Tag: Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Sunday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

For today’s Slow Cooker Sunday post instead of bringing you a meal I am bringing you dessert. I’ve made bread pudding and rice pudding in my slow cooker and I’ve finally made a cake, a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.

To begin, I made the cake batter by whisking together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. I then stirred in 2 beaten eggs, whole milk, canola oil and vanilla extract. Once that was well combined I then stirred in peanut butter chips.

Next, I poured the batter into the insert of my slow cooker which I sprayed generously with cooking spray.

Per the recipe I set the slow cooker to low, but, my cake was ready way before the directed time of 4 hours. It was more like 3 hours, but, truthfully I probably should have turned off the slow cooker around 2.5 hours. While make cake came out of the insert without sticking to the sides or bottom…

It was a bit hard/burnt along the edges so I decided to cut it in a way that I ended up with pieces that were more like a snack cake as opposed to a cake cake. But overall it was delicious and incredibly moist and paired very well with vanilla ice cream, especially if you warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions:

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract; mixing until all of the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the peanut butter chips.

Pour the batter into the slow cooker, spreading the batter evenly. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the top is set. Since all slow cookers are different begin checking the cake after about 2 hours to ensure it doesn’t burn, check it with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness. The cake may look a little undercooked in the center. Turn off the heat and let the cake cool uncovered for about 20 minutes. The cake will firm up as it cools.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooker Sunday: Smoky Beef Chili

So, I have made chili before but, this was the first time I’ve made chili using beef chuck as opposed to ground beef and I must say it was a much heartier chili and definitely one I’ll make again.

This is my favorite type of slow cooker meal… Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, give it a good stir and set it to cook…

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And a few hours later my meal was ready! You can’t beat that.

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When I packed some for lunch I topped it with shredded cheddar cheese so when I heated it up it was all melted and gooey… YUM!

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Slow Cooker Smoky Beef Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 15.5oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup tomato puree

3 teaspoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoon sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and give everything a good stir to combine all of them.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until the beef and vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and serve topped with your favorite topping.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooker Sunday: Spicy Mexican Chicken Stew

So, I personally think that one of the best things to make in a slow cooker is soup / stew. I consider them to be more or less one in the same. And this week I am bringing you a Spicy Mexican Chicken Stew that is the ideal Slow Cooker Meal. The only prep is some dicing, chopping and cutting. No sautéing veggies or heating the aromatics to develop the flavors. You control the level of spice with a jar of salsa. I got this recipe in the cookbook I mentioned last week… Slow Cooker Family Favorites. I’m 2 for 2 with the recipes in this book… Yay!

I began by stirring together salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in the bowl in my slow cooker.

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I then added in diced potatoes, frozen corn, cut celery & carrots, a diced onion and minced garlic.

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I gave everything a few good stirs to make sure the vegetables were coated by the salsa mixture.

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And finally, I placed 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs on top of the vegetables and poured in a can of chicken broth.

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So, according to the directions the stew was to be cooked on high for 4 hours, or until the chicken was cooked through and the vegetable were tender. After 4 hours the chicken was cooked through, so I removed it from the slow cooker and shredded it using two forks. But, my vegetables were still a bit undercooked, so I returned the chicken to the slow cooker and cooked everything for about another 2 hours.

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Which I think was the best thing. The end result were vegetables that were perfectly tender, but, better yet, the chicken was really able to absorb the flavors of the stew. YUM!

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I packed a bowl for lunch the following day and I must say it was even better then and each subsequent day!

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Spicy Chicken Mexican Stew

Ingredients:

1 16-oz jar spicy salsa*

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes**

1 16 ounce package frozen corn***

2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs****

1 14.5-oz chicken broth (approximately 2 cups)

 

*I used Chi-Chi’s Medium Thick & Chunky Salsa

**I used 2 medium sized potatoes and 1 small one

**The package I used was 12 oz.

****About 1 3/4 pounds of chicken

 

Directions:

In the bowl of a slow cooker stir together the salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt and black pepper.

