Taco Chili

Have you ever heard of taco chili? No? Me either. It was a random thought then requested for dinner and since chili was already on the menu for this week I said sure, I'll do a search and we'll give it a try. Yum! I found a recipe, gave it a few tweaks, and here we are. A tasty twist on chili that will definitely be on the menu again.

Taco Chili

serves 6

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz tomato sauce

10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies

2-2 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning (or a taco seasoning packet)

3/4 c chicken broth*

toppings: sliced green onions, tortilla strips or chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro

In a large soup pot/Dutch oven brown ground beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with toppings.

*a note about the chicken broth - add enough to make the chili the consistency you like, 3/4 cup did it for me; more would make it too much like soup and not thick chili.

 

**This can also be made in a crockpot. Brown the beef, onion, and garlic on the stove. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook 4-6 hours on low. 

modified from iowa girl eats

Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili

I made this the other night and thought it was really good. A change from the usual beef/tomato chili. Leftovers heading to a bowl near me tonight!

Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, trimmed excess fat

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
24 oz. low sodium chicken broth
2-15 oz. cans great Northern beans, drained & rinsed
2-4 oz. cans diced green chilies
1-15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
4 oz. reduce fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 c half and half

toppings:
sliced jalapenos
sliced/diced avocado
sour cream
minced cilantro
tortilla strips
shredded Monterey jack or Mexican cheese

Add chicken breasts to bottom of crockpot, top with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Add diced onion, minced garlic, beans, green chilies, corn, chicken broth, and cilantro. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken and shred then return to crockpot. Add cream cheese and half and half, stir, then cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes or until chili is creamy and slightly thickened. Stir well and serve with desired toppings.

Barley, Black Bean, and Corn Burritos

It's been a while since I've made these but they're really good, freeze well, and it makes a lot of burritos. Plus they're easy since the filling is cooked in the crockpot. I need to make some soon so I can take them to work for lunch.

Barley, Black Bean, and Corn Burritos
makes 18 burritos

15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 c barley, uncooked (not the quick cooking type)
2 c chicken broth
3/4 c frozen corn
1/4 c green onion, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
18 small flour tortillas
1 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
for serving - salsa and sour cream

Place first 11 ingredients in crockpot, stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in cilantro.

If serving right away heat the tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/3 cup of the barley mixture down the center of each tortilla, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cheese, and roll up. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

If making to freeze, spoon 1/3 cup of the barley mixture down the center of each tortilla, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cheese, and roll up. Roll the burrito in wax paper and place in a zip lock freezer bag. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave or in the oven at 350* for 20 minutes or until hot. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa

I used the instantpot again. I hadn't really planned to the other night but it fit the need. I was looking for a Mexican recipe but didn't want chicken since it was on the menu a couple of other times last week. I found something I thought looked good (we'll see how the other two like it) and it was made in the crockpot. Sarah said to make it in the instantpot so I could test out all the functions. Good idea there. Plus it was easy - the instantpot was on the dining room table while my crockpot is put away in the cabinet. We'll see how this works out, especially since I got things going a bit late.

After making this I'm not sure it's a total keeper but it was good. Sarah and I thought it needed more heat/spice/something (I used regular fire-roasted tomatoes since I couldn't find ones with chiles and I used mild enchilada sauce in deference to Bob). I'm not sure Bob liked it much at all. As for the instantpot it worked fine as a crockpot; could have just as easily have made it in a crockpot.


Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa
serves 4-6

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can yellow corn, drained
2 15-oz cans mild or medium enchilada sauce
1 15-oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles
1 c uncooked quinoa + 1/2 c water
4 oz cream cheese (light is fine), room temperature
salt & pepper to taste
1 c shredded Mexican style cheese
optional - chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, sour cream

Stir together the beans, corn, 1 can of enchilada sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, quinoa, water, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well to make sure the cream cheese is mixed in. Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Uncover, top with cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.

from Creme de la Crumb

Mongolian Beef

We're at the beginning of a long heat wave and needing to fix dinner on a Friday night I wanted something that was easy and didn't require the oven or grill. I've seen mention several times recently about using the crockpot in the summer and thought I'd peruse my crockpot pinterest board to see if there was something that struck my fancy and seemed summer like. This was quick, easy, and really good.

