Nothing but a Crock

In keeping with my desire to go vegetarian at least one day a week, I found a flavorful slow cooker recipe that I made for dinner last night called, “Slow Cooker Southwestern Pot Pie.” I found this clever recipe on the RecipeZaar.com site. I refer to it as clever because it really ends up looking like a pot pie when it’s finished: a thick top crust covering a stew-like concoction underneath, only this is made entirely in the slow cooker—no oven necessary!

Here’s what you need:

• A 3 ½- to 4-quart slow cooker (I used my round 4-quart model)
• A small skillet (for sautéing the onion and carrot)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil (Note: although the recipe on the RecipeZaar site doesn’t indicate how all of the olive oil should be used, I assumed that one tablespoon is intended for sautéing the onion and carrot, because the other tablespoon is used for the crust, and the one teaspoon of oil is used for oiling the slow cooker crock.)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 3 cups dry pinto beans or 2 – 15.5-oz. cans of pinto beans, drained (I used the canned beans basically for convenience, rather than the dried beans, which must be soaked and cooked prior to using in this recipe.)
• 1 jalapeno chili, minced (remove the seeds and white ribs for a milder flavor)
• ¾ cup vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon tamari or other soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup cornmeal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup milk or soymilk

Here’s what to do:

• The dried beans must be cooked prior to using in this recipe, but they can be prepared in the slow cooker the day before. On the day before you wish to make the pot pie, pick and rinse a ½ lb. of dry beans, and soak them in water all day. (Make sure the water is one inch above the beans.) Drain the beans, dump them into the slow cooker, cover with fresh water, and cook them on the low heat setting overnight. In the morning, the cooked beans are ready to drain and use in this (or any) recipe.
• In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and carrot until softened (about 5 minutes).
• Lightly coat the inside of a 3 ½- 4-quart slow cooker crock with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
• Transfer the sautéed onions and carrot to the slow cooker, and add the bell pepper, garlic, corn, pinto beans, and chilies.
• Stir in the vegetable stock, tamari, and cilantro.
• Cook on the low heat setting for 5 hours.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix well. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the milk, and mix until just combined.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll or pat the topping into a shape similar to the shape of your slow cooker.
• Place the crust on top of the ingredients in the slow cooker, turn the heat setting of the slow cooker to high, and cook for 1 hour more.
• If you want this to be a vegan dish, use the soy milk rather than the cow’s milk.

This was a really good dish—another great one-pot meal. And, of course, I have to mention that there was an adequate amount of leftovers so that I can have another tasty vegetarian dinner tonight. (Love those leftovers!)

Rather than preparing the traditional Christmas lunch consisting of roast goose or turkey or beef or whatever, my family decided to do something different this year: a potluck. I was in the mood for slow cooker ribs again, so my contribution to the holiday feast was a great tasting recipe that I found on GroupRecipes.com called, “Slow Cooker Caribbean Ribs” submitted by “Mountainmama.” This recipe features pork loin back ribs that are rubbed with a flavorful mixture of spices, slow cooked for eight or nine hours, and then coated with barbecue sauce and cooked for another hour.

Here’s what you need:

• A 5- or 6-quart slow cooker
• 3 lbs. of  pork loin back ribs
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ cups of your favorite barbecue sauce

Here’s what to do:

• Coat the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. (I used my 5-quart oval crock pot.)
• Remove the inner skin from the ribs if desired.
• In a small bowl, mix the dried minced onion, mustard, red pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and garlic powder.
• Rub the spice mixture onto the ribs.
• Cut the ribs into 4-inch pieces.
• Layer the ribs and the sliced onion in the slow cooker; then pour the water over the ribs.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on the low heat setting for 8 to 9 hours.
• After the cooking time has elapsed, remove the ribs from the crock pot and drain and discard the liquid from the pot. Pour the barbecue sauce into a shallow bowl; then dip the ribs into the sauce.
• Return the ribs to the slow cooker and pour any remaining barbecue sauce over the ribs.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on the low heat setting for another hour.

One thing was clear about this recipe: I should have doubled it, because the ribs were wiped out in no time. I think that the unexpected addition of allspice and cinnamon is what really made these ribs distinctive. Everyone liked them so much that I’m thinking that I’ll probably make them again for a New Year’s Day potluck that I’ll be attending. Thanks, Mountainmama!

While browsing the Internet, I found another great slow cooker entree that I would classify as comfort food, which has become an important consideration when selecting recipes this time of year. The hardy folks here in Minnesota are used to severe winters, but this one has gotten way out of hand. It started snowing around the first of the month and it hasn’t stopped, which has resulted in many of us looking to some of those “comfort food” recipes to help us survive the long winter season.

“Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff,” which I found on AllRecipes.com, is a terrific version of the classic recipe.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Here’s what you need:

• 4-quart slow cooker
• 1 pound cubed beef stew meat
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
• ½  cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 4 ounces cream cheese

Here’s what to do:

• In a medium-size slow cooker (I used my round 4-quart model), combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and water. (Note: instead of the water, I used some canned beef broth that I had leftover.)
• Cook on the low setting for 8 hours, or on the high setting for about 5 hours.
• Stir in the cream cheese just before serving.

