Versatile Chipotle Vegetable Chili

We all love Tex-Mex, and chili is a favorite. I have recipes for white chicken chili, traditional tomato based chili, and cowboy skillet (basically chili cooked in a large cast iron skillet topped with cornbread batter and baked). When I saw a recipe for sweet potato and black bean chili I decided to get creative. It was delicious and has become a new favorite for my hubby. I have made it 3 or 4 times and am finally getting the recipe posted for you. The great thing about this dish is it's versatility. You can use whatever veggies you have in the house. You can use up leftover turkey after the holidays. You can even make this recipe for your favorite vegetarian by leaving out the meat and using vegetable stock.

[Crockpot] Tex-Mex Rice Bowl

I thoroughly enjoy a good crockpot meal on Sundays (or any day that I'm at the office).
You know, the kind that's simple, quick, and ready to eat as soon as I get home from church. Well, this is that kind of dish. It takes about 15-20 minutes of prep time and 4 or more hours in the crockpot. Our family loves Tex-Mex food so it's also one of those meals that I don't have to "force" the kids to eat. Bonus!

Pear Butter: A Fall Treat

When went to the old house for a few days to check on things and discovered that the pears were ready to be picked. Since we didn't get a chance to spray for bugs and things, they weren't really "for eating" pears but they have lots of flavor so they work well in baking and such. I gathered a decent sized plastic totes' worth and brought them home. I didn't have a lot of time so I knew that I needed something that I could make in the crockpot. That's when I remembered a Pin I'd seen for crockpot apple butter and I figured Pear Butter was a good alternative so off I went to experiment.

[Crockpot] Rosemary Chicken with White Beans

A friend shared this recipe with me a couple of months ago and I loved it. For your enjoyment, I am finally getting around to posting my take on it. :o)

Crockpot Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

I had Chicken Noodle Soup on the menu for the night but that just didn't sound as good to me as Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, so I changed the menu. Here is what I came up with on the fly (and it was quite delicious if you ask me or Miss S, who ate 3 helpings).

Rotisserie Chicken - Crockpot or Not

I love rotisserie chicken, but it's expensive to buy at the store. About 3-4 years ago, I discovered a recipe for homemade "rotisserie" chicken in the oven and absolutely love it! It's fast, easy, and inexpensive. [Rabbit Trail - I usually buy and then freeze 2-4 whole chickens when they go on sale for less than $1/lb at the local grocery store (my preferred buy price is under $ .79/lb but with prices going up...). Or I get whole chickens on "clearance" at the local Walmart, Target, etc. and then freeze them right away.] Anyway, I'm back from my rabbit trail. For my Crockpot Meal Challenge, I came across a recipe for "rotisserie" chicken in the crockpot and found this to be delicious and simple as well. I am including directions for preparing your chickens both ways but using the same recipe.

[Crockpot] Salisbury Steak

Today was the first day of my "Crock Pot for a Month" personal challenge, as I am trying to build my slow cooker recipe repertoire. I decided to attempt "Crockpot Salisbury Steak" from Moms with Crockpots. I wasn't disappointed! It was a delicious blend of beef, onion, garlic, mushroom, and black pepper. I know you can finish this dish in the oven instead of the crock pot but it really does help during that dinner rush. You know, the time when everyone seems to call, the baby has an explosion, the toddler decides to get into your garbage can, and the preschooler and kindergartner are destroying the living and dining rooms. Yup, those times that you feel you will lose the last ounce of sanity you have because you have no control over anything and dinner will be late or destroyed yet again. I digress...the nice thing about finishing this dish in the slow cooker is that you can start it during naptime and then let it finish cooking while you prep every other part of your meal. You feel like you've got things under control because the main dish WILL BE DONE at dinner time. So here's what I did.

[Crockpot] Menu: October 1 - November 4

I love my crock pots (I have four to be exact). This month is going to be slightly different from the rest in that I'm going challenge myself to make all my meals (at least the main entrees) in the crock pot. I will be following a slightly different format this month of tex-mex, Italian, comfort food, soup/sandwich, and a miscellaneous dish each week.

October 1-7
October 4th is Cinnamon Roll Day in Sweden (and since I am 1/2 Swedish) I decided that I need to make cinnamon rolls (in the crockpot) for breakfast.

