Crock Pot Enchiladas

I love enchiladas- my husband, not so much. So, over the years I have made a lot of enchilada recipes in search  of "the one" that the hubby would really like. This is it! I use home made enchilada sauce from this recipe. I really think the homemade sauce is the key. This is a versatile recipe that can be used to make traditional enchiladas, or as a casserole type dish in the crock pot. You can also use ground beef, shredded chicken, or ground turkey like we do.

Crock Pot Enchiladas
Source: Passionate Homemaking

1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1lb. ground turkey
29 oz. enchilada sauce (I use a little less than 29 oz.)
2 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. greek yogurt (or sour cream)
8 whole wheat tortillas
shredded cheddar (about 2 1/2 c.)

Heat small amount of oil in large skillet. Saute onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add meat and brown. Stir in enchilada sauce, beans and greek yogurt. Spread thin layer of sauce in bottom of crock pot. Then layer tortilla, sauce and cheese repeating until sauce is gone and ending with cheese. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Greta and Miles rating: They both love this recipe. It is a little spicy, but they just drink a lot of milk with it!

Best French Dip

The best French dip I've ever had! I found this recipe a few weeks ago on Joelen's blog. I've since made this recipe THREE times! Throw everything into a crock pot and when the meat is ready, just grill up some buns. FABULOUS.

Best French Dip
4 lb. Chuck Roast
1 c. soy sauce
6 c. water
1 T. dried rosemary
1 T. minced garlic
3 bay leaves

Cook all ingredients in a crock pot set to low setting. Cook at least 4 hours (or until meat is done) but the longer, the better! Serve on grilled buns with au jus. Serves 10.

Greta and Miles rating: They are normally not big fans of red meat and they adored this!

Crock Pot Turkey Meatball Subs

I found this great recipe for Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs on the website, healthyeatingsimplified.com. Since my children really despise spaghetti, I thought we'd try making meatball subs. I love this recipe because it has tons of veggies added and the best part is that it is for the crock pot!
Crock Pot Turkey Meat balls
sauce:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. mushrooms, chopped
1/2 c. bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1t. dried basil
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1 T. red wine vinegar
salt to taste

meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/8 t. black pepper
2 egg whites

Hoagie rolls and Mozzarella for serving

Combine sauce ingredients in crock pot on low setting. Using hands mix meatball mixture. Shape into 1" balls and fry in 2 t. oil, browning on all sides. Once meat balls are browned, transfer to crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve in hoagie rolls topped with mozzarella cheese.
Greta and Miles rating: They ate it, but weren't crazy about it.

Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats

One day I posted that I had made steel cut oats as my facebook status. I got all sorts of comments like "how the heck do you cook those, anyway?". Well, I like to make a big 'ol batch in the crock pot and then portion it out into containers for reheating during the week. That way I can just reheat a single serving when I'm ready. These are great topped with fresh fruit, with a swirl of yogurt, with dried fruit or nuts. Here is a page with some of the health benefits of eating steel cut oats.

Steel Cut Oats

7 c. water

1 c. steel cut oats

1 T. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 T. coconut oil (or butter)

1 T. honey

Combine all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low or high until desired consistency. Since I cook mine to reheat, I turn the crock pot off when they are still a little runny. I usually end up cooking them on high for about 4 hours. Yields about 8 servings.

All portioned out and ready to go!

Harvest Lamb Stew

This meal was delicious, but not the best for a hot summer night! In any event, this is a keeper. Simple and flavorful and could easily be made in the crock pot. For those of you who make your own baby food- this would be a great recipe to use!

Harvest Lamb Stew

1 lb. Lamb stew meat

1 T. Olive oil

1/4 red onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 c. butternut squash, cut into chunks (I used frozen!)

1/2 c. pearl barley

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs thyme

3 c. tomato juice

Heat medium skillet on HIGH. Salt and pepper the lamb chunks. Brown lamb about 1 minute, turning once. Remove to roast pan or dutch oven (center should be red). Turn heat down to medium and add oil, onion, garlic, squash, bay leaf and thyme. Cook about 5-8 minutes and add barley. Cook, stirring, an additional 2 minutes and add to pan with the lamb. At this point it should look like this:

Pour tomato juice over mixture and bake at 325 for about 2 hours (or place in crock pot for 3-4 hours on low) Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Salsa Chicken

This is one of my favorite crock pot recipes. It is incredibly easy and everyone in the family loves it. The leftovers are great as well.

Salsa Chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)
15 oz. jar salsa
10 oz. frozen corn
1 can (or 2 c. ) black beans, drained ***
1 pkg. reduced fat cream cheese
rice

In crock pot layer chicken, salsa, beans and corn. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high or 3-4 hours. With 30 minutes left, add cream cheese. Do not stir. After 30 minutes stir and serve over rice.

***I always use dried beans. They are much cheaper and have no sodium. I cook large batches on the stove top, then freeze the beans in 2 cup portions. The beans are ready for recipes--1 can= approximately 2 cups.

Lentil Stew

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted. I started a new job in November and have not had near as much time to try new recipes. This meal has become a regular at our house. It is easy, cheap and every one likes it. It's also a great meal to warm you up in the dead of winter.

Lentil Stew

6 c. water

3 vegetable bullion cubes

1 lb. lentils

1 1/2 lb. stew meat (optional)

10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T. dried basil

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low all day (5-6 hours) or until meat is done. Season with salt and pepper as desired.