Chicken Chilaquiles

This is a nice and easy weekday meal from Handle the Heat. 

Ingredients:

• tablespoon olive oil *I used Coconut Oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• salt
• 1 cooked rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded (about 4 cups) *I used 3 chicken breasts that had been cooked on low in the crockpot for about 4 hours and then shredded
• 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish *I left this out since I didn't have fresh cilantro
• 4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips *You could also use rice if you didn't have tortilla chips
• 1/4 cup sour cream  
• 1/4 cup queso fresco (or feta cheese)

Directions:

1.  Combine the oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes. 
2. Add the tomatoes, chipotle, adobo sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 6 to 8 minutes.  
3. Add the shredded chicken to the pot and cook for 1 minute, or until warmed through and coated. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.  
4. Divide tortilla chips between 4 shallow bowls and top with chicken in sauce. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and queso fresco. Serve. Chicken in sauce can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Pulled Pork with Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Oh. My. Word! This recipe is SO good. If you like traditional Carolina BBQ, then you will love it too.

Courtesy of: girlichef

Ingredients:

Pork

• ~2 lbs. boneless pork butt, cut into large chunks
• ¼ c. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. brown sugar
• ½ Tbs. sea salt
• couple big pinches crushed red chile flakes

Vinegar BBQ Sauce

• 1½ c. cider vinegar
• ⅓ c. brown sugar
• ¼ c. ketchup
• 1 Tbs. hot sauce
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• ½ tsp. worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all of the pork ingredients in a slow-cooker. Cook on high for ~5 hours or low for ~10 hours. Drain off most of liquid and pull the meat apart with two forks.
2. While pork is cooking, make sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Add sauce to pulled meat in slow cooker and continue to cook for another hour or two. Good enough to eat with or without a bun.

Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers

Courtesy of: realsimple.com

Ingredients:

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  
• 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
  
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut cross-wise into thirds
  
• 1 cup white rice
  
• 1 avocado, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

Slow-Cooker Balsamic Pulled Pork Sliders

Thanks to Pinterest, I have found a couple of new recipe blogs. I have made two dishes from Handle the Heat and both have become my new favorites.

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 1/2 - 3 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• pinch red chili pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 15-20 slider buns or small dinner rolls, split
• coleslaw, pickles, etc.

Directions:

1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker. In the cooker, combine onion and green pepper. Add meat; sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Pour broth over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Meanwhile, make the barbeque sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Let simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
3. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds, discarding fat. Strain vegetable mixture, discarding liquid. Return meat and strained vegetables to the slow cooker. Stir in barbeque sauce. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.
   

Crock Pot 3 Bean Chili

Walter has declared this the best chili he's ever eaten. Since I'm not an expert on chili, but certainly appreciate his compliment; I would have to agree. Thank you Skinny Taste for helping me not constantly ask the question, "What's for dinner?"

Ingredients:

• 1.3 lb (20 oz) fat free ground turkey breast (I used ground beef)
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped chilies, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, undrained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can small red beans, undrained
• 2 tbsp chili powder

Topping (extra)

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro for topping
• shredded cheddar to top

Directions:

1. Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.
2. Drain any fat remaining and transfer to crock pot.
3. Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder mixing well.
4. Cook on high 6-8 hours.
5. Garnish with onions, cilantro and cheese and enjoy!
   

Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas and Ham

This is a great recipe if you need something quick and easy. This is another Skinny Taste recipe; I have yet to try anything from this site that I didn't like.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz smoked lean ham steak, diced (or a ham bone would be perfect)
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp olive oil or butter
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (I used chipotle)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Soak peas overnight in 6 cups of water. The next morning, drain peas and add to slow cooker.
2. Add 4 cups of water, bay leaves and ham.
   
3. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until the beans are tender.
4. After 6 hours, in a large frying pan, add oil and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and tomato until soft, about 6 minutes.
5. Add to the slow cooker and season black eyed peas generously with salt, cumin, chili powder and black pepper.
6. Cover and cook on high 1 to 1 1/2 more hours.
7. Discard bay leaves and serve with rice, quinoa, cous cous, etc..
   

