Five Things

I enjoy writing these Five Things posts, and depending on the week, I either have 10 legitimate ideas or zero.  This week was a week where I had a lot I wanted to discuss, but that's mostly because I managed to have my camera out when I needed it.  For instance, moments before I devoured this burger I was able to get a picture.  Five Guys has finally come out to the Bay Area and now I have one less reason to visit the East Coast.  Sorry everyone!  

I've taken to getting all kinds of processed and fatty toppings on my frozen yogurt lately.  All the froyo shops seem to carry these toppings now, whereas they used to only have healthy fresh fruit.  These kinds of toppings bring me back to the TCBY days of my youth!  (TCBY seems to be mainly focused in rest stops and airports now, though - right?)  Forgo the raspberries and bring of the crushed Oreos!  At least when I eat it with these toppings I don't have to engage in the "this isn't that bad for me" conversation.  

I am 90% certain that I haven't mentioned this cookbook in a Five Things post yet, but if I have, then you know how much I love it!  Slow Cooker Revolution is the perfect slow cooker cookbook because it combines beautiful pictures with helpful hints (it is from America's Test Kitchen) and a wide range of recipes. I love this cookbook because it contains simple recipes that require mostly dumping in ingredients and complex recipes to fully utilize the slow cooker's potential.  I've made a chicken curry recipe and a chili recipe so far and they've both been great.  The chili recipe will hopefully be featured on here soon!

Strawberries are invading the Farmers Markets and John and I have been buying hoards of them.  Eating them with our Sunday lunches has been great, but what is even better is when John does the slicing and sets it out in a pretty bowl with our two forks to share.  I love that guy.

As a LaBarre woman, I decided our gal Harper needed some bling.  We got her an adorable ID tag from Etsy for $12.  Cheaper than any of my bling, that's for sure.    

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork "Stew"

Half the fun of cooking at home is recreating something you know and love and the other half is cooking things you've never tried.  Because I'm not making chocolate croissants this week (the only thing in life I know and love right now) I will share a recipe for something you've probably never had.  It's not exactly something that comes on a menu.

Pulled pork in a spicy chipotle broth topped with cheese and lots and lots of tortilla chips.  A combination that probably only exists as a result of the slow cooker is one that you will never forget.  I ate a disgusting amount of this stuff when I made it.  The true sign of a great recipe, right?

So if you want to make another easy slow cooker recipe that requires zero pre-cooking and 100% dumping-ingredients-in-the-slow-cooker, this is the one to try next.  I'm serious about having lots of tortilla chips on hand though.  Required, not optional, people.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork "Stew"
From Martha Stewart

1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14 oz.) whole tomatoes in puree
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 3/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and halved crosswise
Tortilla chips, for serving
Grated monterey jack or cheddar cheese, for serving

In slow cooker combine diced onion, dried oregano, bay leaves, minced chipotle, adobo sauce, crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes (and puree), kosher salt, and ground pepper.  Add pork and toss with sauce.  Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours, being careful not to uncover the slow cooker while it is cooking.  The meat should shred easily with two forks.  Remove any gristle and using a large spoon strain off grease from the sauce.  Discard bay leaves and serve in large bowls with plenty of grated cheese and nachos.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chipotle Tacos

Let's be real, one of the best parts about a slow cooker is the convenience factor.  Don't get me wrong, it does a great job making food tender and delicious, but I can also do that by simmering something on my stove or cooking it in the oven.  The beauty of a slow cooker is that you can leave it on your countertop all day while you are at work and not worry about burning the house down.  Well, not worry too much about it, I guess.  The problem is that most slow cooker recipes are not really suitable for a weekday morning throw-in-the-ingredients-and-go.  I may manage to chop an onion before work, but I have no expectations of being able to pan fry some chicken before going to work.

That's why this slow cooker recipe is particularly wonderful.  Sure, it tastes great, but the magic lies in the fact that you throw in raw chicken before heading to work and then come home to delicious shredded chicken for tacos.  Assuming you can handle microwaving some tortillas, cutting a lime, and slicing up some iceberg lettuce, dinner is done.

I've made this recipe twice already and it is going to continue in rotation.  It uses chipotles for a bit of heat and smokiness.  The chicken has some kick to it, but add the amount of chipotles you feel comfortable with based on your heat tolerance level.  For me a year ago this would be about a 1 on a scale of 1-10.  Nowadays I'm more likely to go for a 5 as my idea heat level.

