Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

After all the unhealthy eating/eating out we did over Christmas break, I was excited to be cooking things from scratch.  Though I wouldn't exactly call this recipe healthy, it does have broccoli, so that's a plus, right?  (In reality, this isn't that bad for you, there's only a half cup of heavy cream.)  Anyhow, this turned out super delicious and as an extra plus, I served it with homemade bread.  It was just what I needed!

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, sliced
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
6 Tbsp. flour
2 (12 oz.) cans fat-free evaporated milk
5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian!)
5 cups diced broccoli*, (about 2 medium heads)
1/8 tsp. dried chives
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until they soften, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic powder, flour, salt, and pepper, cook, whisking continuously for about 2 minutes.  Add milk, whisk until smooth.  Cook until it begins to thicken, stirring continuously.  Pour into slow cooker along with chicken stock, broccoli, and chives.  Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours.
Turn heat on warm and stir in heavy cream, shredded cheese, and parmesan, stir to blend.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Make sure to dice the stems quite fine if you're using them so they cook evenly

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

As I was clicking through Pinterest trying to figure out what to make for our New Years Eve get together, I found a recipe for blue cheese stuffed meatballs, they sounded great!  As I started to make these, I realized I was supposed to have a block of blue cheese as opposed to crumbles (which I had) and no egg... well I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use the cheese as a binder.  These ended up not being stuffed, but delicious anyhow.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup onion, grated
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ranch seasoning
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles
1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Redhot- though for a more mild flavor, you can use wing sauce)
2 Tbsp. butter

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, ranch seasoning, and blue cheese in a large bowl.  (I used my hands to mix, if you want, you can use a fork.)
Roll into medium-sized meatballs, you should end with 16 meatballs.
Place meatballs onto a sprayed baking sheet.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, add hot sauce and butter to slow cooker.  Place on high and whisk until combined.  Turn to keep warm.
Add meatballs to slow cooker and spoon sauce over the top of each meatball.
These can be kept in the slow cooker for about a half hour.
Serve warm can be topped with blue cheese dressing.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Inspired by Charm

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Ready for super easy chicken tacos that everyone will eat?  Ready for (almost) the entire meal to be prepared in the crockpot so you have the tiniest bit of clean up?  Do I have the dish for you!  These tacos scored big amongst the picky eaters in my house and it was super easy.

Double Chicken Tacos

Look at that succulent chicken

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, julienned
1 medium onion, julienned
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
8 taco shells (hard or soft)
1/2 cup cheese, shredded
1/2 tomato, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Salsa, sour cream, optional

Preparation:
Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Layer peppers and onions on top.  Sprinkle spice mixture on top.  Cook on low 8 hours.
When ready to serve, shred chicken in crockpot and mix together with peppers and onions.  Assemble tacos with chicken mixture, and top with cheese, tomato, cilantro, salsa, and sour cream.
Enjoy!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I wanted to use up my leftover chicken this week (you might have leftovers too if you made Roast Chicken and Vegetables) and found this recipe for buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese!  I was very excited because usually for macaroni and cheese you have to make a rue and there are so many dishes! (Actually, that part matters more for Matt, as he is Mr. Dishwasher.)  This recipe is wonderful because everything, even the dry noodles, go in the Crockpot, and it's done in two hours!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup diced carrots and celery (either one, or combination)
2 cups pre-cooked chicken, diced
1/2 pound small uncooked pasta
Toppings: Bleu cheese crumbles, chopped carrots, celery, or onion

Preparation: 
Mix together evaporated milk, milk, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in Crockpot until combined.  Stir in all other ingredients until combined.
Cook on low for about 1 hour.  Stir and cook another 30-60 minutes (depending on how small the pasta you used is).
Garnish as desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Snappy Gourmet

Green Chicken Chili

So, I just started my job this week, which means I won't get paid until next week, which means I was looking for a meal that I could make with only the ingredients I already had on hand.  This one fit the bill!  (It actually called for some things I didn't have, but I got creative.)  My only complaint was that there were so few leftovers!

Green Chicken Chili

Green Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 chicken quarters, skin removed

2 cans (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 jar salsa verde

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 tsp. chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot.  Add beans and corn. 

Mix salsa, chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl.  Pour over top. 

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.  Remove chicken and shred, discarding any bones.  