Chicken Ropa Vieja

The other thing I LOVE about skinnytaste.com is that there are several Latin recipes listed. This is also a crock pot recipe, which is a bonus in my book. This dish is meant to be served over Cilantro Lime Rice with Southwestern Black Bean Salad as the topper.

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breast halves (I used 1/2 whole chicken)
  
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 tomato, quartered
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped (I just used some pre-cut baby carrots)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I left this ingredient out)
  
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• reserved broth
  
• 1 tsp cumin, or more to taste
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place chicken, onion, tomato, carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic into crock pot.
   
2. Add water to cover, and set to high for 4 hours until the chicken is tender. If cooking on the stove, cook on medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Place the chicken into a bowl and shred it into strips using a fork; set aside.
   
4. Reserve the liquid.
5. In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil (or butter :)) over medium heat.
   
6. Add the garlic, onions, green peppers, and red peppers.
7. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Stir in chicken, tomato sauce, white wine, and about 3/4 cup of the reserved broth to create a nice sauce.
9. Season with cumin, garlic powder salt, and pepper.
10. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes more adding more broth and seasoning if needed. Makes 4 cups.
    

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

I adapted this recipe from this one I found over at Casual Cuisine. Instead of roasting the whole bird in the oven, I decided to stick it in the crock pot instead. It was very flavorful and I loved how I was left with homemade chicken broth and plenty of leftovers to freeze.

Ingredients:

• 1 small roasting chicken
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• juice of one lemon
• 2-3 Tbsp. XVOO
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 2 Tbsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano (or 1-2 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil (or 1-2 tsp. dried)
• 3 Tbsp. fresh rosemary (or 2-3 tsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
• 1 tsp. freshly grated black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. paprika for sprinkling over top before cooking
• 1 tsp. kosher salt + 1 tsp. black pepper for sprinkling over top before cooking

Directions:

1. Place chicken in crock pot on low while at work. Serve with your favorite veggies.

Another Pork Roast Crockpot Recipe

I love a good pork roast mainly because it tastes good, but also because it's such an easy crockpot meal. I love having the main portion of dinner waiting for me when I come home after work. The sauce added a nice flavor to the meat without being too strong. If you like your sauce a little spicy, I suggest increasing the paprika. I really need to start taking pictures of these meals. Maybe one day. Another great recipe from Naturally Knocked Up. Love her!

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs beef (roast/short ribs/stew meat) *I used a 1 1/2lb pork roast and made the full recipe for the sauce
  
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsulphered molasses (I found this at Harris Teeter)
  
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp worchestershire or fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp dried onion
  
• 1 Tbsp butter
  
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Place beef (or pork) in crockpot (best if cooked on low). Mix all of the other ingredients together and pour over meat. Cook all day on low. If using a roast, you can pull it apart during the last hour of cooking to increase the BBQ flavor throughout the meat.
   

Crock Pot Pork and Beans

I love a good crock pot recipe. I try to use my crock pot at least once a week. This recipe is simple, healthy and oh so yummy. It makes a lot; which is great if you like leftovers. I found it over at My First Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• one 11-oz.(ish) bag of dried red kidney beans that have soaked overnight (soaking beans sounded like such a daunting task, but it's super easy and much healthier than canned, so give it a try; I think you'll like it)
  
• 1 lb. smoked pork sausage (we have tried a couple of different chicken sausages from Trader Joe's for this recipe, so get creative)
  
• 2 yellow onions, sliced (or diced... doesn't really matter)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. chili powder (I toned down the chili powder to just 1 tbsp or less if you don't like a lot of heat; the sausage will also give off some heat)
  
• 2 tsp. cumin
• one can of low-sodium chicken broth (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• a splash of Worcestershire
  
• 3-4 cups of cooked white rice (optional). (I used white basmati rice and it was so good. I recently read an article stating that white rice is actually easier for your body to digest and process than whole grain and basmati was the best to cook. Who knew?!)

