas, top with lots of shredded cheddar cheese, reserve a bit to mix with the greek yogurt for after baking.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is all melted and bubbly.

Serve with a dollop of the Greek yogurt/salsa sauce, avocado, black beans and rice!

Crockpot Angel Chicken

Hi Guys!!! Sorry it took me so long to get back to business here. We've been having way too much fun with the house, Logan and the gorgeous weather. Oh. Sorry again. I realize it's still dumping snow on many of my beloved and I apologize for that last dig about the weather....Here. I'll make it up to you- this is a FABULOUS crock-pot recipe that you will adore. Super-comfort food with out being too horrible for you. I've been meaning to make a version of this recipe for quite some time, but my husband hates cream-of-anything soup so I had to go rouge here, and truly enjoyed the results!! Hope you do too!! 

Here is what you will need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

6-8 shiitake mushrooms chopped

4 cloves garlic chopped

1/4 c chicken broth

1/2 block cream cheese

1 pkg Trader Joe's condensed portabella mushroom soup (no mystery ingredients in this one! YAY!)

2 tsp ITALIAN DRESSING MIX  Do yourself a giant favor and make your own, the packet has who-knows-what in it- takes no time and you will use it LOTS!

Toss it all into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken shreds easily and is cooked all the way through. As I have stated many times, every crockpot I have ever owned seems to run on the hotter side- if I make a chicken recipe that says "low for 7-8 hours" I get dried out nastiness. So I check it's shredability around 4 hours, this recipe was ready at the 4 hour mark, I noted 4-6 hours just in case. It should shred easily and be at least 165 degrees internally. 

Use a big spoon, transfer chicken & mushrooms to a large bowl- shred with forks. Then add about 5 spoonfuls of the juice and toss well to keep chicken moist.

Serve with rice, your favorite pasta and a big veggie-filled salad on the side.  (or with shredded cheese and cheerios as Logan is demonstrating below....)

Hope everyone has their toes in the sand and face in the sun SOON. 

"Greek" Crockpot Whole Chicken

This is yet another example of using what I had on hand to make dinner FAST. The chicken was on sale, so I bought it, and then had no idea what I was going to do with it!! I also had a TON of lemons because I've been making lemon, ginger, honey infusions to keep in the fridge to make throat "tea" to help us through the cold season that is so crazy once again this year- I will do a quick post on the "tea" soon, but you can find the link and info on the SLK Facebook page too if you need it sooner.

This took me less than 30 minutes to get in the crock pot, which is my kind of dinner prep time- done and done during am nap- YAY and HOORAY.

Here's what you'll need:


1 whole roasting chicken (save this recipe for when they go on sale- the one I bought was $3 and 4lbs)
2-3 lemons- sliced in wheels
8 cloves garlic, smashed, crushed, or cut in half
1/2 a red onion, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Oregano, Basil, paprika, salt. olive oil

lightly coat the bottom of the crock pot with olive oil (I use my Misto for this, but you could just pour in a little bit and roll it around or use a paper towel for even coverage)
Add the sliced lemons (lay them flat all over the bottom of the pot)
Toss in the garlic & onion
In a small bowl mix 1-2 T olive oil and the herbs/seasoning- I eyeballed it, but it's about 2 T basil, 4 T oregano and 1-2 tsp paprika, then a fat pinch of salt, 1/2-1 tsp. Mix this into an herb paste/rub.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
Place on a cutting board breast side up and LOOSEN but don't remove the skin. Spread the herb mix on the chicken UNDER the skin- then if you have some left rub the top of the skin too. Leaving it on does mean a bit more calories/fat in the recipe but the chicken is so much more moist and I just remove it after cooking for that reason.
Place the chicken BREAST SIDE DOWN in the crockpot- ribs up- again, this will prevent dryness.
Pour chicken broth into crock pot, lop the yogurt on top of the chicken. Put the lid on the pot & cook on LOW for 7-8 hours....or less... (my crock pot runs HOT, I checked it at 6 hours and it was perfect, but 99% of the whole chicken recipes I see say 7-8 hours, so there must be a reason- make sure it is cooked through completely, at 6 hours mine was falling a part perfection and not dry at all).