Return meat to crock pot.  Stir. 

Top with sour cream, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, avocado

Enjoy! 

Recipe Adapted from The Woman's Day Everyday Cookbook

Crockpot Enchiladas

Today my friend Siobhan came over for dinner, so we had to tweak the menu to go vegetarian.  Easy!  I found this recipe for vegetarian crockpot enchiladas, and they were a hit!  (Matt and Alyssa both had seconds!)  I like this recipe also because you can easily substitute the soy crumbles for ground beef if you want meat!

Crockpot Enchiladas

So this picture, is terrible, but mostly because I ate my first one so fast I forgot to take a picture and they were a little tougher to get out of the bottom of the pot!

Crockpot Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 pound soy crumbles (I used Morning Star) or ground beef
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, drained
1 14 oz. can sweet corn, drained
1 large white onion, diced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Adobo seasoning
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. taco seasoning
1 28 oz. can enchilada sauce (I used red, but only because I couldn't find green)
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8 10'' tortillas
Tomatoes, diced, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Preparation: 
In a large skillet, brown crumbles, corn, 1/2 the diced onion, tomatoes, and all of the seasonings.
Spray Pam in crockpot.
Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the crockpot.
Scoop 3 Tbsp. of mixture in tortilla, top with 1 Tbsp. of cheese.  Roll up and place in bottom of crockpot.  Repeat until you have one layer.  (I fit 4 in the bottom of mine.)
Pour one cup of enchilada sauce and one cup of cheese over first layer.
Repeat filling tortillas.
Repeat layer of enchilada sauce and cheese.
Top with remaining onions.
Cook for 2-4 hours on high.
Top with fresh tomatoes and sour cream, if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Miss Foodie Fash

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I needed a Crockpot meal for today because Alyssa, Matt, and I wandered around the city today and also because it's too hot to turn on the oven!  I wanted a chicken dish and also needed something that I didn't have to buy any ingredients for, this fit the bill!  My only complaint was that it was quite rich, so for summertime dining, I would add some chicken stock to make the sauce less rich and add some additional veggies... green beans would be great!

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

The picture kind of makes it look like a big pile of mush, but it was super yummy!

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (you can use cream of whatever you want)
2 medium white onions, chopped
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 box yellow rice, prepared as per directions on box
1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
1 box frozen green beans, optional

Preparation:
Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot.
Place onions on top.
Top with cream soup.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours
When ready for dinner, add corn, rice, and cheese. (Also, can add green beans at this point, make sure they're cooked according to the package directions)
Stir together, shredding the chicken as you stir. (Best done with a BBQ fork.)
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Southernplate.com

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Today I really wanted buffalo chicken flavor, but I had taco shells in the fridge, so I decided to marry the two and make buffalo chicken tacos.  I also decided to make them in the crockpot, so I put the chicken, 2 stalks of celery, a handful of carrots, a pepper, a cup of hot sauce, and a half cup of ranch dressing.  I put it on low and cooked everything for about 5 hours.  After 5 hours, I took the chicken out and shredded it, then put it back in the crock pot.  I let that stay in there, just as long as it took to heat some taco shells, set the table, and pour some drinks.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos 

After I set the table, I scooped out the chicken mixture, and topped each taco with bleu cheese and fresh cilantro.  They were so good!  They did turn out quite spicy though, so if you don't like spice too much, you could cook the chicken and vegetables in half a cup hot sauce, half a cup chicken stock, and half a cup ranch dressing.  You could also use bleu cheese dressing instead of the ranch and any other shredded cheese instead of the bleu!  Yay for options!

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
6 (approx.) soft taco shells
1 bell pepper, julienned
2 stalks celery, julienned
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
1/2 cup ranch or bleu cheese dressing
1 cup Frank's Red Hot (or 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup chicken stock)
1/4 cup bleu cheese
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
Place chicken, vegetables, hot sauce, and dressing in crock pot.  Cook on low for approximately 5 hours.  Take chicken out and shred it with two forks.  Place back in crock pot.  Heat tortilla shells in microwave according to packaging.  Fill taco shell with approximately 1 scoop of chicken mixture, top with bleu cheese and garnish with cilantro.  Serve with rice if you want.  (Knorr makes buffalo chicken rice.)
Enjoy!

