Crock Pot Mexican Quinoa

2016.

A new year.

So far this year, I have said goodbye to my husband yet again as he starts his last semester of Grad School in DC, broke another laptop, and am trying to get through a week without snacking on all the free unhealthy food at the office.

My “resolution” this year was to make more time to post. I miss my frequent ramblings and sharing my kitchen disasters/successes. I had it all planned when my laptop suddenly went kaput. It’s currently with Geek Squad. I look forward to the prognosis. Fingers crossed it’s a cheap fix.

So, what’s new with me? Hmm.

Well, my crock pot has become my best friend. I work in a very busy firm and now that B is away in school, coming home to cook after 7pm is as desirable as getting a root canal. I’m tired. I’m hungry and I just want dinner… or take out. My wallet doesn’t really approve on all the take out and the quality of food in my neighborhood has plummeted. The only good thing (and I say good very loosely) is sushi.

I have drawn much inspiration and saved a TON of money with the helpful listicles featured on BuzzFeed Food. On grocery days, I prepare several meals, place them in freezer bags with a note on whats inside and plop it in the crock pot when I’m ready to cook it.

Recently, I pulled a Mexican quinoa dish out of my stash. I was super skeptical but I didn’t really feel I had anything to lose.

It wasn’t the prettiest thing but it certainly was a nice change of pace from chilis and stews. The quinoa fluffed up so nicely. The spices gave it a nice kick. And all the beans, corn, and veg kept this dish satisfying!

I had leftovers for days!

And even better, got to heat them up in my brand new Lunch Crock. Probably the most overlooked item in the gadget aisle. This baby stays at work. I put my food in there in the morning and by lunch time my food is piping hot. There’s no wait for the microwave and the vessel locks in food smells until you open it! I feel like I’m winning all day! Great gift from Santa!

Slow Cooker Korean Beef Stew

Tags

beef, crock pot, kimchi, korean, slow cooker, spicy

My absolute weakness is korean food. Something about the sweet spicy combo, and red pepper paste, and kimchi that make my heart flutter. There is even a Korean take out place near my apartment that makes kalbi burritos that weaken me. I know the addiction is serious when i log on to seamless and even after 2 months of low carb eating, they still recommend my old favorite.

I came across this recipe while catching up on my blog reader. The day I saw it, i bookmarked it and then, because i couldnt contain the craving any longer, placed an order for that lovely spicy kalbi burrito.

LK, from Healthy-Delicious is not only a good friend of mine, but is a boss in the kitchen. From her unique creations and trusted palate to her knack for taking the most photogenic pics of her food, this lady knows food. So, when i saw her recipe for spicy korean tacos, i had to add the recipe to my rotation for that week. With some helpful tips from her I was able to recreate this dish at home, in the slow cooker. 

Her original recipe would not have made nearly enough sauce for a slow cooker dish so I quadrupled the sauce and had amazing results. Cuz LK is a boss!

Her original recipe can be found here.

The slow cooker method yielded amazing results. Using Chuck beef is not only affordable but probably the best bet as its high fat content makes the beef practically melt in your mouth after a long and slow cook. My only regret is not making more.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chili-garlic sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 lb chuck steak, cut into cubes

Prepare the slow cooker by combine all the ingredients in the vessel and making sure to stir it so that everything is mixed together. Set the cooker on low for 8 hrs.

I was so looking forward to coming home to this dish. When i came home, the air was saturated with the inviting aroma of the spicy korean beef. I prepared some white rice in my rice cooker and waited 30 agonizing minutes before digging in. 

The sauce is KILLER. The perfect amount of spicy, sweet, and salty- and the beef was cooked to perfection. It literally melted in my mouth. For good measure, I served this alongside some store-bought kimchi. While the photo doesn’t depict the proper way to eat this, i prefer to mix everything up and eat it with lettuce cups. The only thing missing was the red pepper paste that I get by the bucket when I dine at Korean restaurants.