BONUS TIP! If you have leftover chicken broth and don't think you'll "use within 7-10 days", FREEZE IT! I used my Baby Bullet baby food freezer storage trays, but you can use any freezer safe container- then just thaw & use when you need to.

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin w Garlic Chili Sauce

My husband has been TCB lately- and the "B" in that business stands for- his job, me, Logan, Leela, Arthur, the laundry, the dishes, and pretty much anything else you can possibly imagine- while I am trying to get my knees strong again and not feel like they are being stabbed with spoons every time I go down one of the three flights of stairs that I must traverse all day long, he has come to the rescue to make sure this place doesn't just fall right apart.

I wanted him to come home to something super yummy on Friday night because this has been a looooooooooooooooooooong week.

This recipe was pure improv at it's finest and I can happily say it turned out fantastic- we both loved it!

Here is what you will need:

1 pork tenderloin about 2lbs

2 spoonfuls garlic chili sauce

2-3 T soy sauce

1 T honey

2 T BBQ sauce

2 T water or chicken broth

In a small bowl, whisk together the chili sauce, soy sauce, honey, bbq sauce and water or broth.

Place the pork in the crock pot, pour the mix over it.

Cook on low 7.5 hours- to serve- shred with forks in the pot to get all covered in the saucy mix. 

Serve with cornbread and more honey! 

Crock Pot Pineapple Salsa Chicken

I know this is seriously the worst photo ever, but I threw this together VERY quickly after a long day of running around at the park while our giant pot of BLACK BEANS cooked.
After I took out the beans, it was 3pm so I figured it would just be easiest to throw dinner in the pot so I didn't have to do anything else, besides 100 laps around the living room vrooming trucks with Logan.
The crockpot has that stuff on it because I didn't wash it after I removed the black beans just kept goin'.

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 jar tropical salsa- I used Trader Joe's pineapple salsa- look for something with pineapple or mango if you can find it
1 can of pineapple pieces, in it's own juice, not drained.
1 cup chicken broth

All in the pot- cover 3.5 hours on high or 7 hours on low.
Serve with rice, beans and veggies.

Gotta keep my hands free and my eyes on the kiddo, he's an active little man.

YAY CROCK POT.

Slow Cooker Black Beans

Thought I would do a quick post so you can SEE how glorious this is- above is 2 lbs of dried black beans, cooked up in the crock pot- total money spent $6.50 because I used organic chicken broth to cook them in, total if I used water $3.25

The smaller containers all went into the freezer and the large container was used for meals throughout the week.

As previously mentioned I followed the instructions from A Year of Slow Cooking  I like these instructions because you don't really have to sweat "measuring" so much.

Here are the basics:

Buy dry black beans.
Put the dry beans in a large bowl and pour in enough water to cover the beans with about 2 inches of water above them. Soak 8 hours, I just do this right before bed.
Pick out any that are split or floating or not pretty.
Drain water, rinse beans.
Pour beans in slow cooker, cover with enough liquid (broth, stock or water) so there are 2 inches of liquid above the beans.
8 hours on low.

For fun you can always do a jar of salsa then use stock, broth or water for the rest of the liquid. OR add garlic, onions or other spices to kick em up!

Love that crockpot!

Unless you've only just joined us here, you know that no matter what the season I LOVE MY CROCK POT. It was such a lifesaver when I worked all day outside the house, and it's just as awesome, if not more, now that my job is based here at home!

For lots of you school is back in session and time is FLYING- here are a few of my FAVORITE crockpot recipes, tried and true:

Chicken Crockpot Tacos -this is my most visited/ most pinned crock pot recipe......for a reason. It's super easy and DELICIOUS!

