Thai Beef Curry

Adapted from Cooking Light
October 2017

canola oil
2lbs. beef stew meat
1/2 c. beef stock
1/4 c. Thai red curry paste
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. brown sugar
yellow onion, sliced
1 can well-shaken canned full-fat coconut milk
12 oz frozen French green beans (fresh also works)
1/2 c. loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
9oz. fresh spinach (9 cups)
3 T. fresh lime juice
brown rice or rice noodles prepared

1. In a large skilled heat oil then cook meat about 6 minutes, turning occasionally. Put meat in slow cooker. Add beef stock to skillet, stir to scrap to loosen browned bits from the skillet. Put mixture into slow cooker.  Add curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, and onion.  Cover, and cook on low until beef is very tender, about 8 hours.
2.  Before serving prepare rice or noodles. 15 minutes before serving add coconut milk and put slow cooker back to high setting. 
If using fresh green beans, put in slow cooker for approx. 12 minutes.
I use frozen green beans and cook them in the microwave then use them as a side for the kids to eat if they don't want the meat and sauce on them.
Turn the heat on the slow.
Add spinach and lime juice (and optional cilantro).  Stir gently and let spinach wilt. Serve over rice or noodles.  I liked it over the rice noodles the best. 

*Good flavor and reheats well
*Easy to double the recipe
* I want to try with some other vegetables added in at the end: broccoli, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, bean sprouts, and cabbage.  (Also, trying adding carrots in with the meat to slow cook.)

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Adapted from Averie Cooks- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Oil bottom of crockpot.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1-inch pieces

MIX:
1/3c. cornstarch
sprinkle Kosher salt
sprinkle pepper
1c. orange marmalade
1/4c. orange juice
1/4c. low-sodium soy sauce
1T. rice wine vinegar
1t. sesame oil
1t. ginger
2t. minced garlic

Place chicken in oiled crockpot.  Pour orange mixture evenly over chicken.  Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.

Serve over rice.

Toppings- green onions, sesame seeds, orange slices


(Does not reheat well.)

Crockpot Tacos

Adapted from Vegan in the Freezer- Slow Cooker Chipotle Tacos

Put everything in the crockpot on low for 3 hrs or high for 1 1/2 hrs.

2 cans pinto beans
1 small bag frozen corn
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
6oz tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
2T. chili powder
1T. cocoa powder
1T. cumin
1t. cinnamon


Put in hard or soft shell tacos and use toppings- cheese, lettuce, avocado, sour cream.
Use leftovers on baked potatoes!

Fast Vegan Chili

Adapted from Minimalist Baker- 5-ingredient Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Onion
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
16oz jar salsa
15oz can black beans, rinsed
2c. broth
2 c. water
Desired spices- 1-2T. chili powder, 1T. cumin, 1/2 t. cinnamon

Can saute onion, if time and desired.  Dump everything else in, stir, and simmer until potatoes are cooked.  Or dump into the crockpot on low until ready to eat.

Toppings: avocado, red onion, tortilla chips, lime

Green Beans and Sausage

1 qt, green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 carrot, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb sausage, either ground or link cut into 1 inch pieces
1. Combine all ingredients except sausage in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on high 3-4 hours. Add sausage and cook another 2 hours on low.
The recipe is from Sarah Albright.
This recipe should be served with bread or something as the sauce/juices are really flavorful and need help getting off your plate and into your mouth.
Also, I used more than a quart of green beans (fresh) and a large bell. And more thyme than just a 1/4 tsp.
 I used Andouille links from the smoke house at the local grocery store. YUM!
Additionally, this is SUPER easy. The hardest part of snapping the green beans.

Crockpot Beans & Rice

1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 cup brown rice
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes

Put olive oil in crockpot.  Add rice and swirl in oil until coated.
Drain and rinse beans.  Add to crockpot.
Drain tomatoes, but save liquid in measuring cup.  Add tomatoes.
Add water to measuring cup with tomato liquid.  Add mixture of liquid with water to crockpot totalling 2 cups.
Add seasoning, stir well, and cover.
Cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.  It is done when the rice is tender.
*Can, also, cook rice on stove and microwave other ingredients.