Mongolian Beef
serves 4-6

1 1/2 lbs flank steak
1/4 c cornstarch
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
3/4 c soy sauce
3/4 c water
3/4 c brown sugar
several squirts of sriracha hot sauce (more or less, depending on how much heat you want to add)
1 c grated carrots
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
green onions, sliced for garnish
rice, for serving

Cut flank steak into thin strips. This is easiest if you freeze it for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Toss flank steak with the cornstarch in either a bowl or ziplock bag.

Add olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and sriracha to the crockpot and stir. Add the carrots, then the steak, stirring to mix.

Cook for 3-4 hours on high/4-5 hours on low, adding the onion and green pepper about 45 minutes before it's finished. Serve over rice, garnish with the green onions.

slightly modified from The Recipe Critic

Char Siu Pork

This is one of the recipes that inspired me to start my blog. I got it from someone on the Sonlight Forums (a homeschool curriculum company that I use), emailed it to myself and printed it out. It sits in the stack of other printed out recipes, recipes torn out of magazines, and ones I scribbled on scrap paper. Which makes finding it when I want it a challenge. I can't believe that I mentioned it in my opening post and still haven't shared it. Just found the recipe again since we're going to be making it tonight (very modified though) and it needs to be here!

Char Siu Pork
(or more commonly known in our house as Chinese pulled pork)

1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp Ketchup
3 Tbsp honey
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
2 lbs boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
1/2 c fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Place in a large ziplock bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Place pork and marinade in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork from crockpot using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.

Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Notes: I tend to forget to start this early enough to marinate it but it still turns out really good. I serve it with a side of rice and a veggie.

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Thanks to Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, I know now about making baked potatoes in the crockpot. Never would have thought of it, but it sure is a great way to make baked potatoes in the summer. I also think it will be nice in the winter, throw them in at breakfast, eat at lunch.

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Four baking potatoes fit nicely in the bottom of my crock. I'm not sure how it would work if you stacked them, they'd probably need to cook all day. You'll have to figure out how many will fit in your crock.

Wash the potatoes and stab them with a fork a few times. Rub with olive oil, put in the crock and sprinkle with sea salt. You can also salt first, then wrap in foil. Cook on high 6-7 hours.

Steak and Spinach Pinwheel with crockpot baked potato

Sesame Honey Chicken

I found this recipe in the wonderful world known as Pinterest. I made it a few weeks ago, put the leftovers in the freezer, then forgot about them. Pulled it out tonight when I needed something quick and it was really good the second time. This is a quick and easy Chinese flavored chicken dish; I served it over rice with broccoli.

Sesame Honey Chicken
serves 8

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/2 tablespoon (or more) sesame seeds
3 scallions, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper then put in crockpot. In a medium bowl, combine the onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken and cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water; add to the sauce left in the crockpot* and stir. Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add back in the chicken. Serve with rice and top the chicken with the sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

*I have an old crockpot that very rarely can make a sauce thicken. I had to put the sauce into a saucepan, add the cornstarch mixture, and thicken on the stove.

modified from The Comfort of Cooking

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry

I found this about a year ago somewhere on the Pioneer Woman's website, I think in her Tasty Kitchen. I printed it out and it got buried on my desk. No big surprise there! I found it last week when I was cleaning my desk looking for something else important that I needed and decided to made it. We all enjoyed it, except Sweet Pea. She was afraid that it would be too much coconut flavor; I didn't really taste it that strongly but she still didn't like it. I'd probably make it again but on some night when she wasn't home.

Coconut Chicken Curry
serves 6

2 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into large pieces
1 whole onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 whole small green pepper, seeded and quartered
1 can tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp garam masala*
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Put chicken into the crockpot. Put the rest of the ingredients except the water and cornstarch into a food processor bowl and process together until the mix is smooth(ish). Pour sauce mix on top of the chicken, mix well. Cook on low for 6 hours.

An hour before serving, mix together water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add to the chicken curry and mix well. Place the lid back on for the rest of the cooking time.

Serve on top of steaming white rice, either jasmine or basmati rice.

*For the garam masala, I used this recipe from allrecipes.com:

1 Tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Ham and Bean Soup

Merry Christmas!!  We enjoyed our relaxed Christmas day at home, then my family came over on the 26th for some fun together.  I made a ham, mac and cheese, and salad for dinner that night, something that everyone would like.  Now I have leftover ham to make into something.  Bob has used some of it for breakfast the last two days, but I was thinking more like soup/stew.  I had a bag of Appaloosa beans I had gotten from The Herb Shop at Lancaster, PA's Central Market.  The recipe on the back got the juices flowing for a soup, but it wasn't quite what I wanted (it had salsa in it, not something Bob really likes).  So after a quick web search, I found something better that I made to our liking.