LK, this recipe is a real winner! I cannot wait to revisit, but with even more of that delicious sauce! And while this recipe fed BR and I with a little leftovers, there were not nearly enough leftovers to make substantial lunches… but there is always  next time!

Crock Pot Turkey Picadillo

Tags

crock pot, recipes, slow cooker, stew

I feel like the weather is making a permanent shift towards fall. With more and more “summer” days feeling like the beginning of fall, dusting off the crock pot felt like the thing to do. I cannot stress enough how much I love coming home to dinner that is already cooked.

I had bookmarked this spanish comfort dish a while ago and was craving something comforting. Gina’s crockpot picadillo fit the bill perfectly.

Gina’s recipe called for lean ground beef but I subbed it for turkey because its what I had on hand. For the full recipe, please see her recipe here.

But I made a few tweaks:

• 2 1/2 lbs 93% lean ground beef ground turkey
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced red bell peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup alcaparrado (manzanilla olives, pimientos, capers) or green olives (and some of the olive brine)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (I increased it to 1 tsp)
• 2 bay leaves
• kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Browning the meat on the stovetop and then adding all the ingredients to the slow cooker to simmer on low for 8 hours resulted in a unique stew.

My apartment was filled with the spicy turkey chili (of sorts) and just needed the addition of a little fluffy white rice. It so reminded me of a dish my mother used to make when I was little. I like this recipe because its easy to assemble and the slow cooker does all the work. This recipe also made plenty to share/freeze. My mom was extremely grateful for the easy dinner.

Hoping the summer comes back at least once before labor day! Mama needs a pool day!

Meat Free Monday: Slow Cooker Snobby Joe

Tags

dinner, lentil, meat free, recipes, slow cooker, snobby joe, vegan, vegetarian

A few years ago, I discovered a love for lentils. I discovered my lentil love when I attempted a lentil sloppy joe recipe. Aside from not having any meat in it, it really tasted like those delicious and oh so messy joes from the middle school cafeteria. Only these were lean and healthy (but just as, if not more, messy).

I’ve made this recipe before but to save time, I decided to use the slow cooker. It worked out really well!

Ingredients (serves 6-8 ppl)

1 cup of dry lentils (+ 4 cups of water to boil)

1 bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup of tomato paste

1 tsp mustard

3 tablespoons of maple syrup

3 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tsp salt

Optional: kaiser rolls

1. Prepare all the ingredients the night before and set in the fridge. In the morning, set the slow cooker on low and allow to cook for 8-10 hrs or 5 hrs on high. (the night before trick is helpful as the soaking of the lentils allows them to be tender and fully cooked at the end of the 10 hrs)

When ready to serve, lightly toast a kaiser roll and place a cup of snobby joe mix onto roll.

I served with oven fries.

These were great. They were quite messy as one would imagine. They were also really flavorful. I might have been a tad sneaky by not telling BR these were meatless. But he loves lentils and loved this dish. The lentils are very filling so a little bit goes a long way. I ate the leftovers chili style with bread for dipping and sopping.

This freezes well too!

Slow Cooker: Pot Roast

Tags

dinner, mashed potato, pot roast, slow cooker, sunday dinner

Before I get into the Meat and Potatoes of this post, a big thank you to all who participated in the giveaway! I have picked the two winners using Random.org. The winners are Tiffany and Alyssa! Congrats ladies! Shoot me an email with your shipping info!

Sometimes you just need a beefy, rib sticking dish. Sometimes, you find score a huge roast at the grocery store for a great price and have a great Sunday Dinner.

This is that “sometime”.

This roast was the perfect size for my 4 quart slow cooker so I decided to make it a slow cooker day.

Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 pot roast (6-7  lbs)

1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

Method

On the evening before cooking, stab the roast several times with a knife and fill the “stab wounds” with fresh garlic. Once its filled with garlic, liberally add garlic and onion powder. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

When you are ready to cook, sear the meat in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan on all sides and then transfer to the slow cooker. Don’t add any liquid! The beauty of the slow cooker is the meat makes its own “juice” which make for perfect gravies. Set this baby on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-7 hours. I cooked mine on high for 4 hrs.

