Slow Cooker and Food Storage Recipes

Awesome Slow Cooker Tips

• Because slow cookers cook at a low heat for a long time, they’re perfect for dishes calling for less tender cuts of meat.
• Don’t use slow cooker to reheat leftover food. Use a microwave oven, the stove top or the oven for reheating.
• To reduce the amount of fat in slow cooker meals, trim an discard excess fat from meats, or choose lean cuts. Also, fat can add an unpleasant texture to the finished dish.
• Don’t add water to the slow cooker, unless the recipe specifically says to do so.
• Keep the lid on!! The slow cooker can take as long as 30 minutes to regain the heat lost when the cover is removed. Only remove the cover when you’re instructed to do so by the recipe.
• Tapping or spinning the cover until the condensation falls off will allow you to see inside the slow cooker without removing, the lid.
• Consider using your slow cookers as an “extra: oven or burner when entertaining. The slow cooker can cook other dishes while the holiday roast is in the oven.
• When adapting your own recipes for the slow cooker, use canned evaporated milk, nonfat dry milk or undiluted condensed soups instead of milk to make smooth dips and sauces.
• When adapting your favorite recipe for a slow cooker, reduce the liquid by as much as half, because food doesn’t lose as much moisture during slow cooking as during conventional cooking.
• Dairy products should generally be added during the last 30 minutes of cooking time unless the recipe states otherwise.
• For a party, use a small-sized slow cooker on the LOW or WARM setting to keep hot dips warm.
• When adapting conventionally prepared recipes for your slow cooker, revise the amount of herbs and spices you use. Whole herbs and spices increase in flavor while ground spices tend to loose flavor during slow cooking.
• When preparing ingredients for the slow cooker, cut into uniform pieces so that everything cooks evenly.
• Root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots and onions should be placed in the bottom of the pot, under the meat, for faster cooking.
• Vegetables, such as zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes should be added during the last 45 minutes of cooking time so they don’t over cook, unless otherwise stated.
• Don’t worry about making big batches of food in your slow cooker. Instead plan ahead to freeze the leftovers as individual portions. Just reheat a single serving in the microwave for fast meals.
• Recipes calling for raw meats should cook a minimum of 3 hours on LOW for food safety reasons.
• It’s not necessary to brown meat before slow cooking. If you prefer the look and flavor of browned meat, don’t skip this step.
• Browning pork and hamburger before adding to the slow cooker helps reduce the fat. Just remember to drain off the fat!
• Dairy products should be added at the end of the cooking time, they will curdle if cooked in the slow cooker for a long time.
• Unless you have a 5,6 or 7 quart slow cooker, cut any roast larger than 2 ½ pounds in half so it cooks completely.
• Only fill slow cooker one half to three quarters full. The food will not cook properly is the cooker is filled to the brim. Also, if the food and liquid level is lower the food will cook too quickly.

Converting recipes to the slow cooker:

Many recipes can be converted to cooking in the slow cooker. Soups and stews are a natural favorite for the slow cooker, and casseroles and most meats benefit from the low temperatures and even cooking heat. Reduce the amount of liquid called for in the recipe, since liquids do not evaporate in the slow cooker. However, if you are cooking rice, beans, or past, don’t reduce the liquid. You generally need twice as much liquid as product to cook these ingredients.

Below is a list that will help in converting oven and stovetop cooking times to the slow cooker:

Oven or Stovetop Cooking time LOW cooking time HIGH cooking time
15-30 minutes 4-6 hours 1.5-2.5 hours
35-45 minutes 6-8 hours 3-4 hours
50 minutes-3 hours 8-18 hours 4-6 hours

Wassail – Michelle Marshall

Ingredients:
2 quarts apple juice or cider
1 pint cranberry juice
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. aromatic bitters
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp. whole allspice
1 small orange, studded with whole cloves
Put all ingredients in crock-pot. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour, then on low for 4 to 8 hours. Serve warm from crock-pot. (About 12 cups.)

Hot Fudge Cake- Crock Pot Style- Lindsay Darley

Ingredients:
Mix Together:
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp cocoa

Add:
½ Cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Pour batter into bottom of crock pot

Mix:
¾ Cup brown sugar
¼ Cup cocoa

Sprinkle this mixture on top of the batter
Pour 1 ½ Cups boiling water over dry stuff. Do not mix. Cook 2-3 hours on high.
Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip!

