Crockpot White Bean and Sausage Stew

I came across this recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen. I decided to give a go at adapting it for the crockpot--especially since it's Sunday night, parent-teacher conference week, and I want an easy dinner for tomorrow! I also made a few changes along the way. Here's my version!

What you need:
-1 cup of dry white beans, soaked overnight (cannellini or great Northern) If you use canned, use 1 can and I'd add them later so they don't turn to mush.
-1 package of chicken sausage--I used Roasted Red Pepper with Asiago Cheese. There are a lot of good varieties out there that add a lot of flavor.
-1 onion, chopped
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-2-4 carrots, chopped (my carrots were puny so I used 4)
-1 can diced tomatoes, with juice-mine were the garlic, oregano, basil type
-1-2 T minced garlic
-2 t. oregano
-1 t. thyme
-2 cups chicken stock or broth (about a can)
-fresh chopped basil (not pictures as it was still growing on the plant)
-1 T balsamic vinegar (not pictured because I forgot)
-2 bay leaves (not pictured because I didn't think of it until later)
-optional-sprinkle with parmesan when serving or a blob of sour cream/Greek yogurt. If you like heat, add red pepper flakes

Do ahead tip:
*REQUIRED FOR DRIED BEANS* Soak the dry beans in water overnight. If you forget, but have an hour to spare, you can quick soak them. If not, use canned.
If you are a working type, it's really nice to have everything ready to go in the morning. I chopped up the onion, carrots, pepper, and sausages and stuck them in the fridge so it's all ready to go in the morning.

What to do:
-Drain the beans and pick out any that look weird.
-Dump all ingredients (except parmesan cheese) in the crockpot, cook on low until beans are cooked (I accidentally had to leave mine for 10 hours-everything was quite soft but it was probably fine after 8. If you make this, add your time in the comments!) If using canned beans, drain and add an hour or less before serving or they could turn mushy.
-Pick out bay leaves and serve!

How it turned out:
Really yummy! My biggest disappointment is that my crockpot isn't fuller! I have a 4.5 quart and I probably would've added another 1/2 cup of dry beans, cup of broth, and more chopped veggies. I really like this.

Curried "Indian" Chicken and Veggies

This is a recipe I've made again and again! I am excited because I'm finally writing it down!! Aside from the fun of eating it, it makes my house smell soooo good-now THAT is a scented candle I would buy! Anyway, I guess you are expecting a recipe.

What you need:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1-2 T. curry powder to taste (curry powder is NOT hot, but it is flavorful!) Unless you buy the hot kind. I used 2T majarajan curry powder and a sprinkle of the hot stuff. Edit: I still make this all the time, but for more kick I love using a hot curry paste instead!
• 1 t. ground ginger
• a bunch (3-4 cups) of veggies: I've used the "Normandy mix" of frozen veggies, but when I have them fresh, that's what I use. Clean out that veggie drawer!  Good options are cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, shelled edemame, and bell peppers. Of course, if you're following South Beach or a low-carb plan, find out if you're allowed sweet potatoes or carrots first!
• 1 can coconut milk (light)
• 1/2 C. chicken broth
• salt & pepper
• optional, rice or noodles to serve with.

What to do:

Wash and cut all veggies into bite-size pieces. (I always try to do it when the chicken is cooking and can't get it done, and it really stresses me out!)

Trim fat off chicken and cut into 1" cubes. Salt and pepper the chicken and cook in oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Use your giant frying pan! When done, remove from pan.

Turn heat to medium low. Using the same pan, add onion, garlic, curry powder, and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add coconut milk, broth, and sweet potatoes and carrots, if using. They need at least a 5-minute head start on the other veggies to soften up. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Then add other vegetables and allow to simmer, covered, for another 5-10 minutes.

Add chicken back into the sauce and cook for about 5 more minutes. The sauce will cook down.

Serve hot! If not watching carbs, serve over rice or noodles of your choice. This makes delicious leftovers and freezes well.

Recipe Turned Product Review: Carne Asada

I really had no idea what I was buying when I came upon something labeled "carne asada" when I was at the grocery store. But I love carne asada from my favorite Mexican place, and the cashier said they were really popular, so I figured it would be a fun experiment.

I did some research and found some marinade recipes that looked worth trying. Then I get my meat out of the fridge and realize the reason this carne asada is so good is it is basically already marinating in there. Darn. So I stuck it in a marinade for the day anyway (after all, I'd already taken the ingredients picture) and grilled it up that night. This was before my deck and grill were covered in 2 feet of snow, but anyway, it was delicious. I don't think my marinade had anything to do with it, but it was good and pretty spicy. Tender and flavorful. The one reason I'd buy this again is that it's hard to find meat cut so thin already, which was a real plus. The downside (hey, they're not PAYING me for this review) was that some of bites were kind of fatty; it didn't seem all that well trimmed. But I would definitely buy it again! I guess since I'm labeling this as a product review, it is the Safeway Select brand of carne asada.

For the record, after I took the above pictured meat off the grill I realized it was actually still "folded" in half so I unfolded it and threw it back on the grill for another minute or two.

In case you buy some sort of meat that is NOT already marinated, here's what I used:

about 1/2 cup tequila
about 1/4 cup each lime and lemon juice
a generous spoonful or two of minced garlic
salt & pepper
I pictured the orange juice but didn't end up using it. Some online recipes used it but after realizing the meat was already seasoned, it seemed like a bit much
Mix ingredients in bowl or zip-top bag and marinate. Grill until done (my  meat was cut so thin it only took a few minutes). I will try this again with unseasoned meat but with the kind I bought, it was unnecessary.