The recipe works well with chicken breasts or thighs, so use whichever you prefer.  It tastes a lot less time than any other taco meat method and had the bonus of being healthier than ground meats of any sort.  I like these tacos best without cheese, though I'm not sure why.  To me they taste best with shredded lettuce and a nice squeeze of a lime.  Sour cream is a perfect addition too, if you have that on hand.  So next time you are craving tacos, skip the ground meat and break out your slow cooker.  You won't be sorry.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chipotle Tacos
Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1-2 cups tomato salsa (your own or store bought)
1-2 canned chipotle chiles in adobe, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
Kosher salt
Ground pepper

For serving:
Taco shells/tortilla
Sliced iceberg lettuce
Sour cream
Limes

Add chicken, sliced garlic, chopped chipotles, salsa, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and chili powder in a slow cooker.  Mix until chicken is covered with other ingredients.  Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Do not remove lid until cooking is complete (or almost complete).  Pour chicken and sauce into a large bowl and shred with two forks (it should be falling apart).  Serve with heated taco shells or tortilla, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and a nice squirt of lime juice.

Art of the Slow Cooker

 

I've been slow cooking up a storm lately - well maybe just slow cooking up a drizzle, since it's isn't exactly a frenetic activity.  My recent slow cooking is mostly due to this great book I picked up at the library a few weeks back, Art of the Slow Cooker by Andrew Schloss .  Both my Chocolate Chicken Chili recipe and Hearty Minestrone recipes came from this book, and it's practically unheard of that I would get a chance to cook more than one recipe from a cookbook before I return it to the library.  The book isn't too long, but it has lots of inviting and appetizing pictures to tempt you into breaking out the crock pot.  I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a slow cooker cookbook. 

 

My slow cooker cost something like $19 on the day after Thanksgiving sale at Target.  I figured that was too good a deal to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't pass it up because slow cooking can make amazing soups.  I haven't ventured into the meat-cooking territory yet, but mostly because the recipes aren't as appealing to me.  I'm sure I'll be blogging about slow-cooked pork shoulder soon though!

Hearty Minestrone

 

John was out to town for three days last week, so I decided to make myself a huge pot of soup and eat it for every lunch and dinner until he returned.  I had a lot of studying to do and I couldn't be messing around with cooking and cleaning pots all the time.  Since I was going to be single-handedly eating all of this soup, I knew I needed to make it a good one, or I'd be having a bland few days.  I took the slow cooker out of the cupboard and went to work!  This minestrone is chocked full of vegetables, so it really satisfies as a meal.  If this was a less chunky soup, I would have been starving.  For me, the real essential part was adding freshly grated Parmesan to the top.  I love my minestrone filled with thin strands of cheese.  It adds a richness to the soup that a vegetable soup is normally lacking.  I never grew tired of the soup when I was eating it for half the week - and trust me, that says something.

  

Don't let the big pile of ingredients scare you, this is what happens when you make a soup.  You will need 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large onion, 3 carrots, 2 celerey ribs, 2 yellow bell peppers, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, 1 cup 100% vegetable juice, 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, juice and zest of 1/2 lemon, and shredded Parmesan for topping.

  

Other than the onion, which you dice, you want your vegetables to be roughly the same size.  I would suggest cutting the carrots smaller than I did, because they take longer to cook (or you could throw them in first).  Half-inch pieces work well for this soup.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes until tender. 

  

If you want to reduce your dishes, don't forget to add the celery and cook it in a separate pan.  Doh.

  

Once your veggies are tender, add 2 cloves of mined garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/4 teaspoon dried sage. 

  

Toss to coat and cook a minute more. 

  

Now pour your veggies into your slow cooker.  Add 4 cups vegetable (or beef) broth, low sodium if you can.

  

Then add one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas/garbanzo beans/whatever you call 'em.

  

Now add 1 cup of V8 (or any kind of 100% veggie juice), 28 ounces (for me that was two cans) of diced tomatoes, with their juices, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper.  Cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.

  

Once the cooking is done, it's time for the finishing elements. 

  

Add 1/4 cup chopped parsley.

  

Then add 1-2 cloves minced garlic, and the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon.  Stir to combine everything and it's ready to serve!