• Tex-Mex - Stuffed Peppers
• Soup/Sandwich - Black bean soup and corn bread 
• Italian - Spaghetti, roasted veggies, salad, and French bread
• Comfort food -  Crockpot salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies
• Misc. Dish - Sesame Orange Chicken and stir-fry veggies

October 8-14

• Tex-Mex - Enchilada Soup
• Soup/Sandwich - Sloppy Joes, fruit salad, and potato wedges
• Comfort food - Rotisserie Chicken, baby red potatoes, roasted veggies, and side salad
• Italian -  Zuppa toscana and breaksticks
• Misc. Dish -  Beef Stroganoff, mixed veggies, and salad

October 15-21

• Soup/Sandwich - Chicken Noodle Soup and crockpot bread
• Comfort food - Ranch Chicken over penne with glazed baby carrots
• Tex- Mex - Tomato Chili and either berry cobbler or rocky road chocolate cake - it is our annual College/career's group hayride this Saturday and we always have chili and a dessert.
• Italian - Peppery [Italian] Beef Sandwiches, side salad, veggie tray
• Misc. Dish -  Baked potato soup

October 22-28

• Soup/Sandwich -  Philly cheese steak, side salad
• Tex- Mex - Black bean enchiladas
• Italian - Crockpot Lasagna, roasted veggies, and crockpot bread
• Comfort food - Rosemary Chicken with White Beans
• Misc. Dish -  Meatloaf, "baked" potatoes, mixed veggies and rolls

October 29-November 4

• Tex- Mex - White Chicken Chili and cornbread
• Soup/Sandwich - Chili dogs, potato wedges, and veggie tray
• Italian - Italian Crockpot Chicken and dinner rolls
• Misc. Dish - Brinner Casserole and fresh fruit
• Comfort food - Balsamic and onion pot roast, crockpot "baked" potatoes, and glazed baby carrots

This is what my 6 qt. Crock Pot looks like. It was a wedding present. :o)  

Chili Dog Sauce

I LOVE chili dogs but am not a fan of how unhealthy the store bought sauce is for you so I decided to make my own a couple of weeks ago. It turned out beautifully! A friend, who is not normally a fan of hot dogs, commented on how good it was. The sauce has a nice amount of spice, a lot of flavor, loads of extra nutrients, and makes a huge batch. I like that it makes a great big batch because then I have leftovers - leftovers that can be used in a tomato chili, frozen for future chili dogs, or added to nacho cheese for chip dip.

• 1 lb Ground Turkey (you could also sub beef, venison, chicken, etc.)
• 1 1/2 cups Small Red Beans (Dry)
• 2 cups Spinach leaves - Raw
• 2 cup Carrots, grated
• 1 medium Onion, cut into chunks
• 1 cup red bell peppers, cut into chunks  
• 2 cans Red Gold - Chili Ready Diced Tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 3 teaspoons Jalapeno Hot Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tablespoon Oregano, dried
• 3 cloves Garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse and cook beans (never cooked your own, here are some cooking instructions / tips).
2. while beans are simmering, throw all the ingredients (except the meat and beans) in a food processor or blender and puree. Then pour them into a 6 quart slow cooker on low. (You may need to process/blend in a few batches as it may be too much liquid for just one.)
3. Brown turkey with salt and pepper; drain and add meat to the slow cooker.
4. Once the beans are cooked, toss them into the food processor or blender and pulse till they are small crumbles in size (you can also leave some whole for texture; add to slow cooker.
5. Let everything simmer for 3-6 hours. 
6. Then enjoy!

If you like a meatier sauce, by all means, add more meat. I may add another half a pound next time I make this.

1 serving = 1/4 cup of sauce (36 calories)

Crockpot Black Beans

I have been looking for a good crockpot black bean recipe and finally found a really good one at the feast within. I added bell peppers and made up a double batch so I could freeze half for later.

Menu: October 3-30

I thought the 2 week menu worked really well but liked the 3 week even better. With that said, I'm going to attempt a 4 week menu to see which I like better. What's your favorite?

October 3-9

• Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (I know this recipe uses regular rice but I will substitute it for wild rice), and homemade bread or dinner rolls.
• Hamburgers, French fries, veggie sticks, and grilled veggies
• Swedish Meatballs over pasta and mixed veggies
• Baked Chicken, zucchini parmesan, garlic herb pasta, side salad and breadsticks
• Lasagna, side salad, mixed veggies, and French Bread

October 10-16

• Baked Potato Soup
• Mediterranean chicken wraps or pitas and either a hot spinach salad or a homemade mushroom soup
• Chicken and Shrimp Stir Fry (I'm using this recipe for the sauce) with rice, carrots, peppers, onions, and broccoli over rice
• Jambalaya
• We're having friends over for the big game so we're splurging a bit on extras - Brats, chicken wings, potato salad, veggie tray, crackers and cheese.

October 17-23 (crockpot week, if you need more crockpot ideas check out A Year of Slow Cooking)

• Cranberry Pork Loin, wild rice, mi,xed veggies, salad
• Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup and fresh dinner rolls
• Honey Garlic Chicken, rice, and roasted veggies
• Crockpot Chile Verde with tortillas, and black beans and rice
• Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, fresh veggie tray (in keeping with the "buffalo" style), and fruit salad - here is a recipe for buffalo sauce

Anyone have a crockpot recipe that they really enjoy that I've not listed before?

