Chicken Enchilada Hot Dish

Hahahahaha..... this is the first recipe I've posted that I am officially deeming a "hot dish".  I guess I am fully Minnesotan now.  It only took 10 years.

This dish is super easy to put together and is perfect for hectic weeknights or - if you're like us - a Friday night when I can hardly keep my eyes open let alone get dinner on the table.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts or thighs
1 pkg Frontera taco or enchilada sauce*
1 can black beans
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup raw milk cheddar cheese**
guacamole & chips (optional)

1. Put thawed chicken and Frontera sauce in your

crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours.
2.  When the chicken is done, shred it and drain off any excess liquid.
3.  Preheat oven to 350.
4.  Layer all ingredients - corn tortillas, meat & beans, corn tortillas, meat & beans, corn tortillas, cheese.
5.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly on the edges.
6.  Serve topped with guacamole and a side of chips!

*Available at most grocery stores.
**Available at Trader Joes.

Slow Cooker Meatballs and Curried Veggies

This one comes from a good friend of mine, and it is delicious!!  Another great slow cooker-non-soup recipe :)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken, beef, or turkey
salt, pepper

1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 inch stip of fresh ginger, peeled (or 3 cubes dorot ginger)
4 carrots
6 small potatoes
2 cups cauliflower florets*
2 stalks celery*
1/2 cup dried fruit of choice (figs, dates, prunes, or raisins)

2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry powder

Cilantro and/or parsley

Place chicken in a bowl and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Gently mix in the salt and pepper while forming the chicken into 1 inch size meatballs with your hands. Evenly distribute meatballs in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.

Coarsely chop all vegetables and dried fruit and, in the order listed, place atop of the meatballs, spreading around the slow cooker so they are evenly distributed.

Whisk curry powder into chicken stock in a small bowl and pour over the meatballs and veggies.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3- 3 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

Serve with cilantro/parsley as a garnish.

*I didn't have cauliflower or celery but I did have mushrooms and threw those in.  Sub whatever hearty veggies you have on hand!

Credit: 18 Hour Kitchen

Crockpot Cheese Tortellini

Lately, I've been eager for crockpot recipes that don't turn into soup/stew.  This fit the bill and it was delicious!!

Thanks, Pinterest :)

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 cans of italian style diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups or chicken broth
1 block of cream cheese
1 lb. of roll sausage*

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot, chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

Credit: Little Fellows 

*If you want to omit the sausage, it's still worth making!!

Savory Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
45 oz broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp salt
1/3 c flour
1/3 cold water
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 (12oz) can beer (optional)

1.  In a slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients.
2.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
3.  Combine flour and water until smooth; stir into soup.
4.  Cover and cook on high 30 minutes longer or until soup is thickened.
5.  Stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until blended.  (This is a great place to use an immersion blender if you have one!)
6.  Stir in beer, if desired.
7.  Cover and cook on low until heated through.
8.  Serve with desired toppings - croutons, popcorn, crumbled bacon, green onions, etc.

Crock Pot Chicken Parm

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t kosher salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 egg, beaten
sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
favorite jarred marinara sauce


1.  Spread the 1 TBSP of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot.
2.  Beat the egg with a fork in a separate bowl.
3.  Mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the Parmesan cheese in another separate dish.
4.  Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings.
5.  Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.
6.  Layer 2-3 slices or 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top, depending on how much cheese you like.
7.  Cover chicken and cheese with entire jar of marinara sauce.
8.  Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4.
9.  Serve with your favorite pasta.

Credit:  Chef In Training via Pinterest

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1 c carrot, chopped
-1 celery stalk, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
-1 (15oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
-3 c broth
-dried or fresh basil to taste
-salt and pepper to taste
-2 c chopped fresh or frozen spinach*
-2 c cooked small pasta**
-parmesan cheese for top**

1.  Rinse and drain beans.  Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in processor or blender.
2.  In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, purred beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3.  40 minutes before serving, add spinach.  Cover and cook 30 more minutes.  Add cooked pasta and cook 10 minutes more.
4.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with paremsan cheese.


*If using frozen, be sure to defrost and wring out water before adding it in.
**Omit if observing Daniel Fast.

Crock Pot Ribs

Barbeque ribs are a favorite and a rarity around here, so when some pork ribs were included in the CSA that I picked up last week, I knew Valentine's day would be the perfect occasion for this treat! While grilled BBQ Spare Ribs usually can't be beat, this crock pot recipe produces a delicious replica and is SO much easier to do. Thanks, Michelle for the recipe!!

