Crock Pot Asian Pork Chops

I crave the taste of Asian dishes and this one fits the bill without the wok!

Ingredients

4 thick pork chops
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
6 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
4 Tablespoons honey
sprinkle of red pepper flakes

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the pork chops in the hot olive oil. Place the pork chops in the crock pot.

Without cleaning the skillet, over medium heat, saute the garlic, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes and heat, about another minute. Add the broth, soy sauce, and honey. Whisk until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Pour over the pork chops in the crock pot.

Cook on high about 4 hours or low about 6-8 hours.

Serve the pork chops on top of pasta or rice. Add broccoli as a side. Spoon the extra sauce over all when serving.

Super Easy Crock Pot Chicken Marinara

What a nice way to serve this yummy Italian dish!

Ingredients

1 large can of whole tomatoes
1-12 oz. can of tomato paste
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
a dash of sugar (to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the tomatoes, juice and all, into the crock pot. Using a potato masher, work the tomatoes so that they are crushed somewhat. They will reduce during cooking. Add in the paste, garlic, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. High on high for about an hour, working at the tomatoes with the potato masher occasionally.

After one hour add the chicken breasts to the sauce. Mix to coat the chicken. Allow to cook for about 4 hours on high.

Serve over your choice of cooked pasta, spaghetti squash, or rice.

Crock Pot Wine and Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients

1 can of low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of white wine
1/4 cup of water
1-2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms, rinsed clean of dirt
4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
paprika
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of sour cream

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.

Place soup into crock pot. Add the wine and water and whisk. Layer the mushrooms on the soup mixture. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with paprika and black pepper. Stir so that the chicken is covered with the soup mixture. Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for 6-8.

About 15-20 minutes before serving mix in the sour cream.

Very nice served over egg noodles with a side of peas.

Crock Pot Nacho Topping

I've got a major love affair going on with my crock pot right now. We snack on this all day long on football Sunday.

Ingredients

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 green pepper
1 medium yellow onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans black beans
1 can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 cup of frozen corn
a dash or two of Tabasco sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 can of Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup

Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain. Put into crock pot.

While the beef is browning, in a food processor finely chop the green pepper and onion. When the ground beef is removed from the skillet, without wiping it, saute the onion and green pepper until crisp-tender. Place this in crock pot.

Rinse the black beans in a colander. Place the beans, along with all of the rest of the ingredients, in the crock pot. Stir. Allow to cook on high for about 2-3 hours or until heated through.

Serve with tortilla chips. Top with sour cream if desired.

Maple-Roasted Pear Parfait

Ingredients

8 cups sliced pears, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup grade A maple syrup
1 1/2 cups good quality ricotta
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pear chunks on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Drizzle with melted butter and then maple syrup. Bake for 10 minutes until fruit is just caramelized around the edges. Remove from oven and allow it to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together ricotta, powdered sugar and lemon juice.

Layer in the following order: fruit, a little of the syrup from the roasting tray, walnuts, and a heaping tablespoon of sweetened ricotta. Repeat layers. Top off with walnuts and a drizzle of the sweet syrup from the roasting tray.

Lemon Chicken with Spinach, Mushrooms and Red Peppers

Adapted to suit our taste buds...mmmm, this one is yummy comfort food! Excellent served over mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup plus 1/2 Tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts - rinsed, trimmed of all fat, and patted dry
1 red pepper, cut into strips
8 mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
3 hands full of fresh baby spinach (preferably organic)
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 lemon


Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a plastic zipper bag toss 1/2 cup of flour, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken one piece at a time and toss to coat. Place each piece of chicken into the heated olive oil. Cook until it is no longer pink in the center, turning often and covering with a lid if necessary.

While the chicken is cooking, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in another skillet over medium heat. Toss in the red pepper and mushrooms and cook until they soften. Add the spinach and garlic and cook until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat but allow to sit on the warm burner.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from skillet and place on a plate and keep warm. Using the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in, pour in the broth and wine and stir to loosen the cooked particles from the bottom of the skillet. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze each half into your hand over the skillet, allowing the juice to go into the broth mixture but capturing the lemon seeds. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and stir until boiling. Using a wire whisk, slowly whisk in the 1/2 Tablespoon of flour and stir until the mixture thickens.

To serve, I recommend serving this on top of mashed potatoes. Divide the mashed potatoes onto four serving plates. Top the mashed potatoes with the red pepper/spinach mixture. Place one chicken breast on top of the red pepper/spinach mixture. Spoon the sauce over each chicken breast.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

I prefer these warm and with the chocolate chips, my daughter prefers them warm and without. If you make these, let me know which way you like them best.

Ingredients

(makes about 8 muffins)

1 1/2 cups of quick cook oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar in the raw
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/3 cup 2% milk
2 very ripe bananas, broken into chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup quick cook oats (yes, more oats go into this)
1/3 cup Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (I use 60% cacao)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a muffin pan heavily with non-stick cooking spray.

Using a food processor, pulverize the 1 1/2 cups of quick cook oats into flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar and pulse until mixed. Add the canola oil, milk, banana chunks, and vanilla and mix until there are no more banana chunks. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of quick oats and chocolate chips and pulse just a couple of times to mix.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.