Linky

This is, I'm pretty sure, the most delicious thing I've ever put in my mouth. Make it. You won't be sorry! You might want to eat it in private so you can lick the plate.

Only changes I made, so I wouldn't have to go to the store were almond butter instead of peanut butter, and curry powder instead of curry paste.

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/01/sauteed-chicken-with-peanut-and-red.html

This is Kalyn's link and recipe, but my picture! Her pictures are better. :) What can I say, I was in a BIG hurry to eat!

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

Greetings! This one is a special request from a coworker. She wanted a split pea soup recipe, so a split pea soup recipe she gets! And really, what better on a cold day than a hot bowl of this? (Okay, it's supposed to be in the 60s today, but everyone thinks Colorado winters are wretched. Don't tell! I'm sure it will snow again soon enough)

What you need:
-a bag of split peas
-a ham bone or ham hock-just omit to make vegetarian
-a small onion
-at least a cup of cut up carrots
-a couple celery stalks
-4 cups broth/stock of your choosing-I used beef
-2 bay leaves
-garlic: a spoonful of the pre-diced things, or at least 3 chopped cloves
-salt & pepper

What to do:
-Chop the veggies, dump them and all other ingredients into the crock. Eyeball it and make sure everything is well covered by liquid. I was worried and dumped in an extra cup of water, but I think the ham hock also had a lot of liquid in it and it didn't turn out to be necessary. If you'll be out of the house for a long time, go with a little more liquid, if not, go with less but check on it! If it's too thick, stir in a little water-or milk if right before serving.
-Cook on high for 4-6 hours, low for 8-10. Mine cooked for about 9 hours and was still a little watery so I propped the lid open and let it cook for another hour or so, allowing some liquid to cook off.
-Use a slotted spoon to pull out the ham hock and cut the meat off the bone. The meat is really fatty so I cut most of it away, and put the meat that passed my test back in! There were some other bones in there too-I guess it sort of fell apart-so I made sure to pull them out too.
-If you are serving the type of people (like very small people) who will not know not to eat the bay leaves, you'll want to fish those out too. Most adults can handle it.
-If you like a really smooth soup you could use an immersible blender or blend up small batches in a blender. Mine cooked so long, and I don't mind some lumps, so I didn't bother.
-Serve and enjoy!

Leftovers are great but can be very thick. I like to stir a little milk in with them when I reheat!

How it was/what I'd change:
I was happy with how this turned out, and since I didn't need to eat immediately, the extra liquid wasn't a problem. I'd still rather be on the side of a little extra liquid than not enough since there are dry beans in this one!

White Chicken Chili

 This is a good cold day chili when you are looking for something other than the same old, same old chili. It does not require much prep in the morning either, if you like to dump and go! I managed to get it going the morning of a staff meeting and that is saying something.

What you need:
-1-1.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
-3 cans white beans
-2 cans green chilis
-1 onion, diced
-several cloves of garlic, diced
-1-3 cups chicken stock or broth *see note at end
-1 T. cumin
-1/2 t. white pepper
-1/2 t. mustard powder
-salt and pepper to taste
-tortilla chips, grated cheese, and sour cream or Greek yogurt for garnishing

What to do:
Dump all ingredients except garnishes in the crockpot.
Go to work.
Allow to cook on low 8-10 hours. (After 8 hours the onions were still a little crunchy but everything was cooked. 10 hours was better for my crock)
Come home and feel smart. Dinner is ready.

Seriously. The only thing you need to do is dice up the onion & garlic. No precooking. No slimy chicken early in the morning. You could even toss it in frozen if you'll be gone for a long time. I was extra lazy and didn't drain the beans either-just dumped those all in and used about a cup of stock.

How it was/what I'd change:
I liked this, and it was a little spicy but not too-so up the cumin or dump in some tabasco or jalepenos if you like more heat. However, I probably would've lightly drained the beans and used more chicken broth. If you're detail oriented, you will notice that there are 2 cans of beans pictured, and 3 in the ingredients. I decided at the last minute that 2 cans wasn't enough. *Helpful hint* When crockpot cooking, it's best if the crockpot is about 3/4 full, so I just use things like broth to "top off" until it looks right!

Egg Muffins: Sausage, broccoli & peppers (this time)

These are the best for those of you, like me, who LIKE eggs and breakfast, but aren't so good about the whole waking-up-and-cooking thing. Delicious and good for you. I recommend making a bunch on Sunday night and having breakfast made for the week! This is the type of recipe you adapt to whatever is in the fridge.

Egg Muffins 

(inspired by Kalyn's Kitchen, http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/10/egg-muffins-revisited-again.html)


Here's what you need:
-eggs (I used 8 for a dozen muffins, depends on how much other stuff you cram in there!)
-meat-optional-I used some turkey sausage
-shredded cheese-I used spicy pepper jack
-veggies-I used leftover broccoli and diced bell peppers
-1 4-oz can diced green chilis


-spike seasoning, about 1 T.

What to do:
-preheat oven to 375
-spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray
-layer ingredients in tin: meat, cheese, veggies

-scramble eggs and green chilis and seasoning together. I hate scrambling eggs so I use the magic bullet thing, which is also easy to pour out of!
-pour eggs into tins. They should really only be about 3/4 full. My eggs were really frothy, and I probably could've gotten away with only 7!

-Cook for 25-35 minutes until set.

-If you make them the night before, allow to cool and then pack up in little bags for the fridge (or freezer, if you won't be eating them within the week) I find 2 muffins to be a delicious breakfast! If I wasn't bringing them to work, I'd probably top with a spoonful of salsa and a blob of sour cream.

How they turned out: I loved these, and I love that I have a healthy breakfast for the whole week! Every time I make them they are a bit different, so I don't get sick of them. Try them out!