How much easier could it get? I served the beef stroganoff over egg noodles—it was right tasty! This is definitely one of those recipes that gives you that warm, cozy feeling inside and helps you to forget about what’s going on outside.

What do you do when you’ve got a houseful of overnight guests and you need to provide them with a decent breakfast in the morning? And, what do you do if cooking isn’t one of your strong points; yet you want to provide your guests with something more substantial than an old dried up supermarket donut and a cup of coffee? And lastly, what do you do if said guests like to sleep until mid morning and when they’re ready to have breakfast, it’s actually closer to lunchtime than breakfast? Well, you can do what I did last weekend and cook up a terrific brunch recipe in your slow cooker—problem solved!

“Slow Cooker Breakfast Bake” is definitely one of those slow cooker recipes that I would describe as easy, tasty, filling, foolproof…everything I’ve come to expect from recipes cooked in the slow cooker. There’s nothing fancy about this recipe, which I found while browsing through the “Slow Cooker Recipes” on RecipeTips.com, but it’s definitely a crowd pleaser—my houseguests gobbled it up in short order. It’s loaded with all kinds of good things, such as eggs, hash browns, ham, onions, bacon, and cheese, which cook up in the slow cooker into one irresistible casserole-like breakfast dish.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Bake

I put everything in the crock pot the night before and refrigerated it overnight. I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., removed the crock from the fridge, stuck it in the slow cooker unit, and went back to bed for a couple of hours, knowing that I would be up long before my guests began to stir. The dish was ready when they finally came downstairs, still half asleep, following their noses to the wonderful aroma wafting from the kitchen.

I served this breakfast bake with some sliced fruit and some store-bought blueberry muffins. This delicious brunch turned out to be substantial enough to hold everyone over until the evening meal. This was a really satisfying dish, not only because it tasted so good, but also because it was such a hit with everyone. I highly recommend that you try it out for yourself.

In my last post, I mentioned that easy-to-prepare slow cooker recipes are important to me and that I often look for recipes with the word easy in the title. Well, I guess when it comes right down to it, most slow cooker recipes are, in fact, quite easy to prepare, whether or not the word easy is part of the title. Some slow cooker recipes may have a lengthy list of ingredients, but even those recipes involve only the most basic kitchen skills: slicing meat, chopping vegetables, measuring ingredients, etc. And, speaking of measuring, it’s often not as important to have accurate measurements when slow cooking as it is when using other cooking methods—using less garlic, for example, or adding a few more carrots, isn’t going to ruin the outcome.

Among the many slow cooker recipes that could have the word easy in the title is this one that I found on GroupRecipes.com: “Slow Cooker BBQ Short Ribs.” It was posted on Group Recipes by someone who had found the recipe on the Kraft Foods recipe Website.

Here’s what you need:

• I used my trusty 5-quart oval slow cooker (I think a round 4-quart would work fine)
• 4 pounds of beef short ribs
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce (or any other brand of your preference)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Here’s what to do:

• Place the short ribs into slow cooker and top with onions.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook the ribs on the low heat setting for 6 to 8 hours. You may also cook the ribs on the high heat setting, but this will require only 3 to 4 hours.
• Remove the ribs from slow cooker and cover to keep warm while you finish the sauce.
• Skim the excess fat from the surface of the sauce; then return the ribs to the sauce. Stir gently until evenly coated and heat for a few minutes prior to serving.

This was a foolproof recipe (it must be—I made and it turned out excellent) that I highly recommend. I generally prefer ribs that are grilled with the barbecue sauce applied just before serving, but I think this recipe was equally good. Try it—you’ll like it!

Recipe titles that include the word easy always catch my eye, so it’s no surprise that I chose this recipe. Featured on the BetterRecipes.com Website, “Easy Crock Pot Beef Stew,” certainly lives up to its name. With only six ingredients (plus water) and minimal preparation (chopping an onion and a few potatoes and carrots) it couldn’t get any easier.

Easy Crock Pot Beef Stew

Here’s what you need:

• The recipe didn’t specify the size of slow cooker to use, but I used a 5-quart model.
• 1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into cubes
• 1 lb. baby carrots (I had a few regular carrots on hand, so I used them instead. I simply cut them into half-inch slices.)
• 4 or 5 medium potatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 packages McCormick brown gravy mix
• 1 package McCormick beef stew seasoning

Here’s what to do:

• Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-size pieces.
• Chop the onion.
• Place the stew meat and the vegetables in the slow cooker.
• Cover the ingredients with water and stir in the gravy and seasoning mixes. (Before adding the water to the slow cooker, I stirred the gravy and seasoning mixes into about 2 cups of water; then I poured it over the ingredients in the slow cooker. I added more plain water to the slow cooker until the ingredients were covered.)
• Cook covered on the high heat setting for 4 to 6 hours or on the low heat setting for 8 to 12 hours.
• This recipe makes about 6 big servings. (Plenty of leftovers!)

Although this beef stew wasn’t my all-time favorite, it was, nevertheless, quite good. It certainly was a time saver and a money saver. The leftovers provided me with my lunch today, and the rest of it went into the freezer, stored in those single-serving-size plastic containers.