October 24-30 (Bean Week) - Sunday is our anniversary. We've been married 7 years. 

• Chili and cornbread
• Minestrone Soup and bread bowls 
• Red Beans & Rice
• White-Bean Stew with Pasta (Parents Oct 2011 p.168)
• Beef and bean chimichangas, and rice

Weekend Baking

• Zucchini Bread
• Banana Bread
• Cake Mix Cookies - I'm wanting to try a spiced oatmeal raisin.
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake (for our anniversary) 
• Dinner Rolls  - I'm going to make up a bunch and then freeze the dough for use later (similar idea to the way Rhodes does it)

Cuban Braised Beef with Avocado Onion Salad

We were recently given a Florida avocado, which is MUCH larger than a Hass avocado, by a Cuban woman at our church whose parents live in Florida and have a few avocado trees. Everyone except Mr. R. likes avocado we were excited about using it. When the hubby asked what all they use avocados for in Cuban cooking, she mentioned that they eat it like you would a salad - sliced with some onions then drizzle with an olive oil and lime dressing, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I had some leftover venison steaks and wanted to make something "Cuban" in flavor to go along with the avocado salad.

Crockpot Baby Red Potatoes

I came up with recipe on a whim and it worked, which I was very excited about! I LOVE slow cooker recipes because they save me so much time and energy.

• 3 lbs baby red potatoes (I believe they are also called "B" size), washed and poked
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• water
• 6 qt. crockpot

Directions

1. Place potatoes in 6 qt. slower cooker, top with everything except water and butter.
2. Fill slow cooker with water till it almost covers the potatoes completely. Cook on high till potatoes are fork tender (2-4 hours). I usually make this recipe on Sundays when I'm gone all morning so I'm not completely sure on the cook time. 
3. Remove water and add butter, serve.

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

The hubby (and all our kids) LOVES TexMex food so I try to do a "South of the Border" style meal every couple of weeks. Tonight, I settled on chicken (actually turkey) enchiladas but I wanted something that included green chiles. This is a modified recipe of what I found.

• 8 burrito size wheat tortillas
• 12-16 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken/turkey, shredded
• 3/4 cup minced onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion about 3 minutes, add chicken/turkey till warm. 
3. Divide meat mixture and 8 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese among the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla and place seam side down in a greased 9x13 baking pan.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan with and 1/4 cup of broth over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until mixture begins to boil. Slowly add the remaining broth, stirring with a whisk until thickened. Mix in the sour cream and chiles, heat thoroughly but do not boil, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture over the enchiladas.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro.

You can also do this in the crockpot (see pictures below). However, I find it easier to just make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge till I'm ready to bake it. The recipe also freezes nicely (unbaked) for a nice go to meal when you don't feel like cooking but don't want to shell out the $$ for a dinner out. 

Place about 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom, then top with enchiladas.

Cover with remaining sauce.

Top with cheese. Cook on low for 2-3 hours.

Slow Cooker BBQ Beans

With the Packer vs. Bears game at 2pm today, I decided to make up my beans in the slow cooker so they'd be done when we got home from church. I did some research on making beans up in the slow cooker and this is what I came up with.

• 3 cups dry beans (I used 1 cup of each Great Northern, black beans, and red beans)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup bbq sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon McCormick's Grillmates Smokehouse Maple seasoning
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoons chili powder

Directions

1. Soak beans over night or at least 8 hours. Rinse, and then transfer to a large saucepan. Cover beans completely with water and bring to a boil on the stove. Let boil for 30 minutes.
2. While beans are boiling, combine all remaining ingredients in your 5-6 qt. slow cooker and turn on high.
3. Drain beans and add them to the slow cooker. Let cook on high for 6 hours.

I came up with this recipe after looking through 3 different recipes - Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Beans, Super Bowl Barbecue Baked Beans, and Slow Cooker Homemade Beans.

Mr. R's Slow Cooker Beef Roast

Mr. R. has not been napping well since the week before he turned "4". Today he decided that he wanted to make dinner and he wanted it to be roast beef. I pulled all of the seasonings out of the cupboard that go well with beef and let Mr. R. pick what he wanted to add (and to some degree, how much to add). This is what he came up with and it was pretty good.

• 2-3 pound boneless beef roast
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 water

Directions

1. Combine all but roast, cornstarch, and water. Rub mixture all over roast and place in slow cooker; cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. Remove roast from slow cooker. Whisk cornstarch and water, add to drippings. Set on high.
3. Let roast sit for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/4" pieces. Spoon sauce over slices and serve.

Cocktail Wieners

1 package Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies (Smoked Turkey variety)
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 tablespoons sugar-free or low sugar grape jelly

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan or 1 quart crock pot. Simmer till sauce is smooth and wieners are hot. Serve with pretzel sticks. I love how easy and yet flavorful these are.