Carnitas Cornbread Pie - a crockpot recipe and a freezer meal, perfect post to keep in mind for those busy weeknights!

Machaca Inspired Beef- I haven't made this in a while, but glad I am posting this link collection, this one will be on the menu next week for sure! YUM!

Gyros- this was the first crock pot recipe pin I tried, and it was GREAT, will definitely make this again!

Turkey White Bean Chili (photo above)- always a good one, especially if you are lucky enough to have temps that are not in the mid-90s this week!

I update my "Crock It" slow cooker recipe collection board on Pinterest weekly- loads of ideas and inspiration there, check it out HERE.
I will also comment below recipes as I try them, and of course post them here on the blog with any changes I make to the original post.

Crockpot Lime Cilantro Chicken

Since my son is avocado obsessed - we've been buying them like crazy, and I'm ok with that because I love them too!! This was just a what-I-have-on-hand recipe I came up with during am nap so we'd have dinner that night.


What you'll need

2 limes (the juice of both, the zest of one)
1 handful chopped cilantro
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2/3 c salsa
1/2 c chicken broth
salt, pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts


Toss all that stuff in the crockpot.
Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours...my crockpot seems to run hot, if I go more than 7 hours whatever I am cooking is dryer than the Sahara. It's easy enough to tell when this recipe is all finished- at about 6 hours lift the lid, try to fork apart the chicken gently, if it shreds easy and is cooked through you are all set, if not let it go another hour for perfection.

We had this with some extra salsa, avocado and a few cold beers on whole wheat tortillas.

YUM

Carnitas Cornbread Pie

There's nothing better than using leftovers to make a fabulous freezer meal so when you need it, there will be a whole day of not doing a thing about dinner till you have to pop it in the oven and set the table.

We got a HUGE pork loin on super sale and Nate cut it into 3 pieces so we could freeze 2 and use the one we needed that day for our Root Beer Pulled Pork.

A few weeks later I still had the two tenderloins in the freezer and decided to use both of them to make a big batch of Crockpot Carnitas.
This was awesome because then I had tacos for Monday & Tuesday- and plenty leftover to make this recipe of two pies- we ate one of the pies Wednesday & Thursday night and the other went in the freezer!
This was a recipe I made up, with Nate's help, on a recent freeway drive.

You will need 1/2 of the carnitas from the above recipe to make 2 pies.

Each pie is 4-6 servings.

Meaning, it should be 6 servings but it's really good, you're gonna pile it on, and it will really only be 4...

Here is what else you will need:

Cooked, shredded, cooled carnitas

2 green chilies (I had Anehiem on hand, use any mild to medium green chile)

2 cups salsa verde

3-4 green onions chopped 

1 large jalepeno chopped

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Shredded cheese about 3 cups

Spread a layer of salsa verde at the bottom of each pan.

Add a layer of carnitas.

Add the diced green chilies & more salsa verde.

Then make the cornbread layer;

In a medium bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Using a hand mixer, blend in the egg, then milk then oil- until each ingredient is incorporated.

Pour the cornbread mix over the carnitas- sprinkle the chopped green onion and jalapeno over the cornbread.

Top with cheese.....

At this point I made one of them for dinner and froze the other for two weeks from now- cover in press n seal then into a ziplock freezer bag. (just add about 20 minutes to cooking time for the frozen pie).

For the "straight into the oven" pie- cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown and you can insert a butter knife in to the cornbread layer that comes out clean.

This was really, really, really yummy- great way to maximize a fantastic crockpot recipe!! Enjoy!! 

* for a veggie option; make the bottom layer with black beans or meatless-meat seasoned with chipotle peppers and adobo seasoning and add more chilies/veggies!!

Crockpot Carnitas & HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

This is an easy, flavorful recipe for crockpot carnitas. I doubled it, so for our little family it made tacos for 2 nights, then I used the other half to make TWO carnitas cornbread pies (click here for recipe), we ate one of those over two nights and froze the other- so that's SIX dinners and a fun new freezer meal recipe!!
Back to the carnitas.

