Moroccan Triple Pepper Chicken - Crockpot!

Very little makes me as a happy as being half way through a hard day and thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner once I get home and then remembering with a big smile on my face that I have dinner already cooking in the crock pot! Woo Hoo! Of course, the same old same old can get kind of boring after a while. So here is a new flavorful dish I hope you will enjoy! It was really good and had lots of terrific flavor!

I know this seems like a ton of ingredients, but it was all stuff I had on hand. The entire mixture came together in my crock pot this morning before work in about 7 minutes. No joke!

INGREDIENTS

4 - 6 frozen chicken breasts

2 packages of sliced peppers and onions (or you can be really domestic and slice in strips 1 red, yellow and green bell peppers and 1 onion)

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 Serrano peppers sliced thin

1 can diced tomatoes

2 1/2 tsp. curry

2 1/2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. thyme

2 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups fat-free chicken broth

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 1/2 TBSP. honey

1 small piece of dark chocolate

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Layer one bag of peppers and onions in the bottom of your crock pot. Lay frozen chicken on top of the peppers and onions.

I love these bags of chicken. ~ I like the way the bag at chicken looks like it is floating above the counter!

Top with the other bag of peppers and onions.

Take the Serrano peppers and slice them thinly.

Add dried cranberries. Sprinkle spices and minced garlic on top.

Place chocolate piece in the middle of the entire mixture.

Pour chicken broth over the mixture. Top with can of tomatoes.

I think these fire-roasted diced tomatoes give it an awesome flavor.

Cook on low for 9 - 10 hours. If you are going to cook the food for about 7 hours, use thawed chicken breasts.
Once the chicken is cooked the entire way through, take the chicken breasts out of the crock pot and shred the chicken.

Add the chicken back to the crock pot and stir in the honey.

I served ours with Almond Couscous.

Loved this yummy dinner!

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Crock Pot

A soup my family loves and is a great way to have dinner ready to go after a long day at work.

INGREDIENTS
1 bag frozen onions and tri-colored peppers
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 small bag frozen whole kernel corn
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning - low sodium
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
sliced avocado (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place bag of frozen onions and peppers, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 7 hours (If you will be cooking for longer than 7 hours, make sure chicken breasts are frozen when you put them in the crock pot so they won't over cook).

Once chicken is cooked remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, . Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Beef Barley Soup - Crock Pot

With the weather turning cooler, I like to have at least one meal a week as a "soup" meal. Easy on the budget and a great way to get in some extra veggies. Look for several new soup recipes.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean stew beef, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 packages favorite frozen soup veggies (peas, carrots, onions, peppers, etc.)
3/4 cup barley
1 bay leaf
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can V-8
6 cups beef broth - low sodium
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine (optional - but yummy)

In crock pot, combine stew beef with frozen veggies, barley, bay leaf, spices and beef broth and wine. Cook beef and barley soup on LOW in crock pot for 6 to 8 hours.

Five Bean Baked Beans

I love baked beans, but the cans of baked beans have a lot of sugar in them. So I started playing around with some different cans of beans I had on hand. These turned out really yummy!

INGREDIENTS
5 cans of your favorite beans drained ~ I used 1 can each of black beans, northern beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans. (The different beans all have slightly different textures and tastes. Made the dish more interesting and tasty!)

1/3 cup Splenda Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup
3 TBSP mustard
1 1/2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
3 - 6 shakes Tabasco sauce (can omit or add more to your taste)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup ketchup (I used 1/3 regular, 1/3 sugar-free)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
pepper
4 - 5 slices center cut lower fat bacon (optional - Omit for vegetarian dish)

Saute onion, garlic and bell pepper in a nonstick skillet with some nonstick spray until lightly browned.

I mix my beans right in the pan I'm going to bake them in. No need to dirty an extra dish. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Dump all the cans of drained beans in the baking dish, add onion/pepper/garlic mixture (if you are not a fan of any of these feel free to omit - it is your dish!). Add brown sugar, maple syrup, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce. Mix well. Season with black pepper. TASTE! You may need to add more mustard or brown sugar at this point. Lay bacon slices on top of the beans. Cook in a 275 degree oven for 1-2 hours (this dish can keep for a while in a warm, not too hot, oven; but make sure it doesn't get dried out!). Can also omit bacon and cook in a slow cooker on low for 7 - 8 hours.

