Eggplant Chili

This chili is the bomb. It is sooooo simple, yet LOVED by my family.  I just toss the ingredients into my slow cooker, and come home to dinner.  I’m not sure if I should admit this, but I often cook this chili on low for more than 24 hours, and it turns out fantastic.  The longer you cook it, the less recognizable the eggplant is; so if you have picky eaters, cook it until the eggplant breaks down.  For that matter, if you have picky eaters, you may want to hide this recipe and just call it “Chili." 
Wish we knew who to credit the above quote to, not to mention the recipe! If you know, let us know!

1  large onion, chopped
1  large bell pepper, chopped
1  large eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 – 2 cloves crushed garlic
2 cups cooked or canned beans, any variety or mixture
1 28-oz  canned tomatoes, diced with juice
3 – 4 Tablespoons cumin powder
Chili powder, red pepper or chipotle powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large slow-cooker, layer onions, peppers, eggplant, garlic, beans and tomatoes.  Cook on low all day (or longer if you wish).  Before serving, stir in cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Serve with the following optional, but highly-recommended toppings:  cilantro pesto, chopped avocado, diced onions, plain Greek yogurt, hot sauce, and shredded cheddar cheese.

French Onion Chicken

(based on a recipe in The $21 Challenge)

1 T oil

1 onion, chopped

9 skinless chicken drumsticks (or 8 chicken thighs, skins removed)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 T soy sauce

1/2 c water

1 packet onion soup mix or 1 batch homemade ONION SOUP MIX

Put the chicken in the crockpot or slow cooker. Sauté the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes. Combine it with the other ingredients except the chicken and mix well. Pour it over the chicken, and turn the chicken to coat thoroughly. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Cranberry Orange Chicken - Crock Pot

OUT OF THIS WORLD! Tender and delicious! Flavor Galore! This is one of my favorite dishes. I have found that bone-in chicken gives more flavor. I use the following method for fall-off-the-bone chicken. After placing the lid on crock pot place a large double folded kitchen towel over top of lid letting it fall over sides of crock pot. This allows no steam to escape. The sauce in this dish makes good ‘gravy’ over cooked rice. Makes a pretty dish to serve guests.                                      –Seasoned Cook at Food.com

3 chicken breasts (bone-in)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 (15 ounce)can cranberry sauce
3 ounces orange juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chili sauce or 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 orange, sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Rub salt onto chicken breasts and place in bottom of crock pot.
In a medium bowl place onion, celery, cranberry sauce, orange juice, dry mustard, cinnamon, lemon juice, honey, brown sugar and chili sauce. Stir and pour over chicken breasts.
Place lid on crock pot and top with kitchen towel using instructions in description above. (My crock pot is only 3 months old and I still do this.) Turn crock pot on high and allow to cook 1 hour. Turn on low for 3 or 4 hours.
Lift lid and quickly place orange slices over chicken without stirring. Cook an additional hour.
Combine cornstarch and cold water. Add last 10 minutes of cooking time for thickening purposes.
Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!

Stewed Chicken Leg Quarters

To stew the legs, start by removing the skin. Just grab the skin where it’s been cut, and pull it off. Save the skin to make CHICKEN CHIPS/CHICKEN CRISPS/GRIBENES. Then put the skinned legs into a pot of water. Hot water is supposed to be better, because it keeps more of the flavor in the chicken and less in the water. Cold water is supposed to be better if what you’re looking for is flavorful broth. Since I use both the chicken and the broth, I just do whatever is easiest, which usually means running water from the hot water tap but not worrying about letting it warm up first or heating it on the stove before adding the chicken. Cover the chicken with water. You can add some salt, poultry seasoning, an onion, some carrots or celery, and/or a bay leaf or two, but I usually don’t bother. I figure that whatever I’m going to use the chicken in will have salt and herbs and other flavors so I don’t use them when I’m cooking the chicken. That way I don’t have to worry about whether the flavors I used when I cooked the legs goes well with the flavors in the final dish, or whether it’s over-salted because I salted both the legs and the final dish. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it and simmer until the chicken is done. Falling off the bone is good, cooked to death is not. Depending on how many leg quarters you have and how big a pot, probably an hour or so.

If you want to stew your chicken in a slow cooker, follow the same directions except cook it for about 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 on low.

