Mexican Pork and Black Bean Burritos in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless pork sirloin, cut into bite sized cubes
1 cup black beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed, or 1 teaspoon crushed
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 can (15 ounces) stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 can chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Whole wheat tortillas, burrito size
Shredded lettuce for garnish
Extra sour cream or Greek yogurt for the topping
Hot sauce or salsa.

Preparation:
Mix the meat, beans, and spices in the slow cooker.
Add the onions and garlic.
Cut up the stewed tomatoes by using a pair of kitchen shears. Cut them right in the can.
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and cilantro to the crock pot and stir.
Cook on LOW 8-9 hours.
Cook the rice in boiling water according to package directions.
Strain off excess fluid from the meat mixture.
Stir the rice into the meat mixture.
Spread some of the mixture into the center of tortillas and top with cheese.
Wrap up the burritos.
Serve with sour cream lettuce, hot sauce, and extra chopped cilantro.


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Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with No Mayo Potato Salad

Cook the chicken in the crock pot so you don’t heat up the house. The potato salad is made with no mayonnaise, so it can be served outdoors on the patio or poolside with no worries.

Ingredients:
6 to 8 chicken thighs and legs
1 bottle of barbecue sauce, any flavor
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds of red or yellow potatoes, scrubbed well and cubed
3 green onions, chopped
1 small package of frozen snow peas
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup of Italian vinaigrette
Whole wheat hamburger buns
Dill pickle spears

Preparation:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the crock pot.
Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours.
Take the chicken out of the crock pot and shred the meat from the bones.
Return to the crock pot with enough barbecue sauce to coat it well.
Heat another 20 minutes until warm.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender.
Drain the water off.
While the potatoes are still hot, add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat.
Serve the pulled chicken on hamburger buns with pickle spears on the side.
The potato salad may be served hot or cold.

For another serving idea, try this Creamy Coleslaw Recipe.


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Photo/Suzanne Pitner

Pot Roast with Homemade Bread

This pot roast cooks in the crock pot all day, the bread bakes in the machine, and when you get home, you've got a delicious dinner ready to go.

Ingredients for the pot roast
5 pound beef pot roast
2 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, cut into small pieces
1 package of Lipton onion soup mix
1 cup of beef broth or red wine
Whole wheat flour for the bread machine
Yeast

In the morning:
Sear the pot roast on all sides in oil in a heavy dutch oven to seal in the juices.
Place the browned roast in the crock pot and sprinkle the Lipton onion soup mix over it.
Add the vegetables around it.
Pour the broth or wine over it all.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Set up the bread per your machine's instructions and set to delay bake.

In the evening:
Remove the roast and vegetables to a platter.
Take the bread out of the machine.
Pour the broth from the crock pot into a pan.
Thicken with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, stirring to make a gravy.
Slice the bread and serve with the pot roast.

Save the leftover pot roast to make:
Beef Roast and Artichoke Pizza
Spicy Fajitas and Chipotle Refried Beans
Stir Fried Rice and Beef


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Photo/kenidala on Flickr

Country Chicken Stew with Dill Dumplings

This recipe will make enough to serve for dinner one night with plenty left over for another meal. Before serving, put half of the stew in a freezer safe dish, label, and freeze. Then, on a cold winter night, when you don’t feel like cooking, just pull it out of the freezer and reheat. It tastes just as delicious the second time around.

Ingredients:
1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tsp crushed fresh garlic
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 lb fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths
6 small new potatoes, or 2 russet potatoes, cut up
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of chicken broth
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup of baking mix, such as Bisquick
1 Tbsp dill

Preparation:
Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
Place the vegetables in first, and the chicken on top of the vegetables.
Sprinkle with the garlic, salt, and pepper.
Pour the broth into the crock pot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

In the afternoon, make the dumplings:
Stir together the milk, baking mix, and dill just until moistened.
Drop by spoonfuls on top of the hot stew in the crock pot.
Cover and cook another 30 minutes, until the dumplings are firm.
The dumplings will thicken the sauce on the chicken and vegetables.
This is nice served with a crisp white wine.

Mediterranean Chicken Dinner in the Crock Pot

The flavors in this dish combine all day in the slow cooker to make a meal that is tasty and warm. The list of ingredients is long, but the preparation is easy. Buy the vegetables that are already chopped to shorten the prep time.

