Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

2	tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1	medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2	teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2	pounds beef boneless chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
1	teaspoon salt
1/8	teaspoon pepper
2	medium carrots, cut lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/4-inch slices
1	cup uncooked pearl barley
2	cartons (32 ounces each) Progresso® beef flavored broth
1 1/2	cups Green Giant® frozen sweet peas (from 1-pound bag)
1	cup Green Giant® Niblets® frozen whole kernel corn (from 1-pound bag)

 

Directions:

1.	Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, beef, salt and pepper in oil 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned.
2.	Spoon beef mixture into 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in carrots, barley and broth.
3.	Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.
4.	Increase heat setting to High. Stir in frozen peas and corn. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until peas and corn are hot.

Slow Cooker Zesty Black Bean Soup

Slow Cooker Zesty Black Bean Soup


Ingredients:

2	cups dried black beans (1 pound), sorted and rinsed
10	cups water
8	cups vegetable broth
2	cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
2	medium carrots, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
2	medium onions, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1/4	cup chopped fresh cilantro
2	teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon pepper
1/8	teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
	Sour cream, if desired
	Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Directions:

1.	Heat beans and water to boiling in 4-quart Dutch oven; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
2.	Drain beans. Place beans and remaining ingredients except sour cream and cilantro in 6-quart slow cooker.
3.	Cover and cook on Low heat setting 10 to 12 hours.
4.	Serve soup topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate & Rosemary

Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate & Rosemary

Ingredients:

1/4 cup diced pancetta (about 1 1/2 ounces)
6 pounds bone-in short ribs
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups chopped drained canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

Heat heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add pancetta and saute until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper.  Working in batches, brown ribs in drippings in pot over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.  Transfer to plate.  Add onions and next 4 ingredients to pot.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add wine.  Boil uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta.  Return ribs to pot, cover partially, and simmer 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours longer.
Transfer ribs to plate; discard bay leaf and thyme stems (herbs will have fallen off stems during cooking process).  Spoon fat from surface of sauce.  Boil sauce until beginning to thicken, about 8 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add chocolate, cocoa powder, and rosemary; stir until chocolate melts.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Return ribs to pot.  Simmer to re-warm, about 5 minutes. 
Serves 6 to 8.

Brazilian Black Beans & Rice

Brazilian Black Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

black beans (dry or canned)
1 onion, chopped
1 sausage, sliced & cut into quarters
fried eggs


Directions:

Cook the above together. Dried beans: Pressure cooker (1-2 hours). Crock pot (3-7 hours). Canned beans: cook on stovetop.  Add cumin, garlic salt, and/or lime juice to taste. Serve with rice, cucumber & tomato vinaigrette and a fried egg on top.

Slow Cooker Coconut Red Beans & Rice

Slow Cooker Coconut Red Beans & Rice 

Ingredients:

1 cup dried small red beans (soaked overnight, then boiled for 10 minutes)

1 large onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 (14.5-ounce) can coconut milk

3 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups long grain basmati white rice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 limes, cut in wedges (optional)

Directions:

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Sort beans, and soak overnight in a bunch of water. In the morning, drain the water and dump the beans into a large pot of fresh water. Boil rapidly on the stovetop for at least 10 minutes before draining and putting into your crockpot.

Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour in the whole can of coconut milk (the creamy stuff, too), and chicken broth. Stir in raw rice and kosher salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans are bite tender. Before eating, squeeze on a bit of lime juice for a fun tropical twist. serves 8

Spanish Chicken a la Anderson

Spanish Chicken a la Anderson

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs skinned chicken breasts

Sauce:
1 (7-10) oz jar of green olives + juice
2-3 tsp garlic paste
2-3 tsp ginger paste
1 (6) oz can tomato paste
1/2-1 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp paprika


Directions:

Mix sauce ingredients in juice of green olives (+ water if you use a smaller bottle). Pour over chicken in crockpot. Top with olives. Cover; cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice (or noodles).

Black Bean Chowder with Yogurt-Cilantro Relish

Black Bean Chowder with Yogurt-Cilantro Relish

Ingredients:

1 (32 oz) package dried black beans
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
Olive oil
1 small ham hock
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
6 cups chicken stock
6 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Relish
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place beans in a colander and rinse the beans well. Place in an 8-quart Dutch oven and cover with water (about an inch over the top of the beans) and soak overnight.

The next morning, prepare the relish by mixing all the ingredients together, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then drain the beans and rinse them well.

Gently sauté the onion and garlic in the stock pot with 2 -3 TBSP of olive oil, then add diced green chiles. Place beans back in the Dutch oven and add chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, cayenne and salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. After one hour is up, add the milk and 2 TBSP butter and simmer another 30 minutes. While the chowder is simmering, place the shredded cheese in a large bowl and add the flour, toss to coat the cheese with the flour. Bring the chowder to a boil and stir in the cheese. Boil while stirring constantly until the chowder thickens to your desired consistency. Ladle chowder into bowls and top with one or two TBSP of yogurt-cilantro relish placed in the center. Serve with warm tortillas.

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1 TB worcestershire
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Brown ground beef and drain. Add all ingredients, cook until bubbly. OR put in crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours, low 6-7 hours.

Hawaiian Chicken

Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 can (16-oz size) pineapple chunks & juice
2 TB cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup ketchup

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (including pineapple juice) except the pineapple chunks, and cook until thick. Add pineapples. Pour sauce over chicken and bake, covered, 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Baste during last baking.

Easy version: throw in crockpot for 3-4 hours.