Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken

Another yummy crockpot meal that's super easy to put together and have ready on busy weekday evenings. We made it into soft tacos by adding it to tortillas and sprinkling with cheese.

Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
Courtesy of Just Us and the Many Miles Traveled

One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One package taco seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)
4-6 boneless chicken breasts

Add all ingredients to crockpot, mix, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

This tasted wonderful as a leftover dish. When it was fresh, it was a bit sweet. I think I will definitely serve it with something green next time too. Another easy mix and freeze crockpot meal for our busy kid-activity-filled weekdays.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
Courtesy of Ring Around the Rosies

Medium – large bag of baby carrots, chopped
Red onion, chopped
2 large cans pineapple (undrained)
4 garlic cloves
4 chicken breasts
1 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, divided

If you're freezing before cooking, mix ingredients together (only using 1 cup of teriyaki sauce), split between 2 bags, seal, and lay flat in freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before you plan to cook it.

Add all ingredients to crockpot. Add additional 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve over hot rice.

Crockpot Sausage and Peppers

This is super easy to make up, freeze, and then throw into the crockpot. I paired it with some cheesy garlic bread. Delish.

Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
Courtesy of Ring Around the Rosies



6 Italian sausage (or chicken sausage), chopped
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

If you're freezing before cooking, mix ingredients together, split between 2 bags, seal, and lay flat in freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before you plan to cook it.

Add all ingredients to crockpot. Drizzle of olive oil, and cook on low 6 hours. Serve over hot noodles or fresh bread with mozzarella cheese.

Slow-Simmered Meat Sauce

Wonderful sauce. It takes a little doing before you get it into the crockpot, but it's worth the effort. I tweaked things a bit so that I wouldn't have to split a package of sausage (I used all sausage instead of a beef/sausage combo). And I'm not usually totally keen on olives, but I added them because I knew they'd add a nice depth of flavor (which they totally did). I served the sauce over egg noodles with some lightly-dressed greens on the side. I'm thinking I'll add a little garlic bread and red wine and serve this when we're having guests over during the holidays.

Slow-Simmering Meat Sauce
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light



1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
6 small carrots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds hot and/or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
6 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
16 ounces uncooked pasta
Shaved or grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Place vegetable mixture in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add sausage to skillet; sauté 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove sausage from skillet using a slotted spoon. Place sausage on a double layer of paper towels; drain. Add sausage to slow cooker. Stir olives and remaining ingredients (through dried basil) into slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.

Prepare pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Serve sauce with hot cooked pasta; top with cheese.

Chicken Korma

This was tasty and smelled very autumnal. I paired it with some fresh green beans that were given to us by my in-laws from their garden, that I roasted with some salt, pepper and olive oil.

Chicken Korma
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com



1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut in chunks
1 large potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes and juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (to add later)
Cooked white or brown long grain rice for serving

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your pot. Add potato and onion. Pour in the tomatoes, and add garlic and all spices. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3 to 4. Discard the cinnamon stick, and stir in the sour cream or yogurt. Serve over rice.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

These are just as good as pulled pork sandwiches. Though I didn't use the grill method this time around since I didn't have charcoal. It worked very well in the crockpot (6 hours on low). But I'm excited to try it on the grill to see what the difference is. I served it with my favorite coleslaw. The whole wheat hamburger buns really didn't hold up well though. I think a Kaiser roll is far preferable. Another thing to try next time.

Edited to add: After reading the reviews of this recipe, apparently it is highly preferable to use the crockpot rather than the grill method. Also, with the addition of the brown sugar to the chicken, the addition of the brown sugar to the sauce (especially when there's also molasses included), when they are prepared in the crockpot, makes the sauce just a smidgen too sweet. So I'm adjusting the recipe below to reflect my changes.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
A variation of this recipe from Cooking Light



Chicken:
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Sauce:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses

Remaining ingredients:
8 (2-ounce) sandwich rolls, toasted
16 hamburger dill chips

Place chicken in crockpot. Add sugar and spices. Stir to coat chicken evenly. Mix together sauce ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (or HIGH for 3-4 hours).

Shred chicken, using two forks. Place chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls; top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half.

Slow-Cooker Asian Pork with Snow Peas, Peppers, and Soba Noodles

Tasty. Easy. Lots of leftovers. I followed the note at the bottom of this recipe and tossed the chopped pork with sesame seeds before adding it to the slow cooker. I really liked the extra burst of flavor it added.

Slow-Cooker Pork with Snow Peas, Peppers, and Soba Noodles
A variation on this recipe from Real Simple



1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Sesame seeds, to taste
12 ounces soba noodles
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
Chopped roasted peanuts, for serving

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Toss pork with sesame seeds, add to slow cooker, and toss to combine. Cover and cook until the pork is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).

Fifteen minutes before serving, cook the soba noodles according to the package directions, adding the bell peppers and snow peas to the water during the last minute of cooking.