 

As I mentioned, the Parmesan for me is a must.  My bowl and spoon were covered with melted cheese when I was done.  That's the sign I had just enough in there.  Enjoy this soup sometime soon before the weather warms up.  It is easy and delicious - so much so that you'll be eating it all week!

Hearty Minestrone

From Art of the Slow Cooker

Makes about 10 bowls

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 celerey ribs, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch slices

3 cloves garlic, divided

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

4 cups vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup 100% vegetable juice

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Shredded Parmesan for topping

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chopped onion, carrots, celery, and peppers to pan and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add 2 minced cloves of garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, and sage.  Stir to coat vegetables and cook for another minute.  Pour vegetables into slow cooker.  To the slow cooker add vegetable broth, chickpeas, vegetable juice, diced tomatoes (with juice), red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Cover your slow cooker and cook for 3-5 hours on high or 6-10 hours on low.  When your pot is done cooking, stir in parsley, one clove of minced garlic, and the juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon.  Serve with lots of shredded Parmesan. 

Chocolate Chicken Chili

 

"Chocolate chicken chili" reminds me of that Savage Garden song "Chica Cherry Cola."  Three c-words strung together except the first one seems to make no sense with the other two.  Also, am I the only one who remembers this song??   I'd never heard of chocolate in chili until my friend Amanda told me about Nigella Lawson's apparently amazing chocolate chili.  And I'm not one to turn down chocolate in anything!  I was going to make Nigella's recipe, but I was a little lazy and decided to do a simpler version in my slow cooker.  It turned out to be delicious.  Loads of chicken with a rich chili flavor.  I probably would add another can of beans next time I make it, but that's just me.  

  

Like any good chili recipe, there are quite a few ingredients, though almost all of them are pantry items like spices and canned goods. What you need: 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 pounds boneless chicken, 1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, 1 can (15 oz.) white beans (drained and rinsed), and 1 oz. bittersweet chocolate.

  

First cut up your chicken and cook it in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  I bought 1.5 pounds or so and used some leftover turkey I had in the freezer from Thanksgiving.  Both tasted great.  I thought the chicken breast would taste tough, but it is tender and delicious after cooking in the slow cooker for hours.  Yum!  You don't want to completely cook it as if you were about to eat it, but I cooked mine about 90%.  When almost cooked throw it in the bottom of your slow cooker.

  

Dice up your onion and cook it some olive oil until translucent.  

  

There we go!

  

It's spice time.  Add 4 cloves diced garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons flour.  Mix it around until the onions are coated and cook for another minute or so. 

  

Add 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth and 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with their juices into the onion pan. 

  

Bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.

  

Pour the sauce on top of your chicken already in the slow cooker. 

  

Now add your can of drained and rinse white beans.  Stir it well and it's time to turn on your slow cooker and leave it be for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. 

  

I think I set mine for 8 hours, though I honestly don't remember at this point.  It's smelling delicious by now and you just need to add the finishing touch.

  

Chocolate!  Add 1 oz of bittersweet chocolate to your chili, reduce the heat to warm and stir to combine.  Cook it for another two minutes or up to 2 hours on warm before serving.

  

John was a huge fan of this chili too.  He's not much of a cheese person...

  

But I am!  I love my chili with tons of cheese, and this one was no exception.  Loads of tender chicken in a rich, thick sauce made this chili unbeatable.  You can't taste the chocolate per se, but it just adds another dimension of flavor to this already great dish.  Maybe I'll start adding it to all kinds of chilis I make.  Yum!

Chocolate Chicken Chili

From Art of the Slow Cooker

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) white beans, drained and rinsed

1 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 pounds of chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, to the pan and cook until 90% done.  Remove the chicken to your slow cooker.  Heat a little more olive oil in the skillet and add 1 large diced onion.  Cook until translucent and then add 4 cloves diced garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons flour.  Stir until onions are covered and cook 1 more minute.  Add 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth to the onions and 1 can of diced tomatoes with their juices.  Bring to a boil and simmer for several minutes until the sauce thickens.  Pour sauce into slow cooker with chicken and then add 1 can of drained and rinsed white beans.  Stir and turn on slow cooker.  Leave to cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  When fully cooked, reduce to warm and add 1 oz. of bittersweet chocolate and stir to melt.  Allow it to cook 2 more minutes or leave it on warm for up to 2 more hours.  Enjoy with shredded cheese, if you're into that.