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Today I decided to try and roast a chicken in the Crockpot.  I had to do a little research beforehand to see if I had to put any liquid in there, and it turns out I don't!  I also have been trying to cook a little heart healthier, so I added some baby carrots, an onion, and some diced potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot beforehand.

Veggies

After I wrestled with the chicken (it was still a little frozen, so I had to run hot water in the cavity so the goody bag could come out), I rubbed the skin with salt, pepper, garlic, and dill.  I didn't have any real lemons, so I also added a bit of lemon juice. 

Raw Roasted Chicken

I cooked it on low for about eight hours, and then it was ready to go!  It turned out just a little bit dry, so next time I will rub the skin with olive oil to keep some of that moisture in there.  

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients: 

1 whole chicken (4-6 pounds)

1 medium onion

3 medium potatoes

A handful of baby carrots

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Dill

Lemon Juice

Preparation: 

Chop onion and potatoes and place in bottom of Crockpot with carrots.

Wash and pat dry your chicken.  Pull out goody bag and discard.  (Or you can save it and use if for stock.)

Rub outside with olive oil (heart healthy) or butter (better tasting!)

Add desired amount of salt, garlic, pepper, and dill.  If you're feeling super fancy, put the spices under the skin as well for an even deeper flavor.

Squirt in a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. 

Enjoy! 

Drunken Venison Chili

Tonight I decided to make some chili (I know I've been doing a lot of chilis lately, but it's just so good!)  I've never cooked venison before, but I decided to it a whirl because friends of ours left some venison in our freezer!  I also figured that chili would take away the gaminess.  I combined several different chili recipes into the final product, and it turned out great!
First, I browned the venison with some onions and garlic.  After the meat browned, I added a little bit of salt and pepper, tomato paste, and half a can of beer.  I cooked that down for about 5 minutes.

Venison cooking away!

Then to the crockpot, I added kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, the rest of the beer, the venison, and some spices.  I let that cook on high for about five hours.

Frozen corn!  (It's so much better than canned!)

Drunken Venison Chili

After it cooked, I served it with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  The venison turned out super tender and not at all gamey... it was great!  I also used a piece of cornbread I made a couple weeks ago that I froze!

Drunken Venison Chili 

Drunken Venison Chili:

Ingredients:
1 loin of venison (approx. 1 lb.) chopped into bite size pieces
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
1 can of beer (I used Labatt's!)
1 package frozen corn
1 large onion
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Brown venison in pan.  After almost browned, throw in onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
After about 5 minutes, add tomato paste, and half a beer.  Cook another 5 minutes, so the beer cooks out a little.
While the beer cooks out, put beans, tomatoes, corn, venison mixture, spices, and the rest of the beer into the crockpot.  Cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  I always stir occasionally, but if you're just leaving for the day, that's fine too!
Top with some shredded cheese and sour cream.  Serve with a side of cornbread that you froze from last week!
Enjoy! :)

Slow Cooked Chicken

A couple weeks ago, chickens were on sale at the grocery store for super cheap, so obviously I bought one.  I have never cooked an entire chicken before, so I thought this would be a good experiment.  I looked up a bunch of recipes of what to do, but I didn't have all of the ingredients for any of them, so I made up my own.

I got up early so I could put this in the crock pot before work and let it cook all day.  First, I chopped up one onion and about ten cloves of garlic. Then it was time for the chicken.  I read one blog that said she took off all of the skin before roasting it, but I decided I wanted the skin in there for flavor, even if I wasn't going to eat it.  (Also, I started taking it off and it grossed me out.)  I put the chicken in the crock pot, threw in the onions and garlic, and some broth.  I had used about half a can of chicken broth earlier in the week so I put that in and then had to improvise with about half a can of beef broth.  I ultimately liked that combo of flavors, the beef gave it an almost wine-like flavor.  Then I added some sage, garlic, salt, and pepper and started cooking it on low.

Slow Cooked Chicken!

 I had actually only meant to cook it for about eight hours, but I ended up staying at work later so I cooked it for about ten.  I think all of the flavors married nicely and it was a successful dish!

Chicken and Rice

As a side note, I didn't feel like putting it away in tupperware when I was done, so I just put the entire crockpot in the fridge.  Then I took it out the next day and all of the fat and broth had congealed into a nasty jelly.  I recommend just taking care of it the night you cook it, don't wait!

