Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

Source: skinny taste

Time: 10 minute prep the night before, 10 minute prep the morning of, 6+ hours cook time, 20 minutes prep after cooking
Servings: Makes about 10 cups, ~ 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• Parmesan or Romano cheese rind
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat, add oil, celery, carrots and onions. Cook 5 minutes until golden. Add to slow cooker. 

2. Pour juice of tomatoes into the slow cooker, then roughly crush the tomatoes with your hands (be careful of splatter!), add to slow cooker. Then add broth, cheese rind, thyme, basil and bay leaf. 

3. Cook on LOW for at least 6 hours. Mine cooked for about 7 hours, then stayed on warm for an additional 3-4 hours maybe. 

4. After cooking, remove cheese rind and bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or blender, blend the soup until smooth. If using a blender be sure to do this in SMALL batches, otherwise you'll have soup on your cabinets and floors. 

5. Melt butter over low heat and add flour. Stir constantly with whisk for 4-5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the warm milk and stir until smooth. 

6. Pour back butter, flour, milk mixture into the slow cooker with soup and stir. Add grated pecorino cheese and season liberally with salt and pepper. 

7. Cover and cook on low 30 more minutes or until warm. 

Verdict: 

This soup was really good. It tasted very creamy and richer than it actually is. Allison really enjoyed it as well. Bonus is it's pretty healthy. Isaac didn't touch it, but he didn't touch any of his other dinner that night either, so his vote doesn't really count. 

Servings: 6 • Size: 1-1/2 cups
Calories: 177 • Fat: 10 g • Carb: 17 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 8 g • Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 600 mg • Cholest: 21 mg

Slow Cooker Jerk Pork with Caribbean Salsa

Source: skinny taste . com

Time: 5 minute prep in morning, 15 minutes for salsa in the evening
Servings: 10 or more

Ingredients:

• 3 lb boneless pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 - 3 tbsp Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning (I used mild)
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 lime, squeezed
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Note: I didn't have time to buy the seasoning and couldn't find the McCormick's version at HEB either, so I used a Weber grill mix jerk seasoning packet. I found it near the marinades and BBQ sauces. 

For the Caribbean salsa:

• 1 haas avocado, diced
• 2 large ripe mangos, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (or jarred mango - saves time to not have to peal it, but they are mushier)
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the pork and stuff holes with half of the crushed garlic. Combine the remaining garlic, jerk seasoning, and salt, rub all over pork (you may want to wear gloves). Place in a large container, pour the lime and orange juice over the pork; cover and refrigerate 5 hours or overnight, turning pork occasionally so the marinade covers all of pork.

The next morning, put everything in the crock pot and cook on LOW for 9 hours.

Remove liquid from crock pot and reserve. Add shredded pork back to the slow cooker. Add about 1 cup of the liquid back into the crock pot and taste for salt and pepper. Let it cook an additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the Caribbean salsa: combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate salsa until ready to serve.

Verdict: 

This was delicious! The salsa is what made it really good. Both kids (and adults) gobbled this up. I served it over brown rice. 

Weekday Thanksgiving

source for turkey: Kathleen

Servings: Lots! It's Thanksgiving after all
Total Time: 15 minutes prep (for everything) + 8 hours crock pot time

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

• 3.5 lbs boneless turkey breast
• 1-14oz can of chicken broth
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 T Worcestarshire sauce
• 1-2 t thyme

Directions: 

Rinse turkey breast and pat dry. Season with salt,pepper, olive oil and thyme. Place in crock pot. Pour chicken broth over turkey. Cook on low for 8 hours. Make gravy from juice when done. 

I served our turkey with canned green beans and stove top stuffing. Who knew HEB only sells the good bag stuffing during holidays! Next time I'm stocking up!

Verdict: 
This recipe produced a really good, moist turkey, even after cooking for 8 hours plus warming for another 1.5 hours. I'd never cooked just a turkey breast before, it was so easy. And how awesome is it to get Thanksgiving dinner in 15 minutes or less prep time! Y.U.M.