Crock Pot Ribs

Ingredients:
-2-3 pounds pork baby back ribs
-1/4 c bbq sauce
-1/4 c brown sugar
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp chili powder
-1tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/4 tsp sugar

1. Trim excess fat from ribs.
2. Combine dry ingredients and rub over the surface of the ribs.
3. Place ribs in crock pot standing on their edge with the meaty side out. Cook for about 8 hours on low.
4. Remove ribs from crock pot and brush with bbq sauce.

Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

Another yummy crockpot soup for the looooooong winter months.


Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
-1 Tbs butter
-1 onion, chopped
-3 ribs celery, finely chopped
-2 white potatoes, cut into 1/2 dices
-2 c chicken broth
-dash of paprika
-dash of thyme
-salt and pepper
-2 c milk
-3 c frozen corn
-1-2 c diced or shredded chicken

1. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add onion and celery and cook until the onion is transparent but not browned.
2. While the onion and celery are cooking, put the potatoes into the slow cooker. Scrape the onion and celery into the cooker along with any remaining butter.
3. Into the crockpot, add the broth, paprika, thyme, and pepper. If the broth is unsalted, add the salt.
4. Stir gently, making sure the potatoes remain submerged in liquid. Cover and cook on LOW until the potatoes are tender, 5-6 hours.
5. Add the milk, corn, and chicken. Stir, cover, and cook on HIGH until the chowder is heated through, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Chicken Cacciatore

If you haven't noticed, my crockpot has been working overtime lately! With so much going on, I really haven't been in the mood to cook meals in the evenings and I'm preparing for the arrival of our third little one and assuming once he arrives, I'll have to have plenty of good crockpot recipes on hand to get this crew fed!

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:
-2 c marinara sauce
-1 onion, chopped
-garlic, chopped to your taste
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
-2-3 carrots, chopped
-2 Tbs flour
-2 Tbs water
-Prepared quinoa or rice

1. Pour half of the marinara on the bottom of the crockpot. Then add all the veggies, garlic and chicken. Pour remaining marinara over the top.
2. Cook in crockpot for 6-7 hours on low.
3. Remove the chicken from crockpot and chop/shred it to your desired texture.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water and stir the combined paste into the crockpot sauce. Cook on HIGH for 10-15 minutes until sauce has thickened.
5. Serve chicken and sauce from crockpot over a bed of cooked quinoa.

Carrot Soup with Honey

We went through a bout here last week where everyone was in serious need of an immunity boost. I made this nutrient rich soup in the hopes of bringing everyone back around to healthy. It worked, and it was delicious!

Carrot Soup with Honey

Ingredients:
-Olive oil
-2 onions, chopped
-2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
-3 lbs carrots, chopped
-minced garlic, to your taste
-1/2 tsp dried majoram
-4-6 cups water or broth, or a combo of the two
-2 Tbs honey
-1 tsp nutmeg
-salt and pepper

1. Saute the onion in a large skillet in a bit of oil. Cook until soft.
2. Put in crockpot: potatoes, carrots, garlic, and herbs. Add the onions and oil. Add enough water/broth to cover everything.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour.
4. Turn crockpot to low and cook for 5-7 hours, until veggies are soft.
5. Puree in batches in a food processor (or right in the crockpot if you happen to have an immersion blender!).
6. Stir in honey and nutmeg, season with salt & pepper. Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Baked Potato Soup

This one comes from one of my favorite blogs, the Crockin' Girls. Check them out and enjoy this recipe!

Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients:
-6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
-1 large onion, diced
-1 quart chicken broth
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1/4 cup butter
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup whole milk
-1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or colby jack work great)
-Toppings: scallions, bacon, roasted veggies, sour cream, more cheese, etc.

1. Put in a large crockpot: potatoes,onion, broth, garlic, butter, salt and pepper.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
3. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to smash up remaining potatoes and smooth out the soup.
4. Add milk and cheese, mix thoroughly.
5. Serve with toppings of your choice!

Jan's White Chicken Chili (Crockpot)

I am blessed to know Jan. She is a beautiful woman who loves our family so much and she's an amazing cook to boot. (We should know, we eat dinner at her house every other week!) Traditionally, white chicken chili has a cream sauce base, but this one is broth base and this lighter version is so refreshing. All that, and you can cook it in the crock pot. Does it get any better?