"Flavors of Fall" Pork Loin Roast

I am still not able to use my oven so I had to come up with an alternate to roasting my pork loin. I decided
to slow cook the pork loin in my crock pot, then transfer it to a roasting pan and broil it for a bit to add the nice "crispy" layer that roasting would have provided.

[Crockpot] Stuffed Peppers

I have been wanting to try stuffed peppers for a long time but just haven't. This week two different grocery stores in my area had big sales on red and green bell peppers so I decided that this was the week that I would attempt it. I kept looking for a good recipe, but there were so many to choose from. I decided to check on the Food Network's website and see what a few of my favorite chefs had for recipes. I found a good one by Guy Fieri's (Poblano Stuffed with Chorizo, Shrimp and Rice). However, I didn't have a few of the ingredients so I substituted with things that I did have on hand. Here is my variation (see the bottom for an update and instructions for cooking stuffed peppers in the slow cooker):

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 pound Mexican-style chorizo (I did not have chorizo or shrimp, so I substituted ground venison for the two)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño, minced (I was out and the jalapeño was sorely missed)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 cup short-grain
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used more chicken stock, but here are some other substitutes)
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 large, fresh poblano chiles (I used green bell peppers instead but pablano would provide a nice heat)
• 1 pound shrimp, shelled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup Cheddar, shredded
• 3/4 cup Jack cheese, shredded
• I also added the following ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (added this to the meat prior to cooking)
• 1/2 cup medium salsa (I added this with the liquids in step 1)

Directions (for Guy Fieri's recipe)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and chorizo, cook for 3 minutes. Add peppers, jalapeno, onions and garlic. Cook until translucent, then add rice and cook until all the grains of the rice are coated with oil. Add all liquids and stir over high heat for 3 minutes, cover and reduce heat to low. Check rice for doneness after 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Place poblano chiles on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, cut top 1/4 of chile off and remove ribs and seeds.
4. When rice is finished cooking, fluff with fork and stir in shrimp. Stuff chiles with 1/6 of the rice mixture. Place all the chiles on baking sheet and place into oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, mix cheeses together and cover pepper with cheese. Broil for 3 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.

Update: After making this dish several times, I have come to the conclusion that pretty much whatever you want to throw in the filling will work. As long as the filling contains the following:

• beans (black beans, red beans, or chili beans it doesn't really matter)
• meat (optional but ground meats do tend to work easier)
• liquid (tomato sauce, salsa. bean puree, leftover chili, etc.)
• aromatics (onions, garlic, and chopped peppers)
• rice (I prefer brown rice but white works, too)
• cheese

A lot of times I end up just throwing a bunch of Tex-Mex leftovers together and using that as a filling. They always come out tasting great. In fact this last time, I combined 1 1/2 cups of leftover chili, 1 lb of brown ground beef, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/2 of homemade bean dip, and 1 cup of brown rice (dry measure then cooked with salt).

I also attempted this recipe Crockpot-style and found it to work out deliciously! You could always prep the peppers ahead of time and then just throw them in the crockpot 4-5 hours before needing to serve them. Here are the instructions.

All stuffed and sitting in their "hot tub".

1. Prep the filling.
2. Cut the tops of the peppers off and stuff.
3. Pour 2/3 cup water into the bottom of a 6 qt. crockpot, place the peppers in the water (as you can see, my crockpot is oval and I can fit 5 LARGE peppers in it). 
4. Cover and cook in low for 4 hours (if you go longer than that they start to really break down). About 20-30 minutes before serving, sprinkle cheese over the top.

Topped with cheese and ready for the final 20-30 minutes till go time. :o)

Ooey, gooey, melted cheese. Yum!

Sliced open like a four leaf clover and topped with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
Use tortilla chips as silverware if you like.

Beef Tips

We spent the weekend at my parents' house and helped make Sunday dinner. The hubby LOVES to improvise and so he kind of took over the seasoning job for the beef tips. It turned out to be absolutely delicious! My mom asked me to write down the "recipe", so here I go...

Crockpot Beef Tips

• 3 pounds beef tips (or venison, etc.)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons mustard
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 tablespoon(s) butter
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Sauté mushrooms and onions in butter (use 2 tablespoons butter if sautéing these, if using a can of sliced mushrooms then just throw the mushrooms, onions, and 1 tablespoon butter in with the tips without sautéing).
2. Place tips in a 5 qt. Crockpot. Sprinkle with seasonings, bouillon, and herbs.
3. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Set on low heat for 4-6 hours.
4. Mix 2 tablespoons water with 1 tablespoon corn starch and pour over tips; stir and let stand 10 minutes.
5. Pour 1/2 to 2/3 of sauce into a gravy boat if serving with mashed potatoes, or leave the sauce with tips if serving along side noodles.