Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken--Super easy!

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken thighs
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup teriyaki sauce
⅓ cup brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1. Combine chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and garlic cloves in large bowl.
2. Add chicken to crockpot and pour sauce over. Stir to coat chicken well.
3. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve over hot cooked rice and spoon on extra sauce if desired

 

Wild Rice & Ham Soup--Slow Cooker!

Slow Cooker Creamy Ham & Wild Rice Soup
(Adapted from here )


1 cup diced ham
2 carrots, sliced or diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3/4 C. wild rice, uncooked
1 medium onion, chopped
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup frozen peas
1-2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (optional)


1. Put the first 9 ingredients into a 4-quart slow cooker. Mix well and cook on low 7-8 hours. 

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Turn cooker to high, cover, and cook an additional 15 minutes or until heated through.

Slow Cooker Zucchini Pasta

This was a tasty way to use up some of our garden zucchini. Super simple and delicious!

Cheesy Zucchini Pasta
(Adapted from Skinny Ms)

1 (25 oz.) jar marinara sauce

3 cups (uncooked) whole grain ziti or penne shells

2 cups low fat cottage cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 large zucchini cut into 1/4” slices (I'd estimate about 2-3 cups)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

kosher or sea salt to taste

1 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

I used a 6 quart slow cooker. 

In a medium size bowl, combine the cottage cheese and mozzarella. Add in your spices and mix until well combined. Spray your cooker with nonstick cooking spray and spread 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom. In another bowl combine the remaining sauce with your uncooked pasta. Put half the pasta mixture in the slow cooker, top with half the zucchini slices and then half the cheese mixture. Repeat with layers with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle the top with your Parmesan cheese. 

Cook on low for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Crockpot Lasagna

My husband requested this for Father's Day dinner. It is absolutely delicious and not too difficult to put together, so I'm all for it!

Crockpot Lasagna

1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese or cottage cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

15 uncooked lasagna noodles 

Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.

Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

Spoon one-fourth of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture. 

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces. 

Makes 8 servings

Ziti Pizza Bake

Here's another Six Sisters recipe, and it's a good one!

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 medium onion (optional), diced -- (I think I'll leave it out next time, it was too crunchy)

1 green bell pepper, diced -- (I left this out because I have a picky husband)

8 oz sliced pepperoni

4 oz (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz Rigatoni noodles, cooked                 

15 oz pizza sauce

26 oz Spaghetti sauce

1. Brown meat, onion and pepper in frying pan.

2. Drain grease and add pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce

3. Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot (spray with non-stick spray first).

4. Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes and then LOW for 2 or 3 hours until the cheese melts.

Note:  This makes a lot of food, so I usually freeze half before cooking it.  Later it can be thawed and cooked in the slow cooker as directed above.

My note: I divided this into three parts and froze all three. One of the parts I put in a ziploc bag and two other parts I put in casserole tin thingies. I just made one of them in the casserole tin, I baked it at 350 for 20 minutes covered with foil and then 10 more minutes uncovered. It was soooo yummy! (and probably not going to be tagged with the "healthy" tag...)

(My guess is that the recipe all together would probably feed 9 or 10 people)

Crockpot Chili

All day Crockpot Chili
(Adapted from here )

1/2 c. dried beans (I used pinto)
2 cans of beans--any kind--drained (I used black and cannelini)
1 large green pepper, diced finely
1/2 - 3/4 onion, diced finely
1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
1/4 c. barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is all we use!)
Dash of: Cayenne pepper, Paprika, Garlic powder, and Chili powder
2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)

Rinse your dry beans and place into a 4-qt. crockpot. Cover with about an inch of water and cook on low for 5 hours. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook on low for another 6 hours. Serve with breadsticks or corn bread.

**If you don't have the 11 hours in one day to do this, cook the dry beans in that late afternoon/evening, and then add the remaining ingredients before placing it in the fridge, covered. Pull it out and plop it into the crockpot the next day on low. You could easily cook this for longer than 6 hours if necessary.

I thought it tasted even better today as leftovers!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers--Vegetarian Style!

My friend Renae gave me this recipe and we've had it two or three times this year. We love love love it!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
4 large sweet red peppers (we've also used green)--rinsed well
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese (or plain jack if desired)
3/4 c. salsa
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup corn (canned or frozen)
3/4-1 c. cooked rice (we always use our wild rice blend on these)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Set aside. In a large bowl combine beans, cheese, salsa, onion, corn, rice, and spices. Spoon the mixture into the peppers. Place in a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until peppers are tender and filling is heated through. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Crockpot Herb Roasted Potatoes

This is a quick and easy side dish!

Crockpot Herb Roasted Potatoes
(Adapted from Robyn)

6 - 7 medium potatoes
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried minced onion
3 Tbsp. butter

Cut the potatoes into half moons. Place them into a 4-quart crockpot. In a small bowl, mix all the herbs and spices. Add the water to the potatoes and then sprinkle on the seasoning mix. Stir to distribute the spices evenly. Add butter in 4-6 slices/pieces on top of the potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Sweet Teriyaki Chicken

Another freezer meal success! Again, from this website :)

Slow Cooker Sweet Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix together soy sauce, sugar, garlic salt and chopped onion in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Place chicken breasts inside the bag and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours.
Serve over rice.

