Paleo Crockpot Chicken and Veggies

Tags

chicken, crock pot, dinner, low carb, paleo, recipes, slow cooker

 

Love Love LOVE my Crock Pot!

 

I love a freshly cooked meal but I cannot stress enough the relief I feel when I come home after a long day and dinner is already done. Nearly every crock pot recipe I post, I praise my slow cooker for saving the day. Don’t get sick of it- i will never stop loving it. 

One thing I used to LOVE to make was “rotisserie” chicken in the slow cooker.  I’d let a regular chicken, rubbed with everything good, slow cook in the vessel for nearly a day. The chicken would FALL off the bone and even in some parts get a roasted looking skin- but- the parts of the chicken not all golden brown were swimming in their own juices making for one soupy chicken. It wasnt terrible. It just wasnt that roasted effect that I wanted. 

Normally, the solution to keep the chicken from swimming in juices would have been to stick foil wrapped potatoes in the bottom and them problem solved… but not wanting any potatoes I decided to just use balls of foil to prop the chicken up. And for bulk i added some celery and carrots.

The results were a complete dinner in one crock pot. The only job for the night was cleanup. 

Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 drumsticks (skinless)

4 thighs (skinless, bone in)

2 Tbsp of your favorite seasoning (i use a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, italian seasoning and salt)

4 medium sized balls of foil

1 cup baby carrots

2 stalks of celery, sliced

Directions:

Using a large plate or bowl, arrange chicken in a single layer and generously apply your favorite chicken spices on each side of the chicken. set aside.

place the carrots and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Place balls of foil on top.

arrange the chicken legs and thighs on top of the foil balls.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The juiciest chicken ever.

And tons of tender carrots and celery that slowly cooked in chicken drippings.

Complete crock pot dinner? Check!

 

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!

Slow Cooker Paleo Pulled Pork over Cabbage with Sweet Plantains

Tags

crock pot, dinner, healthy, pernil, pulled pork, recipes, salad, slow cooker, sweet plantains

If you are new here, welcome! If you are a seasoned visitor, you know how much I love and use my slow cooker. It was one of the first appliances I ever purchased for my apartment. I loved my slow cooker so much I upgraded it and didn’t have the heart to get rid of the first- so I have two. And I have zero regret over it.

I find the slow cookers to be very versatile and a true life saver.

As promised, since I have completed my initial 30 days on Paleo, I am sharing some paleo and some non paleo dishes. This particular dish is paleo. And was so comforting on a pretty painful day. I had had several injections in my lower back to treat some back pain and knowing this was already in the slow cooker comforted me and really took the pressure off getting dinner on the table.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Over Raw Cabbage Slaw and Sweet Plantains (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 boneless pork shoulder (about 3-4 lbs) trimmed of visible fat/skin

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into thin strips

2 ripe plantains, sliced into 1/2 inch slices pieces

Directions:

The night before cooking, season the pork shoulder liberally with onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker vessel covered and allow to sit overnight. When ready to cook, place the slow cooker vessel in the base and cook on low for 8-10 hours. No need to add water. No need to add anything.

After the desired cooking time is reached, turn off the slow cooker. Using a fork or tongs, shred the pork. It should shred effortlessly! There will be a liquid in the slow cooker, use this liquid to keep the pork nice and moist.

Once the pork is shredded, prepare the cabbage slaw by slicing the cabbage thinly. Set aside.

Prepare the sweet plantains by either frying, boiling or baking. I fried them in coconut oil for 2-3 minutes on each side over a medium-low heat.

 

 

 

In a bowl, or a plate- whichever you choose, serve sliced cabbage and plop a heaping spoonful of pulled pork and all its juicy glory on top of the cabbage. The drippings from the pork act as a sort of “dressing”. Serve some sweet plantains on the side to make up for the lack of rice and beans that would naturally go with this kind of meat.

We dug into this and loved it. Its filling and it makes enough to freeze half and still have lots of leftovers (unless there’s more than just you and your significant other).

This dish is paleo and you dont have to be on the paleo diet to enjoy it. Its healthy and delicious… oh and easy too- thank you slow cooker!

