Pineapple Chicken

Have you ever seen the Broadway show Caberet? It's a beautiful show about Germany in WWII. One song from the show is when a produce vendor brings his sweetheart a fresh pineapple, virtually impossible to find during the war. The seranade about the pineapple is precious and sweet and I always sing it when my dad brings home a fresh pineapple from the store. :) Which, brings us to tonight's dinner: pineapple chicken.

Here's a video of the pineapple song, featuring the Broadway revival cast. I couldn't help but share.

Back to dinner...

Ingredients:
enough chicken for 4
20 oz can of pineapple chunks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 t red pepper flakes

Get Cookin'

Throw everything in the crockpot, (pineapple juice, too). My chicken was completely frozen and it still cooked super fast. I suggest cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4.

I served this with brown rice and a vegetable stir fry.

Chicken Noodle Soup

During the winter my family always makes noodles from scratch, it's a tradition. It's a lot of extra work, but the flavor is so worth the labor. We still had some ready to cook and I wanted to make something that would really feature the noodles: chicken noodle soup (from scratch!).

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/2 cup of chicken (shredded or chopped)
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped (don't substitute dried parsley in this recipe, the fresh stuff really makes it great)
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon thyme


8 ounces of noodles (homemade or from the store)

Get Cookin'
Add everything except for the noodles into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until dinner time. About 30 minutes before eating, add in noodles, if store bought. If using homemade noodles, add the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup

This is a favorite around my dorm! It's easy, cheap and pretty healthy. Thanks to 365 Days of Crockpotting for this recipe! 

Ingredients:

--1 pound chicken (can still be frozen)
--1 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1 cup sliced mushrooms ( I used canned ones)
--1 cup frozen corn
--1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
-- avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

Get cookin'

Throw everything except the sour cream, avocado and cilantro into the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. If you'd like to thicken the broth use an immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with cilantro and avocado slices.

Mulligatawny Soup

Last semester the dining hall served mulligatawny soup for dinner one day--I was skeptic, but tried it. It was amazing, and I've been looking for a recipe to recreate it. Stephanie O'dea at A Year of Slowcooking has the winning recipe for mulligatawny soup! 

I thought this was fitting for the first day of fall. The leaves don't change color in Arizona, but a girl can live vicariously through NY pictures!

photo from here

The name is weird and the ingredients may sound weird, but it is superb! Give it a try, please!
 

Ingredients:

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)

Get Cookin'

Put the chicken thighs into the bottom of the crockpot--add apple, carrots, tomatoes (juice, too), onion flakes, and raisins,lemon juice, spices, and broth.

Stir to mix the spices.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. 

Turn to high and stir in the uncooked rice about an hour before serving. 

Eating Gluten Free Without Breaking the Bank

Trying to maintain a gluten-free diet on a budget can be difficult. This list offers suggestions on how to lower grocery bills for a gluten-free household. Cooking at home with a focus on budgets is a hot topic this year. As a result, the web is full of web sites and blogs to help. One great resource is the blog, Gluten Free on a Budget, it hasn’t been updated since 2008, but the low-cost recipes still are current.

Tip 1: Eat naturally gluten-free foods. Processed foods that are labeled “gluten-free” are expensive because a chef, dietician or scientist had to figure out how to substitute gluten in a recipe. However, foods that naturally do not contain gluten will be cheaper because there wasn’t a middle man involved. For example, chicken, veggies, fruit, rice, quinoa, beans and fish are all gluten-free. Look at regular recipes and find ones that are already gluten-free; don’t start by searching for “gluten-free recipes” and “gluten-free food.”

Tip 2: Buy pantry items on sale and in bulk. This is common knowledge, but not many actually follow through. Grocery stores have semi-annual case-sales that heavily discount canned items. Amazon.com offers many gluten-free products in bulk at a discounted price such as Tinkyada White Rice Pasta and Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Sprouts Farmer’s Markets has gluten-free sales occasionally as well. At these sales, all gluten-free products in the store are usually 25 percent off the usual price.