When it was done cooking, I transferred the roast to a plate to cool and allow the juices to redistribute. After about 30 minutes, I began to carve. It was incredibly tender and juicy.

If you are planning on slow cooking a roast, be sure to use a vessel that JUST FITS the meat. It will ensure the meat doesn’t overcook or dry out.

With the drippings left in the slow cooker, I collected them, strained them and made a nice brown gravy to top on the beef.

And while I was at it, I made some mashed potatoes (with almond milk!) and heated some canned corn.

Not the healthiest thing on the planet but perfect for a 3pm Sunday dinner.

Slow Cooker: Chicken Korma

Tags

chicken, dinner, healthy, recipes, slow cooker

A while ago, I let on that I had a few cooking fails coming up. I postponed them several times… they were that bad. But everyone makes mistakes and has a bad recipe every now and then, but don’t let it be discouraging. That’s part of what makes you a better cook- knowing what went wrong and how to make it better next time.

I was on a slow cooker kick. I chose a week’s worth of recipes that required little to no actual work and would allow me to come home from work and have dinner already cooked. Its no surprise how much I love my slow cooker. Even BR is starting to like when he sees me prepping the slow cooker for dinner. But sometimes, you pick a recipe that just doesn’t deliver.

This chicken korma recipe had a lot of promise, A great list of ingredients and minimal effort. When I made my grocery run for the week, I prepped all of the recipes and put them in freezer bags so the night before, I simply dumped the contents into the slow cooker, refrigerated it and then in the AM, set it to cook on low.

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups coarsely chopped onion (1 onion)
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 4 cups hot cooked long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the first 11 ingredients (up to the cinnamon stick) into a 4 qt crock pot and set it to low and cook for 8 hrs. With 30 minutes left to cook, set the vessel to high and stir in the yogurt. (this step failed miserably for me. the yogurt curdled even after tempering)

To serve, place 1 cup cooked brown rice in a bowl and ladle the Chicken Korma on top and garnish with cilantro.

I am a lover of all foods from all over. This seemed like a great indian dish. The aroma was incredibly off-putting. I didn’t let that deter me. I served the dish. We both ate it. It was confusing to our taste buds. It wanted to be a curry but was lacking the heat. The cinnamon was strong and wouldn’t have been so bad but this dish just wasn’t right for me. Some might enjoy it but for me, it needs tweaking. More Curry. or No Curry. I don’t know. It was teetering on two different kinds of flavors and most of it went into the trash.

If this happens, don’t be discouraged. You are now 1 step closer to knowing what works for you and what doesn’t.

Slow Cooker: Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

Tags

cassoulet, dinner, healthy, pork, recipes, slow cooker, stew

I know I’m a few days late but OMG IT SNOWED!

My apologies to those on the East Coast that loathe the snow but I was jonesing for a good snow this winter. While there was a lot of hype over the Nor’Easter (unofficially named by TWC as Nemo), Brooklyn didn’t get clobbered like the weatherman predicted. Now, my friends in Long Island and Connecticut- they got SNOW. Even some reportedly got around 30 inches! BR and I were prepared to be snowed in for days and endured hours at the supermarket equipped with any kind of food one could want if they were trapped at home. After all, Hurricane Sandy taught me that one can never been too prepared.

Alas, even after being sent home early the moment the snow started to fall, and watching with glee as the snow piled high, I awoke the following morning to see a bright sun and the beginnings of melty slushy snow. Awe.

One of my favorite things about the snow is Mickey. My Mickey Girl loves her some snow! The first time it snowed after I rescued her, I developed a whole new love for fresh fallen snow.

She reminds me of a little kid. She bounces in it, eats it and just overall, goes bananas!

