Slow Cooker Oatmeal

We eat oatmeal for breakfast 5 days a week. It started when I was too cheap to keep buying the rice cereal for Levi. :) So I've experimented with a couple different recipes and this was a good solution.

Taken from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/overnight_oatmeal.html where you can see the lovely photo that I forgot to take. Oops!

Ingredients:
8 cups water
2 cups steel-cut oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried apricots, cut up
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste.

Directions:
1. Add water and steel-cut oats to slow cooker.
2. Dice your dried fruit (you could use anything including dried apples, blueberries, cherries, etc.)
3. Turn dial to low and go to bed.
4. Sleep 7-8hrs.
5. Serve delicious, creamy, fruity porridge.

Evaluation:
Husband: Good, but we don't need to make it every night.
Levi: silence while he fed himself (which is rare!)
Me: When I started putting things together I realized that I had a mix of grains, not just steel-cut oats, but it still turned out very yummy. I really enjoyed the fruitiness. And some of the reviewers recommended lightly toasting the oats for a more "nutty" flavor. I should also add, that I let it cook for closer to 10hrs and it was still really good. The reviews said that it would be more runny, but we liked the texture. Curious to see what it's like if I follow the rules, someday....maybe. :)

Rice Pudding

I have no picture (foreshadowing hint: it wasn't worth a picture). I chose rice pudding because I have been trying rice pudding recipes for a couple of years now without success. I was looking for a simple hands-free solution to all my rice pudding problems and this seemed to have potential.

3/4 cup uncooked short grain white rice
13 1/2 oz skim evaporated milk
2 cups water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup raisins ( I omitted)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick

Measure all ingredients into 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Stir. Cover. Cook on Low for 4-5 hours or on High for 2-2 1/2 hours, stirring once or twice. Makes 4 3/4 cups.

Review:
I think my only two positive comments would be 1) super easy 2) it solidified. That's it though. Maybe I cooked it too long but this was very dissapointing. It had a tough gummy texture and none of the smooth creamy flavour I was so hoping for. I don't recommend this recipe at all unless you plan on making some changes.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf. I know. It has always sounded so gross to me and yet I dutifully make it once or twice a year. This recipe (and picture) is from the 'Mennonite Girls Can Cook' blog and has simply been adapted for the slow cooker by my lovely friend KimK. (http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2009/01/meatloaf.html)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs lean hamburger (I used 1.5lbs)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 onion, chopped or 1 – 2 tsp onion flakes
1 cup grated cheese
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
¼ c ketchup
¼ c BBQ sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Mix all ingredients well and shape into loaf. Place in the slow cooker and make an indentation along the top of the loaf. Cover meatloaf completely with topping. Cook on high for 4 hours.

Review:
I was soo surprised how AMAZING this meatloaf was!!! Not only was it super easy to put together but it didn't require the usual mound of ketchup required for me to eat most meatloaf. I ate so much of it that night and looked forward to lunch all morning the next day. I know. Shock of all shocks. Lee wasn't as thrilled about it as I was but after leftovers the next day he thinks his initial response was more to do with a bad day than the meatloaf itself.

Chicken Curry

I got this recipe off of the Martha Stewart website (again), and the picture is from her site too (again)...Caleb had the camera at work that day, so no home picture.  Sorry!


Ingredients:

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used bone in...boneless would've been much better!)
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 TBSP curry powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt
• frozen peas
• 2 cups coconut milk

Directions:

1. Toss first 7 ingredients in the slow cooker; cover and cook on high for 4 hours

2. Stir in coconut milk and peas, cover, cook about 20 minutes

3. Shred chicken if desired

------

This wasn't the best curry I've ever tasted, but Caleb really liked it.  It was super easy, so I'll probably make it again.  We had it with rice noodles and naan bread...and naan bread makes any curry great!

Yogurt in the slow cooker

We are going through a lot of yogurt these days and the price adds up. So I've tried to make home-made yogurt and had some success (only one batch that turned a weird shade of green). This recipe caught my attention for it's ingredients and simplicity. From A Year of Slow Cooking.

Ingredients:

- milk

- plain, live culture yogurt

Instructions:

1. Place 8L of milk (I used Levi's homogenized) in slow cooker and turn to low and leave for 2 1/2 hrs.

2. After the times up, turn off slow cooker and let it sit for 3hrs, leave the lid on (no peaking).

3. Mix until well blended 2 c. of the warmed milk with 1/2 c. of a live culture PLAIN yogurt and add it to the slow cooker.

4. Put the lid back on and wrap the slow cooker in a heavy bath towel and leave it for 8hrs (I forgot and went to bed, but after 16rs it was still great.

5. Options: blend with fruit (will be runnier), add honey/syrup (for sweetening), strain through a coffee filter for a thicker consistency or serve on top of your oatmeal (like us).

Evaluation:

Husband: Flavor is very mild, but texture is nice. A little runny but not bad.

Levi: Is enjoying it on his morning cereal.

Me: This was so easy and even with my forgetfulness it turned out. I will definitely make this again.