Meanwhile, transfer the pork to a medium bowl; set aside. Pour the cooking liquid into a large skillet and boil until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pork and toss to combine. Serve the pork over the noodles and vegetables; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Vegetable Pork Soup

Well... This wasn't awful, but it definitely wasn't my favorite thing I've made recently. And the beer you choose really makes a difference. I think the beer I chose made it taste funny, and while I liked how it smelled while it was cooking, I absolutely hated how it smelled when it was done. Which didn't make eating it very enjoyable. I don't think I'll be making this again...

Vegetable Pork Soup
Courtesy of Taste of Home



1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 can (12 ounces) light or nonalcoholic beer
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Sprinkle pork with garlic powder. In a large skillet, brown pork in oil; drain.

Transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaves.

Pesto Minestrone Soup

Good stuff. Especially when you're sick and it's bitterly cold outside.

Pesto Minestrone Soup
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com

1 large onion, diced
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 pound (any variety) potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks (no need to peel)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans beans (undrained; your choice, I used cannellini)
1 (11-ounce) container prepared pesto (or a cup or so homemade)
4 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable)
1 cup frozen peas (to add later)
1 handful baby spinach (to add later)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the veggies into the bottom of your slow cooker and add the entire can of tomatoes and both cans of beans. Pour in the pesto and broth. No additional seasoning is needed. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the vegetables have fully cooked and softened and flavors have melded completely. stir well, and add frozen peas and a handful of spinach. Cook on high for another 10-15 minutes or until the peas are fully hot and the spinach has wilted.

Chicken Enchilada Chili with Corn Spoon Bread

We had another snowstorm yesterday, so this felt like a very appropriate dinner option. It was pretty good. Not my favorite chili, but definitely not bad. The spoon bread also wasn't my favorite, but Jonathan really liked it. Of course, it had two of his favorite things -- corn and milk -- so it was hard to go wrong there.

Chicken Enchilada Chili
Courtesy of Stephanie O'Dea



1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
2 (14.5-ounce) cans tomatoes with seasoning
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans with juice (or 1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced, or 1 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds chicken (thighs, legs, breasts - your choice)
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for serving (optional)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the enchilada sauce and tomatoes into the bottom of the removable stoneware insert. Add the beans, celery, onion, and spices, and stir to combine. Place the chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or until the flavors have combined. If you are using dry beans, you may need to cook longer to fully soften the beans. If your chicken has bones, fish the bones out before serving. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

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Corn Spoon Bread
Courtesy of Real Simple



3 cups whole milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels or one 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed
3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350°F.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring 2 cups of the milk and the corn to a boil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and the cornmeal. Whisking constantly, slowly add the mixture to the boiling milk. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, thyme, salt, pepper, and eggs.

Transfer to a buttered casserole or cast-iron skillet. Bake until golden and set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

White Bean Chili

This definitely needed the chili powder that Stephanie O'Dea mentions in the paragraph before the recipe. It also needs salt. I also used Italian seasoning because I couldn't find the dried fennel that the original recipe called for. It's a solid and easy recipe that makes the house smell good and is very enjoyable on a cold day/night.

White Bean Chili
A variation on this recipe by Stephanie O'Dea

1 pound dry Great Northern white beans
1 pound smoked Italian sausage, sliced (pork, turkey, chicken, whatever your preference)
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
Salt, to taste

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Sort through the beans, and soak overnight. If you don't have time to soak them overnight, boil rapidly on the stovetop for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover. Let the beans sit in hot water for 1 hour before draining and using in the slow cooker.

Put the beans into the cooker, and add the sausage and celery. Add the garlic, and spices. Pour in the tomatoes and water, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, high for 4 to 5 hours, or until the beans have reached the desired tenderness. Add salt, to taste.

Tangy Asian Meatballs

Very tasty and easy Asian dish. I definitely suggest only cooking them in the crockpot for 3 hours. The only review on the site where I found the recipe complained about the meatballs being overcooked when they were cooked for 5 hours, and mine were perfectly done at 3 hours.

And the best part? Benjamin asked for seconds. Unexpected kid-friendly meal score!

Tangy Asian Meatballs
Courtesy of All You



1 pound ground pork
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
3 scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped
1 large egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup jarred Chinese plum sauce or duck sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Combine pork, panko, scallions, egg, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a large bowl; mix gently but thoroughly with your fingers. Roll into 1-inch balls.

Mist slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add meatballs. In a small bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, plum sauce and hoisin sauce; pour over meatballs. Gently stir to coat.

Cover and cook on low until meatballs are cooked through, 3 to 5 hours.

Slow-Cooking Applesauce

This tastes very similar to apple pie filling because of the cinnamon. So yeah, yum. I tripled the original recipe in order to have enough for my applesauce-loving kiddos. And I left out the brown sugar because when I made it before it tasted just a little too sweet. Using sweeter apples makes it so that you don't really need the added sugar.

Slow-Cooking Applesauce
A variation on this recipe from crockpot365.blogspot.com

4 large apples, skinned, cored, and cut in quarters
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Place the apple pieces in your crockpot. Add the juice from the lemon and the water. Pour in the vanilla, add the cinnamon, and toss to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

This is awesome. And I can make it sugar-free, which makes my sister, who is currently on a sugar-free diet, extremely happy. Suck it, Starbucks.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger)
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
Garnish with whipped cream and/or additional cinnamon (optional)

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours (if everything is cold), about an hour if you're working with hot coffee/espresso. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon, if desired.