Turkey Breast in the Crock Pot

Made this for dinner and it was super easy and super yummy!!! Lots of good leftovers too!

INGREDIENTS
1 turkey breast with bone in
1 package powdered soup mix (onion, garlic herb, etc)
OPTIONAL ITEMS:
1 1/2 cups baby carrots or whole carrots cut in pieces
5 stalks celery cut in big pieces
1 onion cut into big pieces
2 tsp. dried sage
2 tsp. rosemary

Put vegetables in the bottom of the crockpot. Place turkey breast on top. Rub powdered soup mix into the skin of the turkey breast. Also add herbs to the skin of the turkey breast. Cover and cook on low for 7 - 8 hours. If cooking longer, turkey breast should be a bit frozen. Do not add broth, the turkey will make plenty. The vegetables in the bottom won't be good to eat after the turkey has cooked, but will flavor the broth nicely. Strain the broth and heat in a pan and mix with a little corn starch for a great tasting gravy.

Apple Pork Loin - Crock Pot or Oven

I cook this in the crock pot, but it can also be cooked on low (250 degree oven) for about 5 hours.

INGREDIENTS
4 lb. pork loin roast
4 apples
1/4 cup no sugar added apple juice
3 T. Splenda brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, beer or white wine
3 Tablespoons brown mustard
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
1 tsp ground dried ginger or fresh finely minced ginger

Directions: Rub roast with salt and pepper. Core and quarter apples. Place apple quarters in bottom of crockpot. Place roast on top of apples. Combine apple juice, mustard, Splenda brown sugar, wine/beer/broth, onion, rosemary and ginger. Pour over top surface of roast. Cover and cook on Low for 10-12 hours, until done.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

INGREDIENTS
4 - 6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/3 cup favorite bottled buffalo sauce
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons melted margarine (non trans fat)
1 - 2 teaspoons Paprika

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. If you need to cook it longer than 8 hours, put chicken in frozen.
Tabasco sauce can be added to taste if you want it spicier.

Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing to dip it in along with celery and carrots.

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

Now that school is back in session, I LOVE crock pot or slow cooker recipes. Nothing is nicer than coming home to a good smelling dinner you can serve right away!

INGREDIENTS
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (10.75 ounce) can 98% fat free condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup skim milk
2/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 ounces sliced ham
4 ounces sliced low fat Swiss cheese
6 slices of whole wheat bread (use food processor or blender to make crumbs)
1/4 cup trans fat free margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS
Mix together the cream of chicken soup, milk and sour cream in a small bowl. Add thyme. Spray crockpot with non stick spray. Pour enough of the soup into a slow cooker to cover the bottom. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese. Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, and drizzle margarine over stuffing. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.

NOTE: If you will be gone longer than 8 hours, make sure chicken breasts are frozen when put in the crockpot - cook on low. They won't be overcooked this way!

Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Fajitas

This is a great dish to make in the morning in your crockpot and have dinner ready when you get home in the evening.

INGREDIENTS
Frozen chicken breasts (enough for 1 per person plus a couple extra if you want leftovers for lunch the next day)
1 - 2 bags frozen triple peppers and onion mix (we like a lot of peppers and onions so we use 1 1/2 - 2 bags)
Large jar of favorite salsa
1 packet fajita seasoning (found with the Mexican food items)
1 - 2 cans drained and rinsed black beans (optional)
Whole wheat flour tortillas
Favorite toppings: low fat sour cream, avocado or quacamole, lettuce, cheese, black olives

Put frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot (make sure they are frozen, this will help make sure they don't over cook). Add frozen peppers and onions. Sprinkle fajita seasoning on top. Pour large jar of salsa on top. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. About an hour before serving add black beans if using and heat through.

Serve with tortillas and toppings.