Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

I found myself with a limited grocery budget, a need to get creative with some pantry staples, and a desire to not heat up the kitchen. This was the result. With some frozen stock (or cans of cream of chicken/mushroom if you prefer), some frozen chicken and broccoli, and some rice, you are there.

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

3 chicken breasts (I had bone in and just saved the bone for stock later)
1 can of cream of mushroom (I LOVE this brand when I can't make my own)
1 can  cream of chicken (I always make my own, but you can use the above brand as well. Or Campbell's, of course.
1 pound (give or take) frozen broccoli(toss it in the fridge while the crockpot is going, if you remember)
3/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt

Rice:
2 cups dried rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt


Throw the chicken in the crock pot with the creams of soups. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6. If going for "low", and you have the time, put on high for 30ish minutes and turn to low. Just gets things going faster.

Once the time has past, remove the chicken to a plate. Cut/break the chicken into a few smaller pieces and let cool for for a few minutes until you can handle it. Turn crock pot on high and add the broccoli and sour cream/yogurt. Cover. Shred chicken and add back to crock pot. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through. Should be good by the time the rice is done

Cook rice in rice cooker or on stove per cooking instructions (Yes, I add less liquid. Its my preference. Do what you want there)

Dish up some rice and top with chicken and broccoli mixture. You could always sprinkle on some cheddar cheese if you desire.

Chili

How interesting that my 200th post is my chili recipe. I have actually made this a dozen or more times since I started blogging, but I felt nervous about posting it. I figured basically everyone has "their chili recipe" and no one would bother wanting to try mine. Which is sad, because its GOOD. So I decided to blog it today. And I hope that some people try it.

I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Corn is one. I know I have seen it in a few chili recipes before, but I really like it. It gives a nice visual change, but also a sweetness.

Another is worcestershire sauce. Nectar of the gods.

Roasted red bell peppers is my latest addition. Yum!

And last but not least....a packet of brown gravy mix. It is worth it to toss out my "crunchy" card for this. I think it helps thicken it up a bit and gives a boost of flavor. I don't think I can replicate it well enough.


Also, for the longest time, I seasoned it with 1 packet of mild chili seasoning and 1 packet of hot chili seasoning. And in a pinch, I still do. But using the regular seasonings is cheaper and you don't get all the anti caking additives and what not. And you can also season to your own personal tastes.

All my seasoning amounts are guesses. I use my palm to measure. So feel free to add more if you feel it needs it.

I also *highly highly* suggest throwing this all together the night before and letting it sit in the fridge overnight, and then letting it cook on low all day. Time is the biggest tip on this. Every day it sits, it tastes better and better.

You can use 3 cans beans in this (whatever type you like. I do kidney and pinto) or you can make up some dried beans. One bag of dried beans is a little less than 4 cans, so when I do this, I make a large batch of chili with the higher amount of beef and maybe an extra can of tomatoes and just freeze some leftovers so we don't eat it for a week.

If you use that many beans, it might be too big for a normal crock pot, and you might need to use your stock pot on the stove.

I posted this on another recipe, but my new favorite way to cook dried beans is this:

Inspect and rinse beans

Put in a oven safe lidded pot with 1.5 inches of water on top.

Bring to boil, cover, and place in 275 oven for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes. Drain and wah-la!

Chili

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs ground meat. (depends on how meaty you like it. I use either beef or turkey and it doesn't make a huge difference)
2 onions, diced
28oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
14.5 oz can tomato sauce
4oz can tomato paste
2 cups frozen corn
1 small jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and rinsed and chopped
6 cups of drained beans of choice (around 3 cans)
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 packet brown gravy mix
hot sauce (I like Chalula, and use this to help make it as hot or mild as you like)
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp seasoning salt (lowrys or the like)
1 tsp-1 tbsp red pepper flakes (to your heat preference)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander

In a large skillet, cook the meat and onion until meat is cooked through.

In a large crock pot or stock pot, combine meat, onion, all tomato products, corn, bell peppers, and beans.

In a medium bowl, whisk all remaining ingredients (with a little water if needed) and add to pot.

Add enough water to cover all ingredients.

Preferably, let sit overnight in fridge and cook low all day long.


We serve ours with fritos, shredded cheddar, and sour cream.

Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Enchilada Casserole

This a great recipe that you can toss most of the ingredients in the crock pot and cook for a few hours, stir in a few more ingredients and finish in the oven. Super comforting and satisfying. I doubled it and froze half.

Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (can use frozen. Add an hour to low crockpot cook time)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced green chilis
15 oz red enchilada sauce, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 medium tortillas, torn into 2 inch chunks

In a crockpot, combine chicken, beans, chilis, 1/3rd of the enchilada sauce, and salsa. Cook on high 1 hour and low 3.