Tip 3: Make friends with your crockpot. Cooking with a crockpot makes cheap food taste better. This is not an overstatement. Cheap cuts of meat turn out great in the crockpot. The energy used to cook in the crockpot is the same as a light bulb, so you’ll save in food and energy costs. Stephanie O’Dea’s blog, A Year of Crockpotting, is solely dedicated to gluten-free crockpot recipes.

Tip 4: Eat less animal protein. Lentils, beans and grains serve as main sources of protein. Try eating meatless meals twice a week; it will save money and some say it’s good not to eat meat every day. Some good vegetarian recipes are: lentil burritos from $5 Dinners (instead of using tortillas I used corn taco shells, making lentil tacos), bean stew, or http://amyscollegecooking.blogspot.com/2009/09/chick-pea-and-tomato-curry.html.

Taco Soup

This is an easy, filling soup perfect for chilly weather. It's made from ingredients that are pantry staples so you shouldn't have to go to the store. I usually don't use the meat that is listed as optional. The beans are plenty of protein. Thanks to http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html for the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cans of kindey beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chiles
1 packet taco seasoning (if you are gluten free, stick to McCormick)
1 packet ranch dressing mix (make sure there isn't hidden gluten, I went with Hidden Valley)
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment

Get Cookin'


Put the meat in the crockpot if you're using it. Sprinkle the seasoning packets on top. Drain and rinse the beans, add the entire contents of the tomato and corn cans. Sir.

Cook on high for 8-10 hours.

The longer it cooks the better. Stir well, serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

No Noodle Lasagna

This is one of my favorite recipes, ever. Yum. This is gluten-free, fyi. Thanks to A Year of Slow Cooking for this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 jar (26 oz)pasta sauce
1 small container of ricotta cheese
8 slices mozzarella cheese
2 c. shredded Italian cheese mix
1 large eggplant
3 summer squash
1 pound of sliced mushrooms
bag of baby spinich
2 Tbsp. warm water

Get Cookin'

Use a large crockpot (like a 6 quart).

Wash veggies. Slice squash and eggplant in long slices, about 1/2 inch thick. These are the noodles! Don't peel the skin off the squash or eggplant.

In the bottom of the crockpot, pour 1/4 cup of pasta sauce. Layer a few pieces of squash and eggplant, smear ricotta cheese and add a handful of baby spinach and mushrooms. Put a few slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Pour in more pasta sauce and continue the pattern until the crockpot is full.

Top with pasta sauce and the shredded cheese. Add 2 tablespoons of warm water, pour into the pasta jar, shake, and pour the contents on top of the lasagna.

Cook on low for 5-8 hours.

Southwestern Chowder

This is an empty-the-pantry kind of dinner. The original recipe from kraftfoods.com wasn't for the crockpot, I modified it. I didn't add the optional macaroni.

Ingredients:
2 cans (14.5oz each) chicken broth
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 can kidney beans
1 can of corn
1 zucchini, sliced into half circles
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 c. mexican style shreaded cheese.
optional:
3/4 c. elbow macaroni

Get Cookin'

Add everything except cheese and macaroni to crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Before serving, cook macaroni on the stove, drain and add to soup.
Dish into bowls, top with cheese.

Crockpot Tips

Hi all,

I've moved temporarily into another apartment because of terrible, terrible neighbors. If I'm in the other apartment for over a week, I'll bring over pots and pans, until then, I'm fine eating oatmeal, cantaloupe, and stir fry in the student union.

Here's a link to some helpful crockpot cooking tips I found today: Crockpot Tips

Happy cooking,
Amy

Beef Stew

This is the first beef I've cooked all school year! Before you ask if I'm going vegetarian--heck no, I'm not. It's just that when I visit my family and Jesse's family every weekend I typically eat beef at least once, maybe even twice. As a result, I haven't felt inclined to make any of my own beef for just 'lil old me. Tuesday I decided it was time for some beef, in the crockpot. I've never made beef stew before, but with the help of Coyote Country Seasoning Co. it turned out delicious!





