carnitas

 This carnitas recipe from Recipe Tin Eats was an easy weeknight crockpot dinner. I cut the recipe in half and we still had a bit of leftovers. 

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt)
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

• RUB

  • ▢ 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ▢ 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
4. Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
5. Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
6. Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard. 
7. If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

TO CRISP:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
• Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
• Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).

Korean beef tacos

A winner—no complaints and seconds all around! I let it cook for an hour on high uncovered at the end of the day to let some of the liquid boil down.

slow cooker beef barley soup

Now that the kids evening schedules are getting busier (hockey, cross country, more hockey, coding club, flying V's, even more hockey...), I'm giving into more crock pot recipes in hopes that we can still eat dinner together. This beef barley soup from thechunkeychef.com served with garlic bread has been voted a keeper.

SLOW COOKER BEEF BARLEY SOUP RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces (Yukon gold or russets are preferred)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp better than bouillon beef base (optional but recommended)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups beef broth or stock
• 2/3 cup pearl barley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If desired, heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat.  Add beef cubes and brown for 1-2 minutes per side.
2. Add beef and all remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
3. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems and serve. 

slow cooker minestrone

I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com slightly to cook the noodles right in the soup and served it with cheesy garlic bread for a veggie-packed meal that the kids ate without too much complaining.

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 small zucchini
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
• 4 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

Directions

1. Combine vegetable broth, tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, celery, carrots, green beans, zucchini, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, thyme, and black pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. 
   
4. Stir spinach and macaroni into minestrone; cook another 10 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese.

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gone all day dinner

This dinner was super savory and warming from the crock pot. We all wondered if the almonds were going to ruin the recipe, but they definitely provided needed texture. I used fresh, sliced mushrooms and beef better than bouillon.

crock pot beef stroganoff

The whole family ate this recipe well. I used several handfuls of quartered, fresh creminis instead of jarred mushrooms, left out the juice, and use beef better than bouillon. 

chipotle shredded beef

This recipe from Taste of Home might be my favorite recipe ever. I make it for lunch al desko regularly and eat it on tortillas with a bit of shredded cheddar-- so dang good in the middle of winter when I am craving comfort food. .

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 2 teaspoons sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-1/2 pounds)

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, peppers with sauce, garlic, brown sugar, bay leaves and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-6 minutes or until thickened.

Place roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker; add tomato mixture. Cook, covered, on low 8-10 hours or until meat is tender.

Discard bay leaves. Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with two forks. Return beef and cooking juices to slow cooker; heat through. 

chicken tikka masala

This was a great recipe for lunches from the kitchn. I did freeze several individual portions and the reheated really well. The chicken thighs did completely fall apart in the crock pot, but it was still amazing.

Serves 4 to 6

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
Fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, to serve
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to a 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of garam masala, paprika, and kosher salt until the chicken is evenly covered with spices. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.
→ If you have the time: Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup yogurt for up to 6 hours. Shake to remove excess yogurt before transferring to the slow cooker.
→ If you have the time: Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste, and spices until fragrant. Transfer to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes. This will give your tikka masala more depth of flavor.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the heavy cream. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Taste and add more garam masala or salt to taste.
Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving. The tikka masala can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months.

 

mushroom stroganoff

This was a very simple lunch for the week from Amuse your Bouche-- made in the crockpot and served over farro.

Slow cooker mushroom stroganoff


Serves 3
500g mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1tbsp butter
1 stock cube, made up in 600ml hot water
2tbsp tomato ketchup
3tsp paprika
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4tbsp sour cream (heaped)
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
In a large pan, melt the butter and gently cook the onion and mushroom for 5-10 minutes, until they are slightly softened and beginning to shrink in size, but are still not yet fully cooked. Transfer these to the slow cooker, and add the stock, kethcup, paprika and sliced garlic. Cook on high for 4 hours.
When cooked, stir in the sour cream and chopped parsley.
I liked my stroganoff as it was, but if you would like it to be thicker, just transfer it to a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce it slightly.
Serve with pasta or rice.