I, like so many, many people- use www.skinnytaste.com as a wonderful reference for recipes. I found the Skinny Taste Crock Pot Carnitas recipe via Pinterest and was really excited to try it!
You can find that original recipe HERE. I made a few adaptations and along the way have come to discover that my inventive cooking methods are really a product of my inability to read and follow directions when it comes to cooking....or putting together furniture....or anything to do with electronic equipment... fortunately this usually yields favorable results (in the kitchen, can't say the same about the furniture or electronics- thank goodness for my handy hubby!)

I made this recipe on a Monday and had meals for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday dinner all set!
Friday (today) is our FIVE year wedding anniversary- so we're making a special dinner after the little guy goes to bed & looking very forward to it.

It's unbelievable that we've been married five years! It seems like five minutes and forever all at the same time- and it's been so amazing. That also means that this blog is almost five too!! WHAT?!? That's nuts.

More on that soon....
Here's the carnitas recipe!! The Cornbread Carnitas Pie dinner/freezer meal comin atcha ASAP!

You'll need:

About 4 lbs pork tenderloin, fat trimmed off (or two 1.5-2lb tenderloins- we had a BIG one!)
1 head of garlic (8-10 cloves)- coarsely chopped
cumin
dry adobo seasoning, I used the Goya brand (as did the original recipe)
garlic powder
1 can of 99% fat free chicken broth
3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
4 bay leaves
salt

Lightly season the pork with salt and brown all sides in a saute pan over medium high heat. Takes about 10 min.
Remove from the pan and cool.
The original recipe says not to skip this step and these were really, really good so I wouldn't skip the browning next time either- totally worth it.

Poke holes in the pork w a sharp knife and insert chunks of garlic.
Season GENEROUSLY with cumin, adobo and garlic powder on all sides.
Pour broth into crock pot- add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Put the tenderloin(s) in the crock pot and cover.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours. The original recipe calls for 8 hours on a 2.5 lb tenderloin and maybe my crock pot runs hot but that is WAY too long...ours was perfect at 7 1/2 hours- you just need to lightly pull at it with a fork and it should shred- then you know it's ready.
Remove pork into a large bowl and set crock pot to warm- shred pork and pour juices from the bottom of the crock pot over the shredded pork.
Return it to the crock pot on warm, cover for about 10-15 minutes then make yummy tacos & enjoy!

We made tacos for two nights, then saved the rest for two cornbread carnitas pies, I will get that recipe posted STAT!

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband, best friend and greatest dad a boy could be blessed with!

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Chili

I SWEAR I am using Pinterest to do good. So far my "how to bust out a super-clean house", "fix something all McGyver-style" and "make dinner in the crock pot all the time" pins are coming in REALLY handy...and I mean it. I've got a good weekly and  monthly cleaning schedule that has actually stuck for most of 2012, we've had green smoothies for breakfast 5-6 days a week since January- and I have made dinner in the crock pot nearly once a week- which for a small family like ours usually makes 2 dinners or sometimes 2 dinners AND a freezer meal bonus!!
For some reason we started talking chili in the car and I figured it had been a while since I'd made corn bread too- so for this weeks crock-pot dinner, chili it was.
I have a go-to beef chili that I'm sure could win a contest (a contest where there are allowed to be beans in the chili- sorry, I love beans, that's how I roll.)
Since we had LOADED BOWLS for dinner Monday & Tuesday night I wanted to keep our light & healthy theme going and use as much of the items I already had on hand as possible.
Meanwhile, I am trying my darnedest to see if I can get Logan to nap longer than 30 minutes...basically when I put him down for a nap the clock starts tickin and in 29:59 he's up and ready for action so I have to assume that's all the time I've got to get naptime chores done.
During this nap I did the following-
Switched laundry loads
Prepared the chili 100% (had not done ANY prep beforehand like washed & chopped the veggies)
loaded and ran the dishwasher
vacuumed the living room

This should give you an idea of how quick and easy it is to make the chili- the cornbread will have to happen during the afternoon nap!