Add the potatoes, corn, celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Toss everything to coat the vegetables.

Place the chicken on top and then pour in the chicken broth.

Set to cook on high for 4-6 hours, until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Once chicken is cooked, remove from the slow cooker and shred with two forks and return to the slow cooker. Season for taste.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooker Sunday: A Cookbook Review and Marinara Sauce

So about two months ago while perusing in the cookbook section of my local Barnes & Noble I began scanning through some of their slow cooker cookbooks and settled on purchasing America’s Test Kitchen: Slow Cooker Revolution. I was excited to try out some of the recipes as they sounded really good. I started with the Loaded Baked Potato Soup and it was a disaster! It had no flavor and was more like heavy mashed potatoes instead of soup. I decided that I would try it again another day with less potatoes. But then I tried another recipe and it didn’t come out that great, okay, truthfully, it was horrible again. It was a Broccoli and Chicken sauce that was to be used for pasta. The sauce, made with chicken broth and wine as the base, was bitter and the chicken was dry. Yuck! So, instead of trying a third recipe – quite honestly at this point none of the recipes sounded all that great – I headed back to Barnes & Noble to see if I could return it. And luckily I was able to. And since I wasn’t in a rush, I headed back to the cookbook area and picked up another book to try out… Slow Cooker Family Favorites by Maggie Shi. And (oh boy, starting 3 sentences in a row with “and,” such bad grammar… LOL) the first recipe I tried was delish… a slow cooker marinara sauce.

To make the sauce I combined crushed tomatoes, olive oil, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, fresh basil, fresh garlic and salt in the bowl of my slow cooker.

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And then gave everything a few good stirs and set it to cook on low for seven hours. For a little extra seasoning I added a few grinds of fresh pepper and that was it.

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I ended up with about 6 cups of sauce. I decided to freeze 4 cups and used 2 cups as a dipping sauce for this Cheesy Garlic Monkey Bread that I will be posting about tomorrow!

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Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 large fresh sprigs basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt, plus more if needed

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a slow cooker and stir together.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with breadsticks, garlic bread, baguette slices, etc. for dipping. Or use for your favorite pasta. Makes about 6 cups.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

 

 

Slow Cooker Sunday: Rice Pudding

For today’s Slow Cooker Sunday recipe I am bringing you dessert. Rice Pudding… One of my favorite desserts. And this is probably the simplest Slow Cooker item I have ever made hence this super short blog post.

In the bowl of my slow cooker I added all of my ingredients: Arborio rice, whole milk, water, sugar, salt and a cinnamon stick. Now, the true title of this rice pudding recipe was for a Moroccan Rice Pudding, but, since I opted not to use the orange water that was listed in the ingredient list I am assuming it’s just a plain rice pudding. I gave everything a good stir and then set it to cook on low…

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And after a short 4 hours my rice pudding was ready. Now, you might be tempted to leave it on longer since the rice will be tender, but, there will still be a considerable amount of milk left, but don’t. As the rice pudding cool it continues to absorb the liquid and it will be creamier.

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You can opt to top it with ground cinnamon or nutmeg or toasted walnuts or almonds. I opted to eat mine as is and I must say it’s one of the best rice puddings I have ever had. I feel that using a cinnamon stick as opposed to ground cinnamon allowed for a cinnamon flavor that wasn’t as pungent and more of an essence. If that makes any sense… I hope it does! I hope you try it and that you like it as much as I did.

 

Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup short grain rice, such as Arborio

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter*

3 1/2 cups milk**

2/3 cups sugar

1 cinnamon stick

*I used unsalted butter

** I used whole milk

Directions:

In the bowl of a 4-Quart slow cooker add all of the ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

Top with your favorite topping: cinnamon, nutmeg, toasted almonds or walnuts.