Above is the recipe as it was shared with me by Sarah Albright.
However, the next time I make this, I am going to use Cajun seasoning in place of the Italian seasoning and add Andoulli sausage during the last 1/2 hour or so of cooking.  Going for a red beans and rice idea.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the brown rice cooked up.  I cooked it for four hours on high.  You don't want to over cook this because at the end of the 4 hours there was condensation on the lid but that was about it for water left in the crock.

Yogurt

IT WORKS!!! Oh my gosh. It actually works, is easy and tastes good.

HERE and HERE are two of the many recipes I read.

So I have seen how to make yogurt on multiple blogs but I was so scared to try it. I had a fear of it smelling like spoiled milk and in my mind it seemed so complicated. Finally, I gave in and tried it after I saw the stack of 32 oz yogurt containers piling up under the sink. Two 32oz yogurts every week.

32oz of yogurt costs $3.50
1/2 gallon of whole organic milk costs $3.50+ $1.50 worth of honey, starter and vanilla

I was persuaded by the price to try it.


Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk (1% to whole is fine)
1/2 cup starter (I use just plain yogurt with live active cultures.)
1/2 cup honey (or other sweetener)
1 T vanilla (optional)


Put 1/2 gallon of milk in the crockpot on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Turn the crockpot off and let sit for 2 1/2 hours.

Whisk together a cup of yogurt from the crockpot, 1/2 of plain yogurt starter, 1/2 cup honey and 1 T vanilla. Add back to the crockpot and whisk together.

Wrap the crockpot in a beach towel and place in a cool oven overnight. (8+ hours. The oven is to keep it the same temperature, safe from drafts.)

Pull it out and YOU HAVE YOGURT in the morning!
It is amazing. Almost as cool as making bread.

One of my children likes to drink it with a straw. Put if you want it thicker you can put a coffee filter at the bottom of a strainer to let the whey drain. (See link given above.)

There are videos to watch on YouTube if you are nervous too. I think, it is worth it!

Crockpot Applesauce

We went to visit relatives this past weekend and my husband's aunt had made applesauce in the crockpot that my littlest loved. I never even thought about making applesauce in the crockpot but it is easy and she loves it.

I found THIS recipe. And I used THESE apple suggestions.

8 apples- cored and peeled.
You must peel them!
(Jonagold, Pink Lady, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Empire, Mcintosh, Rome)

lemon peel
1 t. lemon juice
3 inch cinnamon stick
5 t. brown sugar

Put it all in the crockpot on low for 6 hours. Remove the cinnamon stick and enjoy.

Chicken Tikka Masala

From Real Simple January 2012.

15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T tomato paste
2 t. garam masala (Indian spice blend but if you don't have it- 1/2 t. cumin, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. coriander, 1/4 t. black pepper, 1/8 t. ground cloves, 1/8 t. nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 cup basmati or some other long-grain white rice
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a 4- to 6- quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, 3/4 t. salt, and 1/4 t pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, vober, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and 1/4 t. each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish. And naan!!!

Chicken Broth

Bones & 1/2 the skin
1 unpeeled onion cut into 1/8th
5-6 cloves garlic halved
1 carrot cut in 1/4
handful celery leaves
black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
water

Put in crockpot overnight
Strain and pour into containers to freeze.

Soy and COla- Braised Pork Shoulder

This is from Cooking Light October 2011

My husband's aunt wanted to try this recipe so I made it for dinner using what I could find in a kitchen that was not mine. :) See my notes to the side of the recipe.

1 T. dark sesame oil (I didn't have, so I used olive oil.)
1 (3 1/2 lbs) bone-in pork shoulder (boston butt), trimmed
1/2 t kosher salt
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger (dumped in a lot of dry. I would like to use fresh next time.)
4 garlic cloves, minced (NECESSARY and more)
2 cups cola (such as Coca-cola. I had one can of some diet off brand cola. I would like the real thing next time and the required amount.)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
1 cup diagonally sliced green onions (didn't have)

cucumber
carrot

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt. Add pork to pan; sauté for 8 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove pork. Add ginger and garlic; sauté for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cola and the next 3 ingredients (through soy sauce_; bring to a boil.