1 pack of Coyote Country Seasoning Company's "beefy stew soup"
1 can of mushrooms, drained
handful of baby carrots
1 onion, chopped
1 can baby potatoes, drained
1 pound of steak, cut into cubes
4 c water

Get Cookin'

Place everything in crockpot and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 4-5. The seasoning package called for 6 cups of water, but I thought it was too much, just so you know. Remember, stews and soups taste better the longer they cook, so try to opt for cooking it on the low setting.

Mediterranean Stew

This is a dish that is perfect for the beginning of fall. Now that we've made this, I can consider it fall. It's pretty versatile, throw in whatever veggies you have on hand--except potatoes. I tried that once last year, and they soak up all the extra virgin olive oil. :(

I didn't get to take a picture of the finished stew because Jesse and I were famished when we got home from class today. We had to dig in. Sorry.

3 T EVOO
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 c. chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (I used low sodium)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut up into cubes
handful of baby carrots
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 T Italian seasoning
3/4 c. frozen mixed veggies

Get Cookin'

Throw in all ingredients except frozen veggies into crockpot. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 4-6. Add the frozen veggies about an hour (or half hour) before eating.

HINT: Soups and stews taste best the longer they cook, so try to opt for cooking the stew on the low setting.

Sweet Potato Chili **vegan**

My best friend from elementary school is a vegan. I think that's why this recipe caught my eye. (Hi, Stephanie!) I also was trying to use up all the kidney beans I have (thanks to a sale at Fry's).

This was delicious, and different from your typical bowl of chili. I dare you--try it!
Thanks to my favorite crockpot lady for this recipe base. I changed the spices, but the rest is the same. Next time I'd cut the sweet potatoes into smaller chunks-they looked like carrots.


2 sweet potatoes, peeled and in 2-inch chunks
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes--I used a can with chilis in it as well
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice

Get Cookin'

Place all ingredients in 4 quart crockpot. Cook on low for at least 5 hours (I had classes all day and a lecture at night, I think mine cooked for about 9 hours)!

Honey Lentils

Another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking! I love lentils. They're filling, good for you, and cheap! They also are very delicious in the crockpot. yummm. I didn't use the garbanzo beans or the ginger because I didn't have any, and I figured the lentils had enough protein for me.

1 1/2 cup lentils
3 cup water
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 T soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 dried bay leaf

Rinse of the lentils and put them in the crockpot with water, onion, carrots and the garbanzo beans. Add everything else too.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-5. I always like cooking things on low, if I have the option because it allows the flavors to amalgamate better.

Serve honey lentils by themselves, or over rice.

Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

This was my first crock pot meal, thanks to A Year of Slow Cooking!I love Stephanie's recipes! Anyway--here it is:

Ingredients:

Enough chicken for 4 (it can still be frozen)
20 oz. can of pineapple chunks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Plop the chicken into the crockpot. Drain pineapple, add the chunks, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 3-4.

Serve over rice, quinoa, or fresh spinach.

Cheeseburger Chili Mac and Cheese

Crockpot Cheeseburger Chili Mac and Cheese

This was delicious! I actually modified it to cook in the crock pot all day from a Rachael Ray recipe that used the stove top. I also changed the spices to give it a real kick. Plus, the carrot gives us a little vegetable. At least it's something! Jesse and I loved this!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (this gives is a MAJOR kick, just use 2 Tbsp of chili powder if you don't like spicy foods) :)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 2 cups beef stock (it will cook down in the crock all day)
• Half a box of elbow macaroni
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar (the sharper the better!)
• 1 shredded carrot

Yields: 4 servings

Add spices, ketchup, mustard, beef stock, carrot and beef in crockpot. You can put raw meat in the crockpot; it is safe! This saves a lot of time, too.

About 20 minutes before you'd like to eat, boil water and drop the pasta in. Cook to al dente and then toss in crockpot to mix with everything else for a little bit. Mix the cheese in too.