So yummy! It tasted quite a bit like the teriyaki chicken rice bowls from teriyaki stix, only the chicken wasn't that yucky cheap stuff :) It was a tiny bit salty for my liking, so next time I think I might do a little less soy sauce, and I might just double the sauce in general because I like it on my rice. Overall it was delicious! 

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

I decided to make a bunch of freezer crock pot meals last week, and rather than put them all on at once I decided to wait until we tried all of them in case there were duds. Meal #1 was wildly successful. According to Micah, they are "the best meatballs ever." I got the recipe from here.

1 package of frozen meatballs (I got turkey meatballs and they were DELISH)
1 jar of grape jelly
1 jar of chili sauce

Mix it all up, put it in a ziplock bag and stick it in the freezer. Thaw for 24 hours (I think we did it for less than that and survived) and then slow cook it for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Serve over rice!

(This was a tiny bit spicy for my liking, but I am a huge spice wimp. I think I'll use more jelly and less chili sauce next time, but not by much)

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup With Baked Tortilla Strips

Delightfully easy and tasty meal--made in the slow cooker!! This was the perfect meal for these frigid temperatures we are living in.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
(Adapted from Skimpy Pantry)
Ingredients
1/2 red onion, chopped 
Generous sprinkling of garlic powder

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 can (4 ounces) green chilies

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 cans (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed (I did one can black beans, one can pinto beans)

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

A handful of fresh cilantro

Dump all the ingredients into your slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with sour cream and tortilla strips (see below!)


Baked Tortilla Strips 

Ingredients
Corn tortillas (I used four for two of us)
Olive oil
Seasoning salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using kitchen shears, cut the tortillas in half and then cut each half into strips. Lay the strips onto a cookie sheet and drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top. Toss the strips utnil they are well coated. Spread them evenly on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake 10-15 minutes or until crispy.  Note that you want them CRISPY and brown--but not burned. Taste test because CHEWY is not what you want. CRISPY.

And enjoy.

Even EASIER White Chicken Chili!

I posted a white chicken chili recipe on here earlier. And then a good friend pointed me in the direction of an even easier version--because this one uses the crockpot!  Plus its just darn good eatin'...

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
(Recipe adapted from  here. I made MINOR changes, at best.)

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel (or diced tomatoes with chilis), undrained
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel/tomatoes, and black beans. Top with diced onions, seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

We had it with corn bread plopped right on top of the chili bowl. YUM!

Mm Potatoes and Ham

This was super yummy AND easy!

Ingredients:
3 lbs of potatoes (I used 6 smallish potatoes)
1 c. onion
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. cooked ham
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of water
Salt, pepper, garlic to taste

Slice the washed, peeled potatoes into thin slices and put them in the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the cheese, onion and ham together. Then add it to the potatoes and mix it all around! In that same bowl, mix the mushroom soup, water, and salt/pepper/garlic. Evenly pour the soup-water over the potatoes. Cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours!

Serve with some lovely salad and french bread and you will have a delightful day!

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

I have no explanation for my love of this soup.  Split pea soup LOOKS horrible.  But the taste is somehow ridiculously addicting and I can't seem to get enough. And this is super easy to make.  I encourage you to try it before soup season leaves us completely!


Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
16 oz. dried split peas
2 c. diced fully cooked ham
1 c. diced carrots
1 medium onion diced
1 1/2 c. diced peeled potatoes
A hearty sprinkling of garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I use a bit more)
1/4 tsp. pepper 
5 1/2 - 6 cups boiling water
3 tsp. chicken broth granules

Layer the first 8 ingredients in your slow cooker.  Pour the boiling water over the top and sprinkle in your chicken broth flavoring.  DO NOT STIR.  Set the slow cooker on high for 4 1/2 -5 hours (I think you could also do 8 hours on low). After the veggies are all soft  & the peas turned to a green goop, stir it all up!

Serve with a bread of your choice.  And a big glass of milk.

Crockpot Refried Bean Soup

Tried this tonight with some trepidation. But we were totally blown out of the water by how good--and easy!--it was. I encourage everyone to give it a whirl.

Crockpot Smoky Refried Bean Soup
(Slightly adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking)
1 can of black beans
1 can of vegetarian refried beans
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes (if you use canned, drain them)
1 cup diced carrots
1 tsp. garlic (I used a generous helping of garlic powder)
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Heaping 1/2 tsp. salt

Put your crockpot on high and dump in the refried beans to start "melting." Rinse the black beans and add them to the pot.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir a bit.  Cook on high 3-4 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. (I always cook on low...)

We ate this with tortilla chips and big glasses of water because its spicy!! And delicious.

Salsa Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 can cr. of mushroom soup
1 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 c. sour cream

Easy! Put the chicken in the slow cooker and sprinkle the taco seasoning over it (I only used half the packet). Then dump the salsa and cream of mushroom soup over it. Slow cooker it for 9 hours (or so...). When it's done, dump the sour cream in and stir it around. Serve over rice!

This is GOOD for a meal that's only about 180 calories! (okay that doesn't count the rice, which is a doozie)

Calico Beans

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lb bacon
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C ketchup
1/4 C vinegar
1/4 t dry mustard
1/4 t garlic salt
1 can each black beans, northwestern white beans, kidney beans and pork & beans

Brown ground beef with bacon and onions. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook on Low for 8 hours.