Taco Soup

from A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients:

2 cans of kindey beans (1 cup dried, soaked & cooked)

2 cans of pinto beans (1 cup dried, soaked & cooked)

2 cans of corn (3 cups frozen)

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 small can tomatoes

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)

shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips for embellishment (optional)

Directions:

Brown meat, if you are going to use it.
Drain fat and add beef to CrockPot.

Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat.

Drain and rinse the beans and add.

Add the corn and tomatoes.
Stir.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

This recipe for Taco Soup was super easy and pretty good. Many of the comments stated that the Ranch Dressing packet made the difference, but we couldn't really taste it, so I guess who knows what it would have tasted like without it! We actually couldn't really taste the taco seasoning either - until we added chips. I don't know if it was the salt from the chips or the crunch aspect, but then it tasted like tacos. Before that it was just chili.

Easy - Definitely.
Different - Yes.
Delicious - If you really like these ingredients, here's a new way to eat them. We would rather have regular tacos.

Anybody else have any recipes to post? I'd love to read about them!

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless short ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 large carrot, diced small
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
2 sprigs oregano or rosemary

Directions
- Cut off extra fat and season ribs with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning. Broil for 5min on each side. Transfer ribs to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- Fry onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup juice from tomatoes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon.
- Transfer vegetables and liquid to slow cooker and add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go. Add herb sprigs (or dried herbs since I didn`t have sprigs); season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on high until meat is fork-tender, 6 hours.
- With a slotted spoon, remove herb sprigs and transfer meat to a cutting board. With a ladle or large spoon, skim fat from cooking liquid (you'll remove about 1 1/4 cups). With two forks, shred meat and return to cooking liquid. Serve immediately, or let cool in liquid and reheat over medium before serving.

Evalution

Husband: 8/10, would like to try regular ribs with bbq sauce, but liked that "the meat doesn't taste meaty, but has a good taste."
Kid: "Bone, more"
Me: The meat was falling off the bones and was super tasty. This is one of those recipes that takes some prep time (which could be done the night before, as mentioned by Michelle). Very yummy for my first time cooking ribs.

Recipe from http://www.marthastewart.com/332235/slow-cooker-short-rib-ragu and modified a little.

Chai

While looking for another CrockPot meal idea, I came across this recipe for a chai concentrate. In case you're not familiar with what that is, if you go to the tea aisle in the local grocery store, on the top shelf there are often large boxes that look like this:


At Walmart one box like the above costs $7.67. I don't know about you, but that doesn't work in my budget very well. But now we can make our own!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. minced ginger
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
  
• 8 whole cloves
  
• 2 heaping demitasse spoons powdered cardamon (or 15-20 green cardamon pods)
• 2 cap fulls non alcohol vanilla extract
  
• 2 dashes of nutmeg
  
• 2 heaping Tbsps sugar
  
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 cups water
• 6 Bigelow Darjeeling Blend tea bags, or other black tea bag (I used English Breakfast)

Directions:

Put everything except the tea bags into the crock pot (recipe called for 1 1/2 qt. crock pot but I used my 5 1/2 qt. and it worked fine). Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. After long simmer, if heat is not on high turn to high. Add tea bags. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove tea bags and press with spoon to get all water out. Pour crock contents over strainer into 1 quart resealable beverage container. Add water to make 1 quart. This will get you what comes in the box pictured above. Serve (see below) or store in fridge.


To serve:

To make iced or hot Chai Latte, add equal parts concentrate to milk and serve over ice or heat in microwave or use conventional steamer. (We like it hot with a mix of skim and whole milk, but iced with just skim. We also tried it in a milkshake!)

Easy - yes
Different - yes
Delicious - absolutely

Recipe found at Vegetarian Slow Cooker

Rosemary Orange Beef Stew

Hello!

Here's a favorite recipe. I've made this one loads of times and it is so tasty! Sorry no pictures, but tonight I'm making BBQ Chicken and if that tastes good I'll post that one with photos. So please forgive me! :)

2 tbsp olive Oil (Divided)
2lbs stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 onions, finely chopped
4 stalks of celery, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried
1 tsp crack peppercorn
Grated zest and juice of one orange
2 red potatoes
3 cups beef stock
1.5 cups dry red wine or grape juice
2 tbsp Sherry vinegar

Persillade (optional) <

1 cup finely chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. In a skillet, heat 1 tsp of the oil over med-high heat. Add beef, in batches and cook, stirring until browned, about 4 minutes mins per batch. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.

2. Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook, stirring until carrots are softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, peppercorns, orange zest and cook, stirring for 1 min. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Add orange juice, beef sock and wine/juice and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, if using. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir well.

3. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours and high for 4 hours until meat is tender.

4. Persillade: In bowl combine parsley, garlic and vinegar. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Ladle stew onto plates and garnish with persillade, if using.

Enjoy!