Recipe from Crock-Pot

Slow Cooker Sunday: Caribbean Beef Stew

With the cold temperatures outside you may be looking for meals that are hearty, comforting and most important of all… easy to make. This beef stew covers all those bases.

I began by adding my vegetables – potatoes and carrots – along with fresh thyme, ginger and garlic in the bottom of my slow cooker.

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Next I topped the vegetables with beef stew meat that dredged in a mixture of flour, allspice, salt and pepper.

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I reserved the excess seasoned flour from the beef and whisked it with water and Worcestershire sauce and then poured it over the meat and potatoes along with a can of Mexican-style tomatoes.

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I covered my slow cooker and cooked the beef stew on low for 7 hours and this is the deliciousness that resulted.

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It was incredibly flavorful, the beef was wonderfully tender and it had just enough kick to it.

 

Slow-Cooker Caribbean Beef Stew

Ingredients:

3 sprigs thyme

1/2 all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into thirds

1 1-inch ginger piece, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 10-ounce can Mexican-style diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)

Directions:

Put the potatoes, carrots, 2 thyme sprigs, the ginger and garlic in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker

Strip the leaves from the remaining thyme sprig and chop; combine with the flour, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the beef and toss to coat. Add to the slow cooker on top of the vegetables and reserve the excess flour.

Add 1/2 cup water and the Worcestershire sauce to the reserved flour and whisk everything together, then add to the slow cooker. Pour the tomatoes on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.

Recipe from Food Network

Slow Cooker Sunday: Vegetarian Chili

For today’s Slow Cooker Sunday dish I bring you one that is great for all you vegetarians who like a little kick to your dishes and also for you meat lovers who want the heartiness of your typical beef chili but want to take a break from the meat… A Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili that has butternut squash, beans and corn as its main ingredients.

To begin I diced a red bell pepper and yellow onion. I opted to go the easy route and bought the butternut squash already chopped. You really don’t want your butternut squash to be chopped too small as it will break apart while in the slow cooker.

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Next, I added the diced vegetables along with kidney beans, vegetable broth, corn, fire roasted diced tomatoes, garlic and the following spices; cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. I also added in two minced chipotle peppers in adobo. If you want to turn down the heat on this dish you can omit the chipotle peppers.

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I set my slow cooker to low for 8 hours. Truthfully this chili was probably done closer to 7 hours, but, I didn’t mind the texture of the veggies due to the extra cooking time.

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Can I just say I love butternut squash and how sweet it gets once cooked. In this dish the sweetness was a perfect balance to the heat!

 

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

14 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

14 oz. kidney beans, drain and rinsed

4 cups (2 lbs.) butternut squash, peel and diced

2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced (remove the seeds to lower the heat)

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a 5 -to- 6 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Recipe from The Lemon Bowl

Slow Cooker Sunday: Kielbasa and White Bean Cassoulet

So, what exactly is a cassoulet you might be thinking? Well, it’s a slow-cooked dish from the south of France that usually contains meat, pork skin and white beans. This cassoulet has 2 out of those 3 things… Pork skin is the only thing missing.

In the bowl of my slow cooker I combined dry Northern beans, beef kielbasa that I sliced into 1-inch pieces, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme and salt and set it to cook on low for 8 hours…

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But, after checking on it after 7 hours I decided that my cassoulet was done as I didn’t want my beans to turn into mush.

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To go along with this hearty soup I toasted 8 1/2-inch buttered baguette slices that I then cubed…

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And then topped my cassoulet with.

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Yum… This is the perfect dish for these cold winter days.

 

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and White Bean Cassoulet

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup dried white beans, Northern or Navy Beans

1 pound kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper

8 1/2-inch slices of baguette, buttered and toasted, cut into cubes

Directions:

Combine the beans, kielbasa, broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 4 -to- 6 quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the beans are tender and creamy (check the beans after 7 hours) or on high for 5 hours. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with the baguette cubes.