Here's how I threw it together..
(makes 8-10 servings)

1lb ground lean turkey
1 1lb can diced tomatoes & liquid
1 15oz can tomato sauce
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion chopped
3 bell peppers chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
(I eyeball the spices, go a little lighter than whats here the first time out and then tweak it to your liking..)
1/2 to 1 tsp cyanne pepper*
1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
4-6 tablespoons chili powder
1/2-1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper
4 T flour (any kind...like oat, rice or whole wheat!)
If you want MORE HEAT- you can always double the jalapeno or add dried chili flakes- this chili's definitely got a good kick as it is, really,  try making it once and you can always turn it up a notch or more next time!
 *start w a 1/2 the first time you make this- it's got FIRE when you go full tilt

Put everything in the crock pot except the flour.
Use a wooden spoon to stir & break up all the meat, get it really well mixed
Sprinkle a light dusting of flour over the top.
Stir again.
Cover cook 7-8 hours on low.
When you're finished cooking, turn off the crock pot and let the chili stand for 15-20 minutes.
If it needs thickening (everybody is down with a different thickness in their chili- and you can go for a stand-the-fork-in-it version if you want), dust again with flour- (once or twice) stir in & let rest another 15 minutes.
Serve with your favorite chili toppin's

Kathy's Delicious Whole Slow Cooker Chicken

Ok, so I don't know Kathy, but I am very familiar with her crock pot whole chicken recipe- I make it ALL THE TIME. It is AWESOME.
I came across this recipe on All Recipes a while back click HERE to check it out in it's O.G. form- this blog post will also cover the basics, with my own modifications, some of which came from the helpful reviewers of this crock pot creation on the All Recipes post.

This is great because you get a delicious, whole, roasted chicken that takes minutes to prep and that you can leave the house and do all that needs doing while dinner is making itself on your counter at home! LOVE THAT.
Added bonus, if you keep an eye on the sale prices at your local market you can sometimes make this meal so cheap it's ridiculous! I got a whole chicken for $2.99 once and the only other thing I had to buy was a lemon!

This is the Beth version of Kathy's masterpiece:

1 Whole Chicken (generally when I buy them at Trader Joe's they're around 5lbs)- you are welcome to remove the skin if you prefer- I kept it on this time, and then we remove it after it was cooked. This was purely to save prep time- I have made it with the skin removed before and recommend that option when ever you have the time!
2/3 cup chicken broth (I recommend organic, low sodium if you can find one that is one or both of those things)
1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup honey (local, if you can, get it at a farmers market!)
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
the juice of 1 1/2 to 2 lemons
2 tsp sesame oil
4-6 cloves minced garlic
(optional- cracked black pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper OR a dash of red chili flakes)
(optional-stuff chicken cavity with chopped onion & garlic- yummmmm)

Rinse the chicken & pat dry- remove skin if you wish/have time.
In a large measuring cup (a 4 cup'er will do) whisk together all the other ingredients until completely incorporated.
Add chicken to crock pot, BREAST DOWN (this will keep the best part of the chicken moist and delicious)- pour measuring cup full of goodness over chicken.
8 hours on low
4 hours on high

Serve with/over rice or any other yummy grain (cous cous, quinoa, etc) and a big giant salad or huge serving of steamed veggies!

First Crock Pot Pin- Gyros!!

This was a great find!
Thanks to Rainy Day Gal I found A Year of Slow Cooking and can't wait to give so many of those great recipes a try!
I loooooove gyros, so this was a perfect first crock-pot-pinterest find to make

You can find the recipe on the links above- it was DELICIOUS! I used Trader Joe's Tzatziki dip, non-fat feta cheese & flat bread and made a quick side salad to go with it.