Slow-Cooked Chicken

Ingredients:
1 4-5 lb. whole chicken, giblets removed
1 onion, roughly chopped
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. parlsey
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Place onions and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place chicken on top.
In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, wine, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Stir.
Pour broth mixture on top of chicken.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Edamame in Spicy Coconut Broth

Tonight I decided I was going to make dinner last minute, so I grabbed some ingredients and threw them into the crock pot.  I literally only put two chicken breasts, a frozen bag of edamame, half an onion, two apples, a can of coconut milk, and a teaspoon of chili powder into the crock pot and cooked it.  I had a minor problem in that since the edamame was frozen, I couldn't really shell them, so then We had to shell them while eating, and it was super annoying.  Oh well.  It still tasted good!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Edamame in Spicy Coconut Broth

Slow Cooker Chicken and Edamame in Spicy Coconut Broth

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 bag frozen edamame, shelled
1 onion, diced
2 apples, diced
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 Tbsp. chili powder

Preparation:
Place everything in slow cooker.
Stir.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Enjoy!

Christmas Chili

Today I decided to make chili.  I didn't realize all of the vegetables I used were red and green until they were in my crock pot, so I decided to name it Christmas chili.  I combined a couple of recipes into my own for this one.  First, I cooked down some onions, celery, garlic, and green peppers.  Once they were soft, I added ground turkey.

All of my green (and white) vegetables!

While they were cooking, I turned on my crock pot and added one can of chicken broth, two cans of diced tomatoes (with green chiles), and one can of red kidney beans.  After the turkey had cooked most of the way through, I added that and the vegetables to the crock pot as well.  To finish it off, I added a mixture of chili powder, Italian seasoning, cumin, and garlic.  I also added the rest of the tomatillo salsa I made the other day.

Even my crock pot fit the theme!

I cooked the mixture on high for two hours, stirring occasionally.  To serve, I threw some mozzarella cheese on top.  Next time, I will add a little bit more seasoning.  I actually used the seasonings that my mom uses in her white chicken chili recipe, but that has green chiles in it, so it doesn't need as much.  Here's to next time!

Christmas Chili

Christmas Chili

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (14 oz.) can red kidney beans
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cilantro
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
Toppings: Shredded cheese, sour cream

Preparation:
Add vegetable oil to a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook for about 3 minutes, until slightly soft.  Add pepper and celery.  Cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add ground turkey, cook about 5 minutes, it's okay if it is still a bit pink, you will cook it more in the slow cooker.
Meanwhile, add all other ingredients to slow cooker.  When vegetable and turkey mixture are done, add that to the slow cooker as well.
Cook on high for about 2 hours.
Top with whatever you like.
Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

Today I was feeling a little under the weather so I decided to make Matt and I soup for dinner.  Chicken soup is so easy because you can throw just about anything in it and it will taste good.  I got home from work too late to get a good base, so I just threw a can of Campbell's condensed cream of celery soup, water, half an onion, two chicken breasts, and a bag of mixed frozen vegetables.  I also added a bunch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, and parsley.  If I had had more time, I would have used fresh vegetables, but the bagged veggies worked out great!

Chicken Soup cooking away in the crock pot!

Chicken Soup (Note the new festive table cloth!)

 I added a little shredded cheddar cheese at the end for some added creaminess and a little extra saltiness.  Delicious!

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 (10 oz.) cream of celery soup
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 Tbsp. onion flakes
1 Tbsp. parsley
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preparation:
Add all ingredients to slow cooker.  Stir.
Cook for 3-4 hours on high.
Sprinkle cheese on top as you're serving.
Enjoy!

Pot Roast

Today I decided to try my hand at an American classic... pot roast.  I looked at a few recipes and ended up making up my own from what they said to do.  Everything turned out great!  The meat was super tender and flavored well.  The only thing I would do differently is trim off some of the fat before putting the roast in the crock pot.

Pot roast sizzling away!

Pot roast with linguini! 

Pot Roast:
Ingredients:
1 4-5 pound rump roast
1 cup canned tomatoes
1 onion
5 stalks celery
2 cups water
Garlic Powder
Onion Flakes
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Place onions and butter in bottom of crock pot.  Cook until onions are soft
Put roast on top of onions
Add rest of ingredients.
Stir.
Cook on high for approximately 6 hours.
Enjoy!