Recipe from Real Simple Magazine

Slow Cooker Sunday: Italian Vegetable and Pasta Soup

This is probably the best I have ever made and tasted, well, there was this French Onion Soup I had years ago at a restaurant that I still compare all French Onion Soup’s I have had to this day. Maybe I should try making that soup one day. But anyhoo, I digress, as usual. Back to the soup at hand, an Italian Vegetable and Pasta Soup that best of all is made in a slow cooker. There’s nothing better than dumping everything into your slow cooker and then coming back a few hours later with a great meal waiting for you.

I began by adding all of my vegetables to my slow cooker: corn, chopped onion, chopped carrots, sliced zucchini and garlic. I wasn’t sure if garlic could be considered a vegetable, but, adter a little research it turns out it can be.

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Next, I stirred in broth, tomato paste, salt and basil until the tomato paste had completely blended into the broth. I used tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano. I advise using this blend of tomato paste since it adds more flavor to the soup.

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I opted to cook it on the high setting for about 3 1/2 hours and then added in dried shell macaroni and a bag of frozen green beans and cooked it for an additional 45 minutes.

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Once it was done I served myself a bowl and topped it with shredded parmesan cheese. YUM!

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Italian Vegetable and Pasta Soup

Ingredients:

1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 small zucchini, sliced into half moons

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 6-ounce can tomato paste blended with basil, garlic and oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 9-ounce package frozen green beans

1 cup dried small shell macaroni

Shredded parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow clooker combine the frozen corn, onions, carrots, zucchini and garlic.

Stir in the broth, salt, basil and tomato paste until the tomato paste is completely blended into the broth.

Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours (or on low for 7 to 8 hours). Add the macaroni and green beans and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Please note, if you cooked the soup on the low setting, set it to high once you add in the macaroni and green beans.

Serve in bowls topped with shredded parmesan cheese.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

 

 

Slow Cooker Sunday: Pot Roast

Usually when I make pot roast I make it in the oven and top it with beef broth and an array of vegetables – potatoes, carrots, onions, & green beans. Invariably though while the gravy turns out delicious, the meat is on the dry side. Enter my slow cooker. The answer to juicy fall of the bone meat every time.

To begin, I sprinkled a 4 pound chuck roast with a generous amount of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I then coated it with flour and browned it in an oil-coated skillet over medium-high heat. Next I transferred it to the inset of my slow cooker and topped it with carrots, celery, onions and mashed garlic.

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In the same skillet I used to brown the meat I made gravy using tomato paste, beef broth, red wine, bay leaves, fresh thyme, allspice, salt and pepper.

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Once the gravy had thickened slightly I poured it over the meat and vegetables and set the slow cooker to cook on low for 8 hours.

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After 8 hours I removed the roast from the slow cooker and placed it in a pan.

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And I mixed the gravy and vegetables with some chopped parsley.

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The meat was so tender that instead of slicing it it was better to shred it using two forks. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures as I was too eager to dig in and enjoy it. But, take my word; it was DELISH and incredibly tender.

 

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 4lb beef chuck roast

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup flour, plus more for coating

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

3 stalk celery, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

3 garlic cloves, mashed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup red wine

3 cups low-sodium beef broth

3 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped

Directions:

Sprinkle the roast with 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the roast and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes Turning as needed. Transfer the roast to the insert of a slow cooker, along with the carrots, celery, onions and garlic.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir until the oil begins to turn brick-red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and wine and whisk until thick – there may be some lumps. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.

Pour the gravy into the slow cooker over the roast and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours – the roast and vegetable should be tender.

Remove the roast and let rest for a few minutes. Discard the thyme stems and strain the vegetables, reserving the gravy. Toss the vegetables with half the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir the remaining parsley into the gravy and season with salt and pepper. Slice the roast against the grain. If the meat is too tender you can opt to shred it using two forks. You can serve the meat and vegetables on a platter, moistening them with some of the gravy and serve the remaining gravy on the side.

Recipe from The Food Network