Side Salad-
cucumber
red onion
tomato
balsamic vinegar
oil
salt
Chop- toss- EASY.

Check out my slow-cooker-recipe collection on Pinterest, growing daily- by clicking HERE

Crock Pot Asian-Inspired Beef Tacos/Pitas

I'm TRYING to do at least one crock-pot recipe every week, mostly to expand my crock pot horizons and save a TON of time making dinner for more than one night while I spend the day playing and hanging out with my little guy & weenie dogs!
A friend at my husbands office was recently intrigued and had ordered a brand new crock pot so I sent him the link to A Year of Slow Cooking and he decided to try the Slow Cooker Shredded Korean Beef Tacos for his Superbowl gathering & said they came out GREAT!!
I couldn't wait to give them a try!! Click the link above for the recipe and ingredients- the only think I changed was MARINATING the beef, which I think is key if you have time- and per my husband- poke holes in the beef and insert garlic slivers everywhere- then mix the rest of the ingredients and let the whole thing marinate in the fridge at least an hour, more if you can spare the time.
I also scooped out the ginger, onion, jalapeno, garlic etc with a slotted spoon and puree'd it for a little kick-y sauce.

The first night we had soft tacos on corn tortillas

The second night stuffed em in a pita

The third night Nate FRIED the tortillas and made taco shells

My coleslaw was pretty much the same as on the link above-
I mixed 1 T soy sauce and 2 T rice vinegar in a bowl I added a few SMALL squeezes of Siracha- a little goes a long way you can always add more so add a wee bit and taste...whisk it all together.
Take a few handfuls of the shredded cabbage/slaw mix and in a gallon storage slowly add a bit at a time of the vinegar mix and toss with the slaw till coated.
Shake in some toasted sesame seeds, toss again- serve with tacos.

Crockpot Chicken "Tacos"

I looooove my crockpot- much like all my fun kitchen goodies that are there to make life easy livin'.
I threw this together on a day off mid-morning, so I didn't have to mess up the kitchen making dinner after I cleaned all day. I did totally forget we had no tortillas- so I served them in whole wheat pita instead- we'll do it with tortillas next time~

This recipe includes an AWESOME recipe for homemade taco seasoning that will totally replace the urge to buy packets- just mix it up once in a batch and keep in an airtight container for up to 1 year!! 2 1/2-3 Tablespoons = one "packet" from the store.

3 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 T. cumin
2-2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 T. black pepper

mix it all together!

Onward to the chicken...




about 2 1/2 T. of the taco seasoning mix or 1 packet
15 oz LOW SODIUM chicken broth
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes and liquid
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 avocado
1/2 chopped sweet onion
1/2 chopped or sliced red bell pepper
Non-fat sour cream
HOT SAUCE
Soft taco size tortillas or pitas

In a large bowl or bigole measuring cup pour the chicken broth in, and use a fork to whisk in the taco seasoning mixture (add a few dashes of hot sauce if you want!)
Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
Open the diced tomato can and pour all contents over the bottom of the slow cooker.
Lay the chicken breasts on top of the tomatoes and pour the broth/seasoning over that.



Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours- chicken should fork apart easily.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chicken to a large bowl and use 2 forks to shred it up.
Use the slotted spoon to get all the diced tomatoes out of the slow cooker and add to the shredded chicken. Then grab a large cereal spoon and add about 4-6 spoon fulls of the liquid from the slow cooker to the shredded chicken bowl and stir it all up!
As I said, I totally forgot to pick up tortillas at the store so I served these in a 1/2 toasted whole wheat pita.
Top with red bell pepper, avocado, onion and a wee bit of fat-free sour cream (and, of course, a dash of hot sauce!)

