Slow Cooker Chili

It has been quite a while since I have shared any recipes. But, I have been cooking and trying to find interesting new things to try. Here is a good one for a group.

The Ingredients.

--1 can kidney beans (and the goop!)
--1 can black beans (and the goop!)
--1 lb lean ground meat (I used ground turkey)
--1 green bell pepper, chopped
--1 large onion, chopped
--1 28oz can of chopped tomatoes
--4 chopped cloves of garlic
--1 tsp cumin
--1 tsp marjoram
--1 tsp basil
--1 tsp turmeric
--2 tsp chili powder
--1 tsp salt
--3 T red wine vinegar

I also decided to not brown the meat on the stove top. I hate browning meat, (it makes more dishes) and since the turkey I used was quite lean, I just stirred it in raw. If you are going to use beef, or enjoy browning meat, go for it.

Chop up the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Add to the crockpot. Open the can of beans, and pour in the whole thing. Add the ground meat. Stir in all of the spices and the red wine vinegar.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. I cooked our chili on high for 6 hours.

Season with a bit more salt, to taste.

I doubled the recipe for our group of 10.

Orange and Ginger Glazed Pork Chops

We made this last night and it was so good I had to pass it on. Sorry- no photos!

Serves 4

This sweet and spicy glaze is easy to prepare,so plan to have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes! If using boneless pork chops, be sure to reduce the cooking time. Serve with rice pilaf and sautéed greens.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Whole Trade™ 365 Everyday Value® Organic Orange Juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (1-inch thick) bone-in, center-cut pork chops

Directions

Arrange oven rack about 6 inches from heating element and preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, orange juice, ginger and salt. Arrange pork chops on prepared baking sheet in a single layer, spacing them a few inches apart. Spread half of the glaze over the tops of the pork chops and broil until golden and just crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

Carefully flip pork chops and spread remaining glaze over the tops. Return to oven and broil until just golden and crisp on the second side and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes more. Transfer to plates and serve.

Homemade tomato sauce from scratch

I have been wanting to try my hand at making my own tomato sauce and this was my first attempt. I decided to alter the recipe a bit & added diced bell pepper and used some cherry tomatoes and little yellow tomatoes in addition to regular tomatoes.

The bunch of basil chopped down to about a half cup.

After briefly boiling the tomatoes I dunked them into an ice bath to cool them down before peeling, seeding and chopping them.

The tomatoes are ready to peel when the skins split in the boiling water.

Once the tomatoes are pureed and ready to go, I sauteed the onions and bell pepper together. Then everything went into the pot to simmer.

This is how it looked going into the pot.

After 3 hours of simmering this is the result:

All in all it turned out well. I think next time I would leave the bell pepper out and make a more basic sauce. I served it over spaghetti noodles with grilled sausage mixed in and a side of rolls. Yum!

Fresh tomato sauce

With tomato season in full swing I have been wanting to try to make my own tomato sauce from scratch. If you don't have time to make it entirely from scratch you can substitute canned diced tomatoes & tomato sauce for the fresh tomato.

Ingredients:

20 ripe tomatoes

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C. chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

1/2 C. red wine

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. The tomatoes have to be peeled, seeded and chopped. To make peeling easier the tomatoes should be put into a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes or until the skin splits. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes and place them into an ice water bath to cool.

2. Peel the tomatoes, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Finely chop tomatoes with a sharp knife or use a food processor to blend.

3. Heat oil in a pot, add onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is transluscent. Add tomatoes, basil, italian seasoning, red wine and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting seasoning as desired. (Alternatively, the sauce could be cooked in a crock pot)

5. Serve over cooked pasta. Extra sauce can be frozen in ziplock bags.

Beef Stroganoff

I am excited to try this. I have left over steak and vegetables that I am going to toss in as well. I do have to go to the market for sour cream, mushrooms and green onions, but I hope this well be an easy dinner. I am also going to buy some wide noodles although this doesn't call for it.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef chuck roast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 ounces butter
• 4 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup white wine
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
3. Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste.

Call for Recipes

I think I need you guys to help me think of something for dinner! I have lost some steam. What about everyone posting their favorite dinner recipe and then we can all make it!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This recipe was fairly easy to make, although it ended up taking longer than I thought. My vegetable peeler was no good for peeling the sweet potatoes (maybe I need a new one...) so I ended up having to peel them with a knife which took a little longer. Also, for some reason the water & potatoes took forever to boil. Aside from that the process went pretty well. I doubled the recipe because I happened to have 4 sweet pototaoes. I used pre-minced ginger and cilantro to save time (the kind you buy in a tube in the refrigerator section of the produce department). I thought the cilantro was a bit strange with sweet potato, I don't know if I would add it the next time I make it. I served the mashed sweet potato as a side dish with baked chicken & sauteed squash, yum!