Crock Pot Chicken Caccitaore

Source: adapted from skinnytaste.com

Time:10 minutes prep + 9 hours cooking
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
2 T flour

Directions:
1. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place in bottom of crock pot.
2. Pour tomatoes over chicken. Top with onions and peppers.
3. Add oregano, garlic power, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
4. Stir a bit and cook on low for 8 hours.
5. When 8 hours are up, or when you get home if you're like me, remove the lid, add flour, stir to break up chicken and cook on HIGH to thicken sauce for 1 hour or until you're ready to eat. Also during this time taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper to taste. Don't be afraid to season!

Verdict:
I served this over linguine with a little shredded parmesan on top. It was super yummy. I think the key is seasoning. When it first finished cooking on low i tasted it and it was a little bland. I ended up adding a good deal of salt and pepper and it was much more flavorful. Super easy and really yummy!

Slow-Cooker Chicken With Bacon, Mushrooms, and Onions

(wow, that's a horrible picture, this is really good though!)

Source: Real Simple

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8+ hours

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 4-6 lb chicken, cut up (I buy the chicken pieces already cut and packaged)
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 oz small white mushrooms
1 cup frozen small white pearl onions
6 garlic cloves, chopped or the jarred stuff is what i use
1 T dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup water
2 T cornstarch

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker. Pour off all but a light coating of fat from the pan. Add the chicken and brown over med-high heat. Transfer to the crock pot.
2. Pour the wine into the pan and scrape up any brown bits. Add contents of pan to crock pot along with mushrooms, onions, garlic, rosemary and salt.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
4. Pour some of sauce from crock pot into a saucepan. Combine water and cornstarch and stir into the sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Serve as gravy over chicken.

Verdict: 
This was one of the more labor intensive crock pot meals I've made (I may have been late to work this morning due to the prep - although starting out with frozen chicken didn't help the time either). But this was delicious! It was nice to finally have a chicken meal that didn't turn into a soup. I served with mashed potatoes (the pre-made refrigerated kind). We all loved it. It makes a lot, enough for 2 meals at least. And I'm not sure it would freeze well, so be prepared for leftovers. Or use a smaller chicken.

I'll definitely make this again, but next time i'll probably dice the bacon the night before and defrost my chicken beforehand.

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Source: all over the internet - google it!

Prep Time: about 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours, mine cooked for low 9 hours then switched to warm for another hour or 2

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel
1 ranch dressing mix packet
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package cream cheese
2 chicken breasts or 5 chicken tenders, frozen

Place chicken in crock pot, top with corn, rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Place cream cheese on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili and use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and let cook for 30 more minutes. 

Verdict: This is really good. Much like the Santa Fe Chicken recipe with cream cheese added. Adding cheese always makes things better! This will definitely be a staple to our crock pot selections!

Santa Fe Chicken

Recipe source: skinnytaste dot com

Time: <10 minutes hands on

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
14.4 oz can chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste) - I used about 1/4 tsp and it wasn't spicy at all
Salt to taste

Mexican cheese blend (for topping)
Sour Cream (for topping)

Directions:
1- Combine all ingredients (except cheese) in the crock pot. Cook on low for 10 hours.
2- Half hour before serving remove the chicken, shred, and return to the crock pot.
3- Serve with rice or in soft tortillas. Top with cheese, if desired.

Verdict:

This is really good. And so so simple and fast. I served it over lime cilantro rice (cook white rice, add 1/2 lime and some fresh cilantro) the first day. The second day I served it on crunchy taco shells. I'm sure it'd be good on tortilla's as well. It was even better 2 days later as leftover for lunch. All 4 of us ate this one up. Definitely a keeper. 

Crock Pot Italian Beef

4-4 1/2 lbs of shoulder roast (typically 2 pkgs)

Mix together and pour over roast:
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup peperoncini juice
1 pkg dry au jus (McKormick)
1 pkg dry zesty Italian dressing
Put peperoncinis on top ( I actually mix in with above ingredients.  As many as you like.)