Curried Chickpeas and Kale- Emily Gibb

Ingredients:
2 Tlbs oil
1 ½ cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp cumin
1 ½ Tbls curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
3 cups chopped kale, or 1 pkg frozen spinach
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 cups cooked chickpeas
2-3 cups diced/chopped potatoes
1 cup, or 1 (14oz) can, chopped tomatoes
Salt to taste
Plain yogurt/sour cream (optional)
Cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a pan. Sauté onion and garlic until onion starts turning clear. Add cumin, curry powder, ginger and coriander and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes. Combine all ingredients on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice or couscous, topped with a dollop of yogurt and sprinkled with cilantro.


Steel-cut Oatmeal- Emily Gibb

Ingredients:
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal
4 cups water
½ cup raisins
½ cup craisins
1 apple, chopped

*You can add any fruit that you like, the sweetness makes the oatmeal really yummy. Nuts and spices, like cinnamon, can also be added, before or after the cooking.

Find a bowl that will 1) fit comfortably inside your slow cooker with the lid on, and 2) that will comfortably hold all of the ingredients. Put all the ingredients into the bowl and place it inside the slow cooker. Slowly pour water AROUND the bowl that you have placed into the slow cooker, until the water has reached about half way up the side of the bowl. You are creating a bain-marie, or water bath, in which to cook the oatmeal. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours. Go to bed. Enjoy a warm, filling breakfast!


Slow Cooker Cheesecake –Emily Gibb (…. I know, it sounds crazy)

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbls brown sugar
3 Tbls melted butter

Filling:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ cups
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream (I used evaporated milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tlbs flour

Find a heat-resistant dish that will fit inside your slow cooker for the cheesecake. You are going to create a bain marie, or water bath. Put crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter in a small bowl and stir until wet and crumbly. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up onto the sides of the dish you are going to use. In a separate bowl cream the cheese, sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla and flour until well blended. Pour the cheese mixture slowly onto the crust. Pour about 1 cup water into the bottom of your slow cooker and slowly lower the dish inside, being careful not to slosh the water onto your cheesecake. Add more water if necessary; be sure that the water level reaches about half-way up the side of the dish. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Check after 1 hour, just in case yours cooks faster. The cheesecake is done when the edges are set up and are no longer shiny. Touch lightly to see that none sticks to your finger. Let the cheesecake sit in the cooling slow cooker for 1 hour. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before cutting and serving.
This site has lots of recipes, many that you wouldn’t traditionally use a slow cooker for, as well as many other helpful links: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Dried Apricots-Ashley Timm
From “Slow Cookers for Dummies”

Ingredients:
4 (6-oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
¾ cup dry white wine (Can substitute chicken stock for this as well)
¾ cup chicken stock
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 TB olive oil
¼ lb dried apricots, finely chopped
½ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 TB dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 TB cornstarch
2TB cold water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups hot couscous or rice

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Trim fat, and cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Arrange chicken in the slow cooker.
2. Combine garlic, wine, stock, vinegar, oil, apricots, olives, brown sugar, oregano, and cumin in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours or until chicken cooked through and no longer pink.
3. If cooking on low, raise heat to high. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a small cup. Stir mixture into chicken. Cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until juices are bubbling and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve stew over couscous or rice.

Chicken and Green Chile Slow Cooker Chili- Amy Larson

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 4 servings
Money Saving Tips: This one relies on dried pinto beans so it's budget friendly already, especially if you've got chicken and canned green chilies on hand. Green salsa is also called salsa verde, but you can also use canned green enchilada sauce.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup dried pinto beans
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chopped green chilies, or 1 (7 ounce) can
1 cup green salsa (Herdez is my favorite) or green enchilada sauce
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried cumin
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
if desired sour cream, chopped cilantro, tabasco for serving

Coat the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine beans, broth, flour, chilies, salsa, onion, and cumin. Place chicken on top. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low for 8-10 hours. Remove lid and reach in to the crock pot and shred chicken with fork. Stir into chili taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper if needed and serve.

Food Storage Bread- Alicia Alba

1 ¼ cup warm water
2 T powdered butter
3 cups flour
2 T sugar
3 T powdered milk
1 ½ t salt
2 t yeast

Combine all of the dry ingredients, then add the water and knead. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Knead again and shape into loaf. Let rise again and double in size. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.

Lemon pepper Chicken- Michelle Maddox

Ingredients:
3lbs frozen chicken
4 cans cream of chicken soup
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c dried onions (or 1 reg. onion diced)
4Tbs. lemon pepper seasoning

Cook for 3 hours then pull chicken out and cut it up. Put it back in and add a bag of frozen veggie medley (I do the one with broccoli, cauliflower, water chestnuts, and carrots). Cook for another hour.
I Cut this recipe in half because it make so much.