Slow Cooker Salisbury Steaks

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/mushroom-salisbury-steak/

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbs mustard
• 1/4 cup corn starch

Instructions

1. Place butter in a frying pan with onions. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes ensuring onions don’t brown. Add mushrooms and cook until all liquid is absorbed. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. In a bowl combine beef, 1/4 cup of the broth, egg, pepper and Panko bread crumbs. Mix well and form 6 patties.
3. In another small bowl, combine remaining broth, flour, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder and water. Mix well.
4. Place beef patties in the pan and brown on each side (about 2 minutes). Transfer to slow cooker.  Pour sauce into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours or high heat 6 hours.  When ready to serve, remove steaks from slow cooker and turn heat to high.  Make a slurry with broth and corn starch. Whisk well and stir into broth.  simmer and stir 5 minutes until sauce thickens.  Place steaks back into slow cooker and stir to cover.  Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Slow Cooker Pork & Fennel Stew

4-5 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup dry red wine (or beef stock)
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
grated parmesan cheese & flat leaf parsley for serving
Egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta to serve stew over.

Season pork cubes with salt & pepper
Saute onion & fennel in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown.  Scrape into slow cooker.
Saute mushrooms in olive oil until brown, add garlic and fennel seeds and saute another 2 minutes.  Scrape into slow cooker
Saute pork cubes in oil until browned on all sides (but not cooked through)  Transfer to slow cooker.
Add wine to pan and cook until reduced to half, scraping browned bit off bottom of pan.  Transfer to slow cooker
Add tomatoes (undrained) to slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until pork is tender.  Skim fat from slow cooker and discard
Serve over egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta & sprinkle with parmesan & parsley as desired.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

http://cincyshopper.com/slow-cooker-breakfast-casserole/
Such an easy brunch recipe (esp if Hubby is getting up at 5 AM to go to the gym anyway!)
Veggies, breakfast meat, and type of cheese could be varied to taste (bacon, ham, goat cheese, swiss, asparagus, peppers, etc)

Ingredients

• 1 bag Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes (32 oz)
• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• 1 Small Onion diced
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 8 oz Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 12 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Milk
• seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, herbs, etc) to season eggs
• Chopped chives or a sprinkle of paprika to garnish at end (if desired)

Instructions

• Saute sausage, onion, and mushrooms until sausage is cooked through, drain.
• Spray insert of slow cooker with non-stick spray.
• Add half bag of hash browns to bottom of a large slow cooker.
• Add half your sausage mixture.
• Add half your cheese.
• Add remaining hash browns.
• Add remaining sausage mixture.
• Add remaining cheese.
• In a medium sized bowl beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together.
• Pour egg mixture over your casserole.
• Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6 hours (or until internal temperature reaches at least 160*).

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

4 slices bacon(cook in pan and set aside for garnish)
Pour off all but 2 Tbs bacon grease from pan:
Brown on 1 side:
6 Chicken breast tenders, cut into bite size pieces)
Remove to slow cooker.  Mix together garlic through thyme and deglaze frying pan.
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
juice and zest from 2 lemons
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried thyme (or dill)

Pour over chicken in slowcooker and cook for 8 hours on low.
Remove chicken, pour liquids into sauce pan and thicken with cornstarch to make a gravy.
2 Tbs cornstarch (for gravy)

Stir chicken into sauce pan
Serve over pasta, green beans, rice, or potatoes.  garnish with bacon

Mulled Wine

1 bottle of fruity red wine (Syrah, Merlot)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup sugar

in a mesh pocket:
1 large orange (sliced with rind on)
4 cloves
2  cinnamon sticks
2 star anise

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir.  Cover and cook on low for a few hours (don't boil)  Can garnish cups with orange slices and cinnamon sticks

Spicy Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/02/spicy-dr-pepper-ribs/
The Pioneer Woman used this for a ribs recipe, but we don't really do ribs.  I used it for slow cooker pulled pork, so that's the recipe here (but it would also be good for shredded chicken or beef sandwiches, wings, a dip for chicken fingers, or, of course, ribs)

• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 can Dr. Pepper
• 2 Chipotle Peppers Packed In Adobo (with about 2 Tbs of adobo sauce from can)
• 1/3 cup Brown Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 pork loin (about 3 pounds)
• 1 onion, sliced

Preparation Instructions

Prepare the marinade by gently boiling the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place sliced onion and pork loin in a slow cooker on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.

