With this frosty weather, enjoy these crock pot recipes where we explore short prep time, highly tasty soups & stews that are soft, warm & full of happiness.
Crock pot cooking is not just useful for when you are under the weather. Its great when you are low on time, or are serving a large group of people. I know a few clever bachelors that spend Sunday morning recovering from their weekends and slow cooking a little something to take to lunch for the week to save money for the next weekend ;) Most people use them for rotel cheese dip or serving hot drinks at parties. As more of us return to whole foods and grains with less preservatives and longer cooking times, your grandmother's crockpot deserves another look.
(But if you are in a hurry or you don't have a crock pot, you can still use all these recipes in a stewpot on the top of the stove, just shorten the cooking time & keep an eye on it)
RECIPE INDEX:
(But if you are in a hurry or you don't have a crock pot, you can still use all these recipes in a stewpot on the top of the stove, just shorten the cooking time & keep an eye on it)
RECIPE INDEX:
- 10 bean soup (how to cook using dried beans, etc)
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Beef Goulash
- Vegetarian Chili (My friend's contest winning meatless version that beat 10 meat varieties in the panel's blind taste test!)
10 bean Soup
Dried 10 bean mix
4 oz Salt pork (1/4 pound)
Black pepper
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Chili powder
2-3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
4-6 cloves of garlic (smashed)
1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)
Buy a bag of dried beans (most grocers carry a 10 bean variety), throw out the stupid "flavor packet" full of salty bouillon & preservatives. In a very large bowl, rinse the beans out until the water runs clear. Now fill the bowl of dried beans about ¾ full of water, add half of your garlic & onion. Cover with saranwrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight (8-12 hours is ideal). Soaking dried beans is essential and prevents crunchy beans (this method can be used with just about any variety of dried beans or peas you prefer).
I prefer to use salt pork as flavoring. I will fry it before putting it and its oil in the pot to add flavor. You can use bacon, ham or even hamhocks if you prefer (vegetarians can use their favorite bacon substitute). If you don't use salt pork you will need to add at least a teaspoon of salt to the soup just before serving.
Take your soaked beans and pour off all the old water. Put your beans in the crock pot with your meat and add a couple cups of water (beef broth also works well) to cover the beans under an inch or two of water (the beans will absorb some water, but be careful not to make it too soupy). Add the rest of the spices & finely chop the rest of the garlic & onion to be included now too. Put on high, this is done in 4 hours. On low this meal is ready in 8 hours (or however long you are away at work).
This soup is also pretty awesome at Mexican potlucks as a dip if you cook it down a while longer.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
4 chicken thighs (boneless skinless)
24 oz. diced tomatoes (rotel will also work if you like spice)
4 oz. chopped mild green chiles, drained
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 diced yellow onion.
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
Salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. chili powder
(optional: 1/4 tsp. red pepper if you like it spicer)
Dump all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 4). Then include:
2 cup carrots (thick, chunks of veggies because they keep their form better)
2 cup celery
Add veggies and let cook on high for 30 minutes till they are tender. Spoon a big hunk of chicken into a bowl and add:
1/2 of a lime's juice
1 tbsp cilantro
1/4 cup of shredded Colby jack or monterrey jack cheese
1 slice of avocado
Stir together and add more soup to fill out your bowl. Serve with a handful of broken tortilla chips sprinkled on top & if you like you can add a 1/2 cup of Mexican or brown rice to your bowl.
Beef Goulash
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
8 ounce package of egg noodles
Place onions and carrots in crock pot. Combine next four dry ingredients; toss beef with this mixture and add to crock pot.
Combine broth, wine, tomato paste, paprika and garlic; pour over beef. Cover crock pot and cook 7-8 hours on low.
When stew is ready, cook noodles and transfer to platter. Stir sour cream into stew just before topping noodles and serving.
Vegetarian Chili
Mushroom stock:
1 ¼ cups tepid water
handful dried shitake mushrooms (I've tried a few different mushrooms for stock, and so far much prefer shitake to anything else.)
Soak mushrooms for at least 30 mins (preferably an hour,) squeeze liquid out of mushrooms and set aside (I cut mine up and use them in soup, but they might actually make an interesting addition to this chili too, not sure.) Stock should be tea-colored.
Meat Substitute:
½ lb soy cake (gluten, no oil,) rinsed and grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
Mix well, marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 mins., mixing once or twice during that time. Fry on medium heat, stirring frequently, until bits are browned and edges are slightly crispy (mine sticks quite a bit during this but I just keep scraping, making sure it doesn't actually burn – when it's dried out enough it no longer sticks, and I call it done.
Chili
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cups (about one really big) chopped yellow onion
1 – 1 ½ cups red bell pepper (one to two peppers, depending on size)
2 – 4 fresh serrano peppers, depending on taste (I used four small ones,) stemmed, seeded, and minced small (wear gloves if you mince by hand – my thumb and fingertips are still slightly numb)
2 T. minced garlic
1 medium to large zucchini, ends trimmed and small diced
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (Lagasse's recipe calls for fresh off the cob)
¾ lb. Portobello mushrooms, small cubed (I include the stems, just discarding a small slice off the end.)
4 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne (the amount is Lagasse's. I honestly don't know how much I used of this, just shook a little in)
4 large tomatoes, crushed and chopped (Lagasse didn't crush them, but does call for them to be peeled and seeded, which I didn't do – I'm thinking the canned stuff just might work as well, but not sure how much – maybe two large (32 oz.) cans? The four slicing tomatoes I used weighed in at a little over three lbs. total. I tried an earlier version with romas, which I usually prefer in other stuff, and found the flavor too overwhelming and acidic.)
cooked meat substitute, prepared above
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
Mushroom stock prepared above
vegetarian refried beans (used to thicken, amount may vary – I used about ½ can – alternately, you can use about 2-4 Tbsp masa flour – sorry I can't be more precise, I don't really measure -- pre-mixed with ¼ cup cold water if you prefer.)
In a large pot, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, mix well. Add tomatoes and meat substitute, stir well. Add beans, tomato sauce, and mushroom stock. Stir well and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 mins (you may get some sticking during this time; if mild, just scrape with stirring spoon – if stubborn, scrape vigorously and reduce heat a little more.) Add refried beans or masa mixture and stir until well-blended. Done! Refrigerate leftovers.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 mins (you may get some sticking during this time; if mild, just scrape with stirring spoon – if stubborn, scrape vigorously and reduce heat a little more.) Add refried beans or masa mixture and stir until well-blended. Done! Refrigerate leftovers.