Ingredients:
2 cups of sliced crimini mushrooms
1 can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (14 ounce can)
1 small jar of artichoke hearts in olive oil
1 cup of chicken broth
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small peeled and chopped eggplant (about 2 cups)
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
2 Tbsp capers
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed thyme
Dash of salt and pepper
1 fryer chicken, cut up, or 4 large chicken breasts
Cooked risotto (arborio rice)

Preparation in the morning:
Put the first twelve ingredients in the slow cooker and stir them together.
Add the chicken, and cover with the other ingredients.
Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

In the afternoon:
Cook the arborio rice following my basic risotto recipe directions.
If the sauce on the chicken is too thin, add 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water to the broth. Allow it to thicken.

Serve the Mediterranean Chicken over the risotto.

Roasted Chicken with Orzo

Warm Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad

The chicken and sweet potatoes cook in the slow cooker. All that is needed at the end of the day is to cook the orzo pasta and put the spinach salad together.

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken
1 lemon, sliced
1 onion sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tablespoon of butter for the chicken
1 cup of orzo pasta
1 tablespoon of butter for the pasta
2 large sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach, torn into pieces
¼ cup of apple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In the morning:
Wash and dry the roasting chicken
Rub the cavity with salt. Place the lemon, onion, and rosemary inside the cavity.
Rub the outside of the chicken with butter.
Lay metal cookie cutters on the bottom of the slow cooker. This will make a platform to keep the chicken and potatoes out of the juices as they cook.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
Wash the sweet potatoes and lay the them around the chicken.
Bake on low for 6-8 hours.

In the afternoon:
Cook the orzo according to package directions.
Heat the apple juice and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to thicken.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks.
Toss the sweet potatoes with the spinach. Pour the apple juice mixture over the top and stir to coat. The spinach will be slightly wilted from the heat of the sauce.
Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place on a serving platter on a bed of orzo pasta.

Tip: Save the drippings from the bottom of the crock pot. Strain it and freeze in ½ cup containers. You will have homemade chicken stock on hand in premeasured ½ cup amounts for any recipe that calls for chicken stock.

Spicy Mexican Chicken with Bacon in the Crock Pot

Spicy Mexican Chicken with Bacon in the Crock Pot
Skillet Potatoes
Mexican Corn

This little chicken can be as hot or mild as you like. Use hotter peppers for a fire alarm hot chicken. Use relleno peppers for a milder flavor. Do NOT ever touch your eyes or face after handling peppers. It’s a painful experience. Ask me how I know.

I don't have a picture of it, because when I took it out of the crockpot, it's poor little wings fell off. Not a pretty sight. But it was delicious. The spices infused the entire chicken with flavor. We used the leftover chicken to make delicious Green Chili Enchiladas the next day.

Ingredients:

• 1 roasting chicken
• 2 peppers, seeded
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 slices of cooked bacon
• One onion, peeled and quartered
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cloves
• 1 anise star
• Salt

Ingredients for the vegetables:

• 4 russet potatoes, washed and chopped into 1 inch squares
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt, pepper, and paprika
• 1Tbsp olive oil
• 1 package of frozen corn
• 1 small can of diced green chilis, mild

In the morning:
Chop the peppers, garlic, and bacon in a small food chopper. Add the cinnamon and cloves and stir.
Rub the cavity of the chicken with salt. Place the onion quarters and the star anise inside.
Lift the skin from the neck of the chicken, and gently slide your hand under the skin.
With a spoon, spread the spice, pepper, and garlic mixture under the skin of the breast of the chicken.
Put any leftover spice, pepper, and garlic mixture in the cavity.
If the legs of the chicken separate, truss them with kitchen twine or a zip tie. (Don't worry, the plastic zip tie won't melt in the crock pot.)
Place the chicken in the crock pot breast side up.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

In the afternoon:
Set the table.
Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan.
Cook the potatoes and onions in the skillet until the potatoes are browned.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika.
While the potatoes are cooking, mix the corn and green chilis in a bowl and steam in the microwave.
Remove the chicken from the crock pot and place on a serving platter.

Chicken with Red Peppers and Black Beans

Chicken with Red Peppers and Black Beans
Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 cut up fryer chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 red peppers, cut into strips
3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 can black beans
Corn meal
Flour
Milk
Eggs
Oil
Baking powder

In the morning:
Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
Lay the chicken in the slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the garlic, onion, red peppers, and bacon in the crockpot.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.

In the afternoon:
Set the table.
Stir the black beans into the crockpot with the chicken.
Prepare the corn bread according to the package directions on the corn meal box.
Serve the chicken dish in bowls with the corn bread on the side.