I was asked by a few friends for pics of her in action, so I obliged. The morning after the Nor’Easter, I took her to play in the local park before the plows got to it. Before I set out, I started our dinner for the day in the slow cooker. With the fresh fallen snow and the cool crisp air, I opted for some good old comfort food.

Cassoulet. Typically, cassoulet is extremely unhealthy. A stew of duck confit, beans and bacon drippings- nummers. It seemed impossible to lighten up while keeping it tasting familiar.

My old reliable, Myrecipes.com, archives some amazing recipes (some more amazing than others) from sources like Cooking Light, Southern Living, etc. I found the lightened up cassoulet version here and really really liked the results.

There is some work involved- while I especially love on pot dishes, the crispy bacon is necessary. But there is a small amount of bacon- so that makes it okay.

Ingredients: (serves 8 1 cup servings)

2 bacon slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 pound lean boneless pork loin roast 4 4oz boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 pound reduced-fat smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 teaspoons finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
8 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method:

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.

Remove bacon from pan; crumble.

Add onion, thyme, rosemary, and garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.

Stir in crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

Remove from heat.

Place half of beans in a large bowl; mash with a potato masher until chunky.

Add remaining half of beans, pork, and sausage; stir well.

Place half of bean mixture in a 3 1/2 4 -quart electric slow cooker; top with half of tomato mixture. (the recipe called for a smaller slow cooker, but mine just fit and it was a 4 qt. You want to make sure that you use a size that will fit the stew perfectly. If you use too big of a slow cooker, the stew will cook faster)

Repeat layers.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.

Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

BR likes a ton of parm cheese and our preferred crusty bread is a lightly toasted baguette.

This was perfect to sit at home with as the snow melted. warm. comforting. and tasty.

The best way to make this if you are pressed for time in the AM is prepping the ingredients the night before and putting it all in the slow cooker and letting it hang out in the fridge. In the AM before you leave, set the slow cooker and let it do its thing for 8 hrs.

Or, set it up, take the dog for a walk and then relax all day whole inhaling a smoky, porky, hearty stew.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Tags

beef, crock pot, dinner, healthy, mushrooms, slow cooker

This one is a real winner. Its from cooking light. It’s a slow cooker recipe. And it screams comfort. Beef Stroganoff. Creamy mushroom sauce with beef over egg noodles. I mean, creamy anything is comfort but after being congested for days on end and worrying about your waste-line, cream is the last thing you want.

Cooking light does a great job creating a delightfully creamy recipe that is not chock full of cream. I made some last minute adjustments to this recipe based on what was available and it did not disappoint. Fair warning, I should have had leftovers of this dish but after two nights in a row of “meh” slow cooker recipes (not yet posted), we dove into this HARD. Only one of us got to take leftovers to work. (sad face).

Ingredients

1 (1-pound) top round steak (1 inch thick), trimmed
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (Or, 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)(I doubled the amount of mushrooms)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream non fat, plain greek yogurt
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 ounces uncooked) (we ate an entire package of egg noodles)

Method:

1. Cut steak diagonally across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place steak and next 8 ingredients (though garlic) in a 3-quart electric slow cooker; stir well.
2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a small bowl; gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add broth mixture to slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 7 to 8 hours or until steak is tender. Turn slow cooker off; remove lid. Let stroganoff stand 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Serve stroganoff over noodles.

Creamy.

Hearty.

Delicious.

EASY!

HEALTHY!

We sat on the couch with bowls of this stuff and ate. Heads down. No talking. Just enchanted with how good this was. And we didn’t think twice before going back for seconds. We deserved it. We earned it.

This is definitely a winner and I would definitely make it again. I have already been asked to double this recipe to share with mom. Mom used to make beef stroganoff for me as a child, and not the healthy way.

Go make this. And wear stretchy pants!