Corned Beef and Vegetables

A corned beef dinner can be cooked in a slow cooker, on top of the stove, in a pressure cooker, or even baked. I prefer it cooked in water, so I won’t talk about baking it. Whether you use the slow cooker, the pressure cooker, or a pot on top of the stove, it’s pretty much the same. You cover the corned beef with water, add some seasonings, and simmer it gently until it’s fall apart tender. You can cook it all day in the slow cooker on low or for one hour in the pressure cooker or for a few hours in a pot on top of the stove. Most people cook the veggies – carrots and onion for sure, and maybe celery, parsnips, or rutabagas, and probably potatoes – with the meat and then add the cabbage for the last half hour or so.

When I cooked corned beef a couple of weeks ago (it was leftover from when it was on sale a year ago and really needed to be used), I cooked it in the pressure cooker. When it was done, I took it out of the liquid and set it aside to rest. Then I took some of the liquid and cooked some Brussels sprouts and carrots in it. By the time the vegetables were done, the meat had rested enough that it was much easier to cut, and the vegetables weren’t cooked to death. It worked great.

In case you didn’t catch it – be sure to let the corned beef rest for a bit before you cut it. You want to slice it across the grain and it will fall apart if you cut it immediately. After fifteen minutes or so, it should stay together pretty well so you can make nice thin slices. About a quarter of an inch or so seems to be standard for slicing corned beef to eat as a meat dish on its own.

Here are some things to do with corned beef, in addition to the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage. You can use leftover corned beef in them, or you can cook up a chunk of corned beef special to use in these recipes. And don’t forget corned beef sandwiches. Corned beef on rye, with Swiss cheese and mustard. Or a Reuben sandwich, with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. If you’re planning on leftovers, remember that there’s a lot of shrinkage. You’ll need to start with twice as much as you need cooked. Need more options? Try 

Corned Beef and Cabbage Saute
Corned Beef Omelet
Corned Beef Quiche
Corned Beef Scramble
Cream of Reuben Soup

Simple Stewed Chicken Legs

To stew the legs, start by removing the skin. Just grab the skin where it’s been cut, and pull it off. Save the skin to make CHICKEN CHIPS OR GRIBENES. Then put the skinned legs into a pot of water. Hot water is supposed to be better, because it keeps more of the flavor in the chicken and less in the water. Cold water is supposed to be better if what you’re looking for is flavorful broth. Since I use both the chicken and the broth, I just do whatever is easiest, which usually means running water from the hot water tap but not worrying about letting it warm up first or heating it on the stove before adding the chicken. Cover the chicken with water. You can add some salt, poultry seasoning, an onion, some carrots or celery, and/or a bay leaf or two, but I usually don’t bother. I figure that whatever I’m going to use the chicken in will have salt and herbs and other flavors so I don’t use them when I’m cooking the chicken. That way I don’t have to worry about whether the flavors I used when I cooked the legs goes well with the flavors in the final dish, or whether it’s over-salted because I salted both the legs and the final dish. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it and simmer until the chicken is done. Falling off the bone is good, cooked to death is not. Depending on how many leg quarters you have and how big a pot, probably an hour or so.

If you want to stew your chicken in a slow cooker, follow the same directions except cook it for about 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 on low. 

If you want to stew your chicken in a pressure cooker, follow the same directions for preparing the chicken, but then cook it according to the directions with your particular cooker. The directions will tell you how much liquid to add (very important!) and how long to cook it for. It will probably be about 10 minutes after it reaches pressure, then reducing the pressure naturally. But check the directions for your cooker and don't take my word for it.

However you cook the chicken, you'll end up with two products - the broth and the meat. After you take the meat off of the bones, put the bones back in the pot and use the broth as the base for making BONE BROTH OR CHICKEN STOCK.

Luscious Rice Pudding

Instructions:

5-1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup short grain brown rice
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons whipping cream or half & half
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Raisins (optional)

Directions:

Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Combine milk, rice, and sugar. Pour into slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the rice is tender.

Mix together in a large bowl eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Temper the egg mixture by scooping 1/2 cup of the hot rice mixture into the mixing bowl and stirring well. Keep adding the hot rice mixture into the egg mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until about half of it is used. Pour combined mixtures back into the slow cooker. Add 1/2-1 cup raisins if desired. Stir Well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Stir well. Serve pudding hot, warm, or chilled. Garnish with whipped cream. Serves 8-10, generously.

Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
6 bananas cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup of rum
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Melt butter in crock pot by turning to LOW. Mix in brown sugar when butter is melted. Gently stir in bananas and rum. Cook on LOW for 1 hour. Serve over ice cream. pancakes, waffles or French toast. Enjoy!

Baked Stuffed Apples

Ingredients:

6 tart apples
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of dark raisins
1 tbsp of orange zest
1/4 cup of butter or margarine
3 tbsp orange juice concentrate

Directions:

Remove core from each apple. Stand up apples in the crock pot. Fill the center of each apple with brown sugar, raisins and orange peel. Top with butter. Sprinkle the orange juice concentrate over the apples. Cook on LOW for 3-5 hours.

Chocolate Mud Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons butter
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (or 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
1 cup sugar (2/3 cup & 1/3 cup, added separately)
3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
Whipped cream or ice cream

Instructions:

Coat the inside of a 2 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. (Note: the cake's cooking time and final appearance will vary depending on your crock's size.)

Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water and mix well. Whisk in the 2/3 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of cocoa, vanilla extract, salt, milk and egg yolk. Add the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour the batter into the slow cooker and spread it evenly. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, cocoa and hot water until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour the mixture over the batter into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the crock pot.
Even when done, the cake will be very moist and floating on a layer of molten chocolate, but you'll know it's ready wen nearly all of the cake is set and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pot. (As you check, try not to let the condensed steam from the lid drip onto the cake).
When it's done, turn off the power and remove the lid. Let it cool for 25 minutes, then serve in bowls topped with whipped cream.

Spiced Cranberry (overnight) Oatmeal

From Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

Thoughts from the author: Is there anything easier to make for breakfast than overnight oatmeal? It is super creamy and requires no effort in the morning - perfect for workday mornings, holidays, brunch, etc. I added more sugar than I normally would to oatmeal because cranberries are quite tart but the cereal wasn't sugary, just pleasantly spicy and cranberry filled. 

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups water
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups (fresh) cranberries
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch of salt

Directions:
Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW overnight (6-8 hours) Stir and serve (very nice with a bit of milk on top).

Yield: about 6 servings

Red Beans and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

2-15 oz cans red beans
3/4 cup brown rice
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped and drained

Directions:

Rinse and drain two cans of red beans. Mash half of the beans with a fork. Dice onions and celery. Combine all ingredients except the green onions and tomatoes, in the crock pot. Cover, cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, or until the rice is tender. Chop green onions and tomato. Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle with onion and tomato.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (or any color available)
2 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1 clove garlic
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can each of black beans and garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Sour cream and shredded cheddar or jack cheese (optional)

Directions:

 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic; cook and stir five minutes or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except sour cream and cheese. Mix well, cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours. Garnish with sour cream and cheese, as desired.

Baked Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound pinto or kidney beans
1 onion, diced
2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1-6 ounce can tomato paste
4 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Cover the beans with water and soak them overnight. Add all the ingredients, including soak water, to a crock pot and stir to combine. Cook on LOW 8-10 hours. Enjoy!

Black-eyed Peas with Country Ham

From Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

Ingredients:
1 lb dried black-eyed peas 
3 leeks, chopped, white parts only
2 jalepenos, chopped (use cloves when handling chilies)
1 stalk celery
1 cup diced yellow tomato
3 cloves garlic
6 cups ham stock (or any broth or stock)
8 oz country ham center slices, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon hot paprika
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

The night before you want to serve the dish, place the black-eyed peas in a 4 quart slow cooker. Fill it with water. Cover and allow to sit overnight. Drain, return the black-eyed peas to the pot and add the remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook on LOW 8-10 hours. 

Basic Beans

Dried Beans:

It's best to presoak dried beans before cooking them in a slow cooker. This softens them and gives them a head start on cooking. Softening beans reduces the cooking time. Lentils and split peas do not need to be softened.

Presoaking: Traditional method: place dried beans that have been sorted and rinsed in a bowl. Cover them with cold, unsalted water and let them stand overnight (or for 3-4 hours). Drain off the water and place the beans in the slow cooker.

