Currently Cultivating: slow cooker

Showing posts with label slow cooker. Show all posts

As I mentioned Sunday, Kiddo and I went on a meal prep bonanza. A combination of our crazy evening schedule and my strong desire for some simplicity has driven me into the arms of my Crock Pot.

This bad boy didn't get frozen, since we were having it the next day, so I can't attest to any changes that could take place in the freezer. What I do know is this: We came home to a smelly house, and it was the good kind of smelly.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out where I found this recipe. Honestly. You know this girl gives props. I searched my computer history, retyped some recently used words into Google...no cigar. Then I found it. On the Kraft website. I spent all that time looking for a recipe that someone didn't credit to Kraft?! Pfffft.

You can find the real original here. I actually used their directions below because I like them better than the version I found.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup KRAFT Classic CATALINA Dressing

1/4 cup lite soy sauce

1 tsp. grated gingerroot

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained, liquid reserved

1 each green and red pepper, cut into strips

3 cups hot rice

PLACE onions, carrots and celery in slow cooker; top with chicken.
MIX sugar, dressing, soy sauce and ginger; pour over chicken. Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW 4 to 5 hours, increasing heat to HIGH for the last 30 min.
STIR cornstarch into reserved pineapple liquid. Add to slow cooker with pineapple and peppers; stir. Cook, covered, 30 min. or until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

I added a little cornstarch and put it back on low for 30 minutes, but it didn't seem to thicken it much. It didn't matter, really. While the cornstarch was trying to do that mysterious thickening thing it usually does, I cooked the rice. I opted for a Trader Joe's wild rice mix I had on hand...but only because it had the shortest cooking time. You could probably use any type.

Success! Kiddo doesn't care for cooked onions (along with so many other foods), so I dodged them while dishing his serving up. He ate all of it! That huge, folks.

It was really good. And oh so simple. I literally threw everything in, gave it a stir, popped the pot in the crock and set the timer for 6 hours on low. That's one of the benefits to my new Crock Pot...it switches to warm once the timer is up. With my old 2-setting slow cooker, I had to avoid recipes like this that only need a short amount of time because we are often out of the house for 7-8 hours.

We have yet to eat the other 3 meals we prepped on Sunday, so I'll be posting those successes (or failures) as we try them. Tomorrow we tackle the Mongolian Beef.

P.S. I am raffling off the camera strap cover of your choice from The Poppy Shoppe. You can enter here.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

I am having a serious love affair with my new Crock Pot. I came home last night to find that some lovely person has made me dinner after a looong day. Only I am that lovely person. But I like to pretend I have a little dinner fairy on my side.

This recipe comes from my Better Homes & Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook. I must admit that I was intimidated by the long list of ingredients when I first saw it. I need not be. Monday night, I chopped a few veggies and some chicken and threw it into the pot. Tuesday morning I fired her up. When I got home, it was just a matter of adding a bit of cornstarch for thickening (you could easily skip this if you don't mind it being more soup-like) and whipping up the cornbread dumplings (which takes all of 5 minutes). I threw the dumplings in and reset the timer for 25 minutes.

It was really good! In fact, Kiddo ate two whole bowls. Unheard of. Recipes like this remind me why meal planning/slow cooker-usage should be a regular part of my life.

The only thing I would do differently is to taste it prior to dropping in the dumplings. That's a good point to add in more salt and pepper. We salted it a tad after it was bowled up, which was fine, but I'll do it differently next time. Also, since Jared was partaking, I made it dairy-free (as usual). I substituted soy milk and Earth Balance for the milk and butter and omitted the 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese that usually goes in the dumpling mix. For you cheese-loving, allergy-free folks, use the real thing you lucky ducks!

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 large onion, diced roughly
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker combine the carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, sage and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Place chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk broth into soup and pour this mixture over the chicken.
4. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hour (I did 9 hours on low because we were going to be home late).
5. Turn slow cooker to high heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Combine water and cornstarch and stir into stew until combined.
6. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl combine egg, milk and melted butter (+ cheese, if you're using it). Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just moistened.
7. Use 2 spoons to drop dough directly on top of stew. Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Do not lift the cover while the dumplings are cooking.

When I think of comfort food, chicken and dumplings is at the top of my list. This recipe definitely fit the bill.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I am not much of a beef eater. That includes the meat and the gin. I have simply never had much of a taste for it, so after being traumatized by Fast Food Nation a few years ago, red meat wasn't hard to give up.

The boys love a good steak or tacos made with ground beef instead of our usual shredded chicken. So occasionally I make an exception. This recipe would be one of those instances.