Slow-Cooker Squash Stew

Delicious. The sautéed onions and garlic with the tomato paste really give it such a wonderful base. I also added a little herbes de provence to pump up the flavors a bit, and I think that really gave it a little something extra.

Slow-Cooker Squash Stew
A variation on this recipe from Food Network Magazine



3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems separated and roughly chopped
1 piece Parmesan cheese rind, plus grated Parmesan for topping (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Crusty bread and/or lemon wedges, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the chickpeas, squash, chard stems (not the leaves), the Parmesan rind, if using, 2 teaspoons salt and 7 cups water to the slow cooker. Stir, then cover and cook on low, 8 hours.

Just before serving, lift the lid and stir in the chard leaves; cover and continue cooking 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to slightly break up the squash. Discard the Parmesan rind, if used. Ladle the stew into bowls; top with the grated Parmesan, if desired, and serve with bread and/or lemon wedges.

Mulligatawny Soup

I'm itching for Fall to arrive (as usual), so I thought this would be a good way to get some Fall flavors without heating up my kitchen too much. And it was a success! It was tasty and surprisingly low in calories. In fact, it's so low in calories that I felt the need to try it with a soft pretzel on the side, which was also quite successful.

This recipe could be easily doubled, which is definitely what I'll be doing next time. I also highly recommend using the chicken thighs. They really have such a deeper flavor, which adds a lot to the soup.

Mulligatawny Soup
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com



2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup peeled and chopped apple
1 cup chopped carrots
1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried minced onion flake
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons curry
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup long grain white rice (to add later)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken thighs into the bottom of your cooker, and add apple, carrots, the whole can of tomatoes, onion flakes, and raisins. Then add the lemon juice, spices, and broth. Stir to mix the spices.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Thirty minutes before you're ready to serve, shred the chicken with two big forks, and stir in the uncooked rice. Flip to high for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Ladle into soup bowls.

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese (made with Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup)

This is very good. And it was one of those preschooler breakthrough meals... Benjamin was very hesitant to try it, doing his usual whining about how he doesn't like it, even though he's never tried it (yeah, my almost 5-year-old doesn't eat mac and cheese). But he took a bite and loved it! Success!

This recipe can (and probably should) be easily doubled. The original recipe only serves 4 very small portions, so definitely try doubling it if you're serving people who like mac and cheese.

Also, since the recipe called for only 1/3 cup of it, I tried my hand at homemade cream of mushroom soup. And it was super easy because it was done in the crockpot. So I'll include that recipe on here as well.

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese
Courtesy of Cooking Light



8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°F. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

Preheat broiler.

Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

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Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com

2 lbs mushrooms
2 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 quart of milk (to add later)

Wash your mushrooms well and cut them into fourths. Put into your stoneware and add the spices and lemon juice. Pour in the vegetable broth and water.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

CAREFULLY use an immersible hand blender and blend until soupy. If you don't have an immersible hand blender, very, very carefully blend in batches in a regular blender.

Stir in an entire quart of milk. You can use any percentage you'd like; even cream.

Let cool on the counter for quite a few hours (or refrigerate overnight), then pour into freezer bags or plastic containers to store.

Enchilada Stew

The original recipe for this one was supposed to be more of a chili, but since I didn't use the chicken and ended up with a much more liquid dish, I figured I'd changed it from a chili to a stew.

I also used black beans because I like them better than pinto or kidney beans.

It's very tasty and extremely simple to make. The recommended garnishes are definitely a must too. And maybe next time I'll make some corn bread to go with it. Or maybe even just some warmed corn tortillas.

Enchilada Stew
A variation on this recipe from crockpot365.blogspot.com



1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with seasoning (I used fire-roasted with garlic)
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, undrained
1 onion, diced
1-2 teaspoons chili powder (it all depends on how spicy you want to make it)
1 teaspoon cumin
Shredded Mexican-style cheese
Sour cream

Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Orange Chicken

In our pre-kid days, we used to go to a nearby mall where they had a food court when we were feeling like a quick meal. 9 times out of 10, I would head over to Panda Express and get some orange chicken. It's been years since I've had that orange chicken, and when I saw this recipe on my favorite crockpot blog, I decided to give it a try. It was a good recreation! It was especially delicious with some Asian-style roasted broccoli (I tossed the broccoli in soy sauce and sesame oil before roasting it) on the side.

Orange Chicken
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com



1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour
Olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt (If you're using any other kind of salt, use a little less.)
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (Opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Use a 4-quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, you won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Beans and Rice

I must be on a beans and rice kick... Though this is a vegetarian variation on a chicken dish, so I wasn't sure what else to call it.

This is very good and very easy. Good leftovers too.

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Beans and Rice
A variation on this recipe from Kraft Foods



2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons flour
1 each green and red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 cup frozen corn
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 1/2 cups salsa
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup Mexican-style finely shredded cheese
Green onions, sliced

Combine first 6 ingredients in crock pot. Cover with lid.

Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).

Stir just before serving over rice; top with shredded cheese and green onions.