Quick method: place sorted and rinsed beans in a large saucepan; cover them with twice their volume of cold unsalted water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover it and let it stand for 1 hour. Drain off the water and place the beans in the slow cooker.

To cook: Cover the beans with 3 inches of water and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until completely tender and creamy, but still holding their shape. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the beans.

Ideas for Beans:

Once your beans are cooked, you can use them for several meals. Try make-your-own-taco-night, and fill a tortilla with beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa. Roasted peppers and onions are also fun additions. Get creative with fillings, and let each family member make his or her own masterpiece. Kids who help prepare their food are more likely to eat it!

Beans are also a great, low cost, nutrient rich filling for enchiladas. Fill a corn flour tortilla with beans, cheese, sautéed onions and cumin or chili powder. Roll up and arrange a backing pan. Cover with enchilada sauce (I always just buy the canned kind) sprinkle with more cheese and black olives. Bake until heated through, and cheese is bubbly, 15-20 minutes. Garnish with some plain yogurt and chopped scallions, serve with a fresh salad.

Whip up a healthy snack-make bean dip! Mash beans with spices like cumin, chili powder, or some salsa and greek-style plain yogurt.

Mac 'n Cheese

The ultimate comfort food, and crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:
1 -16 ounce package macaroni, any type
1 tablespoon oil (olive oil, or canola)
1 -14 ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:
Cook macaroni until just barely tender (it will finish cooking in the crockpot), drain. Lightly grease crockpot. Toss with macaroni with oil and add to crockpot. Stir in remaining ingredients. Stir cover and cook on LOW 3-4 hours. DO NOT STIR while cooking (however, you might want to check on it after 90 minutes, just to make sure the macaroni isn't getting too mushy). Enjoy! 
 

Minestrone Soup

From Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime
Thoughts from the author: Around this time of year I always get a lot of requests for healthy meals. Soup is always a great choice because it is easy to add lots of vegetables. There are a lot of different ways to make a minestrone but this one is my favorite. I like the combination of chickpeas and kidney beans and the green beans and cabbage really make it taste fresh. I like to serve with a tiny hunk of sharp, aged cheddar in the bottom of a bowl. It melts and adds a tasty ribbon of cheese to each bite.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock
15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (or regular)
15 oz can kidney beans, drained
15 oz can chickpeas, drained
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon basil (double if fresh)
1 tablespoon oregano (double if fresh)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup frozen or fresh green beans, diced
2 small to medium zucchini, diced (optional)
salt
ground black pepper
8 ounces small, COOKED pasta

Directions:
Add the garlic, tomato, celery, stock, tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, and spices to a 4 quart slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add shredded cabbage, green beans and zucchini and turn to high for the last hour. Stir in the pasta before serving. 

The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

From Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food. Notes from the author:

Once the chicken is done it is flavorful enough to eat by itself, or you can incorporate it into another dish like pasta, chicken salad, or a casserole. Another great trick (that I learned from a friend!) is that after you pick off the good chicken meat you can leave the bones in the crock pot to make some stock. I usually start the chicken stock after dinner by filling it to the top with water, and then adding whatever I have on hand...bay leaf, carrot, celery, onion, parsley and/or thyme. Even if I am missing parsley or celery I still make it anyway, and it always turns out just fine. I keep it on low all night, and then in the morning I strain it into 1 or 2 cup Tupperware containers to store in the freezer. It works great and couldn't be easier!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Directions

Combine the dried spices in a small bowl. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.

Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to HIGH. There is no need to add any liquid.

Cook for 4-5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Enjoy! 
 

Jammin' Pulled Pork

From Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

"...a fruiy, spicy not too drippy pulled pork that is easy to make as it is to eat. Plus it is a great way to taste fantastic summer berries in the fall!"

Ingredients:
2 1/2 boneless pork sirloin roast
8 oz jam (raspberry, peach, whatever sounds good to you)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chili sauce (like Heinz)
2 tablespoons thick Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons mesquite liquid smoke
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ancho pepper (or cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hrs. When done, meat should shred easily with a fork. Remove roast from slow cooker. Shred with a fork and set aside. Mash any solid bits of the sauce in the slow cooker with a potato masher. Return the pork and the sauce to slow cooker, and toss to evenly coat. Serve on rolls.