Remove pork from slow cooker and shred.  Discard most of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker (it will dilute your BBQ sauce)

Return shredded pork to slow cooker and stir in BBQ sauce.  Heat thoroughly then serve (we love this on toasted onion rolls with coleslaw)

Meyer Lemon Slow Cooker Chicken

http://seattletimes.com/html/foodwine/2022927857_1recipe18slowcookchickenxml.html

1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
2 leeks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken (thighs or breasts)
½ cup white wine
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 Tbs dried dill
2 Meyer lemons, quartered
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
Noodles, cooked, to serve (we like penne)
Parmesan cheese to top (if desired)

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the leeks, garlic, onion, mushrooms, fennel, chicken thighs, bouillon, white wine, rosemary, dill, lemons, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook for seven or eight hours on low heat or for four to five hours on high heat.
2. When the chicken is done, remove and discard the lemons. Adjust seasonings with additional salt and pepper, as needed and stir in olives. To serve, place noodles in the bottom of serving bowls. Spoon the chicken and vegetables over the noodles along with some of the liquid. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Braised Beef and Kale stew

http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2012/12/slow-cooker-beer-braised-beef-with-kale-recipe.html

4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch lengths
2 lbs stew beef, cut into 2-inch chunks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 12-oz bottle beer
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper seasoning
4 cups chopped kale

Directions

In a large pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until it just begins to brown. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Transfer the bacon to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.

Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Dry the beef with a paper towel, and toss the chunks in the flour to coat; shake off the excess. Brown the beef on all sides, in batches if necessary so the pan isn't overcrowded. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.

In the frying pan, add the water and the onions, and sauté the onions until they start to brown. Add the sugar, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the bay leaves, mustard and beer. Bring to a boil, scraping with a rubber spatula to get up all of the brown bits in the pan. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker.

Cover the slow cooker, and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the beef is quite tender.

Add cider vinegar and chipotle pepper to stew and stir.

Remove the bay leaves.

In two or three batches, add the kale to the beef. Submerge each batch with a spatula before adding the next batch. Turn the cooker to HIGH, and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the kale is cooked.

Serve hot, over mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or egg noodles. Or, remove from the slow cooker, allow to cool to room temperature, and pack into containers. Refrigerate or freeze.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/slow_cooker_mexican_pulled_pork/

For the tacos:
Corn Tortillas
Pulled Pork
Pickled Red Onions
(slices of avocado or a sprinkle of cheese would be good too...)

The Rub:

• 4 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Scant pinch of ground cloves

The roast:

• 3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast

METHOD

1 Whisk together the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

2 If the roast is tied up with butcher string, untie it. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Coat roast with rub.  Place the roast in slowcooker coated with nonstick spray.  

3 Marinate roast for at least an hour (but overnight is best)  Cook on the low setting for 6 to 10 hours, until the pork is fall apart tender.

4 Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Cut into large chunks. Then use two forks to pull the meat apart into bite sized shreds. Return the shreds to the slow cooker and toss to coat with the juice from the roast.

Pickled Red Onions :

• FOR THE ONIONS:
• 1 large Red Onions, Thinly Sliced
• 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 10 whole peppercorns

Place the red onions in a small heat-safe bowl. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of salt and peppercorns in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the liquid over the onions and let them sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, until the onions turn bright pink in color.

Slow Cooker Sauerbraten

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sauerbraten-50400000124400/
Serve this over spaetzle :)

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 6 black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves $
• 1 lemon, sliced $
• 1 (3-pound) rump roast, trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onion (1 large)
• 1 head of cabbage, shredded
• 15 gingersnaps, crumbled
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Place first 8 ingredients in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag to blend marinade. Place roast  in bag; seal bag, turning to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. 2. Remove roast from marinade, reserving marinade. Place roast, onion, and cabbage in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Strain reserved marinade through a sieve into a bowl, reserving 1 1/2 cups; discard remaining liquid and solids. Pour 1 1/2 cups strained marinade over roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours or until roast is tender.
3. 3. Remove roast from slow cooker; cover and keep warm. Add gingersnap crumbs to liquid in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 minutes or until sauce thickens; stir with a whisk until smooth. Serve sauce with roast. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Slow Cooker Cassoulet

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/smoked-sausage-cassoulet-50400000124383/

• 2 bacon slices
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained $
• 2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained $
• 1 pound lean boneless pork loin roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes $
• 1/2 pound reduced-fat smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes $
• 8 teaspoons finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
• 8 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. 1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion, thyme, rosemary, and garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. 2. Place half of beans in a large bowl; mash with a potato masher until chunky. Add remaining half of beans, pork, and sausage; stir well. Place half of bean mixture in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; top with half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Crockpot Pasta bake

http://littlefellows.blogspot.com/2011/11/best-crockpot-meal-ive-tried-yet.html

1 bag of frozen/refrigerated tortellini/ravioli (we really like the mushroom ravioli from safeway)
4 cups fresh spinach
2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained 
1 clove garlic, minced
 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
2 cups or chicken broth
8 oz neufchatel cream cheese
1 lb. chicken sausage