Machaca Inspired Beef

I love machaca, beef or chicken, it is one of my favorite dishes. I have never made it, or had a recipe for it, but have always wanted to re-create it on my own in some way. I found THIS RECIPE on Epicurious. I was making it for a party, so in order not to have as much work to do I adapted this into a slow-cooker recipe for a group and it did not end up coming out exactly like machaca because I pulled it out a little early (so I sliced it instead of shredding in, but the good news is came out fantastic. We served this sliced beef with tortillas, salsa & guacamole for little soft tacos.

The flavor of this dish is amazing. The meat marinates in lime juice, spices and oil overnight and then slowly simmered for hours with peppers, onions, tomatoes and chiles. I can not wait to make this again!! I think I would try it with chicken to switch it up too.



Machaca-Inspired Beef
Adapted from Epicurious
Original recipes serves 6 for dinner, see original recipe HERE
This served 25 people for an appetizer buffet, cooked in a slow cooker.

Marinade
3/4 C. Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 6 Limes
1 T. garlic powder
2 T. ground cumin
1 1/2 T. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 C. vegetable or olive oil

Beef:
6 lbs chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1/4 lb portions
2 large sweet white onions
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 head of garlic, minced
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
2 14oz cans tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1 16oz can of beef broth
2 T. dried oregano
2 T. dried cumin
2 T. hot sauce such as Chalula or Tapitio

First, prepare the marinade ***(you will be marinating the beef OVERNIGHT!!!)***
Combine all marinade ingredients in a LARGE bowl and whisk until well combined ("to form an emulsion"). Place beef in a LARGE freezer bag and pour marinade over beef, seal the bag and mush it around a bit to make sure all pieces of beef get covered & submerged. Use two bags and divide the meat and marinade in half if necessary.
****REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT****
Remove meat from marinade and place in a very large, clean bowl. Toss the marinade (aka, throw it away, no mas). Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, cans of tomatoes, beef broth, spices and hot sauce to the bowl with the meat and stir until all ingredients are mixed together. Slowly transfer (by pouring or using a ladle and tongs) the beef mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH four hours or until meat is cooked to your liking and tender....*

*Note on cooking time: Next time we make this I will cook 4 hours on High or 7-8 hours on Low, and then it will be more "shredded" and come apart with forks. THIS time I thought the slow cooker was on high, but, alas I had it on high for 1 hour, then on low for 3 hours (duh!, how do I manage sometimes!?!) So, as guests were arriving for our fiesta, I shut it off and sliced the meat (vs. forking it apart).
We still got rave reviews, it was REALLY pretty delicious! I loved the combination of spices and flavors and CAN NOT WAIT to make this dish again! (maybe in smaller scale this time for a summer dinner!)

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

These are soooo delicious, and yet another reason why the crock pot is so fantastic. This is an old recipe that comes from my mom's favorite crock pot cookbook Crock It, By:Barbara Murray I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from this book, but I don't own it yet, I just call my mom and have her read me recipes. ;) It is on my "purchase ASAP list". We had these yummy French Dip Sandwiches at my mom's house not too long ago, I had been thinking about making them ever since, especially because this recipe is much better in a 5.5 qt crock pot than in the 2.5 qt crock pot I rocked until this Christmas ;)



Crock pot French Dip Sandwiches
Source : Crock It Cookbook by Barbara Murray
Serves 4-6

3 lb boneless beef chuck roast
1 pkg Mushroom/onion soup mix
1 10oz can of beef broth + 1 can of H2O
French rolls or sour dough bread

In a medium bowl whisk together the broth, water and soup mix. Trim any excess fat off of the meat. Add meat to crock pot, then pour broth & soup over it.
Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove meat to a large bowl or plate using a slotted spoon. Use two forks to shred up the meat & remove any excess fat. Toast the bread and make sandwiches with the beef (we added some horseradish to them) serve with a bowl of the au jus from the crock pot for dippin'.

Crock Pot Beef Stew & my 100th post!

