Southwestern Chicken Chili for the Slow Cooker

Here's a tasty, stick-to-your-ribs slow cooker meal that's even on the Weight Watchers recipe list [found that out after the fact]! It's 9 points, which is reasonable for a dinner. This is definitely a new family favorite! 

And yep, I have started Weight Watchers and can't wait to share my journey with all of you. 2 weeks so far, 3 pounds lost! And so it begins...
                                                                            

Southwest Chicken Chili

• 1½ lbs chicken breast
• 3 cans petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each) - plain or seasoned
• 2 cups medium salsa (I used home-made)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can corn, undrained
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 pkg ranch seasoning
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• Toppings – grated cheddar cheese, low-fat sour cream, tortilla strips,corn chips, etc.

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Zip close and place in freezer. 
2. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. 
3. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low 4-5 hours. 
4. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred. Place chicken back in crock pot and stir. Serve with desired toppings.

Kitchen Notes: I cut the chicken into large chunks before placing it in the bag. This helped it cook more evenly and was easier on the fingers that way (didn't have to remove it, hot, to cut up). Also, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs which gave it even more flavor. If you don't have 2 cans of beans, one will do. Mine was made with 1 lb of chicken thighs, 2 cans of diced tomatoes (one regular, one with Italian seasoning), 1 can of beans.  The rest stayed the same. I had my serving with an ounce of grated cheddar and 2 tsp of low-fat sour cream, while Mike opted to just use the cheese.

Chicken Whatchamacallit

Chicken Whatchamacallit, slow-cooker style

Happy Halloween month, all! 

Sometimes, when the creative cooking muse hits, you simply can't figure out a name for a dish. I could have called this chicken stew or chicken soup, but how bland is that for a delicious fall (defallicious?) dish ? So I crowned it "Chicken Whatchamacallit" and I hope the name catches on, especially since I have now typed it so often that my spell checker is no longer correcting it  :)

This dish was made in the slow cooker, using a bunch of stuff I had around the house after a bulk shopping binge a couple of weeks ago. Now that the food is dwindling, it's time to get going using what we have. And I do love my slow cooker, so here we are: Chicken Whatchamacallit. Smells good already and it's not even cooking yet!

I love Halloween

CHICKEN WHATCHAMACALLIT 

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken or turkey pieces [got mine from my freezer]
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 14.5 oz cans of Mexican ir Italian style diced tomatoes
• 1 can of Salsa style fire-roasted stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 c of chopped squash (I had frozen some summer squash, so...)
• 1 c chopped baby carrots
• 1 can sweet corn (not creamed)
• 1/2 c chopped celery (if you have it)
• 1 c water or so (I used a tomato can to measure)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 - 2 tbsp white granulated or light golden sugar
• 2 - 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar [you could also use wine or cooking sherry]
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp paprika (or so) [for color and sweetness]
• 1/2 tsp rosemary [because I like it]
• 1 cup orzo pasta (depends upon how thin the concoction is at the end)

Preparation

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and set on "HIGH" 
• Cut onion and place on bottom of slow cooker. 
• Place cooked chicken or turkey pieces on top. Doesn't matter if they are sliced or whole parts, boneless or 'bone in'
• Add chopped carrots, corn and squash
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, salt, pepper, sugar,  parsley, paprika, rosemary, oil and vinegar
• Cover with cans of diced and stewed tomatoes, corn and water
• Stir all together and let cook for 2-3 hrs on high, then reduce to low for another hour, or so to simmer and blend flavors.
• **Reserve orzo for the last hour of cooking**

Let it bubble and simmer, stirring every now and then to make sure nothing sticks.  Reduce to low for an additional hour to cook the orzo and blend flavors. If it gets too dry, add a bit more water. If it's watery at the end, you have created a stew and can add a bit of cornstarch mixed with water to make it less runny. Just don't do that before you add the orzo (pasta) because that should thicken it to a Spanish Rice consistency. Since the meat is already cooked, you are more concerned with the vegetables cooking thoroughly and that the orzo cooks. Easy peasy pumpkin neezy (or something like that).

