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Tips for Slow Cooking These tips are from various sources.
•
Always start clean, a clean cooker, clean utensils, a clean work area.
And wash your hands before and during food preparation.
•
Defrost meats and poultry prior to putting them in your slow cooker.
This helps the crock pot achieve proper cooking temperature faster,
eliminating the possibility of bacteria growth on your food.
• Cut food into smaller chunks to ensure that the food is cooked thoroughly. For example, don't cook large pieces of meat, such as a whole chicken, in the slow cooker. Doing this increases the opportunity for bacterial growth because it takes a longer time to get to proper cooking temperature. Meats and vegetables can be cut up in advance, for example the night before, but make sure you store them separately in covered containers in the refrigerator.
•
If possible, set the slow
cooker setting on high for the first hour of cooking to get the food
warmed up quickly. Then switch it to low for the rest of the day. If
this is not possible, it is still safe to cook foods on low for the
entire time, since the temperatures stay hot enough for long enough to
prevent any bacterial growth on the food.
• Take the time to sear (brown) the meat ahead of time. The food will be more attractive and it will taste better.
• Since vegetables cook slower than meat, place the vegetables on the bottom. Then add the meat and cover the food with your broth, sauce, or water. Don't put mushy stuff like rice on the bottom.
• If you are away during the entire slow-cooking process and you know that there has been a power outage, don't take any chances. Throw the food out. Although it may look done, it could be unsafe for consumption. You can know if there was a power outage by the time flashing on your other appliances such as microwave or VCR.
• If you end up with more cooking liquid than you want at the end, empty it into a saucepan and reduce it. Don't add salt until the very end.
• Refrigerate leftovers within two hours after cooking is finished. Store them in shallow covered containers.
Recipes
Chicken in Pasta Sauce with Zucchini
All Phases. 3 chicken breast halves,
bone in or boneless
*Adjust seasonings according to the pasta sauce and to taste.
Lemon Pepper Chicken
Chicken Breasts with Onions, Peppers, and Salsa All Phases. Amounts used are according to how many servings you are making.
Chicken breast halves Onions Green peppers Salsa Garlic and/or other spices (optional)
Slice onions and peppers, and put them in the crock pot first. Cut chicken breasts into chunks, and add them on top of the veggies. Then top with salsa (about 1/2 cup per chicken breast) on top. Cook all day on low or a few hours on high. You can add extra garlic with the chicken and other spices as desired, but the salsa will add enough flavor.
Chicken Paprika All Phases.
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
Fiesta Chicken All Phases.
2
tablespoons oil Heat oil in skillet. Cook chicken pieces until browned (not necessary, but adds to the flavor). Remove, drain, and place in crock pot.
Place onion, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno pepper in skillet, and sauté until slightly cooked. Add tomatoes, cumin, and oregano to the skillet; stir, and add to crock pot. Cover, and cook on Low 7 to 9 hours or on High 3 to 4 hours.
Variations: Omit jalapeno and use Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy or Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle. Omit oregano.
Sour Cream Salsa Chicken
Phases 2 and
3.
Oriental Chicken All Phases.
4 pounds
chicken breast cut up bite size
Remove chicken to a serving platter; sprinkle with almonds. Spoon juices over chicken.
Teriyaki Steak
All Phases.
2 1/2 pounds
boneless chuck steak
Rosemary Chicken with Carrots and White Beans
Phases
2 and 3. 2 tablespoons oil 4 to 6 chicken breast halves 1 cup carrots, sliced ½ cup celery, sliced 1 can Great Northern or other white beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon rosemary (dried) or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped 1/3 cup Italian dressing (with no added sugars, no HFCS) Heat oil in skillet. Brown chicken breasts in hot oil. Remove and drain. Place carrots, celery, and beans in stoneware crock pot. Top with chicken breasts. Combine salt, pepper, rosemary, and Italian dressing, and pour over ingredients in stoneware. Stir slightly to combine. Cover; cook on low 8 to 9 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours.
Easy Italian Vegetable Soup All Phases. Makes 5 to 6 servings.
1 can
(14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
Fajitas Phases 2 and 3. 1 to 1 1/2 lb boneless beef round steak, cut into strips
(chicken or
turkey can also be used)
Turkey Breast All Phases. 1 frozen turkey breast (about 6 pounds) thawed 1 medium onion, quartered 4 garlic cloves, peeled 2 teaspoons olive/canola oil salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (optional) Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey all over with the oil. Sprinkle breast lightly with seasonings to personal preference.
