CROCK POT WEDNESDAY!

OKAY!!!

The weather is heating up... and it's an even better reason to use your crockpot... less use of those hot appliances to heat up your house...

So say you want to make a delicious Chicken Cacciatore... but it's 110 outside...and you'd rather be in the pool?

Well... put it all in the crockpot and forget it!

Here's what you'll need...

A bunch of skinless, chicken pieces... I'm not picky...eat what you like... just make sure to take the skin off and all visible fat...

1 whole sliced onion

3 cloves garlic crushed

1 can PLAIN crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

Please... don't buy that sauce in a jar... it offends me... :)

1-2 tsp dried oregano or Italian Seasoning mix

1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms

1 thinly sliced bell pepper (any color)

Salt and pepper to taste

Dump it all in... set it to high... about 1/2 way through cooking (4 hours) pour in a cup of wine you would drink with a meal... stir, cover, and cook another 4 hours or until the chicken falls off the bone...

Serve over brown rice or Pasta and

ENJOY!!!!!

Crock Pot French Onion Soup... low fat version!

Okay...so I'm back, and my computer is fine... and I need to get back to writing this blog... it keeps me on track with my eating... and keeps me in the game... and when I can't post for whatever reason... I find myself NOT putting my best foot forward...whew...

Soooo... It's Crockpot Wednesday... and even though the weather is warming up... I'd like to share a favorite soup... with all it's curative properties, and it's great flavor... it's not TOO hot outside, and we still have cool evenings around here... so this may become a welcome cup of nourishment...

Crock Pot French Onion Soup

4 large sliced onions

4 cloves crushed or chopped garlic

1 cup dry white wine

6-8 cups beef broth

salt

pepper

bay leaf

 tiny pinch of dried thyme

Grated Romano or Parmigiano Cheese

Good, whole grain, crusty bread (for those that eat bread... my family... not me)

Saute ALL the onions in a skillet until wilted and soft.. not brown... or just dump them into the crock sliced and raw...

Add the broth, wine, salt to taste and pepper, bay leaf, and garlic...

Place the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or more...

At the very end... stir in a tiny amount of butter... real butter... maybe about 1 - 2 tsp only... to enrich the soup...

Toast the good french bread... with a brush of olive oil and a sprinkle of the grated cheese

Ladle the soup over the bread in a bowl, and top with more grated cheese if desired...

*Notice I stayed away from the soft, high fat, oily cheese traditionally used in the recipe...this is waaaay better for you...

Enjoy!!!

CrockPot Wednesday

Mmmm.... Chicken in the Crock Pot... What can be better?

I LOVE to make BBQ Chicken... but sometimes... when I know I'm going to be gone all day... and I still want BBQ chicken with all the BBQing... I make this...

Here's what you'll need...

Chicken... any cuts you like... skinned and defatted

1/2 lbs crimini or button mushrooms

1 sliced big onion

2 cups homemade or good store bought BBQ sauce

(read the ingredients and find the one with the least ingredients and fillers...) (if it reads like a science experiment... it IS an science experiment... and we are NOT guinea pigs!!!)

You can pre saute your chicken and get a good crisp on them, or just throw them in... whatever floats your boat...

Add everything in (but only 1/2 the BBQ sauce) and turn it to high and cook for 6-8 hours...

Stir occasionally if you are home...

At the end... stir in the rest of the BBQ sauce and season to taste...

Make some lovely brown rice with frozen peas sprinkled in or corn...

or a great Cous Cous (whole wheat if you can) made with a fat free chicken stock

or small side of pasta (if you eat bread)

and ladle over the goodness...

The chicken FALLS off the bone...

Make a salad, pour a nice glass of wine...

AND EAT LIKE A QUEEN!!!

Leftovers are AWESOME!!!

Crock Pot Cooking...

I LOVE MY CROCK POT...

It saves time, money and slaving over a stove...

HOWEVER...

Many traditional recipes so popular for Crock Pots are loaded with fattening/high salt/ low nutrition canned cream soups and high salt/high chemically added dry soup mixes...

Those foods may fill us up... they also make us sluggish, inflammed, and makes our kidneys work harder to get rid of processed junk...

I've decided to include, on a weekly basis, a series on Crock Pot cooking, on Wednesdays, and provide recipes that I love that don't add bad or processed ingredients...

So today...

I'm going to share how I cook in my crock pot for a week's worth of mini meals.

What you'll need...

2 large London Broil steaks... all visible fat trimmed

1 package of crimini or white mushrooms (whole)

5 peeled and chunked carrots

1-2 large onion, peeled and sliced

1 bay leaf

Your favorite meat rub.. I like salt, pepper, granulated garlic, bbq seasoning (no msg) or Montreal Steak Rub, or Steak Seasoning rub...

Sometimes I just use Fresh spicy mustard and salt and pepper.

Sear your meat in a screaming hot pan to carmelize and sear in the juices... (you can skip this step if you want)

Rub the meat with the rub before searing or before placing into the pot, if you didn't sear it.

Dump all the rest of the ingredients in.

Add 1/2 cup of wine, water or stock (low sodium)

put the lid on and crank it up to high for about 8 hours or so.

After it cools, I place all the juicy goodness into a Lock n Lock and refrigerate it and take small pieces of it all week long for everything from tacos and burritos for the kids, to a nice 4 ounce chunk over a bed of saute'd cabbage and onions for my lunch, or shredded over a lovely salad for lunch,

or along side a bed of Israeli Cous Cous for my hubby and kids.

It just falls to pieces after being cooked... and it's a great staple to have in the fridge all week.

I even love some shredded pieces rolled up in lettuce leaves with some hot sauce, cucumber slices, bean sprouts, and tamarind sauce from The Cheesecake Factory for a delectable lunch...

Crock Pot beef... no heavy creamed soups, no packaged soup mixes... just fresh, real ingredients... and good veggies...

You'll eat like a Queen all week long... and you will have only cooked once!!!

Enjoy!