Ham and Bean Soup

1 ham bone with some meat left on
1 lb. Appaloosa beans
3 c chicken broth
3 c water
1 heaping Tbsp brown sugar
1 heaping Tbsp parsley
2 bay leaves
a few grinds of pepper

Put all the ingredients into a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours until beans are soft.  Pull out the ham bone and meat; cut up the meat and return to the pot.  Heat for a couple of minutes to reheat the meat and serve.

This can also be cooked in a crockpot on low all day or on high for 3-4 hours.

Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup

I needed something for the crockpot last night; we were making a trip to the ski slopes and were planning on getting in back just in time to get Rosie Jane to dance.  I wanted dinner to be ready when Sweet Pea and I got home so we could eat as it was going to be late.  This was good, first time we'd tried it.  One thing I need to remember is to add things like Italian sausage close to the end.  For some reason, it looses all it's flavor when it cooks all day.  Not sure if it's just me or what, but fully cooking it then adding at the end works much better.

Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup
modified from BHG.com

1 1/4 c dry Great Northern beans
1 3/4 c beef broth
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
12 oz fresh Italian sausage links, cut into1/2 inch slices
1 medium yellow summer squash or zuchini, sliced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 c dry red wine or water
1/2 of a 10 oz. package frozed chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
grated Parmesan cheese

Rinse beans.  In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine beans and 4 cups cold water.  Boil uncovered for 10 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet cook Italian sausage until brown.  Drain well on paper towels.  In a crockpot combine the drained beans, 4 cups fresh water, beef broth, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, undrained tomatoes, and red wine or water.  Cook, covered, on low heat setting for 10-12 hours or until beans are tender.

About 30 minutes before serving add the fully cooked sausage and squash.  Just before serving, stir spinach into soup.  If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Depending on how hot your crockpot cooks, you may need less time.  I think I dished up our soup after 8 or 9 hours and the beans were fully cooked.  It will depend also on how fresh your dried beans are when you use them.

Pot Roast

It's been a busy week, but I've been able to get the dinner on the table in good time most nights since I had a plan.  I had to shift things around a bit because I forgot to get the pot roast out of the freezer in time to make it but it worked just as well the night I did make it.  I had the plan, just forgot the details like taking the meat out of the freezer.  I have two different ways that I make it and I'll post both here.

Pot Roast #1

3-4 lb pot roast
2 medium onions, sliced
1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
salt & pepper

Put the sliced onions on the bottom of the crockpot and place the meat on top.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the crushed tomatoes over top.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Serve with noodles on the side and put the tomato/onion on top of everything.

Pot Roast #2

3-4 lb pot roast
4 potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, sliced
1 package of onion soup mix
water

Put the vegetables on the bottom of the crockpot and put the meat on top.  Dump the soup mix on top and add 1-2 cups of water.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Pizza Soup

Found the pizza soup recipe and this is a perfect day for it, cool and rainy, plus it's a day we're all going to be eating dinner at different times.  We'll have this for dinner with some garlic bread.  I don't remember where I found this one, somewhere on the web.  Sweet Pea loves a soup Campbell's makes (we can't find it anymore so I'm not sure if they still make it or not) that has sausage, pepperoni, pasta, and a tomato broth base and this is pretty much it.  Super easy since it's a crockpot meal.

Pizza Soup

1 (14 oz) jar pizza sauce
3 empty jars full of water
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2-3 Italian sausages, cooked
1 c sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 Tbsp dried)
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1/3 c dried pasts (if your pasta is tiny, use 1/3 cup, if it's big, use 1/2)
shredded mozzarella cheese

Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot. Put the veggies into the crockpot.  Add the basil and oregano.  Pour in the pizza sauce and follow with three empty jars of water.  Cover and cook on low 7 hours.  About 30 minutes before serving add the sausage (cut into small pieces, half moons are good), pepperoni and pasta.  Turn the crockpot to high and cook until the pasta is cooked and the sausage is warm.  Garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese when serving.

Finally . . . good Boston Baked Beans!!