Remove breasts and let cool enough to shred (or use forks). Preheat oven to 400

Add chicken back along with yogurt, corn, cheese and tortillas. Stir well 

Spray a casserole dish and place mixture in, evenly.

Top with reserved enchilada sauce and the cheese

Cook for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and its heated through

Classic Pot Roast, with a Twist

Everyone does pot roast their own way. I just thought I would share mine!


The most important part? Sear the meat before putting it in the crock pot.

Classic Pot Roast, with a Twist

Ingredients:

1 3-4 pound pot roast
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oil
1 package onion soup mix (or make your OWN :) )
1 mini bottle of red wine (about 3/4 cup if you want to use a big bottle and drink the rest)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
4 carrots, peeled and 2 inch chunks
3 stalks of celery, 2 inch chunks
2 onions, peeled and quartered (or 1 leek, washed and cut into 1 inch rings)
2 parsnips, peels and 2 inch chunks (optional, but recommend)
1 pound new potatoes, halved (or gold/red potatoes quartered. I used yummy white avalanche)


Heat a skillet on high until piping hot. Add the oil. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the roast. Place in skillet and let sit 1-2 minutes to get nice and golden. Repeat on all surfaces.

Place roast in crock pot. Mix onion soup mix, wine, vinegar, and worchestershire and pour over roast. Cover and cook on high 2 hours.

Add veggies to the sides of the roast (as much as possible) and lower heat to low and cook 4-6 more hours.

If you want to make a gravy, strain out the liquid. Melt 2-3 tbsp butter in a skillet on medium. Add 2-3 tbsp flour and cook while stirring for 3 minutes. Whisk in as much liquid as needed to make the gravy consistency you want.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

So, my husband is bad at eating breakfast in the morning, so we are making a effort to remedy that. He does like oatmeal, so we decided to try to do that more often. I knew how healthy steel cut oats were, so I wanted to give that a shot. I knew I wanted to try a slow cooked version, but I needed to try the normal method to actually see how it was supposed to feel and taste. It has much more texture than regular oats, so be aware of that if you have never tried them before. They have a "al dente" bite to them. But that is a little less apparent in the slow cook method. So on the other hand, if you are used to the texture of steel cut oats on the stove, be aware this might be a little mushier than you would expect.


I am sure you could do this in a large crock pot, but I am not sure how that would change the cook time. And every slow cooker is different. So you might have to try the plain version of the recipe a few times to get the liquid ratio just right, as well as the cooking time. I went to Target and got a 2.5 quart Crockpot for $12 for this purpose. Totally worth it! Also try spraying the crockpot to help the sticking, but expect to have to soak it :)

You could try this water bath method too in a large crock pot

Long story short, don't cook this for the first time for a bunch of guests, lol.

Spray or butter the bottom and up the sides of the crock pot for easier clean up

I add a couple tbsp of chia seeds to each batch. You don't even notice them. You could add ground flaxseed also/instead.

You can add any type of milk you like. Almond, coconut, hemp, rice, skim/2%/whole, goat. Whatever floats your boat.
Same goes for "sugar". If your prefer stevia, honey, maple syrup, white sugar, or whatever sweetener toots your horn.
You can also substitute virgin coconut oil for butter. Especially recommended for the coconut flavors.

**I kept forgetting to take pictures in the craze of morning routine, so I will add more pictures as I can!**

Basic Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats.

Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk of choice
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

Add all the ingredients. Give a light stir. Cook on low 8 hours. Reheat leftovers with a little milk added.


Variations:


*Unless specified as "when serving" or "top with", all variation ingredients are added for the cooking process.

Maple Brown Sugar:

Add 1/4 cup packed brown sugar in the cooking process and drizzle with a little (REAL) maple syrup when serving.

Maple Bacon:
Top with 1/2 slice crumbled bacon and drizzle with maple syrup

Apple Cinnamon:

Peel and chop 2 apples into bite size pieces
Add to crock pot along with 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 tsp ground ginger. Add brown sugar to taste when served.

Cinnamon Spice:

Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves to liquid.

