Tag: Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

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‘Tis the season for Jambalaya with it being Lent and all! Searched far and wide for a slow cooker version to make my life easier and found a great one by Robin Miller. I tweaked it a bit to meet my tastes and needs and voila! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless chicken tenders, cubed
  • 1 lb large frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 lb andouille sausage, chunked
  • 1 large can crushed tomatoes (fire roasted, preferred)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large bunch Lacinto kale, shredded
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp canjun seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 small bunch fresh thyme
  • 2 cups cooked rice

Directions:

  1. Lightly grease your slow cooker with cooking spray.
  2. Combine the chicken, shrimp, sausage, tomatoes, onion, pepper, kale, celery, stock and spices in the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on High for 3 1/2 – 4 hours (stirring occasionally) until meat is tender and kale is wilted.
  4. Discard bay leaves and thyme stalks.
  5. Ladle jambalaya over cooked rice.

Comments:

I added kale just because I wanted my jambalaya to be more green, lol! Keep in mind, this weekend is St.Patrick’s Day!! I also nixed the hot sauce that the original recipe called for, but of course you can add it in if you want your jambalaya to have a kick. Lastly, I don’t mind shrimp tails in my soup but some people do, so you can swap out the frozen shrimp for precooked (tails removed) and add them in 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve. You could also repurpose left over shrimp cocktail in the same manner.

 

Chicken Enchiladas (with pumpkin purée)

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Always looking for clever ways to sneak extra veggies into my family’s diet! This is a no-brainer and went completely under the radar until the end of the meal when I came clean! Not only does pumpkin pair well with enchilada sauce, it makes the dish so creamy and rich, you may never make enchiladas without pumpkin again!

For Bridget!!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • cooking spray
  • 1, 15 oz can pumpkin purée
  • 1, 19 oz can red enchilada sauce
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch of salt
  • 10 whole wheat flour tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • fresh cilantro
  • sour cream
  • guacamole

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl combine pumpkin, cumin, garlic and salt. Mix well and set aside.
  2. In another bowl, mix half the pumpkin mixture with half the can of enchilada sauce.
  3. Lightly spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and add the chicken and the pumpkin/enchilada sauce mixture. Cook on low for 4 – 6 hours (stirring occasionally) until chicken is tender and falls apart.
  4. Remove chicken and remaining sauce from slow cooker, shred with a fork and let cool.
  5. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Coat the bottom of the dish with a spoonful of cooking sauce. Place a tortilla on a flat surface and schmear a dollop of the remaining pumpkin mixture down the center. Top with a generous portion of the shredded chicken and some of the cooking sauce. Roll the tortilla and place length-wise in the casserole dish. Repeat until all tortillas, pumpkin and chicken is used.
  6. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and the cheddar cheese.
  7. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes covered, 5 minutes uncovered or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with chopped cilantro, sour cream and fresh guacamole!img_8105

*adapted from allrecipes.com

 

Slow Cooker Asian Style Short Ribs

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This is delicious twist on traditional slow cooker short ribs! The medley of mushrooms and the sweet and spicy flavor of the sauce, pair perfectly with these fall-off-the-bone short ribs. Serve it up over egg noodles with a side Napa Cabbage Slaw and you’ve got the makings of a unique and tasty Sunday Supper!

Ingredients: Feeds 4 – 6

  • 10 – 12, bone -in beef short ribs, trimmed (approx. 4 lbs)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp canola oil (plus extra if needed)
  • cooking spray
  • 3 cups fresh, sliced, assorted mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic, divided
  • 2 tbsp minced ginger, divided
  • 1 cup low sodium beef stock
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp red pepper flake

Directions:

  1. Rinse and pat the ribs dry. In a heavy bottom skillet or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season ribs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in small batches, adding oil to the skillet if needed.
  2. Transfer browned ribs to a lightly sprayed 6-qt slow cooker.
  3. Meanwhile, add mushrooms and half the minced garlic and ginger to the skillet and sauté until they begin to soften.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients including the remaining garlic and ginger, the stock, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and red pepper flake.
  5. Cover ribs with mushroom mixture and pour sauce over top.
  6. Cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours, until meat falls off the bone.
  7. Place rib meat on a serving platter. Use a slotted spoon to remove mushrooms and garnish the meat with them. Skim fat from the cooking liquid and drizzle sauce over the platter.