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!

Homemade Yogurt

Tags

crock pot, homemade yogurt, mason jar, recipes, yogurt

When I am not playing Candy Crush, I spend time browsing through my Facebook feed. It helps me catch up with friends from afar and on the rare occasion, inspires me.  My friend from High School, Dineida, has given her lifestyle and diet a total makeover and she posts her progress on facebook. One of her photos made me completely obsessed with Google and food blogs: homemade yogurt.

Here is a girl who cooks to nourish herself, not someone who loves to cook- but the photo of her homemade yogurt had me researching for DAYS how to make my own. From experience, making yogurt can be a very tricky thing. And while even the slightest mistake can ruin a batch of yogurt, its really not that hard. So, bear with me while I go through how I made yogurt… and how I accidentally made cheese.

First, you don’t need a fancy yogurt maker… although I feel that might be the most idiot proof method. I used a pot the first time and then when that flopped, I used my crock pot and got much better results.

What you need:

1 large pot, crock pot, rice cooker or yogurt maker (enough to hold half gallon of milk)

1/2 gallon of milk ( I used skim milk)

2 T plain non fat yogurt (Or 2 T of homemade yogurt, or yogurt starter)

thermometer

Since my crock pot vessel is microwavable, I filled my crock pot vessel with skim milk and put it in the microwave for 12 minutes. Or until the milk was 190*.  I then placed the vessel in an ice bath to bring the temperature to 110*.

Once it reaches 110 degrees, add the live cultures (or non fat yogurt) and mix really well. Cover the crock pot vessel and wrap in a blanket then place in the oven at 100 degrees. Leave overnight or at least  8 hrs.

This last part should be a cinch but this seems to be where I either have success or major failure. My oven’s lowest setting is 200* which is too high for the live cultures doing their job of making yogurt. So, I had to tweak the best way to get my yogurt. I tried leaving the vessel on the warm setting of the slow cooker… but that yielded less than desirable results (which you read about later in this post).  After reading tons of blogs I found the best method for my yogurt to thrive in was resting wrapped in a blanket in a preheated oven. So, I covered the crock pot vessel with its lid, then wrapped it in a blanket and placed it in a warm oven.

I went to bed and woke up to YOGURT!

At this point, you have the option to strain it to make your very own greek yogurt but the amount of yogurt will significantly decrease from 1/2 a gallon to 2 cups! Appreciate the price you pay for your greek yogurt- its expensive for a reason.

You will know when the yogurt is done, it should feel like yogurt. If its runny, something went wrong. You can strain it through several paper towels in  a strainer or if you’re freaked out by it, toss it. My first batch was too runny because the cultures weren’t warm enough.

I placed my yogurt in mason jars because they look pretty… but you can pretty much use a clean tupperware or old yogurt container, just as long as it can be sealed. Store it in the fridge while I went to work.

I had some yogurt and granola for dinner. I seasoned it with some honey, a drizzle of vanilla and a packet of sugar. It was amazing. It was really cheap to make and it made a ton!

The following morning, BR and I had a hefty bowl of fresh yogurt with berries, granola and honey.

It was filling and overall amazing. I think mostly because I couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that I made this.

I got ahead of myself and made another batch a few days later. Remember earlier in the post? I messed up a batch of yogurt. I read that I could have a creamier and thicker yogurt if I kept it on the warm setting of my crock pot.

Only, I never checked the temperature my “warm setting” is… its actually really hot. So after letting the sit in the warm setting overnight, the results in the morning were like cottage cheese.

Turns out, the cultures were working overtime because the conditions were so warm and the end result is what they like to call “yogurt cheese”. I put the “yogurt” in the fridge and read that I should strain it and enjoy it.

So, I strained it and added some thai chili paste, salt, garlic and pepper. The liquid that comes out is pure whey and its said to be awesome to save for drinks and shakes (think whey protein). But I let it go down the drain.

I had about 2 cups of yogurt cheese after straining. It was pretty thick stuff.

Surprisingly, it reminded me of a ricotta cheese, or even a cream cheese. BR and I are huge fans of cheese and crackers so having a jar of homemade cheese on hand was quite nice! And it was fat free cheese- win!!!

