Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. paprika
 1/4 c. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can enchilada sauce
9-12 small corn tortillas
lots of cheddar cheese


In a small bowl, stir together the seasonings. Season both sides of the chicken.

Add broth and butter to slow cooker. Mash the butter up a bit to disperse.

Add the chicken to the slow cooker, overlapping only as much as necessary.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

Remove chicken and let rest for 10 minutes, then shred. Rinse out crock pot.

Layer some enchilada sauce, then shredded chicken, then 3-4 tortillas, then cheese, repeat 2 times.

Cover and cook on low until cheese is melted and everything is heated through, about 25 minutes. Serve hot!



Recipe inspired by thereciperebel.com and Courtney Munnell

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

*Plan ahead... needs to marinate

Marinade:
1 c. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt

Chicken:
3 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Garam Masala
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. chili powder
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. water
2 drops red food coloring
2 drops yellow food coloring

Basmati rice, cooked

Combine marinade ingredients and chicken in a gallon Ziploc bag. Knead with hands until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate to marinate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 450° F.

Line a baking sheet (with raised edges) with parchment paper.

Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off and discarding the excess marinade.

Arrange chicken breasts on baking sheet, and bake at 450° for 10 minutes. (Chicken will be not fully cooked.)

Plug in crock pot, and set to low heat. Add melted butter, garlic, and jalapeño, covering the bottom of the pot.

Cut chicken into 1" cubes and add to crock pot. Do not stir.

In a small mixing bowl, combine paprika, cumin, garam masala, sugar, salt, chili powder, tomato sauce and heavy cream. Stir to combine, then pour mixture over the chicken.

Place lid on crock pot and leave at low for 3 hours.

After 3 hours are up, combine corn starch, water, and food coloring in a small bowl. Vigorously mix and add to crock pot, stirring everything together before the corn starch can settle out of the water.

Set crock pot to high, then re-cover and cook for 20 more minutes.

Serve hot over basmati rice.

 
 

Irish Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. beef chunks
1/2 c.carrots, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
thyme, to taste
basil, to taste
rosemary, to taste
coriander, to taste
2 c. beef broth
1/2 onion, diced
5 sprigs cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter, softened, almost completely melted
2 Tbsp. flour
1/3 c. frozen peas
hot mashed potatoes (I make mine mixed with butter, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper)

In a skillet, brown the beef in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the beef and put it in a crock pot. Add in the carrots, spices (I was lighter on the rosemary and basil than all the other spices), and beef broth. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

After 3-4 hours, cook the onion in a deep pot with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes, add the cilantro, and cook another minute or two.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and flour. Stir until smooth and mixed together.

Transfer the stew from the crock pot to the deep pot with the onion and cilantro. Turn up the heat to high. Stir the butter mixture into the stew. Add in the peas. Let the stew come to a boil, and let it boil 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the stew get thick before reducing the heat. Serve over hot mashed potatoes.

I'll be making this again.

Here's a link to the recipe I slightly adapted: http://www.laurenslatest.com/irish-beef-stew-mashed-potatoes/

Crock Pot Taco Chili

1/2 an onion, chopped
15 oz. can black beans, drained
15 oz. can pinto beans, drained
8 oz. tomato sauce
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
5-7 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1 lb. ground beef
4 baby bell peppers, chopped
1 small can of olives, chopped and drained
1 Tbsp. cumin (or more, seriously)
salt and pepper, to taste
chili powder, to taste
garlic powder, a lot
onion powder, to taste
oregano, to taste
paprika, to taste
coriander, a lot
pinch of cayenne


Add all the ingredients to the crock pot, breaking up the beef into small chunks if needed. Stir it up, making sure to mix everything in. Cook on high 3-4 hours, then reduce heat to low, and cook 3-4 more hours, stirring occasionally. Taste it a few times to see if the seasonings need adjusting. Serve with avocado slices, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Here's a link to the recipe I was inspired by: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

2 medium sized pork chops
salt and pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
3 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1- 2 tsp. corn starch

Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on high 6-8 hours. I turned the pork chops over after they'd been cooking 3 hours. I served the pork chops over hot cooked rice. Definitely a keeper.