Chocolate PB:
Add 1 tbsp cocoa powder and some sugar. Top with a dollop of PB when serving

Chocolate Banana:

Whisk 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp white sugar, and 1-2 mashed very ripe bananas to milk before adding to crock pot. Add more sweetener to each serving if needed (depends on sweetness of bananas) (banana ones don't keep well in our experience, so don't plan on leftovers! Or add the banana when serving)

Chocolate Coconut: 
Replace milk with plain coconut milk (I used canned) and add 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp sugar, and a palmful of shredded sweetened coconut (I chopped it up a little more)

Banana Coconut:
Use coconut milk and mash 2 bananas. Add a palmful of sweetened, shredded, and chopped coconut.
(banana ones don't keep well in our experience, so don't plan on leftovers! Or add the banana when serving)

Nutella:
Add a dollop of nutella and a sprinkle of hazelnuts when serving, plus maybe a little sugar if needed.

Pumpkin:
Add 1 cup pureed pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie stuff), 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and 1/4 cup sugar. Can top with chopped pecans if desired

Banana Bread:
Mash 2 ripe bananas and add to liquid along with 1 tbsp cinnamon. When serving, sweeten as desired and add chopped walnuts and/or a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips.
(banana ones don't keep well in our experience, so don't plan on leftovers! Or add the banana when serving)

Blueberry Lemon:
Add 1 cup frozen blueberries and zest and juice of one lemon when assembling to cook. Top with slivered almonds, if desired.

Strawberries and Cream:
Add 1 cup frozen strawberries and a couple tbsp sugar.

Lemon Poppyseed:
Right before serving, zest and juice of one lemon and stir. Add a palmful of poppy seeds or, heck just use chia seeds. :)

Mango Coconut:
Use coconut milk. Add 1 cup frozen mango, and a palmful shredded, chopped, sweetened coconut.

Mocha:
Substitute 1 cup water with 1 cup cooled brewed coffee. Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 3 tbsp sugar.

PB and J:
Sweeten and then top with a dollop of PB and a dollop of preferred jam/jelly/100% fruit spread

Pork Chalupa

So I don't know where the term chalupa comes from. To me, it was a taco from Taco Bell. But to my husband, its this shredded pork and pinto bean concoction that you add taco fixins to. And the latter is what we are talking about today. Its a pretty frugal meal if you shop the sales on the meat. You could adapt this to the crock pot as well. I just always make it on the stove for some reason

Pork Chalupa

Ingredients:
1 3-4 pound pork roast (butt, shoulder, boneless, bone-in, whatever)
1 lb dried pinto beans
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 cans diced green chilis
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
fritos (kind of strongly recommended)
shredded lettuce
sour cream
tomatoes
salsa
avocado
cheese


Directions:

Look through the beans to make sure there is no stones.

Put the beans, green chilis, and all the spices (no S&P) in the bottom of a large stock pot or dutch oven.

Place the pork on top. Place enough water to almost cover the pork. Leave a inch or two exposed.

Heat until simmering. Don't boil.

Cook for 4-6 hours until meat falls apart and beans are tender

Remove meat and shred. Add back to pot and season with S&P. You will need a LOT as the beans and pork really need some salt.

Serve with all the toppings.

This makes a LOT but it freezes well.

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Quinoa

So we had this recipe. It was delicious. Comfort food to the max. Full of boxed yellow rice, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream. Just scrumptious.

Well, we haven't cooked it in a while around here. Too crappy for you. But its been mentioned often.

Well, Husb challenged me to make it healthy(ier). Challenge accepted.

It may not be a diet food, but at least its less processed and made from good food. :)

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Quinoa
Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilis
2 cans of cream on chicken (but MAKE it! Takes 5 minutes....)
1 diced onion
1 minced garlic clove or 1 tbsp powdered garlic
1/2 tsp salt
6 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup sharp cheddar
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 cups frozen corn


In a crockpot on low, put chicken breasts, rotel, cream of chicken, onion, garlic, and salt.

Cook on low 4 hours for thawed chicken, 6 for frozen.

Shred the chicken.

Add the quinoa, cheese, yogurt, and corn. turn on high for 30 minutes.

Crockpot Pulled Pork with Home Made BBQ Sauce

I am no BBQ expert. I can't tell you the difference between all the different regional BBQ sauces. I just know what I like. And this is it.

I am sorry there is no photo at this time. It looks pretty much like you would expect it would. ;-)



Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
1 4-5lb pork roast (Boston, butt, shoulder, whatever you like)

Rub:
2tbsp paprika
1tbsp chili powder
1tbsp onion powder
1tbsp garlic powder
2tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sauce:
2c ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
3tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 tsp liquid smoke

Mix up the rub and coat the pork in it. Discard the excess. Its best if you let it sit overnight in the rub, but its ok if you forget.

In the AM, place the pork in the crock pot on low for 8 hours.

Shred the meat and drain the liquid.

Add the sauce and cook on high 30-60 minutes.

Serve on some nice kaiser rolls or better yet, some home made challah rolls