I have been saving lots of money on yogurt these days- pretty awesome stuff. Now that berries are in season- I have been going yogurt crazy.

Crock Pot Chicken

Tags

chicken, crock pot, dinner, slow cooker

So… it snowed in Brooklyn over the weekend. About 2 inches, no biggie. But it made my winter! It was awesome to take Mickey out to play in the snow. Snow in NY is beautiful for about an hour. Then it becomes slush. Dark Dirty Slush.

But on these lovely snow days, its nice to come home to a cooked dinner. I have had some issues with chicken in the crock pot before and decided to try it again. My addiction to rotisserie chicken lead me to try it again. So coming in from the snow, to a succulent chicken without the wait was perfection.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (7-8 lbs)

salt

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Italian Seasoning

4 potatoes wrapped in foil

My first mistake was not finding a chicken to properly fit into the slow cooker. But I wanted to keep the chicken from cooking in its own juices and to get it sort of crispy like a regular rotisserie. Taking my cue from my long time friend Carol, I placed foil wrapped potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot.  the potatoes elevated the chicken to allow it to drip freely but crisp at the same time. Then I placed the chicken (seasoned liberally with garlic, onion, salt and Italian seasoning) on top of the potatoes.

I set the slow cooker on low for 8 hrs. The lid didn’t close all the way onto the crockpot, but when I came home, it was closed properly. If the lid would have closed all the way, the entire bird would have been amazing.  But only parts of the bird got crisp. That was enough for me.

I snuck a slice of chicken before I could snap the pics but despite the lid not closing all the way, it was juicy and delicious.

The real kicker? those potatoes! They were slow baked under the chicken and completely tender.

I absolutely loved this and cant wait to make it again! Once I took it out of the slow cooker, it was your regular run of the mill rotisserie, I carved it and served it alongside the perfectly baked potato.

Leftovers were plenty and thanks to BR who had a great time harvesting meat from the carcass, I made some stock with the bones. Perfect to have on hand during this nasty flu season!

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!

Crock Pot Jambalaya

Tags

crock pot, dinner, healthy, jambalaya, sausage, slow cooker

Well, hello there.

We survived the Apocalypse! To be honest, I was everything I expected. But I was thoroughly entertained on Twitter and Facebook feeds.

With Christmas, literally, days away, I have had my hands full. Between buying last minute gifts (thought I was done!), putting together a Christmas dinner menu (Ham! We are doing HAM!), and getting sick (AGAIN) there has been much on my to do list that I just look at a say “NOT NOW!”.

My saving Grace was my slow cooker this week. I chose a few recipes to make that were slow cooker only. When I went grocery shopping, I bought everything I needed, came home and prepped for each recipe. Then I put everything for each recipe into a freezer bag, labeled it and froze it. When it was time to throw it in the slow cooker, everything was where it needed to be. I dumped the contents of the bag, set it to low, went to work and came home to dinner.

I wont lie, there were some serious hits and some very serious misses with this slow cooker experiment. While I love coming home to dinner being already made, there is something really comforting about dinner that was just cooked. And not to mention the disappointment that comes when you cook something all day and it tastes like shit.

This is not one of those shitty ones. In fact, this was quite good. I haven’t had Jambalaya in forever and looking at this package of andouille sausage was all I needed to make this happen.

The recipe needs some tweaking but not much. It was very easy to prepare and tasty.

Serves: 1 cup of jamabalaya per person (feeds 8)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 ribs celery, chopped
1/2  cup water
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces cooked andouille sausage, sliced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
4 cups hot cooked rice
Chopped green onions (optional)

Directions:

Place onion, celery, water, cajun seasoning, thyme, sausage, chicken, tomatoes, and tomato paste in a 5qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high or 4-5 hours. (this recipe called for shrimp as well, but I didn’t have any on hand- feel free to add shrimp).

To serve, place 1 cup of jambalaya on top of 1/2 cup of fluffy white rice and garnish with sliced green onions.

I left out the tomato paste in this recipe an the sauce was very thin. The addition of tomato paste and less water (already decreased in the recipe) should yield a more substantial sauce.