*Original recipe adapted from Cooking Light, Asian Short Ribs

 

Thai Chicken and Rice

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There is no higher form of flattery than copying someone. That being said, it’s important to give credit when credit is due. One of my favorite parts of writing a food blog is following other like minded foodies and being inspired by the goings on in their kitchens. I often read recipes and see photos that get my wheels turning (and my stomach growling)! Sometimes, I follow a recipe step by step (especially the very first time) to make sure I get it right, particularly if it’s for a dish I’ve never attempted or if it includes ingredients I don’t have a lot of experience with. Other times, I simply “digest” a photo and use it as a template to create my own version.  No matter what, one thing is always certain; I don’t attempt to necessarily improve upon another chef’s dish, instead I strive to make it uniquely mine. I’m flattered when I hear or see others trying to recreate my food… I hope the chefs’ I occasionally mimic feel complimented in the same way!

Shout out to @fitslowcookerqueen (Instagram) for the inspiration for this dish!  I tweaked the recipe just a bit and added rice to make it my own!

Ingredients:  Feeds 4-6

  • 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, stems included
  • 1, 13.5oz can lite coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice (I use Jasmine rice)

Directions:

  1. Rinse chicken and place in the bottom of your crock pot.
  2. Cover chicken with onion, jalapeño pepper and cilantro.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, ginger and spices.
  4. Pour mixture over the chicken, making sure it coats each piece.
  5. Cook on LOW for 3 hours.
  6. Next, add the rice and gently mix to combine.  Rice will sink towards the bottom of your crock pot.
  7. Continue to cook on LOW until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked, approximately 45 min – 1 hour longer.
  8. To serve, scoop chicken and rice into a bowl or onto a plate!

Suggestions:

The chicken comes out so tender and moist it falls apart, and the rice absorbs all of the delicious flavor of the sauce! Top with your favorite asian style condiment such as Sriracha and fresh cilantro.  Enjoy! And thank you once again, to @fitslowcookerqueen!

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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I am literally in the process of making a crock pot full of this soup for my kids to bring to youth group tonight!  It’s so easy to make and never disappoints, especially if you are a loaded baked potato fan!  I actually added riced broccoli to the original recipe the first time I made it to try and sneak in an extra veggie without my kids knowing, and no one suspected a thing!  And of course it’s not fully loaded until you add the bacon!!!

Ingredients: Makes 4 – 6 cups / 6 – 8 bowls of soup

  • 6 large potatoes*, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cups riced broccoli
  • 1 quart low sodium chicken stock
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup butter, sliced
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 cup light cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra
  • 3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped plus extra
  • 8 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
  • sour cream

Directions:

  1. Combine the first 8 ingredients (potatoes – pepper) in a large crock pot.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours (until potatoes are tender).
  2. Mash the mixture using a hand held immersion blender.  Then stir in the cream, cheddar cheese and chives.  Let cook 5 more minutes.
  3. Serve each cup/bowl with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled bacon, cheese and chives!

Comments:

  • I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe.  However, I ran out of them this morning and had to add 2 large baking potatoes to the mix!
  • You can cut the cooking time in half by cranking your crock pot to HIGH for 4 hours.  The reason I typically go with LOW heat is because I am a firm believer in “low and slow” when it comes to crock pot cooking.  And… I get a weird kick out of starting something cooking in the morning, tending to it and smelling it as it cooks throughout the day, and then finally getting to feast on it at 5:00!?!

Original Recipe from geniuskitchen.com