Return pork to pan; cover. Bake at 300 for 1 hour and 50 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Remove pork from pan, and let stand for 10 minutes. Shred pork with 2 forks. Skim fat from cooking liquid.


HERE is where things were more difficult with kids in the kitchen. Next time, I want to just throw it in the crockpot after browning the pork and cooking the sauce. I totally forgot to turn the pork while it was in the oven for 2 hours! It turned out alright but didn't really shred. I think, it would be a lot more tender if put in the crockpot on low for 8 hours.


3. Place pan over medium-high heat; bring cooking liquid to a boil. Cook 15 minutes or until reduced to about 2 cups, stirring occasionally. Combine pork and 3/4 cup sauce in a bowl; toss to coat. Top with green onions. Serve pork with remaining 1 1/4 cups sauce.

I used less pop so mine didn't really condense much.


We put ours on Kaiser rolls with shaved cucumber and carrot ribbons tossed with rice vinegar. So good! It also suggests stuffing a tortilla with the meet and matchstick-cut cucumber and carrot. The taste was not heavy or saucy like what I think of with pulled-pork. I am excited to try this recipe again.

Curried Pork Tenderloin

Penzeys Spices 2011 catalog

2 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
2 t. oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
15 oz. can regular or light coconut milk
1/2 cup dried papaya, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried pineapple, diced
2 t. sweet curry powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. powdered ginger
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 T fresh chopped cilantro, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the tenderloin on all sides. Place the pork in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add the coconut milk, papaya, raisins, pineapple and spices and simmer for five minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for an additional minute. Pour over the tenderloin and place in the oven. Roast at 350 for 45 minutes. Let rest before carving. Slice and serve with the coconut-fruit sauce on the side. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

CROCKPOT: I didn't want to heat up the kitchen with the oven, so I simply followed the instructions then placed the meat and sauce in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. It turned out great!

I love the sweet fruit with the pork. And it looked beautiful served over rice.

Pork & Black Bean Soup

Recipe from Woman's Day January 2011
Thanks to my husband's birth mom and the snow outside we tried this recipe.
The only thing missing was corn chips.

6 cups chicken broth
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 2 Tbsp sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
1 lb dried black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt
Sour cream
Fresh salsa (I removed seeds and chopped up two tomatoes and one jalapeno pepper)

In a 6-qt slow cooker, combine the chicken broth, onion, garlic, chiles, adobo sauce, and cumin. Add the beans and pork; cook, covered, until beans are tender and pork easily pulls apart, 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
Transfer pork to a bowl and, using a fork, break into large pieces. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree half the soup. (Alternateviley, puree half the soup in a standard blender and stir it back in.) Stir the pork back into the soup and season with 1 tsp salt. Serve with the sour cream and salsa.

Serves 6. Per serving: 526 cal, 42 g protein, 49 g carbs, 17 g fiber, 18 g fat (7 g sat fat), 91 mg chol, 629 mg sod.

Chicken Curry

HERE is the recipe on the Real Simple site.

We altered this recipe to put some veggies in it.

2 6oz cans of tomato paste
16 cloves of garlic, chopped
8 T curry powder (we like sweet curry powder from Penzey's)
1 T cumin
2 medium onions, chopped
2 lbs bonless, skinless chicken thighs (about 10)
Kosher salt, black pepper
6 carrots, grated
2 sweet potatoes
bag of frozen peas
1 1/2 c. long-grain white rice (we make basmati rice, 1/2c per person)
2c. plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
Scallions, as garnish

Directions
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, whisk together the tomato paste, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cumin, and 3 cups water. Add the onion, carrots, sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Place the chicken on top and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).

3. Twenty minutes before serving add peas then cook the rice according to the package directions.

4. Just before serving, add the yogurt and ½ teaspoon salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

Tip
Like your curry spicy? Turn up the heat by adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper along with the curry powder.

Asian Pork With Snow Peas, Red Peppers, and Soba Noodles

HERE is the recipe on the Real Simple site.

Oh my, this is GOOD! We had a lot of pork leftover, so I made more sauce and soba noodles then cooked up just a bag of frozen veggies. It was still really good.