This recipe was not very spicy. Even my mother, who does not like spicy foods, enjoyed this recipe. It was enough to feed mom, dad, BR, and I plus leftovers for lunch. This is a great recipe for snowy nights in and good sit-com reruns.

Ooooh. And a glass of wine.

And a snuggie.

and fuzzy slippers.

and boyfriends who do dishes.

Crock Pot Pernil

Tags

crock pot, pernil, recipes

Help! I am drowning in boxes!

Well, I am still packing and still burning through my supply of food. Dude, my freezer seems like its never ending despite all the food I have been cooking. Some of it has been really mundane. Chicken. Vegetables. Lean Cuisines (shhh. don’t tell anyone). And most recently, a Pernil!

That got me excited!

For me, there is no greater comfort than some home cooked spanish food. Especially when it is nearly effortless.

Traditionally, pernil is cooked low and slow in the oven. But ever since I read a blog post on slow cooking a pernil, I have never even attempted to cook it in the oven. At first, if you remember, I was like “Whoa! You can’t put a pernil in the slow cooker!!” but I assure you- you can. And now I will never cook it any other way.

The pernil I got was only 3 lbs which was perfect for me the boyf, plus leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients

1 pernil (3-4 lbs)

1 packet sazon con achiote

1 Tsp salt

Directions:

Trim the pernil of all visible fat (you can roast the skin as a treat for yourself  your dog). Season the pernil liberally with sazon and salt. Let sit overnight in the fridge.

Place the pernil in a 4 qt slow cooker the following day and cook on low for 8 hrs or on high for 4.

The result? Meat that fell off the bone! I placed a fork in it and  it literally fell apart.

Success.

The spices I used are more traditional, but some people get very serious about their seasoning. I am not trying to go grocery shopping so I used what I had. It came out very tasty. Also, if you really wanted to kick the flavor up a notch, stabbing the pernil and shoving raw garlic cloves into the stab wounds works well.

The best way to carve the pernil is to use two forks to shred the meat like pulled pork. Reserve some of the drippings to pour onto the meat for flavor and texture.

I served mine with a side of yellow rice.

Off to pack some more while Mickey takes a nap (lucky!).

My Favorite Food

Tags

crock pot, dinner, meatball, polenta, turkey

These days, spending my time in Queens has been rare. I have been schlepping back and forth to Brooklyn with my doggy in tow to spend time with my family. It hasn’t been easy but despite missing my bed so much, i feel so blessed to be able to spend this time with my family.

We dont live forever, you know?

But the other day I did manage to sleep in and spend a good chunk of my day at home and what I wanted so badly was to cook something. And not something elaborate or fancy. I wanted some good old fashioned comfort.

When I think about what I am in the mood for its usually creamy polenta and homemade meatballs.

You might recognize the name, its because I have made it before. I actually make this when I am in need of comfort food. It’s funny because when people ask me what my favorite food is, i tell them i dont really have one… but I think i have been lying.

My favorite food is creamy polenta with meatballs.

I like making my polenta in the slow cooker. Plus, I like getting “miles” out of this baby! It only cost me $10 when i first moved into my apartment. Its my special baby.

My polenta is probably not the healthiest as it has butter AND cream cheese in it… but one thing you can be sure of- its FREAKIN Delicious.

While my polenta is cooking away, I get started on my meatballs. I used a lb of ground turkey and in it i added an entire chopped onion (a small one), garlic powder (because i hate chopping garlic), an egg, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, parmesan cheese and oats (becuase I was out of breadcrumbs).

I made meatballs the size of golf balls and placed them in my cast iron skillet to bake at 425* for 25 – 30 minutes.

They were so pretty!

I had to wait another hour before the polenta was finished (longest hour of my LIFE) and served up a heaping spoon of polenta with two hearty meatballs and a spoonful of my favorite marinara sauce (please dont tell my grandmother i are jarred sauce!), sprinkled it with parmesan cheese and went to town on it!

This is my bowl of heaven. My comfort. When I cant be home every day, this really livens my spirit!

Whats your go-to comfort?