Tag - slow cooker

Slow Cooker Chicken with Creamed Spinach

This is one of the three dishes I made from the two chickens last weekend. It came out great, but I forgot to turn the crock pot off and it cooked for closer to four hours. The chicken turned out a little dry so I made a gravy with the drippings and that helped quite a bit. I think you can cook this for closer to 3 hours on high and it should be fine.

The gravy in the dish gives it a nice creamy texture, but without any dairy. I made up for that with the spinach side though, you can half the heavy whipping cream and use a soft mascarpone cheese instead if you prefer. I also made a baked potato with a a salt and pepper crust and it was to die for. Who doesn’t love a crispy salty potato crust? Throw some chives from the garden in there and you’ve got yourself a winner.

P.S. Double triple this spinach recipe for your own good because it’s real tasty and you’re going to want a lot more if you’re cooking for more than one night or more than two people.

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Slow Cooker Chicken with Creamed Spinach
1 Whole Chicken, wings, breasts, and thighs
1/2 lb bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lb pearl onions, peeled
1 lbs white mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

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1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a slow cooker.

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2. Add the chicken to the bacon fat and brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. 3. Pour the wine into the skillet and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Add the mushrooms, onions, garlic, rosemary, and salt to the slow cooker.

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4. Cover and cook for 3 hours on high.

5. Transfer the chicken, mushrooms, and onions to a serving dish and pour sauce into a small saucepan. Combine the water and cornstarch and then slowly pour into the sauce. Bring to a boil and stir until the gravy thickens. Pour over the chicken and serve.

Creamed Spinach
2 lb baby spinach, stems removed
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

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1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add spinach, cook for 2 minutes. Remove spinach from the water and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking and keep bright green color.
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2. Wipe out the saucepan and add the butter, heat until it melts. Add the onion and salt, cook down until the onions have softened. Add the spinach, cream, cheese, and nutmeg. Cook until the cream has cooked down a big and the cheese has fully melted.

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Slow Cooker Chili

This recipe was Jason’s meaty chili from dinner last weekend. He absolutely loved it and my favorite part of it was how easy it was to make. I used vegetables and beef we got at the weekly farmers market in Jack London Square in Oakland. That market is on the smaller side, but they had all the fresh produce we needed and the ground beef came from Casa Rosa Farms.

Slow Cooker Chili
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1 can (15-ounce) red kidney beans
1 can (15-ounce) cannelloni beans
1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) can of tomato puree
1 (4-ounce) can of chopped green chiles
2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, plus Tablespoon of sauce
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parlsey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Shredded cheese, tortilla chips, scallion pancakes, and sour cream

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1. Place beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat and cook until brown. Drain half of the grease.DSC_0068

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2. Put beef on the bottom of the slow cooker and top with peppers, celery, beans,  diced tomatoes, tomato puree, chiles, chipotle chilis, and spices. Mix until combined.

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3. Cover and cook on HIGH for four hours.

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Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Chili

I’m going to be running around today and tomorrow getting a lot done before I start my job on Thursday. I found this recipe because I wanted to make something with a home-style feel but easy to assemble in the Crock Pot while I’m out most of the day. I stirred once in the first hour of cooking, then again when I got home and the chicken was ready to be shredded and served.  When Jason took his first bite he looked at me and said, “oh, hell yeah!” I would consider this a success.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Chili
(Recipe credit to SimplexFood)
4 chicken breasts, frozen
2 cans Rotel tomatoes, with chilies
2 cans whole corn kernels, not drained
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 packages Ranch dressing mix
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 8 oz packages cream cheese

1. Place chicken in the crockpot.

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2. Top with tomatoes, corn, beans, dressing mix, and spices. Stir to combine then top with cream cheese.

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3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring a couple times to blend the cheese.

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4. Shred the chicken into large pieces and serve over brown rice with avocado.

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Open-Faced Pot Pie

When I put this dish in front of Jason yesterday, he asked, “what do we have tonight?” I wasn’t certain how to answer so I said, “open-faced pot pie.”

*shrug* Why not?

This is a seemingly flexible recipe, and can be altered to be more or less hands on. You can slow this down to cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. You could add more chicken thighs if you wanted to (just don’t forget to add more of the other ingredients to adjust with the chicken). You can also bake your own biscuits, but as I haven’t been feeling well the past two days, I opted for the easier way out.

Open-Faced Pot Pie Crock Pot
(Recipe inspiration from Real Simple)
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 skinless chicken thighs
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup choice broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 14 oz bag of frozen, chopped kale
1/2 cup heavy cream
Store bought biscuits, or home made

1. In slow cooker, mix carrots, celery, onion, flour. Place the chicken on top and season with dried herbs, dash of salt and pepper. Cover with wine and broth.
2. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Add kale to crock pot. Cover and cook another 1/2 hour.
3. 15 minutes before serving, cook biscuits as described on container. Add peas and heavy cream to the crock pot.
5. To serve, spoon stew into a shallow bowl, place chicken on top and serve with biscuits and baked potato, should you choose!

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Celebratory BBQ Dinner

Jason had a great day at work today. He received some excellent news that is a reward for all of the hard work he puts in year round. I decided to make a nice dinner for him to come home to. It consisted of Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket, Sautéed Kale, Cole Slaw, and Baked Beans.

Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket
(Recipe inspiration from chow.com)
Brisket Sauce:
1 ½ cups ketchup
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup water
½  medium yellow onion, finely chopped
½ cup bbq sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
 
Brisket Rub:
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 lb beef brisket, trimmed of fat

  1. Pour all sauce ingredients into slow cooker.
  2. Combine brisket rub ingredients in a bowl. Rub mixture all over brisket.
  3. Place beef on top of sauce in slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 hours, or until tender.

DSC_0025(Brisket in slow cooker after approximately five hours)

Sautéed Kale
(Recipe inspiration from Bobby Flay)
1 ½ lbs kale, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
red pepper flakes
½ cup (choice) stock
salt and pepper

  1. Heat oil in large wok over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until soft but not browned.
  2. Add kale and stock, raise head to high heat. Toss the kale to spread oil and stock throughout. Cover and cook for approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Remove cover and cook until all liquid is gone.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.

DSC_0015 (Kale in wok right after cover was removed.)

Cole Slaw
(Recipe credit to food.com)
1 (16 oz) bag of coleslaw mix
⅔ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

  1. Combine all ingredients except coleslaw mix in a bowl.
  2. Add the mix and toss. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving cold.

DSC_0968(Slaw ready to marinate in the fridge.)

Baked Beans
(Recipe inspiration from Paula Deen)
2 16-oz cans, navy beans, drained
1 large onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
*OPTIONAL: ½ lb. bacon strips, cut into ½ inch strips* 

  1. In an oven safe casserole dish, mix beans, mustard, ketchup, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.
  2. *OPTIONAL: Cover with bacon strips.*
  3. Cover and cook in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
  4. Uncover, stir, and cook for another 15 minutes.

*For our dishes, I split the recipe in two and put ¼ lb. of bacon on Jason’s dish. Use the full ½ lb. if everyone eats it!*

DSC_0943(Ingredients lined up for beans.)

DSC_0009(After the beans were uncovered, about to go back into the oven)

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