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Slow-Cooker Casserole

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. This includes having a variety of veggies on hand, and a little bit of meat, and not wanting the veggies to go bad before you have the chance to use them. That was the case when I was blessed with my Winder Farms delivery the other day, and had so much in the fridge and in the delivery that I got creative. And guess what? It was good, too!

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced and halved
4 Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced 
 1 red and 1 green pepper, roughly chopped
3 tomatillos (peeled and cut into small pieces) - optional
1/2 -3/4 c pearl barley
2 breasts boneless  chicken, cut into cubes
2 c boiling water mixed with 2 chicken bouillion cubes (enough to almost cover veggies)
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp celery flakes
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried parsley)
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 c light golden sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preparation
Spray slow cooker with 'Pam' cooking spray. Set on high. Place all ingredients in slow cooker, making sure the liquid covers the vegetables and meat. Cook on 'high' for approximately 4 hours, until everything is cooking and vegetables are softening. Cook an additional 2 hours on 'low' or 'medium', until fully cooked. Keep on 'warm' until ready to serve. May be served with rice, pasta or potatoes. The amount of pearl barley you use will determine the thickness or density of the casserole.

Slow-Cooker Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

Ah, turkey dinner. One of the most nostalgic comfort foods around. Here is a slow-cooker version that won't disappoint! Simply serve with cranberry sauce, stuffing and whipped potatoes. For color, broccoli, carrots or mixed vegetables would go well with this, too. Originally found in a Taste of Home cookbook and adapted from their recipe. This is a large recipe, and may be halved if desired for a family dinner with left-overs for sandwiches.

Slow-Cooker Turkey With Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless turkey breast halves (about 4 lbs each)
• 1 can (14 oz) jellied or whole berry cranberry sauce
• optional: 1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped, and/or 1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp water, divided (note: you may opt to use half orange juice and half water, which tastes even more delicious)
• 1 envelope onion soup mix
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

• Cut each turkey breast in half; place in a large 5-qt slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce (and apple/nuts, if desired), 1/2 c water/juice and soup mix; mix well. Pour over the turkey.
• Cover and cook for 4-6 hours or until the turkey is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.
• Remove turkey, keep warm.
• Transfer the cranberry mixture to a small saucepan. Bring to boil while mixing the cornstarch and remaining water/juice until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to the cranberry mixture and simmer and stir for 2 minutes, until thickened. 
• Serve turkey, warm with cranberry sauce and sides of whipped potatoes, broccoli or carrots and Stove Top Stuffing, if desired.

Yield: Serves 18-24.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers for the Slow-Cooker

I love slow-cooker meals. There's something comforting in knowing that a meal is cooking with a minimum of fuss and bother, for you to enjoy when it's ready to eat. It's almost like having someone else cook a meal for you. Here is one of my favorites, originally found in a Taste of Home cookbook:

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Ingredients

• 6 medium sweet peppers - 2 red, 2 green, 2 yellow
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce (approx. 14 to 16 oz) divided
• 1 lb bulk uncooked Italian sausage - turkey or other
• 1 c uncooked instant rice
• 1/2 c crumbled feta or blue cheese, or shredded mozzarella or cheddar if preferred
• 1/2 c chopped onions
• 1/2 c chopped tomato (preferably Romas)
• 1/4 c parsley (fresh, minced) or 2 tbsp dried
• 2 tbsp ripe olives
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Cut tops off peppers. Chop tops and set aside.
2. Discard stems and seeds and set pepper cups aside
3. Reserve approx 3/4 - 1 c spaghetti sauce. Pour remaining sauce into a slow cooker
4. Combine sausage, rice, cheese, onion, tomato, parsley, olives, garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and reserved chopped peppers and spaghetti sauce
5. Spoon mixture into pepper cups; place in slow cooker.
6. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, until peppers are tender and meat is cooked.