I should actually, more accurately call this Meat & Potatoes Stew, because that is what it is! We had a fantastic Prime Rib, which I promise to stop "talking" about soon...and I used the bones and some meat to make the Beef Stock for this recipe,and added carrot, tomato, etc to the STOCK, but left all that business out of the stew. I don't like the texture of cooked carrots and Nate is not so big on tomatoes or peas- so I thought I keep it super simple and go straight-up old-school meat & potatoes.

This is also the FIRST recipe I've made using my new Christmas-present crock pot!! YAY!! (THANKS MOM!!) It's a 5 1/2 quart WITH A TIMER!! No more RACING home from work, praying the chili didn't overflow (which only happened once, and fortunately I placed the crock just right next to the sink). Ever since the chili-spilly I would always picture Lee rolling on the floor in our dinner, a real Chili-Dog ;)
Never have to worry 'bout that again! WOO HOO! I feel like such a grown-up!

I'll be crockin' much more now that I have more than 2.5 quarts of crock to rock, coming home from a long day at work and having something fabulous all ready to eat is such a fantastic feeling! I think it may torture Leela a little bit during the day to have the whole pad smell like delicious beef, but it's worth it!

This is also a wee milestone for my blog- it's my 100th post!! So enjoy the stew and Cheers to many more hundreds of dishes!



Meat & Potatoes Stew

2-3 Large Russet potatoes,, cleaned, peeled and chopped into big chunks
1/2 a sweet onion chopped
2 lbs beef for stewing
8-10 cups beef stock
Kosher salt, pepper, basil, oregano & garlic salt (all just sprinkled over it to taste)
Chili flakes- just a pinch ;)
3 T cornstarch
1/4 water
1-2 Bread Boule's (we shared one big one!)

Add all ingredients (except cornstarch & water) to crock-pot.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
In a small bowl whisk cornstarch and water until well blended and stir into stew in crock pot. Put the lid back on and cook an additional 30 minutes on low.

Cut the top off the boule and hollow out the center, save the "guts" and chop up the top for dippin'.
Perfect for days like today when the wind is whipping & it is COOOOOLD outside!!

Eliza's Pork & Apples~ Two Ways...

Pork, apples, sweet onion, honey mustard...this is one yummy dish! A special thanks to Eliza, who hooked up this recipe. Which, to be honest is a Crock Pot recipe that I ended up making in the oven this time! Hence, "two ways" this can be made in the crock pot or in a corning ware in the oven.

Eliza's Crock Pot Pork w/ Apples & Beth's oven version

2 large apples peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 large sweet onion
2-3 lb boneless rolled pork roast or pork tri-tip
honey mustard (Beaver Honey Mustard is highly recommended!!)
salt pepper
1 T cornstarch
2 T water

In the crockpot lay down the cut apples and chopped onions. Cover the roast in honey mustard and salt and pepper to your liking. Place the roast on top of the apples and onions and cook on low for 7-8 hours. When roast is finished, in a pot, wisk together the cornstarch and water. Remove the roast from the crockpot and keep warm. Add apples, onions, and all juices to the cornstarch and water and stir over medium flame until it boils and thickens.
Slice the pork roast and cover with the thickened sauce.

I used 3 apples (2 golden delicious and one honeycrisp and left the peels on, and used a pork tenderloin because it was what I had on hand, and of course 'round here the only honey mustard we use is the BEAVER. I placed the apples & onions in a corningwear and the tenderloin on top, covered in mustard and baked at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 160 (med-well) to 170 (well). Then removed the tenderloin onto a plate, poured the corningwear contents into a sauce pot and followed sauce thickening directions above.




We served it with a steamed artichoke and homemade applesauce for desert. For artichoke Dippin I mixed 2 spoonfulls of mayo with 2 spoonfulls of light sour cream and 1 spoonfull of crushed roasted garlic (from a jar- don't tell Nate! :) It was delicious and I can't wait to make it again! I'll post the recipe followed propperly/ the crock pot method next time!