Slow Cooker Stew

Ingredients

• ½ C all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2-3 lbs. stew meat or boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large zippered plastic bag. Add in meat and toss to coat.

• ¼ C canola oil

Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat and cook meat until browned on all sides.

Place meat in slow cooker.

1 large onion, chopped

Add onion into same pan that you cooked the meat in and cook until onion is golden brown.

4 C beef broth
4 tsp chopped garlic

Add in beef broth and garlic. Bring to a boil. Scrape up pieces of food from bottom of pan.

2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves

Add in parsley, thyme, bay leaves, sugar, soy sauce and tomato paste.

Pour mixture over meat in crock pot.

Cook on high for 4 hours

1 lb. red potatoes, quartered
3 carrots, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

Add in potatoes and carrots and cook one additional hour.

*This was good but next time I will cut the beef into smaller pieces, and cut the potatoes and carrots larger.

http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/slow-cooker-irish-stew/

Tomato Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes
1-2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
4 C. Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

Bring to a boil, simmer on low for 20 minutes

Make a roux:
1/2 C. flour
12 c butter
Melt butter in sauce pan.  Whisk in flour.  Continue whisking and cook for a minute or so.

Add to soup - blend in a blender or with immersion blender.
If you want a creamier soup add cream or half and half.

Optional, add pasta.

Easy Tomato Soup (Helen)
1 small can tomato soup (add can of water)
1 (15 oz) can diced or whole tomatoes (put in blender)
1 c. whipping cream or half and half
¼ c. butter
1 t. dried basil
½ t. dried oregano
1 T. sugar

Add all ingredients in pan and heat.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.


(I doubled the recipe and only used 1 c. cream and it was still good.  Could use milk instead of water
for the tomato soup)

White Chicken Chili

*Allison Allen


4 chicken breasts
1 garlic clove
1 lb great northern beans, cooked
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1 med onion, chopped
3 cans chicken broth
1 tsp oregano
1 small can green chilis, chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup whipping cream(optional)
1 cup sour cream (optional

avocado
mozzarella or jack cheese
tortilla strips or chips

In a pot saute onion, garlic and chicken in oil.
Add beans and everything but sour cream and whipping cream.

If you want a creamy soup add whipping cream and sour cream.  If not, don't add these items.  Another option would be to let people add their own sour cream.

Garnish with diced avocados, cheese and chips.

**This can also be cooked in the crock pot, if the chicken isn't cooked and shredded.

Chipotle Chocolate Chili

Chipotle Chocolate Chili
(Adapted from Our Best Bites)

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey or ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 14.5-oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz. can beef broth

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

Chipotle sauce (from the can of chipotle chilies) (I don't usually have this on hand, so I don't add this)

1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (1/2 unsweetened baking cube), chopped (optional; use to taste as needed; be careful, because too much will make your chili bitter)

Light sour cream

Chopped green onions

3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground turkey until meat is cooked through. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, tomatoes, beans, and beef broth. Add all of the chipotle sauce from a small can of chipotle chilies. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer (uncovered), stirring occasionally, until thickened as desired (I like it about 30-40 minutes). If desired, add some chopped chipotle chilies. Add 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar and a small amount of chopped chocolate at a time until desired richness is reached. If necessary, add more red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness of the chili. This is where you can play around a little with the flavors.

When thickened and seasoned as desired, serve with sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/10/chipotle-chocolate-chili/

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup diced celery 

Mix the broth, water, carrots,  chicken and rice (and the seasoning packet) in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for six to eight hours or on high for four hours.

Once chicken gets tender (couple hours in), break it up into pieces while cooking.

At the end of the cooking time, get a small bowl and mix the salt, pepper and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon to form a roux.

Then, while still on the heat, whisk in the half and half, a little at a time, into the roux until mixed completely and smooth.

Stir  mixture into the soup in the crock pot then let it cook on low for 15 more minutes.

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/09/comfort-foods.html

**make sure to use the large crock pot.
*next time try using about half as much flour, butter and half and half.  Would be healthier and probably doesn't need to be so creamy.
*tried using milk in place of half and half.  Worked great.  Would probably still suggest using half as much butter/flour/milk.
*4 tbsp butter, 1/4 c flour, 2 cups milk worked well.

Cheesy Veggie Chowder

5 cups diced potatos

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups sliced carrots

2 cups celery, chopped

3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped

3 cups water

2 cups sliced

4 chicken (or veggie) bouillon squares

1 tsp salt

Combine above ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer 20 minutes

Then Add:

4 chicken bouillon squares

½ tsp pepper

½ cup butter

In small bowl, combine (whisk) until smooth:

2 cups milk

½ c flour.

Add slowly to base.

Finally, add:

8 oz cheese, cubed.

Cook on low to medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring often.  Do not boil or overcook.  Makes 8 – 10 servings

**  I used half as much butter (4tbsp) and it worked great.

**I usually end up adding more water, and sometimes I will exclude the cheese completely and we just add grated cheese to our own bowls of soup.

Taco Soup

2 lbs ground beef, browned

2 cups celery, chopped and cooked with meat

2 cups carrots, grated and cooked with meat

1 qt. whole tomatoes

1 can chili beans

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 pkg mild taco mix

1 can beef broth (or 1 beef bouillon cube & 1 ½ cups water)

1 can tomato sauce

2 cans cream of potato soup

Heat until it simmers, top with cheese, diced avocados, sour cream and taco chips in bowl.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 chicken breast halves

2 15 oz cans black beans (undrained)

2 15 oz cans tomatoes

1 C. salsa

4 oz can chopped green chilies

14 ½ oz can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning

Combine all ingredients in crock pot.  Cover and cook on low 8 hours.  Just before serving remove chicken and shred or slice into bit sized pieces.  Stir into soup.  Serve with chips and cheese.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts in 1/2 pot of water.  Take out chicken and shred or dice.

Add:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 onion diced

2-3 carrots, thinly sliced

2-3 celery stalks, sliced

Egg Noodles

Season With:

onion salt

lemon pepper 

parsley

salt and pepper

Baked Potato Soup

Adapted from OurBestBites.com

2 Tbs butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
4 1/2 C low-fat or skim milk
1 14oz can chicken broth (or 2 cups watr + 2 bullioun cubes)
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked
2 C grated cheddar jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 C light sour cream
1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
4 slices bacon cooked & crumbled

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps. Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 C sour cream and 1/4 C green onion. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon. (The bacon can be added to the soup with the sour cream and green onions, but we didn’t like how it turned rubbery, especially the next day, so we just add crumbled bacon as we serve the soup.)

Printable recipe here
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