Stuffing, Crock pot style

This is curtesy of my mama-in-law and I just put it in the way she told me. It's great, trust me! And I love that it doesn't take up room on my stove, counter top or in the oven!

Day old bread, You want it to be kind of hard so it breaks up easily and isn't too mushy when you put the other stuff in. Probably for just your family a loaf or loaf and a half would work, any kind of white type bread is okay.

Then I saute onions and celery in butter until they are tender. Again, you kind of have to judge how much depending on the amount you are making, but probably 1-2 onions if small and about 7-8 clery stalks, I also use the leafy part of the celery.

I then combine the bread, onion mixture, eggs (probably 2), just a little milk, just to moisten the bread, in fact, you can do that right after you tear up the bread into pieces. Then add ground sage and I go by taste on that one. I try not to overdo that since it is such a strong flavor. You can then add a little chicken broth if you want, to keep it moist. If I'm cooking it in my crockpot, I start out on high for an hour and then turn it down to low for another 2-3 hours, you can tell when it starts to get a bit of a crust on top that it is done. I sometimes put a little more butter on top as it is cooking, not a lowfat dish for sure. You can also just bake it in the oven on 325-350 for an hour and a half or so, you can tell if it is done when it looks pretty firm and again there should be a bit of a crust on top.

I also put a little pam or spread butter on the crockpot sides and bottom of baking dish so it doesn't stick so much.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Can you tell, I love my crock pot? I love that the kids and I can run out after nap time to the park and come home to a delicious meal. This one is very easy, with all the prep work done in the morning. Just don't forget to soak those beans overnight, otherwise, well, you know what the outcome will be.... The given amounts are just suggestions, use more or less given your taste.

What you need

2 cans chicken broth (14 1/2 oz each)
2 cans beef broth (14 1/2 oz each)
1 pound black beans, soaked overnight
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup red onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Put all those ingredients in the crock pot and turn it on: low for 10-11 hours, or high for 5-6 hours.

When it's done, pull out the bay leaf and discard. Puree 4 cups of solids in a blender or food processor, then pour back into the soup.

Add: 2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp. salt

Additional, optional toppings, to stir in:

• dried chorizo sausage
• chopped tomato
• avocado
• cheese
• sour cream
• cilantro leaves, chopped

Great to freeze if you have any left over!

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs Jamaican Rice and Beans

I love my crock pot, but I often get tired of the usual crock pot recipes because they all tend to be so similar: chicken with potatoes and carrots; beef with potatoes and carrots, pork with potatoes and carrots. You get the picture. If you also feel this way, you will LOVE this new recipe! It is a great dish, easy, easy, easy and so pretty on the plate. It's so great looking and tasting I would easily feel comfortable serving this to guests. As a bonus, my kids even liked this. I have to give credit where credit is due, so a big thank you to Robin Miller from foodnetwork.com! for this great recipe! I halved this recipe, but I would really recommend doing the whole thing. It would warm up great, and chicken thighs are so small that we could have had more. Note: there are two recipes here, one for chicken and one for rice, which is not in the slow cooker, but is really easy and quick. *I added some notes at the bottom from when I cooked this dish.*

What you need:

For the chicken

1 cup sliced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 lbs skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbs minced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce with 1 tsp of the sauce from the can
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, diced
cilantro, chopped and stems for garnish
Lime wedges for garnish

Put the onion, celery, and carrots on the bottom of your crock pot. Season the thighs with salt and pepper and place on top of veggies.

In a medium bowl, combine tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chilies with sauce, and garlic. Pour over chicken.

Cover crock pot, cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4. Serve topped with avocados and cilantro.


Jamaican Rice with Beans:

2 cups instant white rice
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1 cup water
1 (15 oz) can red beans, drained
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup chopped scallions
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, beans, thyme and lime zest. Set pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fold in scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ok, my notes:

I did all it said for the chicken. But with the time range, I think done on low for 6 hours would be the best and make the thighs really tender and flavorful. If I wasn't feeding a baby, I could have used more chipotle chilies. It would have kicked it up a nice bit.

Some of the ingredients are a bit pricey (ie coconut milk, chipotle chilies), so I poured the rest of the chilies and their sauce into a freezer bag. They're all ready to go for next time. Oh, and there will be a next time. The coconut milk? I tell myself it's ok to splurge a little sometimes.

For the rice, I used jasmine rice instead of instant. I think it has better flavor. But, if you do this, you need to increase your cooking time up to about 15-20 minutes (follow your package directions). Be sure and season it very well. Salt and pepper just seem to be absorbed back into this dish with not a lot of flavor remaining, so season well. Last thing, I love cilantro in almost anything, so I added cilantro to my rice on my own plate (my hubby and kids aren't as nutzo about cilantro as I am). Oh yeah, dish all that yummy sauce left over in your crock pot into a bowl and serve it on the table. It's awesome poured over the rice.