Rosemary Thyme Potato Soup

2 large baker potatoes, diced, about 4 cups
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. crushed thyme
1/4 tsp. ground rosemary (if you don't have ground, just make sure you grind it a little before putting it in)
1/2 tsp. chives
dash or two of coriander
3 1/2 - 4 c. chicken stock
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. half and half (I used non-fat)

Soup cooking

Add the potatoes, garlic, spices, and chicken stock in a crock pot. Stir to combine, then cover with lid. Set on High for 3-4 hours, or Low for 8-10 hours.

After the allotted time, when the potatoes are soft, scoop out about half of the broth into a large bowl, and set aside. Mash the potatoes in the crock pot.

In the bowl with the broth, whisk in the flour until smooth. Then whisk in the half and half. Pour all of this back into the crock pot, over the potatoes. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 more hour on Low, stirring once or twice.

Next time I might add some crumbled bacon to each serving. 

Here is a link to the original recipe: http://barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/03/crockpot-potato-soup-with-rosemary-and-thyme-recipe.html

Chili Cheese Dip

The amount is easily halved if you don't want to make too much. And I again did not measure the spices very accurately, so go by what tastes good.


2 cans No Bean Chili (I used Nalley's)
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
4-5 cilantro sprigs, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cumin
10 - 12 drops Chipotle Tabasco
A lot of cracked black pepper


Add all the ingredients to a crock pot; stir together, mashing up the cream cheese a bit. Set on low for 2 hours. Stir every half hour or so. Serve warm with tortilla chips. It's a great dip for a party!

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs in BBQ Sauce

1 c. ketchup
1 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

Slow cooking pork

2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. chipotle tabasco sauce
1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. boneless pork ribs

Place all the ingredients minus the pork ribs in the crock pot. Stir it all together, then add the ribs, making sure the ribs are coated in the sauce. Cook on high 6-8 hours - until the pork just breaks apart. I served it over white rice with a side of vegetables. Delicious. Very easy recipe.

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.com/2012/01/crock-pot-country-pork-ribs.html

Teriyaki Chicken in the Crock Pot

2 lbs. chicken (I used white and dark meat), diced
16 oz. can chopped pineapple with juice
1/2 c. teriyaki sauce (see recipe below)
1/2 c. water

4 Tbsp. soy sauce
6 small colored bell peppers, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
Black pepper (lots)
Sesame seeds

Teriyaki Sauce (1/2 c.):
1/8 c. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 2/3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 - 2/3 Tbsp. honey
Capful of white vinegar
2/3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 c. cold water

To make the teriyaki chicken: Mix all ingredients together in the crock pot minus the sesame seeds, but including all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce except the cornstarch and cold water. Mix those together in a small bowl and then add to the crock pot. If you want to make the sauce separately before adding, you can do that as well. My friend suggests: To make it even easier, buy Trader Joe's "Island Teriyaki" sauce in a bottle and just pour the whole bottle in. It's teriyaki, soy, sesame seeds, and pineapple juice already mixed together.

I cooked it on high for 2 hours, then low for 1, then back on high for 1 more hour. It was a bit more liquidy than I wanted, so I added a bit more cornstarch during the last hour. Serve over hot white rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 


Recipe adapted from Lindsey Ismailova

Lentil Dal

This is the first crock pot recipe I've posted on here. It's definitely a recipe I will be making again and again!

1 c. red lentils
1 c. chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp. Garam masala
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
dash of turmeric
dash of salt
1 1/2 tsp. of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
black pepper to taste
Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 red pepper, chopped

Add all the ingredients to a crock pot. Cook for 4 hours on high, stirring occasionally. Serve with naan, rice, or bread.


Recipe courtesy of Lindsey Ismailova