Zucchini Ziti

There's nothing I like better than an easy recipe for the slow cooker, so imagine how excited I was to find this recipe from Skinny Ms that only requires 2 hours cooking time!  Perfect for those times when you don't have time to throw a meal in the slow cooker before work and you'll still be able to eat before bedtime!

Ingredients:

1 (24 oz.) jar marinara (no sugar added)

3 cups whole grain ziti shells, optional penne

2 cups fat free cottage cheese

2 cups skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 large zucchini (1/4” slices)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fresh basil (finely chopped)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

kosher or sea salt to taste

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into slow cooker, cover and cook on low approximately 2 hours, or until ziti is al dente (firm but not hard).

Skinny Ms Tip: If you're on a tight budget try Ragu Lite (no sugar added) and if you're not, we like Amy's Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce.

What we changed (it's what we do!):

1.  Instead of ziti, we used whole grain penne pasta.

2. We couldn't find either of the suggested marinara sauces, but we did find a reasonably priced marinara that was no sugar added, so we were happy...and it tasted quite good.

3.  At 2 hours, the pasta was not hard, but still a little chewy.  When we checked again at 2 hr, 15 minutes, the pasta was al dente!

Our thoughts:

Very tasty!  The zucchini really picked up the flavors from the marinara sauce.  Another plus is that the zucchini wasn't soft or soggy, but still had the right amount of crispness, in my opinion.  After the success of this recipe, we can't wait to try a zucchini lasagna in the slow cooker!

Savory Superfood Soup

Cool fall weather has arrived and this time of year always makes me crave soups & stews - great autumn comfort foods!  I found this recipe from Skinny Ms awhile back on Facebook and pinned it on my Crockpot Recipes board on Pinterest.  The beauty of crockpot cooking when working from home is that I can chop veggies & throw everything in the crockpot at lunch and it's ready just in time for supper!

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced carrots

1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 cup fresh or frozen green beans

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Kosher or sea salt to taste

2 cups vegetable juice (Skinny Ms used R.W. Knudsen, Organic Very Veggie Juice, no sugar added)

2 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or until veggies are tender. Add a tablespoon of reduced fat cheddar cheese, if desired.

NOTE: If you prefer a less subtle onion and garlic taste, saute onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 additional minute. Add to slow cooker along with other ingredients.

To make this even more of a Superfood Soup, add 2 cups coarsely chopped kale the last 5 minutes of cooking, or until wilted.

What we changed (it's what we do):

1. We left out the cilantro (we're just not fans of its flavor).

2. We used Harris Teeter brand Vegetable Juice Cocktail which did not have added sugar...and was lots cheaper than anything organic.

3.  The soup cooked for 6 hrs, 45 minutes and the veggies were plenty tender.

Our thoughts:

The soup was much more savory than expected (which is a good thing)! The spices really complemented the vegetables well and made the broth very hearty.  The consistency probably puts it in between a soup & a stew, but either way, it was tasty and perfectly suited for today's cool weather!