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 Crock Pot Recipes

First, here’s an article on slow cooking from www.epicurious.com.

How to Slow Down
Dust off that old Crock-Pot and change the way your family eats (and cooks)

Slow cooking, for anyone who hasn't tried it, can save you time, money, and weeknight panic. Even better, it can give you warm and nourishing one-pot meals every family member will enjoy.

Epicurious talked to Lora Brody, author of Slow Cooker Cooking, about how to make the most of crock pot cooking. The mother of three sons (all of them grown now and all of them cooks), Brody has been using her crock pot for decades. She recommended several family-friendly recipes from her book, including caramelized onions ("strangers will ring your bell to ask what you're cooking, because it smells fantastic"), and offered a few of her best tips.

Expert Tips

• Buy the biggest slow cooker you can get (e.g., a six-quart), so you can make enough for leftovers. I freeze leftovers in a plastic bag, then just dunk that in water to defrost, or microwave. My favorite is the slow cooker that Michael Graves did for Target. It's the cutest thing. Also, less is more—you don't need all the fancy programmable stuff.

• Take the time to braise (brown) the meat ahead of time. It really makes a difference; the food will be much more attractive and it will taste better. (Also partially brown the meat before adding onions or garlic.)*

• Don't put mushy stuff like rice on the bottom — it'll become more like porridge. Meats or vegetables are better on the bottom.

• 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.

• The marriage of the slow cooker and the immersion blender was made in heaven. Put vegetables in a slow cooker, for example, and just before serving, use the blender to purée them right in the cooker.

• Any recipe that involves braising or stewing can be adapted to the slow cooker. Be careful with fish, though, because it could fall apart. Don't add as much liquid as a recipe calls for; try cutting the liquid in half. And don't salt ahead of time.

• Try cooking at night rather than letting it go all day. Then you have the option of checking on it in the morning to see if it's done. Once it cools, put it in the refrigerator, and when you're ready to eat, heat it up — it's actually better.

• Get your teenagers to use it — this is a way to get them into the kitchen. It's straightforward and safe.

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*For “What you need to know about browning and sautéing ,” see this Web site: http://www.missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/lessonframe.html

Recipes

Red Pepper Chicken (or Turkey)

All Phases. Four servings.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

    (or about a pound or so of turkey breast cutlets, sliced into pieces)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 12-oz jar roasted red peppers (not in oil), undrained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, undrained
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, if desired (I use 1/2 teaspoon each)
 

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Add chicken or turkey (brown first if desired). Cut up roasted red peppers into large bite-sized pieces. Combine peppers with remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken. Cook low for about 6 hours or high about 3 1/2 hours.
 

*Note: You can sear the meat in a pan first for extra flavor if you wish. In Phase 2, you can serve this over brown rice. This dish is not spicy, but you can make it spicy by adding some chopped hot peppers or freeze-dried hot pepper flakes. You can also add some sliced zucchini, as there's plenty of broth in which it can cook, and it would add color and extra nutrition. You can also replace the black beans with about 12 ounces of fresh green beans if desired.

Skillet method: All Phases.

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lemon pepper seasoning
2 tablespoons melted Smart Balance spread
(I added an onion, quartered)

Put chicken (and onion, if using) in pot. Sprinkle generously w/seasoning. Pour melted spread over chicken. Cook on LOW for 10 hours or on HIGH for 6 hours.

Variation: substitute oregano for lemon pepper.

Simple Crock Pot Chicken

All Phases.

Put chicken breasts in crock pot.

Pour in enough Italian salad dressing to cover chicken.

Add 1 cup water.

Cook all day on low or a few hours on high. Serve with vegetables of choice and a salad.

If frozen, no need to thaw before cooking, can use straight from freezer. However, this is better if chicken is browned before adding to crock pot.

Optional for Phase 2: Remove chicken when done. Add some light sour cream to crock pot, stir, and return chicken to crock pot and mix with the sauce. Serve over whole-wheat noodles or whole-wheat pasta if desired.

Chicken in Pasta Sauce

All Phases. From SBD forum. Easy recipe. The chicken falls off the bone and the sauce is delicious. Optional for Phase 2: Remove chicken when done. Add some light sour cream to crock pot, stir, and return chicken to crock pot and mix with the sauce. Serve over whole-wheat noodles or whole-wheat pasta if desired.

1 family-size pack of bone-in chicken pieces (skinless or skin them)
1 large jar (26 ounces) of your favorite pasta sauce (no added sugars)
Dried oregano and basil (or dried Italian seasoning)

Salt & pepper to taste (don't use much, as the pasta sauce has salt)

Put the chicken into the crock, pour sauce over chicken, generously sprinkle with the oregano and basil (or Italian seasoning). Turn crock pot on to low. Leave it for the day (or put it on high for a few hours if you’re in a hurry).

In Phase 2, you can serve some of the sauce over whole-wheat pasta if desired.

I made a smaller recipe using 3 chicken breast halves, 1 1/2 cups Classico Spicy Red Pepper pasta sauce, 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, basil, and Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. I also added 3 small zucchini, sliced. It turned out good.

All Phases.

1 whole chicken

Olive oil spray
Lawry's seasoned salt (no substitutes)
Aluminum foil

Clean chicken inside and out. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with Lawry's. Spray inside of crock with Pam.

Note: Do not put any water in the crock.

Roll some wads of aluminum foil into balls and put them in the bottom of the crock. The chicken is going to sit on these. Put chicken back side down in crock on top of aluminum balls.

Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. (Will not come out the same on low.)

All Phases. A variation of the above by Tony Partigianoni.

I sprinkle a generous amount (to taste) of Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's Creole Seasoning inside and outside the chicken. I don't use any PAM or other cooking oil and I don't use worry about the tinfoil.

After the chicken is cooked and falling to pieces, I remove the skin. Frozen veggies (to taste) can also be added the last hour of cooking (after first removing skin.)

Turns out tangy; not too spicy.

Great with a tomato and lettuce salad and a light vinegar and oil dressing.

Phases 2 and 3.

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 package reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup light sour cream

Spray the crock pot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with Taco Seasoning. Top with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (I cook it for less)

When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. Place about 2 T corn starch in a small amount of water. Stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream.

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 fat free Italian dressing

Heat oil in skillet. Brown chicken breasts in hot oil. Remove and drain. Place carrots, celery, and beans in stoneware crock pot. Add 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.

*Note: You can another vegetable for the carrots, if desired.

All Phases. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed beef broth, undiluted
1 package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar (or sugar substitute, or omit)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine tomatoes, broth, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, wine, basil and sugar in slow cooker. Cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours.

Stir oil and salt into soup. Garnish with cheese, if desired.

All Phases.

1 frozen turkey breast (about 6 pounds) thawed or partially 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.

Place the breast, meaty side up, into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place the onion and garlic around edges of the pot.
 

Cover and cook at low for 9 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees. Remover the breast from the cooker and let the bird 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.

Coarsely chop leftovers and freeze for up to 2 weeks for later use.

Note: I prefer to roast my turkey breast in the oven, but sometimes it might be more convenient to use the crock pot.