Cook in crock pot on low all day or high for 5-6 hours

Verdict: I've tried a lot of different crock pot beef recipes, and this is by far the best and most flavorful. This recipe makes enough for a large crowd, so I usually use a smaller piece of meat when making it and still have plenty to freeze.

I served the meat on mini rolls with a piece of cheese melted on top. YUM!

Source: Vicki G.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Time: 25 minutes prep - 8 hours cooking

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 pounds)
• 2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 large carrots, sliced thickly on the diagonal
• 2 large ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
• 1 can (14-15 ounces) diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Cut roast in half; place into a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with potatoes, parsnips, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.
2. In a medium bowl, combine thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, pepper, broth, and diced tomatoes; pour over vegetables.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves before eating

Verdict:
This was good pot roast. Allison loved the meat and carrots. She wasn't big on the parsnips, but Dave and I enjoyed the different flavor they added. Pretty decent recipe as far as crock pot things go.

Crock Pot Asian Beef and Noodles

Source: stephaniecooks.blogspot.com

Serves: 8 servings Total time: 5 mins prep and 9-10 hours cook time

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes 1 (12 oz) bottle reduced sodium stir fry sauce, any flavor 3/4 cup chicken or beef broth (low sodium) 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 2 (3 oz) packages Ramen noodles, broken 1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Direction: Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with meat. In a medium bowl, mix stir fry sauce, broth and red pepper. Pour over meat and vegetables in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or high for 4.5-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of the cooking time, discard spice packets from ramen noodles. Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir before serving.

Verdict: While this didn't look all that appetizing (and my cell phone picture of it probably doesn't help matters), it was actually pretty good. Allison really liked it and it was a nice change of pace from the soupy type stuff you usually make in a crock pot. Plus it takes less than 5 minutes to throw together in the morning, especially if you get the stew meat that is already cut into cubes. I'll definitely make this one again.

Chicken Adobo with Bok Choy

Source: Real Simple Magazine

Servings: 4 servings - made dinner for 1 night and froze the rest for another dinner

Hands-on time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 7-8 hours

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, sliced

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 bay leaf

black pepper

8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1.75 lbs)

2 teaspoons paprika

1 large head bok choy, cut into 1 inch strips

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup white rice

Directions:

*In a 5- 60 6-quart crock pot, combine onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

*Place chicken on top and sprinkle with paprika. (Note, i could only find skin on, bone-in thighs, so i removed the skin before putting in the crock pot)

*Cook, covered on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until the chicken and onions are tender

*Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to package directions

*Ten minutes before serving, if the crock pot is on low, turn it to high. Gently fold the bok choy into the chicken, cook covered until tender, about 5 minutes.

*Serve with the rice and sprinkle with scallions.

Verdict:

This was really good. Definitely one of my favorite crock pot chicken recipes so far. Everyone gobbled this up. And bonus that it makes enough to freeze for another meal.

White Chicken Chili

(oops - I took the picture before I garnished it with yummy avocado)
Source: Kathleen T.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 20 minutes of prep

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb ground chicken breast
1 lg onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cu. fat-free chicken broth
2 15 1/2 oz cans navy (or other white) beans, rinsed & drained
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 1/2 oz. chopped green chilies
1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup
1/2 cup milk
Garnish with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, sour cream and/or avocado

Preparation:
* Warm oil in a large skillet over med.-high heat. Add chicken & cook
10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir frequently. Remove
chicken and place in crock pot.
* Add onion & garlic to skillet, cook five minutes or until tender.
* Spoon chicken, onion & garlic into slow cooker. Add broth, beans,
mustard powder, cumin, salt & pepper, chilies, cayenne pepper.
*Mix 1/2 can of broccoli soup and milk and add.
* Cover, cook on low 5-6 hours at a minimum or high for half that time. Mine cooked for about 9.5 hours.
* Garnish and serve!

Verdict: Allison gobbled this up, which is always a huge plus. It took me a little longer than I expected to get everything ready in the morning, but it was so nice so have dinner cooked when I walked in the door. Solid B+.