Serves 6
Hands-on Time: 10m
Total Time: 8hr 15m

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
* 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
* 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (1/2 t is SPICY, it was good but strong for most kids!)
* 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
* 12 ounces soba noodles
* 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
* 1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
* chopped roasted peanuts, for serving
*

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Add the pork and toss to combine. Cover and cook until the pork is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).

2. Fifteen minutes before serving, cook the soba noodles according to the package directions, adding the bell peppers and snow peas to the water during the last minute of cooking.

3. Meanwhile, transfer the pork to a medium bowl; set aside. Pour the cooking liquid into a large skillet and boil until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pork and toss to combine. Serve the pork over the noodles and vegetables; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Tip

For extra flavor, sprinkle the pork with toasted sesame seeds.

White Bean Soup With Andouille and Collards

HERE is the recipe on the Real Simple site.

My husband really liked this soup.


Serves 6
Hands-on Time: 10m
Total Time: 8hr 00m

Ingredients

* 1 pound dried white beans (such as cannellini or great Northern)
* 1/2 pound andouille sausage links, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 bunch collard greens, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups) (We put in some kale too)
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* kosher salt and black pepper
* olive oil and bread sticks, for serving

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, sausage, onion, celery, and thyme. Add the broth and stir to combine.

2. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time). (I would say cook it the full 8 hours so the beans are really done. Ours were a done but a little tough after 4 hours.)

3. Twenty minutes before serving, discard the thyme stems, add the collard greens, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

4. Drizzle with the olive oil and serve with the bread sticks.

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna

HERE is the recipe on the Real Simple site.

This was really good but the recipe is really simple. I think, what made it so good was THIS spicy red pepper jarred sauce.

Serves 6
Hands-on Time: 15m
Total Time: 4hr 15m

Ingredients
* 2 10-ounce packages chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
* 1 cup ricotta
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (3 ounces)
* 3 cups marinara sauce
* 6 regular lasagna noodles (not no-boil)
* 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (6 ounces)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1 small head romaine lettuce, cut into strips (about 8 cups)
* 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
* 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, and ½ cup of the Parmesan. In a second bowl, mix together the marinara sauce and ½ cup water.

2. Spread ¾ cup of the marinara mixture in the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with 2 noodles (breaking to fit), ¾ cup of the remaining marinara mixture, half the spinach mixture, and ½ cup of the mozzarella; repeat. Top with the remaining noodles, marinara mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

3. Cover and cook on low until the noodles are tender, 3 ½ to 4 hours.

Spicy Chicken Chow Mein

This recipe is from the little recipe book that comes with my Rival Crock-Pot. While putting things back in my remodeled kitchen I found the little cookbook and thought a few of the recipes looked good. This one is a keeper.

1 T oil
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1-in pieces
4 carrots, thinly sliced
4 green onions, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1 T sugar
1/3 c soy sauce
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t ground ginger (be LIBERAL)
1 clove garlic, minced (be LIBERAL)
8 oz. bean sprouts
1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained (you could add more)
1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c water

In a large skillet, heat the oil and brown the chicken pieces.

Place the chicken in the slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients, except for the cornstarch and water.

Stir to combine. (Forgot to! ;) )

Cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into cold water until dissolved. Stir the liquid into the stoneware. Place the cover slightly ajar on the stoneware and cook until thickened (about 15 to 30 minutes).

Serve the chow mein with noodles or rice. We served over brown rice.

Potato and Leek Soup

4 cups vegetable broth (It could use a little more)
3 potatoes, peeled and diced (We did not peel the potatoes)
1 1/2 cups cabbage, chopped (Measure the cabbage or it can be to much)
1 leek, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
(Next time, I will be more liberal with the spices.)

In a large bowl, combine the broth, potatoes, cabbage, leek, onion, carrots and parsley. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Stir in the salt, pepper, caraway seeds and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

You can top with sour cream and/or bacon if you choose.

Rosemary Pork and Mushrooms with Shallots

1 T. oil
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, sliced into 1/2 inch slices (we used 3 pork chop loins)
1 cup shallots, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 T. fresh rosemary
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes

Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the pork until browned. Remove and drain excess oil and place the pork in the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. cover and cook on low for 8 hour or on high for 4 hours.

We served over couscous.