Kickin' Chili

We love us some chili and there are so many different types/styles out there!  Ed stumbled upon this healthy version at peaceloveandlowcarb.com and we tried it a couple nights ago. She has many tasty recipes out there - I recommend browsing her site for more good & good-for-you dishes!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium red onion - chopped - divided

4 Tbsp minced garlic

3 large ribs celery - diced

1/4 cup jalapeno slices

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

1 - 14.5 oz can tomatoes w/green chiles

1 - 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes with Mexican seasoning

2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

4 Tbsp chili powder

2 1/2 Tbsp cumin - mounded

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

Directions:

In large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground beef, half of the onions, 2 Tbsp minced garlic, and salt & pepper. Once beef is browned, drain excess fat from pan.

Transfer ground beef mixture to slow cooker.  Add remaining onions, garlic, celery, jalapenos, tomato paste, tomatoes w/chiles (with liquid), stewed tomatoes (with liquid), Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, black pepper, and bay leaf. 

Stir until all ingredients are well combined.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Our thoughts:

We set the timer for 6 1/2 hours and the chili was just the right consistency & thickness. Nice darker brown color & really looks like my mental picture of chili!  Since all slow cookers seem to have their own unique heat level & speed (much like our ovens), just be sure you let it cook long enough so that it is not soupy.  Lots of flavor in this dish. Ed says you could add a touch of hot sauce to it if you like your chili on the hotter side, but I think the variety of spices cooked in give it a pleasant robust heat on their own.  You'd never guess it was low carb & gluten-free!  This chili also reheats well for lunches & such.

Slow Cooker Mushrooms

I love ordering a side of button mushrooms when out for dinner, and this recipe tastes just as good as those I've had at a restaurant!  I'm also excited about finally getting to use our 1 quart crock pot to make this dish!

Ingredients:

1 pound white button mushrooms - don´t buy them in the little blue boxes though. Hand pick them from the bin and choose medium to larger size because you will be cutting these into quarters. You need a decent size.

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley - It comes in a small bunch and you may find it under Italian parsley in the produce section.

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut off the ends of each mushroom leaving a little bit of the stem. Do not pop out like you would with stuffed mushrooms.

2. Wipe each mushroom clean with a damp cloth. Mushroom soak up liquid so you don't want to float them in water to clean.

3. Cut each mushroom into quarters.

4. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl & mix to coat all of the mushroom quarters.

5. Pour into crock pot.

6. Cook on HIGH 2 to 3 hours.

7. This dish works well as a side dish or as an appetizer with toothpicks.  The recipe is very easy to double or triple, depending on the size of your crowd - just use a larger crock pot to cook!

Our thoughts:

So easy to cook and very tasty as a side dish!  I can definitely see serving this dish on a regular basis, either as a side with meats, or as an additional salad topping.

Barbacoa Beef

Ed was in the mood for some barbacoa beef with kick to put in a wrap and found this recipe after consulting the Googles.

Ingredients:

(1) 2.5 - 3 lb boneless chuck roast

Adobo Sauce

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small can chipotle chiles in adobo [you'll use 1 chili & 1 Tbsp of the adobo sauce from the can]

1/2 tsp cumin

3 Tbsp tomato paste

4 large garlic cloves

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend all of the ingredients for the adobo sauce.

2. Place the roast in the slow cooker and pour adobo sauce over meat.

3. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or until the roast is pull-apart tender.

4. Shred meat & place in a bowl, then dump the crock pot sauce on top.

5. Add an additional pinch of salt.

Our thoughts:

The meat turned out very tender & had lots of kick to it.  We served in a low-carb wrap with shredded cheese with a side of slow-cooked mushrooms (this dish has a blog post too!) and found it to be a tasty, filling meal.  I could definitely see serving the leftover meat as topping on a salad for another nice healthy dinner. Another option for leftovers would be in another wrap, adding some of the leftover slow-cooked mushrooms and some additional fresh veggies.