Yield: 6 servings.

Beef Vegetable Soup

I love my fresh produce delivery that I get from time to time. Sometimes there are excellent recipes included that encourage me to try new things. Yes, I always hope to keep learning to cook new things, too! This week, they had a Beef Barley Vegetable Soup. By the looks of it, this is more of a stew, but who am I to argue as I sit here, inhaling the aroma of it simmering in my slow cooker. I now have a wonderful new dish in my repertoire. Here, thanks to Winder Farms, is my adaptation of this recipe. Note: I didn't have the barley so it's optional.


Beef Vegetable Soup/Stew

                                          <photo courtesy of 123rf.com>
Ingredients

• 2 lbs of boneless beef tenderloin ribs from chuck (the strips cook more evenly than a whole chuck roast)
• 1/2 c barley (not in my recipe, unfortunately)
• 1 tbsp salt, 2 tsp pepper and 1 tbsp garlic salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
• 3 russet potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
• 1 can beef bouillon and 1 c water (or 4 c water and 4 beef bouillon cubes)
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 6 roma tomatoes, chopped
• Extra salt to taste (I used another tbsp or so)
• Ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

In a slow cooker, cover the beef with approximately 1 c of water and sprinkle with the first amounts of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook until very tender on HIGH heat (approximately 3 hours). Remove beef and cut into bite-sized chunks, then return to the slow cooker. Add can of broth and additional water. Heat oil in a large sauce pan and saute the carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and frozen mixed vegetables until the onion and celery are translucent. Stir often so the vegetables don't burn the bottom of the pot.

Meanwhile, place chopped tomatoes in the slow cooker along with the 1/4 c sugar, pepper and salt. Add saute'd veggies to the slow cooker along with additional salt and pepper and continue cooking on HIGH for approximately another 2 hours (until the vegetables are tender). 

Note: I had previously frozen some good home-made beef gravy, so I added that to the pot to give a bit of texture since I didn't have the barley. It worked for me! Roma tomatoes also retain their shape better than the other varieties, giving a nicer look to the finished "soup." Talk about good food for a cool day! Serve with chunks of French bread or my favorite - rye or pumpernickel!

Texican Slow-Cooker Chili

Here's a new twist on an old staple - chili! Best yet, it's made in a slow-cooker, so that takes half the fuss out of it right there! You can substitute the cubed beef with ground beef, chicken or turkey (about 2 lbs) if you prefer. Just check the slow-cooker occasionally after the first 4 hours to stir and add a bit more water if desired.


Texican Chili
                                 
                       <originally adapted from a Taste of Home Cookbook>

Ingredients

• 8 bacon strips, diced
• 2 1/2 lbs diced beef stew meat, cubed chicken or 2 lbs ground beef,turkey, bison or chicken
• 2 cans(1-28 oz and 1-14 1/2 oz) stewed or diced tomatoes (regular or chili-flavored)
• 2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce 
• 1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained (we prefer 2 cans)
• 2 c sliced carrots
• 1 med sweet onion, chopped
•  1 c chopped celery
• 1 chopped green pepper (we prefer using 2 for this recipe)
• 1/4 c parsley flakes
• 1 to 2 tbsp light brown or golden sugar
• 2 tbsp vinegar - regular or cider
• 1 tbsp chili powder (or use a package of Lowry's Chili Seasoning)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 c water

In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel to dry. Brown meat of your choice in the drippings over medium heat; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt slow-cooker and add bacon and remaining ingredients. Note: If you use a packaged chili seasoning mix, add an additional 1/2 c of water to the ingredients and omit the chili powder. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (6 to 8 hours if using ground meat) until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Serves approximately 12-16 people. You may also cool and freeze left-overs.

Side dishes include: Green Salad, Texas Toast, Garlic Bread or breadsticks