Jan's White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
-3 + cups cooked chicken*
-1 c onion, chopped
-garlic powder to taste
-2 tsp cumin
-1 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp ground red pepper
-3 15oz cans of white beans (you choose the variety)
-2 4oz cans of chopped green chilies**
-4+ c chicken broth (add to your desired level of thick/thinness)
-2 c shredded monterey jack cheese

1. Put all ingredients, except the cheese, into a crock pot.
2. Cook 7-8 hours on LOW.
3. Serve in bowls topped with cheese. Tortilla chips also make a nice addition!


*I was going to serve this on a Saturday night. So, on Friday afternoon I put 1 package of frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with a bit of chicken broth and cooked them on HIGH for 5 hours. When they were done, I shredded the chicken, added the remaining ingredients listed above and stuck the whole crockpot in the fridge. Mid-morning the next day, all I had to do was pull the crockpot out of the fridge and turn it on. Several hours later, dinner was served!
**I used only one to cut down on the spice for the younger members of our family.

White Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew (Slow Cooker)

I was recently out of town for 5 days and left my awesome hubby home with both kiddos! In an effort to relieve some of the daily "to do's", I spent some time cooking ahead before I left to make sure they had dinner ready to warm and serve each night. Sorry, forgot to take a picture of this one, but it turned out great. It holds together and freezes well for future use. This would also make an easy and good option for a mercy meal!

White Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew

Ingredients:
-1 lb dried white beans (great northern or navy)
-14 oz chicken sausage*, halved lengthwise and sliced
-4 cups broth
-1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
-1 large onion, chopped
-6 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
-kale or spinach

1. Combine in a slow cooker: beans, sausage, broth, tomatoes,onion, garlic, and 1 c water.

2. Cover and cook until beans are tender, on low 7-8 hours or on high 5-6 hours.

3. Just before serving, stir in the kale/spinach.

*I used a variety that included red pepper and spinach mixed in for added flavor. Chicken sausage comes in a variety of flavors (especially at Trader Joes) and you can mix and match to change up the flavoring in this stew.

Thanks, Real Simple!

Simple Chicken Crockpot

I'm struggling with what to call this one. Is it bbq? Is it Asian fusion? Is it honey? The answer is a little of everything to create a delicious and super simple chicken crockpot so that is what I settled on! Either way, with the return of the school year and dance class on Wednesday nights, I'm happy to see my crockpot back on the counter for delicious, healthy, easy meals ready whenever we might be.

Simple Chicken Crockpot

Ingredients:
-1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs work great)
-1/2 c ketchup
-1/2 c honey
-1/3 c soy sauce
-garlic, minced
-dried basil

1. Place chicken in the crockpot.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
4. Serve. I served mine over sauteed peppers and kale and white rice.

It doesn't get much easier than that!

Build Your Own Crockpot

Another beyond simple idea, but this turned out so great I had to share it.

Build Your Own Crockpot
Step 1 - Add veggies, fresh or frozen
Step 2 - Add protein (I did chicken, but beef, pork, fish, or a variety of beans would work)
Step 3 - Add sauce of your choosing*

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice, couscous, or quinoa.

*I have found a new line of marinade-ish type products that I really like - Organicville. For this particular night, I used the sesame teriyaki variety and it was delicious. I picked mine up at Costco, but I've seen them in mainstream grocery stores as well. But think broad, you could use salad dressing, bottled marinade, or create your own sauce with soy, sesame, ginger, garlic, etc. Get creative, this is the fun part!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Hello, Friends! So sorry it's been awhile since posting. It has just been that kind of week here. That, and I am actually really uninspired in the kitchen this time of year, tired of the "winter" meals and desperately waiting the arrival of spring, with which comes farmers' markets full fresh produce and weekly CSA deliveries. I am literally counting the days!!

I hesitate to enter these 2 ideas as they are so simple, they can hardly be considered a recipe, but I also know that sometimes all I need is inspiration. Hoping this can provide a warm (and E-A-S-Y) meal for you and yours.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Put in the crockpot:
-Chicken (I did a whole one and de-boned it, but you could use any cut you like/have)
-BBQ sacue

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred and serve on a warm bun with additional BBQ sauce.

Finishing Touches:
I meant to serve mine with sweet potato fries, but they burned while I was feeding the baby (like I said, it was that kind of week) so we had raw carrots and hummus instead!