Directions:

The recipe calls for cooking a lot of the ingredients prior to putting them in the crock pot. However, my crock pot usually cooks all day so the 2nd time I made this recipe I just threw all the ingredients (uncooked) into the crock pot and it worked just fine. Here are the directions as posted on My First Kitchen.

1. First, cook the sausage and onions. Slice the sausage into little medallions, and I'd go a bit thick with the slices. I cut mine thin-ish, and I wished for more texture with the end result. The meatiness is yummy. Cook those over medium heat in a skillet in a quick drizzle of canola or vegetable oil for just a minute or two until the edges get brown and yummy. No need to cook through. Take those out, and drain on a paper towel if you'd like. I personally like a little of the fat, so if you're cool with that, just dump them in the crock pot. Then add the onions to the same pan with the leftover drippings, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they're just browning, about two or three minutes. Take those out and add them to the crock pot.
2. Second, add the spices. Add a bit more oil to the pan (just a quick drizzle), turn the heat to low, and add the garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Stir for 30 seconds, and the heat will bring out a nice level of flavor from the spices. Pour in the chicken broth, and let the spices dissolve for another 30 seconds. Pour that into the crock pot along with the dried beans.
3. Add everything else. Add the two cups of water, the ketchup, the brown sugar, Worcestershire, and a few good pinches of salt and pepper to the pot, and turn to high. Cook for two hours. Then turn to low and cook another six or so. This is so the beans get hit in the beginning with some good heat to jump start the cooking process. This is only if you're using dry though. If you're using canned beans (probably three cans' worth), no need to start on high.

Carolina Hot Sauce

This sauce can be put on chicken wings, pork roast or chicken thighs. We marinated a pork roast in it and then placed the roast in the slow cooker. So yummy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon cayenne or hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco (optional)

Mix and marinade your choice of meat over night.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

My mom gave me this recipe and it has become one of my favorites. I personally love anything that can be cooked in a crock pot because it saves so much time. We served this one a week ago when we had some friends for dinner. Pair it with some grilled veggies and sweet potato fries and it's a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

(Spice Rub)

• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons table salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper

• 1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder (I have been using chicken thighs, so you can really use your meat of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional) (I haven't tried it with this ingredient yet)
• 2 cups barbecue sauce (I prefer Bone Suckin Sauce)

Directions:

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours (I usually do overnight).
3. Unwrap meat and place it in your crock pot. Add liquid smoke, if using, and 1/4 cup of water. Turn your crock pot to low and cook for 8-10 hours. The meat will be fork tender.
4. Toss with 1 cup of barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes.

Crock Pot Apple Crisp

Yes, I am finally posting a dessert recipe. Sadly, baking desserts has taken a backseat lately as I try to find healthy, creative and easy dinner recipes, but I finally baked something worth posting over the weekend. It's simple, not time consuming and delicious! Healthy?, not so much unless you count the apples smothered in butter and brown sugary goodness as healthy.

Ingredients:

• 9 smallish apples
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar plus another 2 tablespoons for crumb topping
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup crumb topping (I used vanilla wafers, but anything will do...graham crackers, oats, cookies, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat your crock pot on high, and butter the inside of the stoneware.
   
2. Chop up the apples and plop them in the bottom and cover with butter (cubed), brown sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
3. Smash up your topping of choice and add 2 tbsp. of brown sugar. Layer on top of apple concoction.
4. Cover and cook on high for approximately 3 hours, or until apples are sufficiently tender.

If you like your crumb topping crunchy, broil the uncovered stoneware on the lowest rack of your oven for 4-7 minutes.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Steak

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb. boneless chuck steak
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 clove garlic; crushed

Directions:

1. Cut steak into 1/8 inch thick slices.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
   
3. Place meat in crock pot and pour sauce over
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.