Nicki's Cookbook

Category Archives: Crock Pot Easy

Vegetable Wheat Berry Risotto

on by in Crock Pot Easy, Italian, Meat Free! ⋅ Leave a comment

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This easy, weeknight dish is filling, healthy and crockpot friendly!

Makes: 6 – 1.5 cup servings

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. red winter wheat berries
1 small onion, minced
24 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs. dried thyme leaves
8 oz. baby carrots, minced
4 cup vegetable broth
2/3 c. parmesan romano cheese, grated
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 cups hot water
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. course ground black pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic

Method:

In large skillet over high heat, saute mushrooms, garlic and onion until fluids begin releasing. Add thyme leaves and wheat berries. Saute 2 minutes more. Transfer to crockpot.

Add carrots and broth to crockpot and turn on high, giving a quick mix before letting it cook about 3 hours.

Once wheatberries have burst, (risotto will be pretty dry at this point) add cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until incorporated. Add hot water and stir again until creamy consistancy (may have to add more water to liking) and cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

wb ris

Sweet Orange Glazed Picnic Ham

on by in Crock Pot Easy, Holiday Meal Planner ⋅ Leave a comment

coming soon

Most hams are heat and serve, but sometimes it’s nice to make your own. My family loves this ham and I make it for Weekend special dinners as well as the holidays!

Ingredients:

1 pork shoulder bone-in ham, thawed (picnic)
1 cup white fruity wine (moscato or zifandel)
1 cup 100% orange juice not from concentrate
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

 

Method:

In large crockpot, add wine. Place ham large side down in wine. In separate bowl, whisk together orange juice, brown sugar, mustard, garlic and cloves. Pour over top of ham, coating it. Cover and cook 6-8 hours on high. Once ham is cooked through at in internal temperature of 140 degrees F, remove to serving dish and let rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, reserve drippings and serve as is or move to make a sweet ham gravy (recipe in holiday folder).

3-Meat Gumbo

on by in American, Crock Pot Easy, Dinners ⋅ Leave a comment

coming soon

With a family of 6, this fed us and served us 2 more days of leftovers! Very filling and very delicious!

Ingredients

1 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
8 oz. beef chuckeye roast, cut into pieces
8 oz. pork loin, cut into pieces
2 c. uncooked jasmine rice
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
1 large diced sweet onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 c. red wine
2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. course black pepper
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp, seasoning salt
1 lb. okra, sliced into 1/4″ chips

In slow cooker, add all meats and wine. Cook on high for 4 hours or until meats are fork tender. Add rest of ingredients except for rice. Cook an additional hour. Add rice. Cook 1-2 hours more until rice is tender.

New Orleans Style Bourbon Chicken

on by in American, Asian dishes, Crock Pot Easy ⋅ Leave a comment

bourbon chicken

Though sold in chinese restaurants, bourbon chicken is 100% made in America!

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. ground ginger
3 oz. Jim Beam bourbon whiskey
1/2 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 c. light or dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. minced shallot
2 green onions, sliced 1/8″ thick

Method

In medium bowl, whisk together ginger, whiskey, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and shallot until incorporated. Add chicken and toss until covered. Add all to crock pot on high setting. Cook 3-4 hours or until chicken is fork tender.

 

Serve over rice or ramen style noodles. Garnish with green onions.

Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

on by in Crock Pot Easy, Soups ⋅ Leave a comment

bell pepper soup

 

With rice, cheese and peppers, how could one go wrong?

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. ground sirloin
1 cup diced vidalia onion
1 large red bell pepper, diced into 1″ pieces
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced into 1″ pieces
1 large orange bell pepper, diced into 1″ pieces
2 Tbs. minced garlic
4 cups beef broth
2 cups hot water
14.5 oz. canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. course black pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
3/4 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1/2 cup finely shredded colbyjack cheese

Method

In large skillet, brown beef. Drain off fat. Add to slow cooker. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, broth, water, tomatoes, black pepper, chili powder and paprika to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Add rice. Cook another 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Sprinkle cheese on each serving.

Beef and Noodles

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beef n noodles

An easy weeknight meal that does all the work for you. Amazing flavor with almost no effort!

 

Makes 6 dinner portions

Beef n noodles 6 servings

Ingredients

1-2 lbs. english chuckeye roast
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can beef connsume soup (can substitute french onion)
1 bag dumpling noodles (extra wide noodles will also work)

Method

Add soups to slow cooker. Stir loosely. Add meat, turn to cover both sides. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on high. Once meat is fork tender, use two forks to shred the beef in the gravy. There are two choices for serving noodles.

1. Add dry noodles to slow cooker, mixing to cover noodles in meat/gravy mixture. Remain cooking on high 15-30 minutes.

or

2. Prepare noodles as directed on package. Mix noodles and meat/gravy mixture.

Great for leftovers and also freezes well!

Crockpot Orange Chicken

on by in Asian dishes, Crock Pot Easy ⋅ Leave a comment

IMG_1833 I have seen many variations of this recipe and this one is mine! Be aware that I take a photo of each recipe I make, not steal them off the internet and pretend that it’s what the food is going to look like!

Makes 7 1-cup servings

orangechicken

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbs. Splenda blended brown sugar
3 Tbs. no salt Ketchup
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbs. chipotle chili powder
6 oz. frozen 100% orange juice concentrate
1 red bell pepper, cleaned and cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cleaned and cut into chunks
1 small vidalia onion, sliced (optional)

Method

Cut up chicken into 1″ chunks. Heat oil in frying pan on high heat. Bread chicken chunks in flour and sear in frying pan until outside is browned and crispy. (Chicken does not have to be cooked through, the crockpot will do that for you!)

In crockpot, add all other ingredients. When chicken is done, throw that on top! Mix with a spoon (doesn’t have to be masterful mixing). Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. (If you want a thicker sauce, use cornstarch the last 1/2 hour of cooking).

Serve over your favorite rice or pasta!

Tips: This orange chicken has a very powerful orange flavor! If you’re not that crazy about orange, then make the orange juice according to the can and add 6 oz. prepared orange juice instead.

Traditional Irish Stew

on by in Crock Pot Easy, Soups ⋅ Leave a comment

lamb stew

I make this traditional stew for St. Patty’s Day and serve to my husband with a thick Guiness stout beer. My children say it is “sweet like candy” and there are never any leftovers!”

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs. lamb, cut into 1″ cubes
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
3 medium carrots, cut to 1″ sections
2 medium yellow flesh potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
2 medium vidalia onions, cut into 1″ pieces
1 cup prepared tapioca (I like to use hunt’s snackpacks in the pudding section)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. course black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3 cups beef or lamb broth
1 cup fresh kale (optional)

In mortar and pestle, crush together pepper, salt and thyme. In slow cooker, add broth, seasonings and tapioca. Mix until incorporated. Add meat, turnips, carrots, potatoes and onions. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours. Just before serving, rip up kale leaves and add to stew after portioning. The steam from the stew will wilt the kale perfectly for consumption.