Spinach Salad With Orange-Ginger Dressing

After all the Crockpot /  slow cooker meals last week I decided to add a couple of salad recepies to go along with them.  What could be better than a cold salad on a hot day. I got one today that would make Popeye happy.













Spinach Salad With Orange-Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh spinach, thoroughly washed, drained and patted dry.
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 large orange, peeled sliced and seeded
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup orange juice concentrate
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
   Divide the spinach among four salad plates.  Top with avocado and orange.  Whisk together next 5 ingredients to make a dressing, drizzle on each salad.  Top with freshly ground black pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

                                                I've been expecting you.

Slow Cooker Harvest Stew

   Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July.  I have one more (for now) Crockpot / slow cooker meal for you.  I know there are more, but I haven't finished going through all my Mother's recipes yet.  She had a spiral notebook as well as a recipe box filled to overflowing. (Ever see those cans you open and everything explodes out...yet like that.)  Don't worry I'll keep on typing them up. Today's recipe is a Harvest stew, it uses about everything you ever thought to plant in your garden.  Sorry Mel. it has lamb in it too.












Slow Cooker Harvest Stew

Ingredients:


1 ½ lbs boneless lamb shoulder, cubed
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 each: sliced yellow summer squash, sliced zucchini, diced turnip
1 cup each: cubed potato, diced beets, sliced mushrooms
½ cup each: sliced carrots, diced green pepper, diced onion, corn
2 tsp salt
½ tsp each: garlic powder, thyme
¼ tsp bay leaf, crushed
2 cups water
¼ cup flour
2 Tbsp butter
Hot cooked noodles to serve

Directions:
    Place lamb, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, turnip, potato, beets, mushrooms, carrots, green pepper, onion, corn, salt, garlic powder, thyme, bay leaf and water in an electric slow cooker.  Cover the cooker and cook lamb mixture at low about 6 to 8 hours, or until lamb and vegetables are cooked thoroughly.  Turn cooker to high.  Blend flour and butter together well: shape mixture into small balls.  Drop flour-butter mixture into the simmering stew.  Cook stew an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring several times.  Serve over hot cooked noodles. 

Makes 6 servings.

Okay, this is probably a little too much for the recipe.  Looks like someone got a little carried away at the Farmer's Market.

Provencale Chicken Supper

  Today we make the cows and pigs happy.  We have another chicken recipe (Sorry chickens).  This recipe for the Crockpot / slow cooker has an Italian fair.  So put your favorite Italian singer on the CD player... Frank, Dean where are you.  Let's get started.

Provencale Chicken Supper

Ingredients:

4 (6 oz)  skinned chicken breast halves
2 tsp  dried basil
1/8 tsp  salt
1/8 tsp  black pepper
1 cup  yellow bell pepper, diced
1 (16 oz) can  cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can  Italian-style tomatoes, undrained

Directions:
   Place chicken in slow cooker.  Sprinkle with basil, salt and black pepper.  Add tomatoes, bell pepper and beans.  Cover with lid and cook on low setting 8 hours.  Serve 1 chicken breast half and 1 cup bean mixture per person.

Makes 4 servings.

                         There you are.  Dinner at my place. You can bring the wine.

Thai Style Pork Stew

   So far this week we have cooked with chicken, beef, and chicken.  Well it is time to bring on the pork.  Todays recipe is for a pork stew with a little Thai flavor.  So bring out the Crockpot / slow cooker, which ever you want to call it, and lets get cooking.  Isn't it nice to not have to worry about heating up the house, or yourself after a long day at work. 












Thai Style Pork Stew

Ingredients:

For the Stew:
2 lbs  boned pork loin, cut into 4 pieces
2 cups  red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch julienne pieces
¼ cup  teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp  rice or white wine vinegar
1 tsp  crushed red pepper
2 cloves  garlic, minced
¼ cup  creamy peanut butter 


Remaining ingredients:
6 cups  hot cooked basmati rice
½ cup  green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp  dry roasted peanuts, chopped
8  lime wedges

Directions:
   Trim fat from pork. Place pork, bell pepper, teriyaki sauce, vinegar, red pepper and garlic in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
   Remove pork from cooker and coarsely chop.  Add peanut butter to liquid in slow cooker and stir until smooth.  Return pork to slow cooker, and stir to combine.
  Combine stew and rice in a large serving bowl.  Top each serving with onions and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.  Serving size is 1 cup stew 1 tbsp green onion ½ tsp peanuts, and 1 lime wedge.