Potato Curry Chili

We were looking for a chili that was a little different and came across this recipe on Pinterest from a vegan blog called Vegan Yack Attack.   We figured beans, veggies, and lots of spices would be quite tasty, and they were!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed and Diced
• 1½ C. Bell Pepper, Diced (I used half Red & half Yellow)
• 1¼ C. White Onion, Diced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• Optional: 1 T. Fresh Jalapeño, Diced
• 4 tsp. Yellow Curry Powder
• 1 T. Chili Powder
• ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1- 14.5 oz. Can Fire Roasted & Diced Tomatoes (with Green Chiles)
• 1- 15 oz. Can Pinto Beans, with liquid
• 1- 15 oz. Can Black Bean, with liquid
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1-2 T. Fresh Lime Juice

Directions:

1. Turn the temperature setting to High on a 4-6 Qt. Slow cooker.
2. Place the potatoes, bell peppers, onion, garlic and jalapeño (if using) into the pot, along with the curry powder, chili powder and smoked paprika. Stir all of them together until the spices coat everything evenly.
3. Next, add the tomatoes, beans and bay leaves to the pot and stir together, adding salt and pepper to taste.
4. You can either leave the temperature on HIGH and cook for 3-4 hours or LOW and cook for 6 hours (or until the potatoes are tender); it just depends on the slow cooker, really.
5. Just before you are getting ready to serve it, stir the lime juice into the chili and remove the bay leaves.
6. Serve hot and garnish with a lime wedge or bay leaf.

What we did differently:

1. In our house, jalapeño is never optional, so I diced a whole small one. It was probably a little over a tablespoon, but did not overpower the dish.
2. I did not have plain yellow curry powder, so I used hot curry powder (which was kind of yellow). Not knowing how much hotter it was, I used 3 tsp instead of 4. Ed told me I could have gone with the full 4 tsp.
3. I forgot to stir in the lime juice before I ladled the chili into bowls, but did add it to the pot afterwards. It definitely added some zest to the flavor profile of the second bowl (yes, it was that tasty that we had seconds!) 
4. We served with some lightly toasted naan to sop up any stray sauce.

Our thoughts:

Very hearty dish! Easy, very flavorful, and perfect for a cool fall evening. Shows that a chili doesn't have to have meat in it to be yummy!

Pork Tenderloin with Au Jus

This recipe from allrecipes.com is not only easy and quick to cook (relatively - we are talking about a slow cooker here!), but deliciously moist too.

Ingredients:

1 - 2 lb pork tenderloin

1 - 1 ounce envelope dry onion soup mix

1 cup water

3/4 cup red wine

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons soy sauce

ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet.

2. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat.

3. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast while cooking as possible.

4. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours.

5. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

What we did differently (it's what we do!):

Not much different this time!  I did mix the water, wine, and soy sauce together in a small mixing bowl before pouring over the pork, so I could be sure all three ingredients reached all of the pork.  I chose an Australian Merlot to cook with - Lindeman's for $5.99/bottle at Food Lion.  I will also say that this wine was great for drinking - you often find some hidden gems in the inexpensive wines!  We served with mashed potatoes & steamed broccoli & there was plenty of flavorful au jus for the meat & the potatoes.

Balsamic Chicken

I've been looking for Mediterranean-style recipes for their healthiness and hit the jackpot with this one - light & flavorful and perfect with a glass of red wine!

Ingredients:

• 4-6 cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts (mine were huge, so I used 3 which was 2.5 lbs)
• 2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (with juice of course)
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, and rosemary

Directions:

Place ingredients in the crockpot in this order:

• Pour the olive oil in crockpot
• Add chicken
• Add sliced onion
• Add dried herbs and garlic cloves 
• Pour in vinegar
• Top with tomatoes
• Cook on high 4 hours, serve over pasta or rice.

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

1. We served the dish over angel hair pasta which I think was perfect - thin and light and allowed the flavor of the chicken & sauce be the highlights.

2.  We were out of fresh garlic, so I used 8 tsp of minced garlic, and admittedly had a slightly heavy hand.  But there was not an overt taste of garlic, so I'd say it turned out just fine!

Our thoughts:

Fantastic!  The chicken ended up shredding itself when the dish was stirred, so it soaked up even more of the tasty sauce.  No one spice or seasoning stood out - everything, including the vinegar, blended together perfectly.  We served with a Portuguese red wine (Samora - Vinho Regional Tejo) which balanced the hearty flavors nicely.  This dish will definitely be in our dinner rotation!

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!