My wonderful husband is from New England which means that one of his staple foods growing up was baked beans.  His favorite is B&M Baked Beans, which I do enjoy as well, but I've been looking for a good homemade baked bean recipe.  Now I've got the one for baked beans with hamburger, bacon, chickpeas, and all that other good stuff, but that's really just fancied up baked beans, not plain Boston baked beans.  I've tried several recipes but the beans are always bland and not really the right color.  You start with navy beans; which are white, don't ask me why they're "navy" beans; add a bunch of stuff and cook.  In the past, my beans have ended up still white or maybe a little tan.  Baked beans are supposed to be a nice, deep brown color.  Finally we have achieved bean nirvana!  The beans I made this weekend had a nice brown color and good flavor; the bacon and onions just melted into the beans.  Yum!  Best part is that my New England hubby really liked them.

Boston Baked Beans
adapted from Allrecipies.com

2 1/2 c. navy beans (1 package)
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, finely diced
1/3 c molasses
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard (I usually add more)
2/3 c ketchup
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c brown sugar

Soak the beans overnight in cold water to cover.  Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approx. 1 to 2 hours.  Drain and reserve the liquid.

Preheat oven to 325*.  Put the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish with the onion and bacon; stir to mix.  In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.  Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over the beans.  Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans.  Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender.  Stir a couple of times during baking and add more liquid as necessary so the beans don't dry out.  Take the lid off for the last 30 min.

These could also be done in a crockpot.  Not having done it I'm just guessing but you'd probably want to cook them all day on low or 3-4 hours on high.  I've got a nice traditional bean pot so that's how I make them.

Corned beef (a two-fer)

One of our favorite dinners easily becomes one of our favorite breakfasts, if there's enough leftovers. Bob called this a boiled dinner, Rosie Jane for a long time was asking for dinner in the crockpot meaning this (although I cook many other things in the crockpot).  We all enjoy corned beef, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.  It's an easy fix in the morning, cooks all day in the crockpot, and is ready to enjoy at dinner time.

Corned Beef (dinner)

corned beef
4-5 potatoes, cut into chunks
3-4 carrots, cut into chunks
1 onion, quartered (I don't always put this in)
1 small cabbage, cut into quarters or eighths

Put the veggies on the bottom of your crockpot then put the meat on top.  If there's a seasoning packet add it as well.  Add about 2 cups of water.  Cook on low for about 8 hours or high for 4.  Take out the meat and veggies and keep warm; add the cabbage to the crockpot and cook on high for 30 minutes.

If there's leftovers, they can become:

Corned Beef Hash (breakfast)

the leftover corned beef, potatoes, and onion

Cut all into dice, roughly the same size.  I don't usually use the leftover carrots in this and if I didn't have onion in the original dish I'll dice some extra for this.  Using a skillet (cast iron is best), melt some butter in it and add the diced leftovers.  Cook until it becomes crispy and browned, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  You may not need much salt at all as the corned beef is kind of salty to begin with.

We don't always have enough leftover corned beef for this, we all love it and eat it at dinner.  I don't usually find a large enough one so that we have leftovers.

Taco soup

First up is taco soup.  I got this recipe from my friend Wendy and it's a good one.  One night last fall, she posted on facebook that she was making taco soup for dinner in her crockpot.  I have much need to use my crockpot these days as the girls are getting older and busier around dinner time and still need me to drive them.  Makes it hard to get dinner on the table.  This is one of those nights!  Sweet Pea has to be at the farm to work, Rosie Jane is babysitting until mid-afternoon, and I've got to meet Sweet Pea at the farm about 6.  No time to cook tonight and I don't think we want to be eating at 8, so taco soup in the crockpot it is.

Taco Soup

1-2 lbs. ground beef (depending on how meaty you want it)
chopped onion (again, use how ever much you want, I'll probably use one and the bit I have leftover from something else)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans (she used kidney beans, I've used roman beans)
2 cans of tomatoes (she used petite cut, diced and only 1 can, I think I've used 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1 can Mexican style corn (I just used frozen corn)
1 1/2 cups water
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 envelope taco seasoning

Brown ground beef and cook with onion.  Throw into crockpot and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for a couple of hours.

You can serve with corn bread or chips (I think we'll do chips tonight).  Add a dollop of sour cream on the top of each serving, maybe some shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onion.  Yum!!