Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

I mentioned that a goal of mine this month was to try new crock pot recipes.  This was one of the ones I found on Pinterest and decided to make.  We usually buy a rotisserie chicken ever other week and have some left over meat.  I usually freeze the leftover meat, which ended up being perfect for this recipe. You'll notice from the picture that it looks thicker than your typical soup.  And it was.  But, that was because I let it cook for 8 hours on low instead of 6, which made the rice mushy.  I had to leave the house and ASSUMED it would be fine.  Whoops.  Even though that happened, I still wanted to share the recipe because it was really good. Even with the thick texture, we ate it all.  I'm sure it would be fantastic as a soup and plan on making it again. 
 This time, keeping more of an eye on it at the end.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Courtesy of Chef Mommy 

Ingredients:

4 1/2 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 (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half (I used fat-free half and half)
1 cup grated carrots (I diced mine)
1 cup diced celery

Directions:

Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, chicken and rice (along with seasoning packet) in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. Take out chicken and shred with two forks and then add back into slow cooker. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on low for 15 more minutes

Southern White Chicken Chili

Come fall, chili is a weekly staple in our household.  It's just so easy to make, I always do it in the crock pot. I've always made chili with beef.  But, this month I made a goal to try new crock pot recipes.  This was the perfect time to step away from my normal chili recipe and try something different.  And boy am I glad I did.  This recipe was amazing. Full of flavor and the perfect pair to a cool fall night.  

 It's now my favorite chili and I plan on making it for friends on Halloween.  

 

Southern White Chicken Chili 

Courtesy of Campbell's 

Ingredients: 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup 
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
2 cans (about 15 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
**I also added a white chili seasoning packet from McCormick & 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the recipe**

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, chili powder,
   cumin, onion and pepper and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the
   vegetables are tender, stirring often.
• Stir the soup, water, corn and beans in the saucepan and heat to a boil.  
  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
  Sprinkle with the cheese.  
  
  
  
  

Pot Roast- Crock Pot Recipe

A few weeks ago we went to our friend's house for dinner and she made pot roast.  It was delicious and hubs has been asking me to make it ever since.  I've been putting it off because I've never made a pot roast. But last weekend I gave in and told him I'd only do it with his help. Thankfully he's always willing to help me out.  We did all the prep in the morning and threw it in the crock pot for dinner that evening.  I was lucky enough to enjoy the smell of it all day and couldn't wait for him to get home for dinner.  The meat was tender and moist and the veggies were delicious.  This will be our go to pot roast from now on.  Hubs said he wants to make it once a week....we settled on twice a month.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

    1 tbsp oil

    salt, pepper, flour

    pot roast

    1/2 c red wine

    1 onion, sliced
    5 medium potatoes, cut into one inch pieces
    3 carrots, cut into pieces

Directions:

   1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
   2. Season your roast with salt and pepper then sprinkle with flour.
   3. Brown all sides of the meat in the hot oil. Remove to a plate. Add 1/2 cup of red wine to the skillet; stir to loosen browned bits.  Then remove from the heat.
   4. Place sliced onions in the bottom of the crock pot.
   5. Add the potatoes on top.
   6. Next, add the carrots.
   7. Put the browned roast on the vegetables.
   8. Pour the wine & juices from the skillet on top of the roast and veggies.
   9. Season with a little more salt and pepper,
  10. Cover and cook on the LOW for 8-9 hours.

We used some of the leftover meat to make sliders for dinner the following night. 

Cranberry Pork Loin

The husband picked out our meals last week. We had bought a pork loin at the store and he loves cranberry and pork together.  Which is exactly why he picked this recipe. I made it in the crock pot just as directed.  A few times through the day I basted the pork to make sure the meat remained moist and didn't dry out.  But don't do this too much or you'll let too much heat out of the crock pot.  Anyway, this meal was good for dinner but absolutely AMAZING the next day for lunch.  Letting the meat marinate in all the juices overnight made the world of difference. Overall, another recommended crock pot meal.  

I know I took a picture of this dinner but can't find it.  I still had to share because it was just that good.  

Cranberry Apple Pork Loin

Courtesy of About.com

Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:

    * 1 (3 to 4 lb) boneless pork loin roast
    * 2 cloves garlic, minced
    * 1 can whole cranberry sauce
    * 1/4 c brown sugar
    * 1/2 c apple juice
    * 2 apples, cored and sliced
    * salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Place roast in slow cooker; rub all over with the minced garlic. Add remaining ingredients (except apples) and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. Pork should be about 160° when fully cooked. About an hour before you're ready to serve, add the sliced apples.  Serve with rice.
Serves 4 to 6.

Italian Tortellini Stew- Crock Pot

One of my monthly goals this month was to make some new crock pot meals.  I have been getting lots of emails from Kraft Foods, Betty Crocker & Cooking Light with new fall recipes.  This is the first one I picked out.  The prep time for this meal was a breeze.  I cooked the stew all day on low and added the tortellini as directed about 20 minutes before serving.  This is a perfect dinner for a cool winter night.

Italian Tortellini Stew

Courtesy of Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium zucchini, halved, cut into 1-inch slices
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans ready-to-serve vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-oz.) can crushed or diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15.5-oz.) can great northern beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1(8-oz.) pkg. uncooked dry cheese-filled tortellini

Directions:
   1. In 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients except basil and tortellini; mix well.
   2. Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours.
   3. About 20 minutes before serving, stir basil and tortellini into stew. Increase heat setting to high;   cover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until tortellini are tender.

Makes 8 (1 1/4-cup) servings

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is one of my favorite winter crock pot meals.  

You'll be glad you made it.  Enjoy!

Adapted from AllRecipes. 