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Well, it's Wednesday and that means CROCK POT cookin around here! Admittedly, I was in the shower about 30 minutes before I needed to leave the house this morning when I realized that I hadn't put our crock pot together yet. I was able to finish getting ready, put the crock pot together and have 5 minutes to spare before we left. Granted, I don't take long to get ready, but really what this should tell you is that this one is SUPER easy. It also hit the spot for this mama who has been feeling on the edge of getting sick all week. Surely, it's enough to ward it off??

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

Toss in the crock pot:
-carrots, chopped
-celery, chopped
-1 onion, halved
-garlic cloves, chopped or minced
-salt and pepper
-chicken
-enough broth to cover all the goods

Cook on low for 7-8 hours. 20 minutes before you're ready to serve, shred the chicken and toss in a very small cut pasta and let sit until cooked to your desired tenderness. Fish out the onion halves. Serve with warm biscuits.

Get creative with this one! I had a sweet potato on my counter that needed a home, so I cubed it up and tossed it in. You can add additional spices (i.e. a couple of bay leaves and the beginning of cooking or some fresh parsley at the end).

As for the chicken, I tossed in a package of frozen breasts (which was literally a frozen block when I put it in). You could also use boneless skinless thighs. If you're really feeling brave, you could put a whole chicken in and remove it to shred and skin it, putting the meat back into the soup when done.

Once cooked, this one freezes really well, too!!

This family is getting a change of scenery for about a week and headed "home" to see our families. Sorry, but I probably won't be posting much, if at all during this time. I'll probably sit back and be pampered with mom's cookin'. :)

Crock Pot Chicken Curry

I think my pet name for this one is going to be "Curry in a Hurry". Wednesdays are notoriously crazy for us and thus, I usually plan to serve dinner out of the crock pot on this mid-week hump day. I've tried, succeeded, and failed with many a crock pot recipe over the years and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the results of this one. Even better, it wasn't too spicy for my preschooler!

Crock Pot Chicken Curry

Dump in the Crock Pot:
-1/3 c. tomato paste
-4 cloves of garlic, chopped*
-2 Tbsp curry powder
-1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger*
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 onion, chopped

-Lay chicken seasoned with salt and pepper down on top of the mixture. The recipe called for boneless, skinless thighs, but I used breasts. I put them in whole to cook and they fell apart into shredded chicken upon completion.

-Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Finishing Touches:
-Just before serving, mix 1/2 c. Greek yogurt into the crock pot. (This gives the mixture an awesome creamy texture.)
-Serve over rice or quinoa and top with chopped green onions.

Yum!

*I've found a great product in my grocer's frozen section that has saved me so much time, money, and effort - Dorot Frozen Garlic and Herbs! I have found several options available at Trader Joes and at Target. It is super simple, just pop out the amount you need/want and in a few seconds, it's soft enough to squish up and mix into your creation. It's especially refreshing this time of year when fresh products are expensive and hard to come by. For tonight's dinner, I used the garlic and ginger varieties.

Crockpot Chicken and Biscuits

Tonight we played host to our neighbors for our weekly dinner. After a weekend of prepping/hosting for our son's dedication and another healthy 12" of snow, I was in the mood for some easy, warm comfort food. The inspiration for this one came from a recipe that I found in a recent Real Simple magazine.

Crockpot Chicken and Biscuits


Toss in crockpot:
-4ish carrots, chopped
-2ish stalks of celery, thinly sliced
-1 small onion, chopped
-1/4 c. flour

Add:
-Chicken - the recipe called for boneless, skinless thighs, but I used cut up breasts because that's what I had in the freezer. You do NOT need to cook the chicken before you put it in.
-1 c. of broth (link is for the frugal hearted folks out there)
-Poultry Seasoning
-Salt & Pepper

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. The recipe also suggests adding frozen peas to the crockpot about 10 minutes before serving. I couldn't find the frozen peas I was sure I had when the time came tonight; I didn't miss them but I also made a side of broccoli to make up for the missing green :)

Biscuits:
I wanted to make something a little more interesting than plain biscuits for this one, so I opted for the famous "Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits" - they were a hit!

Follow the recipe on the back of the bisquick box.
Add in shredded cheddar, then dump small amounts onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375.
Mix 1/2 stick of melted butter, a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
Brush melted butter mixture on top of baked biscuits.
Serve it with a smile!