Makes 8 servings.

                  Did you know Thailand is the largest exporter of rice in the world?

Chunky Sausage and Hominy Chili

   Today I am continuing with Crockpot / slow cooker meals for summer.  This is a chunky chilli that goes together really fast.  So if your like me and keep hitting the snooze button, you can still put this on to cook and get out the door on time.  After work just make the rice and serve. 












Chunky Sausage and Hominy Chili

Ingredients:

For Chili:
1 ¼ cups  bottled salsa
1 cup  red bell pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces  
1 cup  yellow bell pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 Tbsp  chili powder
1 (15.5 oz) can  white hominy or whole kernel corn, drained
1 (12 oz) package  Chicken sausages with habanero chillies & tequila
                            (such as Gerharo's), cut into ½ inch pieces **

Remaining Ingredients:
 2 cups  hot cooked long grain rice
¼ cup  crushed baked tortilla chips
¼ cup  chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup  green onions, chopped
¼ cup  fat free sour cream

Directions:
   Combine all chili ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
   Too serve spoon ½ cup rice in each of 4 bowls.  Top rice with 1 cup cooked chili, 1 tbsp crushed chips, 1 tbsp cilantro, 1 tbsp green onions and 1 tbsp sour cream.

Makes 4 servings.

**Note: can substitute smoked turkey sausage for chicken sausage.

FYI: Hominy is made from the dried kernels of the Maize plant.  The English word for Hominy is derived from the Powhatan Indians name for Maize. In fact many Native American cultures used hominy in their diets. 

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches

   Here is the next Crockpot / slow cooker recipe I have for you.  This would be great to make for this weekends 4th of July festivities.  Just put it on in the morning, and head out to enjoy the parades.  Come home lay out the rolls, and let everyone else bring the sides.  Or if your heading to the fireworks display in your area, you can take this along. This is the best type of party, one where you get to enjoy yourself too.  Good food.  Good friends.   Life doesn't get much better than that.

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches


Ingredients:
2 lbs boned chuck roast
2 cups onion, vertically sliced
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
6 (2 oz) kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, toasted

Directions:
   Trim fat from beef and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Place beef in slow cooker.  Stir in onion and barbecue sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
   Remove beef and onion from cooker with slotted spoon.  Shred beef with 2 forks.  Combine cornstarch and water.  Add to barbecue sauce mixture in cooker, stirring well.  Cover and cook on high for 1 minute.  Return shredded beef to cooker.  Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.
   Serve 1 cup of beef mixture on each roll.

 Yields 6 servings.

Note:  Barbecue beef mixture can be frozen up to 3 months in an air tight container.(Don't forget Labor day.  You can make this ahead and freeze it for a Labor Free Holiday...)

                                          Have a Happy Independence Day....

Chicken And Carrots with Wine Sauce

   I don't know about you, but with the heat index being in the low 100s the last thing I want to do is fire up the stove.  With that thought in mind, I pulled out some of my mother's Crockpot/slow cooker recipes to feature this week.  Not only are they an energy saver (less electricity to cook and less to cool the house), they also let you get out of the house.  Just fill the Crockpot/ slow cooker before you leave and come home to a nice meal ready to put on the table.  Next best thing to having your own, cook.  Now if they would make a slow-cooker that serve you, and do the dishes life would be really good.












Chicken And Carrots with Wine Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups carrots, diagonally sliced (about 8 oz)
8 Chicken thighs, skinned (about 2 lbs)
12 garlic cloves, peeled (long cook time mellows garlic)
½ cup dry white wine*
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:
   Combine carrot, chicken and garlic in slow cooker.  Add wine.  Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
   Remove carrot, chicken and garlic with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid.  Place 1/3 cup carrots, 3 garlic cloves and 2 chicken thighs in each of 4 shallow bowls.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking liquid over each serving.
   Serve with French bread.

Yields 4 servings.

*Don't use a cooking wine, there is too much salt.  If you wouldn't drink it. Don't cook with it.

                                         Your Having What For Supper!!!!