Soy-Ginger Chicken

I have hardly ever used chicken in the slow-cooker in the past. When I was in university, my room mate's mom told me that chicken sits at room-temperature for too long in the slow-cooker, so there is a high risk of food poisoning. I guess I believed her, so I never tried it.  When looking for slow-cooker recipes for this challenge, however, I saw so many mouth-watering chicken recipes, I had to expand my repertoire and give one (actually two!) a try.  

I browsed through Martha Stewart's slow cooker recipes gallery (btw, if you ever need dinner ideas, check out her recipe galleries...pictures of food are so inspiring when you're hungry!) and found this recipe for Soy-Ginger Chicken.

(Martha's picture, not mine...sorry!)

I substituted/omitted a few ingredients so the recipe below is  with my modifications.   If you want Martha's version, check out the link above.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 T brown sugar
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into strips
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• pepper, to taste
• 4 chicken drumsticks and 4 thighs, skin removed
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 T cornstarch

Directions:

1. 1.  Stir together soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and ginger, pepper, and vinegar in slow cooker
2. Add chicken and carrots, toss  to coat
3. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. I added my green onions half way through. (Reserve some green onions for a garnish)
4. Whisk cornstarch with 1 T water.  Ladle 1 cup of cooking liquid into measuring cup; whisk to combine.  Pour into a small saucepan, bring to a boil; cook until thickened (about a minute)
5. Turn off slow cooker and stir in cornstarch mixture
6. Serve on brown rice, and garnish with green onions.

Reaction:  

We really liked this recipe!  It's basically teriyaki chicken, and since we love teriyaki sauce, it was great.  It wasn't the most visually appealing meal-- everything in the slow cooker was soy-sauce-brown, but the garnish helped a little.  I cooked mine a bit long, and the chicken was falling off the bone, so there were a few random chicken bones in my slow cooker...but other than that, it was great.  Caleb had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Char Siu Pork Roast

I began this challenge by googling `best slow-cooker recipes`, while led me to this recipe for Char Siu Pork Roast from Cooking Light. It got good reviews, was something different from typical barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, and I had almost all the ingredients in my fridge. So I went for it.


After the first meal of the Chinese-style barbecue pork, we did not know what to think. We ate it with stir-fry vegetables and rice, which is what most people recommended on the website. We had expected it to taste differently, causing us to really be thrown off.


Tonight we ate some of the leftovers in a tortilla with a broccoli slaw salad on the side (also recommended on the site). John really liked it. I thought it was much better but (sorry hubby), I don`t see myself making it again.

Easy - extremely
Different - yes
Delicious - undecided

Beef Stroganoff

I wanted to try some sort of recipe that uses beef - not ground (I'm trying to incorporate more meat in our meals now that we have Holly). I was attracted to how easy this recipe is... no sauteing before, etc, and it was something new for me.

Ingredients

1 lb. (450 g) cubed stewing beef

1 onion,chopped

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup 25%-less-sodium beef broth

1/2 cup (1/2 of 250-g tub) Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

1 Tbsp. flour

225 g egg noodles

PLACE meat, onions and mushrooms in slow cooker.

ADD broth; stir. Cover with lid. Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours). Meanwhile, cooking noodles as directed on package, omitting salt, before ready to serve meat mixture.

DRAIN noodles. Mix cream cheese spread and flour. Add to meat mixture; stir until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Add noodles to meat mixture; toss to coat.

The result: It was okay. For adult tastes, I found it to be bland. And, of course, the cream cheese takes away from it being super healthy. But, Holly loved it and ate the beef, noodles, and mushrooms, plus it really was just so easy. So, I might make it again, or will at least try a different stroganoff recipe sometime. (Sorry for the blurry picture).

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken in Peanut Sauce

My husband loves ethnic meals, so I was paging through my Betty Crocker cookbook and this looked like it would be interesting. I also found it online at http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes

The ingredients and my sneaky sous-chef.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 
8 large chicken thighs (about 3 lb), skin removed

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup) I sauteed this, as I'm not a huge onion fan.

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained 

***Never heard of this so just used 1 big 28oz can of diced tomatoes, so I was a little short on my tomatoes.***

1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 tablespoons honey

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I increased this to a healthy 1/2c based on some reviews.)

2 cups hot cooked couscous

Instructions
In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil about 4 minutes, turning once, until brown. My meat (4 chicken legs) was still a little frozen, but I did fry it until the skin was a little brown.

In 4- to-5-quart slow cooker, mix onion, diced and crushed tomatoes, honey, cumin and cinnamon. Add chicken. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken.

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.

Stir in peanut butter until melted and well blended. I did this at the beginning after reading the reviews online which said it made no difference. One less thing for me to forget at the end!!

Serve chicken and sauce over couscous. Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Evalution:
Delicious!! After reading some of the online reviews I was a bit nervous (people recommended 1/2ing the cinnamon), but this was a yummy yummy dinner. Couscous is always so easy to mix up, so it was on the table in no time. Even Levi liked it, after he insisted on having his own cilantro and peanuts. Definitely something we will cook again! And there was tons leftover, which I'll freeze for a day after one of my night shifts when I REALLY don't want to think about cooking. :)