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot,
chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

slow cooker stuffed peppers

We do a lot of "build your own" burritos and tacos with friends (meat, grilled veggies, rice, beans, cheese, etc)  And always have lots of leftover fixings.  This is a great way to use them up.  If you don't want to slow cook, you can also just stuff and bake the raw peppers at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Crock Pot Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen

Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours

Ingredients

4 bell peppers
1/2 pound left over taco meat or grilled chicken or carne asada (diced
1 small can enchilada sauce (red or green)
1 1/4 cup of shredded jack cheese (or cheddar or pepper jack or whatever)
1 cup of cooked (leftover) mexican rice
1 can black beans, drained

sour cream and diced green onion for toppings

Directions
 
Cut the tops off of four bell peppers. Remove stems and seeds and dice the tops of the bell peppers. 


Pour 1/3 of a cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the crock pot and nestle bell peppers in.  


 In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, diced bell peppers, 1 cup of shredded jack cheese, cooked rice, beans, and salt and pepper to taste.


Fill bell peppers with ground beef mixture and place them into slow cooker.  top with more cheese and the rest of the enchilada sauce. 


Cook on low for about 6 hours.  YOu can top these with sour cream, guacamole, diced onion, crumbled tortilla chips, etc if desired.




Note: You must used pre-cooked rice. I used leftover mexican rice,  but you can also use cooked white rice. Just bump up your seasoning so that the mixture is not too bland. You can add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle in adobo. Whatever sounds good to you!

Crockpot Minestrone

http://www.redtri.com/recipes/crock-pot-vegetable-minestrone-soup?utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Food-Newsletter-2012-05-03

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices (1 cup)

1 cup frozen peas**** 

(can easily substitute 2 cups frozen mixed veggies for peas & carrots)

1/3 cup chopped onion

4 cups water

1 jar (25 1/2 ounces) marinara sauce

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups fresh, chopped spinach or 1 box defrosted frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry

1 1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta (4 1/2 ounces)

1 teaspon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper & shake of crushed red pepper

shredded parmesan cheese, if desired

Method:
1. Mix squash, carrots, peas, onion, water, marinara sauce and beans in 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 9 hours (or high heat setting 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours) or until vegetables are tender.

3. Stir in spinach, pasta, sugar, salt and pepper.

4. Cover and cook on high heat setting 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle each serving with cheese, if desired.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/budget-recipes/italian-pot-roast-with-potatoes---carrots

• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 1/2 lbs. beef chuck roast, tied
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lb. carrots, cut on an angle into thick pieces
• 1 lb. small red-skinned potatoes
• 8 oz. small mushrooms
• 6 cloves garlic, halved
• 1 sprig rosemary

Brighten It Up!
Use a colorful mix of yellow, red, white and even purple potatoes.

An Extra Buck Will Buy You...pearl onions. One cup adds eye appeal and flavor. (For ease, use the frozen variety.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a 5- to 6-qt. slow cooker, stir together the tomato paste, vinegar and flour until blended. Season the beef generously on all sides with salt and pepper, then add to the slow cooker and turn to coat. Scatter the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, garlic and rosemary around the meat; season generously with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat until the meat is tender, about 8 hours.
2. Discard the rosemary. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and thinly slice. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a platter. If desired, transfer the cooking juices to a saucepan and reduce slightly to make a sauce.

Slow Cooker Asian Pepper Steak

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/slow-cooker-recipe-asian-pepper-steak/

This is the original recipe, but I'm not a big fan of cooked peppers & will likely use this recipe to sub in some farm veggies.

Ideas: Exchange sliced carrots for peppers & add some diced bok choy for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• 3 pounds beef sirloin
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, for dusting meat
• 3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced
• 3 yellow bell peppers, sliced
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups rice
• 
  
• Optional Topper:
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 limes

In a large skillet, sear the meat in some EVOO until nice and brown on both sides. Remove the steak to a cutting board and slice the steak into 1-inch thick strips.

Place the sliced steak into the crock-pot bowl, then dust the meat with cornstarch and mix the meat around until there is no more visible cornstarch.

Add the remaining ingredients except for the topper ingredients to the crock-pot, then place a lid on top and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

When you are ready to serve, get a medium bowl, mix the topper ingredients and place a portion of the mixture on top of each portion of Asian Pepper Steak. This will add pop of freshness and texture.

Serve on top of cooked rice.