A friend of mine let me have this recipe that her husband had made the night before.  I'm all about quick and easy meals and I knew this one would work perfectly in the crock pot.  It was also a chilly week, so soup ended up being the perfect dinner! Her husband made a few changes to the recipe, which are in red below.  I threw this baby in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.  ENJOY!

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 cups of shredded chicken 
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup 

Directions

I used rotisserie chicken that was already cooked.  I threw everything in the crock pot and cooked it for 4-6 hours, stirring a few times along the way. 

Crockpot Jambalaya

Again, I've found another delicious crock pot recipe.  And again, thanks to Pinterest.  The recipe comes from Plain Chicken. I took her advice and prepared the meal the night before and threw it in the crock pot in the morning.  Very easy.  I'm glad I saved it for a cold night because it was perfect. Plus, there was a lot leftover so I enjoyed it for lunch a few times as well.  


Slow Cooker Jambalaya

approximately 5-6 servings

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced 
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
white rice or instant rice (I used 2 packs of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - Garlic & Butter flavor)

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.  (I do this the night before and put it in the fridge.  I put it in the slow cooker before I leave in the morning.)

Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm through.

Pampered Chef- Enchilada Soup

The weather down in FL is getting chilly and I love it!  I checked the weather before I planned my meals for the week (don't ask) and couldn't wait to add some soups and slow cooker meals to the menu when I noticed the low temps.  I'm working on a Pampered Chef cooking challenge right now, which is why I chose this recipe. I used my crock pot for the soup and cooked it on low for 8 hours.  I cooked the meat and added all of the ingredients to the crock pot.  Mix it a few times, pour it in a bowl, let it cool for a minute and top with shredded cheese. Simple as that! 

*I served it with tortilla scoops.  

*My changes are noted in red.  Original directions are posted below.  

Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:
3 1/2   cups beef broth 2   cups water 1/2   pound 95% lean ground beef *used 1lb of ground turkey 1/2   cup diced red bell pepper 1   garlic clove, pressed 1/4   cup masa harina (instant corn masa mix) or all-purpose flour                * 8 oz tomato sauce		2   cans (10 ounces each) enchilada sauce 1   can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed 1   cup thinly sliced zucchini *2 Tbs chopped jalapeno pepper 1/4   cup snipped fresh cilantro 2   tablespoons lime juice Grated Monterey Jack cheese (optional) *small handful of shredded mexican cheese before serving

Directions:
1.	Using Easy Read Measuring Cups, measure broth and water; set aside. In (4-qt.) Dutch oven, cook beef over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles. Add bell pepper and garlic to Dutch oven; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add masa harina, enchilada sauce, beans, broth and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer.
2.	Add zucchini to soup; simmer, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and lime juice. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with cheese, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (about 10 cups) Nutrients per serving: (about 1 1/4 cups): Calories 130, Total Fat 3.5 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 14 g, Protein 10 g, Sodium 680 mg, Fiber 3 g

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

It's been a while since I've made a recipe from AllRecipes.com.  I used to go on the site all the time to find recipes, but with Pinterest I haven't had to do that much searching.  This week I wanted to use a pork tenderloin that I already had purchased.  I'm trying my best to plan recipes with food we have to save $. I knew I wanted a slow cooker/ crock pot recipe, so that is what I searched for. When I came across this recipe, my searched stopped. I have to give credit to my sweet husband for making this creation.  He was off today, so he volunteered to make dinner.  Sweet, right?  He said he did double the recipe, as it was recommended by many reviews.  This pork was amazing.  No knife was needed, but it wasn't falling apart coming out of the crock pot.  He served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli. This was an A+ dinner! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 fresh red chile pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown tenderloins on all sides, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together teriyaki sauce, chicken broth, and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir in garlic, red chile pepper, onion, and black pepper.
2. Put browned tenderloins into slow cooker, cover with the teriyaki sauce mixture. Cook on High for about 4 hours, turning 2 to 3 times during the cooking time to ensure even doneness.
3. Remove tenderloins from the slow cooker and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. If desired, spoon liquid over slices when serving.

Cheesy Potato Soup

I've been on a soup and crockpot kick lately.  The weather here has been a little cooler which makes me want to eat warm cozy meals.  Soup= warm and cozy.  I love potato soup, but have never made it at home.  I usually just go to Panera.  After finding this recipe from Betty Crocker and noticing there weren't too many ingredients I decided to give it a try.  Actually, I asked hubs to give it a try since he was off work the day it was on the menu =-).  He said it was pretty easy to throw together.  It was also a very cheap meal that ended up providing dinner for us for two nights.  I was in love with this soup. In my opinion,  it gives Panera a run for their money.  I will say that if you like your potato soup with pieces of potato, this is not the soup for you.  The potatoes were very soft, which I loved.  Hubs also enjoyed this meal.  At first, he asked "where's the meat?".  But, he was definitely satisfied once dinner was finished.  We usually only take leftovers for lunch, like I said before, we ate this two nights in a row.   Do yourself a favor and make this recipe, you'll be a hero in your house! Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

1

bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2

cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed

1

medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1

carton (32-oz) Progresso® chicken broth

1

cup water

3

tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

cup milk

1

bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)

1/4

cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)

4

medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
3. In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

Makes 6 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin Chili

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1 cup chopped red bell pepper 

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

1 lb. ground turkey 

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained 

1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin 

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce 

1 can (15.25 oz.) kidney beans, drained 

1 can (4 oz.) ORTEGA Diced Green Chiles 

1/2 cup whole kernel corn 

1 tablespoon chili powder 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown the meat then throw everything in the crock pot for 3 1/2 hours on high.

  Love this spin on chili!