Slow Cooker: Beer Braised Beef

Tags

beef, carrots, dinner, polenta, slow cooker, Steak

When I moved into my apartment, conveniently located across the street from my mother, she placed bets on occasions where I would show up after work with an appetite for some home cooked food. Perhaps 4 years ago, that might have been an instant win but, my, how the tables have turned. I feel incredibly blessed to be so close to home again after having moving out on my own for 4 years. Living on my own in Queens for 4 years taught me a lot about time management and living on a budget. My commute was a complete hour each way and when I got home, I would walk mickey and then when I returned from walking the dog, I would start cooking. Batch cooking was ESSENTIAL then as was utilizing my slow cooker. But now, my commute is a measly 23 minutes and coming home to cook is something I look forward to.
My family had a big renovation in their kitchen last week which meant no use of their stove or sink.
*Phone Rings*
Me: Hello?
Mom: Hi baby! How are you?
Me: Im good, mom.  Just getting in. What are you up to?
Mom: Ugh, this renovation is killing me! Wanted to know what you were doing for dinner tonight?
Me: As a matter of fact, I just turned off the slow cooker. I made some kind of beef dish.
Mom: Do you have enough to share?
***
Yes. The tables definitely have turned now. Make no mistake, I am more than happy to be there for my family. Whenever  I needed them, they were always there and now that I live so close to home I can be there for them- even for something so simple as providing a home cooked meal. That’s what family is.

Beer Braised Beef

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
Cooking spray
1 pound boneless top round steak, trimmed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1/2 cup light beer
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp flour

Directions
Place onion in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; cook 2 minutes on each side to sear.

Place steak over onions in cooker; pour tomatoes and beer over steak. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Shred steak with 2 forks in slow cooker; stir in molasses and salt. Whisk in flour to thicken the sauce.

 

Let steak stand 10 minutes before serving. 1 serving is 1 cup of beef. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or polenta.

I served mine with my favorite polenta (also in the slow cooker) and some glazed Carrots!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Tags

dinner, pot roast, recipes, slow cooker

My friend Mike, whom I met via Yelp, is a guy’s guy. He loves to make people laugh and loves to lend a hand when needed. But what he really loves is eating. And since he’s a guy living on his own, a guy’s gotta eat, right?

He’s not afraid to crack open a cookbook for a recipe, either. Recently, he hit me up to tell me about his latest amazing dinner that he picked up from Trader Joes.

“the cabernet pot roast is F*cking amazing ”

Those are some strong words.

So, I made a trip to Trader Joe’s and got the pot roast.

All you need is the pot roast, some potatoes and carrots… and a slow cooker. You CAN make it in the oven… but when there is a choice between the oven and the slow cooker- SLOW COOKER always wins. (for me anyway)

I seared the pot roast in a cast iron skillet on all sides in a cast iron skillet. If this step is any indication of how amazing the pot roast will be, you should breath through your mouth. You will want to consume this immediately. But don’t! low and slow is the key.

Then I plopped it in the slow cooker.

And added a pound of baby carrots an a pound of fingerling potatoes.

I then set it on high for 6 hours (or on low for 12) and went to my room, closed the door and rocked back and forth trying to breath only through my mouth to avoid the delicious aroma coming from my kitchen. 

6 AGONIZING hours later- Behold! Fork tender. DELICIOUS. and nearly EFFORTLESS! (the wait part is the HARD part)

I took the pot roast out of the slow cooker and reserved the drippings to make a gravy.

After straining the carrots and potatoes, I added some flour and whisked it into the drippings to thicken the gravy.

Since the boyfriend is a meat and potato guy, I was excited to serve this to him…

But, of course, I had to add some greens to it. It was a hit.

I really enjoyed being able to put dinner together so effortlessly and have it come out so delicious. If you are in a bind or in a rut or just plain lazy, the pot roast was a great buy!

And when a guy tells you that something from Trader Joes is “F*cking Amazing”, take those words to heart. Men don’t joke about meat (well, not the kind you eat…nevermind)