Cover and cook at low for 9 hours or until a meat thermometer
registers 170 degrees. Remover the breast from the cooker and let it
stand 10 minutes before slicing. (The internal temperature will continue
to rise while the bird is standing.) Discard the vegetables in the cooker.
Serve breast sliced, preferably without skin.
Southwest Turkey Tenderloin Stew All Phases. Makes 4 servings.
1 package
(about 1 1/2 pounds) turkey tenderloins, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Cover and cook on LOW 5 hours or until turkey is no longer pink in center and vegetable are crisp-tender. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
Turkey Marsala with Vegetables Phases 2 and 3.
2 leeks,
washed and julienned
Place leeks
in slow cooker. Brush turkey breast with melted Smart Balance. Arrange turkey
over leeks, top turkey with mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley.
Pour broth/bouillon and wine over all. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
Turkey Creole (uses precooked turkey breast) Six servings. Phase 1 without rice, Phases 2 and 3 served over brown rice.
1 1/2 cups green bell pepper, diced 3/4 cup celery, diced 1 large can (24 oz) tomatoes 4 teaspoons chili powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning 4 cups cooked, cut up turkey 6 cups cooked brown rice
Put everything except rice in crock pot. Leave for most of the day. Serve over cooked brown rice.
A good way to use that leftover Thanksgiving turkey, as well as other times during the year.
Red Pepper Turkey All Phases. Four servings.
1 to 1
1/4 lb turkey fillets or tenderloins, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 can (4
oz) diced green chilies, undrained
Spray
crock pot with cooking spray. Add turkey pieces (brown in skillet first if
desired. Cut up roasted red peppers into
large bite-sized pieces.
Combine peppers with remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over turkey. Cook
on low
for about 6 hours or high about 3 1/2 hours. *Note: Searing turkey adds extra flavor. In Phase 2, you can serve this over brown rice. This dish is not spicy, but you can make it spicy by adding some fresh chopped hot peppers or dried hot pepper flakes.
Variations: Add sliced or cubed zucchini. Replace the black beans with about 12 ounces of fresh or frozen green beans.
Skillet method: Brown turkey in a little olive oil in a large pot (Dutch oven works fine. Remove turkey and set aside. Sauté onions in the same pot until translucent. Return turkey to skillet along with remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until turkey is done (about 15 to 20 minutes or so, depending on thickness of meat), adding water as needed (usually about 1/2 cup).
Easy Vegetarian Chili Servings: 6; Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes; Cook Time: 6 hours.
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
and drained
1. Combine all ingredients except sour cream and cheese in a crock
pot; stir to combine.
2. Place on low heat and cook 6 to 8 Hours. (Of course, if your
pressed for time, cooking on high heat for about 2 hours will also work.)
3. To serve, ladle into soup mugs and sprinkle each serving with
Cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, and garnish with fresh
cilantro.
TIPS: Spices
can be adjusted to taste. Use more or less cumin, chili powder, or cayenne
to your liking.
For heat lovers:
Add minced, fresh jalapeno peppers or chipotle peppers for a smokier
flavor to the pot before cooking. Optional veggies: Add diced green or red bell peppers before cooking.
2 lbs chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, fat trimmed 4 medium to large onions, cut into chunks 2 tsp garlic, minced 2 each green, red and yellow bell peppers, sliced into strips 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional)* 1 16 oz. can tomato sauce 1 tsp Mrs. Dash, Extra Spicy, or to taste 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped Place all the ingredients into the crock pot. Cook 6 hours or longer. *For milder flavor, remove seeds. If you want extra heat, leave seeds in.
Barley-Lentil Casserole Phases 2 and 3. Makes about 9 cups.
5 cups canned beef broth (or 5 cups water and 3 to 5 vegetable bouillon cubes)*
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms (optional) 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 cup shredded, low fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided (half is for
topping)
Mix water and bouillon in a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring till cubes dissolve. Pour into a 5-quart crock pot. Stir in mushrooms (if using) and next 9 ingredients (through salt).
Cook on LOW six hours until barley is tender and water is absorbed. Discard bay leaf. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
Spoon mixture into bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese and the sunflower seeds, if using.
*Check label to see ratio of cubes to water. Variations: Omit mushrooms. Increase green pepper to 1 cup. Add 1/2 cup sliced celery.
This page on-line September 29, 2003
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