Last week I took the plunge and bought a new Crock Pot (Target has them for $10 off). It is shiny, has multiple settings, and a digital timer. I love it dearly. I won my last one at my high school's grad night and it had seen better days (that may have been a while ago). The knob was missing, it's capacity was a little small, and the two temperature settings were often a problem when we couldn't be home for 10 hours. Still, it was hard letting it go. This post is for you, my friend.

Meal planning doesn't come naturally to me. But boy do I love simplified evenings. I bought a slow cooker cookbook a couple weeks ago (and scooped up another for a quarter at Sally Arms last week), and hope that using my Crock Pot will make it even easier to keep up this most helpful habit. With our evenings as hectic as they are this semester, coming home to a ready-made meal is pretty awesome.

My first go at the new slow cooker was these super easy french dip sandwiches. I got up early Saturday morning, did about 15 minutes of prep, and let it do it's thing. It was really good! Thumbs up all around. Now if only I could find a chicken version...

Simple French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients

3 - 3 1/2 pound boneless beef bottom round roast
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 large sweet onions, cut into thin wedges
2-14 ounce cans seasoned beef broth with onion (I used 3-10oz cans of Cambell's French Onion soup)
0.6 ounce envelope au jus gravy mix
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6-8 hoagie buns, split and toasted if desired

Directions

1.Trim fat from meat. In a large skillet, brown roast on all sides in hot oil; drain off fat.

2. Place onions in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place meat on top of onions. In a bowl, whisk together broth, gravy mix, and pepper. Pour over meat in cooker.

3. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 11 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 5 1/2 hours. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Slice meat across the grain and return to cooker to keep warm. With a slotted spoon, remove meat and onions and serve on hoagie buns. Serve with bowls of cooking juices for dipping.

I have also seen some ideas on Pinterest for prepping even further ahead. You prep, bag, and freeze until the day of then simply toss all the ingredients straight into the Crock Pot. Anyone try this? Several hours spent assembling meals on a Sunday would be worth it if this works.

Dip it. (French) dip it real good.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I first tasted sweet sticky rice a couple years ago at our fabulous local Thai restaurant. It was warm and chewy and smothered in mango sauce. It was a spiritual experience. Like the Dalai Lama of starches. I wanted to be able to experience it at home, but had some hangups about the lack of nutritional value in white rice. We don't even keep white rice in our pantry.

When a friend of mine posted a link to this recipe for Black Rice Pudding on Facebook, I took it as a sign that we were meant to be lifelong friends. The rice, I mean. I was already lifelong friends with the girl. I was all over this recipe like white on...well, never mind. I made it. I ate a lot of it. I loved it. You can get the recipe here.

The other day I decided that I wanted to make it again, only using brown rice which is more readily available. All the recipes I found were super complicated and took hours upon hours to make. I love this stuff, but not enough to slave over a hot stove for three hours in the middle of summer. Fugetaboutit. So I made up my own version. The only guidance I used was the established Crock Pot ratio of 2.5 cups liquid for every 1 cup rice. The rest I just made up. I wanted it to be simple, healthy and delicious. I think I accomplished those goals. As always, make it your own!

This is my beloved Crock Pot. I won it at my high school's Senior Night. I lost the knob years ago. Isn't it charming?

Sarah's Crock Pot Sweet Brown Rice

2 cups long grain brown rice (regular, not instant)
1 can light coconut milk (approx. 2 cups)
1 can regular coconut milk (approx. 2 cups)
2 cups milk (I used So Delicious Original coconut milk in the carton; but soy, almond or dairy milks would work fine, too)
1 tbsp honey (I used the raw stuff from our farm share)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Use more or less to taste or depending on the size of your sticks. I didn't mean to get personal just there.

Preheat your slow cooker/Crock Pot on the high setting. Place the rice in a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the individual grains a bit. It will absorb more water and thicken better with the germ exposed. I'm a science major, I know these things. Pour the rice into the preheating Crock Pot.

Meanwhile, combine the milks, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan. Heat until hot but not boiling; stirring occasionally.

Add the hot liquid to the rice and stir. Cover and cook on high for about 90 minutes.

Uncover and stir briefly. Recover and reduce heat to low. It should look something like this:

Cook for another 1-2 hours or until liquid is very nearly or completely absorbed. Stir. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks. Place in bowls. I like to pour a little more cold coconut milk over the top. I also like peach or mango sauce made from fresh or frozen fruit. We used frozen mango chunks this time and heated them in a small saucepan. My husband used an immersion blender right in the saucepan to purée some of the chunks, making a chunky mango sauce. It was delicious!

This makes a delicious, hearty dessert. We also eat it for breakfast like oatmeal. Yum! It is healthy, sweet but not too sweet, and full of coconut deliciousness. To reheat, I simply pour some milk over the top, cover bowl in plastic wrap, and nuke for a couple minutes, stirring halfway. It is just as good if not better (i.e. creamier). Enjoy!