Heidi’s Slow Cooker Carne Asada

My girlfriend Heidi gave me this recipe and I love it! It is super easy to throw together and extremely flavorful. I served it on tortillas with guacamole and romaine. Heidi suggested adding red onions and cilantro to the top too!

Prep: 12 minutes

Cook: about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low

Ingredients:

• 2lbs carne asada meat
• 2 T cumin
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 t salt
• 2 t pepper
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 jalapeño
• 1 sweet onion
• 10.5 ounces of beef broth

Directions: Rinse meet, pat dry, and put in slow cooker. Combine spices and run over the meat. Chop tomatoes, jalapeno, and sweet onion and pour on top of the meat. Lastly, pour 10.5 ounces of beef broth over the top. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Serves: about 4 people

Happy Eating 🙂

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Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

French onion soup is just one of those soups that really hits the spot. It’s got an incredible amount of cheese, which is so stringy and delicious, then there’s the salty flavor of the broth, and then the bread layered on top. It’s pretty amazing. That being said…this recipe is kind of sneaky. Since it says “Slow Cooker” it appears to be a quick and easy recipe. That is not quite the case. Caramelizing the onions on the stove before adding them to the slow cooker takes about 45 minutes. So, do not make this recipe unless you have time one morning to caramelize onions. I love french onion soup so I definitely thought it was worth the effort!

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep: 45 minutes

Cook: 4-6 on low 6-8 on high

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 large yellow onions- sliced into rings
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry
• 7 cups reduced sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 slices of french bread
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons shredded Mozzarella

Directions:

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onions until translucent, about 10 minutes. sprinkle onions with sugar and reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir onions constantly (I went back and forth between stirring and shredding) until onions are browned, about 30 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sherry to onion mixture. Pour onion mixture into Slow Cooker and add beef broth, sea salt, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover Slow Cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours (I cooked mine on high for 5 hours).

About 10 minutes before serving, broil french bread. To serve, dish up each bowl and add french bread and each type of cheese.

Serves 4

I hope you enjoy it!

Slow Cooker Sweet Pork

Oh my goodness my friends…it has been way too long since I last posted a recipe! I am finally getting settled into my new apartment and town and also GOT A JOB! Yay! So it’s been a little hectic around here, but the good news is I haven’t stopped cooking and now have many recipes to post on here!

This recipe was AA-MMM-AAAZZ-ING. My husband and I loved every bit of this meal and the leftovers. Each time we had the leftovers we were raving again about how delicious it was. Oh and it’s super easy so I hope you try it! This recipe is originally called Cafe Rio Pork however I have never eaten at a Cafe Rio so that means very little. It reminds me very much of a sweet pork I love from a restaurant back home…hence the name change.

Prep: 3 minutes

Cook: 5 hours on high or 7 hours on low

Ingredients:

• Homemade style soft flour tortillas (I promise this actually makes a difference. I bought a brand titled Mi Mama’s Soft Flour Tortillas and they were amazing!)
• 2-3 lbs pork (I used chops but I think any cut would work)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups salsa
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Season the pork with salt and pepper and place them in the slow cooker. Add brown sugar and salsa and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 5. Remove pork and trim fat if needed. Shred the pork (I usually use two forks and shred it very carefully so I don’t scratch my slow cooker). After shredding cook for about a half an hour longer so the pork can soak up more of the juices. Serve with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and whatever else you like on your tacos!

Yields: a lot….at least 6 full tacos

Happy Eating 🙂

Huli Huli Chicken

I told you I’m obsessed with my slow cooker 😛 I decided to expand my horizons a little from American and Italian food and I am glad I did because this Hawaiian chicken was awesome!

I found this recipe on the same site as the Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin (http://joelens.blogspot.com/2012/02/12-more-crockpot-recipes-for-stress.html) and made it yesterday on the last day our friends were visiting from Idaho.  We had plans to run around all day, but also didn’t want to eat out for another meal so I decided a slow cooker meal was the best way to go. Again this is a really quick and easy recipe that is extremely flavorful. All four of us loved it and my husband and I are definitely putting this in our regular meal rotation

Prep: 20- 25 minutes (includes reducing the sauce for 10 minutes)

Cook: 4 to 6 hours on low (if you use boneless skinless chicken breasts the cooking time will be shorter…you can check if the chicken is done with a meat thermometer when it reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cups crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (or gluten free tamari or liquid aminos)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced or grated ginger
• 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (or boneless skinless chicken breast if you prefer)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped mixed bell peppers

Directions:Simmer crushed pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in medium saucepan until thickened and measures 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.

Coat slow cooker with cooking spray.  Transfer sauce to slow cooker.

Season chicken with salt & pepper, add to slow cooker and coat evenly with sauce.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and when hot, add bell peppers. Sauté peppers until slightly softened and then transfer to the crockpot. Stir to combine and allow to finish cooking with the chicken.

Serve in a serving dish with juices. I served ours over jasmine rice which was delectable!

Yields: 4 servingsEven though I don’t freeze meals very often I always like to know what meals freeze well for times when life gets super busy. The website I got this recipe from included this tip on freezing the meal:

* To make ahead/freezer meal: Prepare the recipe above as directed. Instead of transferring the ingredients into a slow cooker, place in a gallon sized freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, (label the bag with date and recipe name), and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost bag completely and pour into a slow cooker. Cook 4 to 6 hours on low.

Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I am truly obsessed with my slow cooker right now so I will be posting many slow cooker recipes in the next few weeks. I love the fact that I can throw together a meal early in the day, I love the way it makes the house smell, and I’ve read on several blogs how a slow cooker doesn’t heat up your house (and considering it’s over 100 here with extreme humidity right now I’m a big fan). I hope you try some of these recipes and get a little glimpse of why my slow cooker is my new favorite obsession 🙂

I made this Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin last week (from this site http://joelens.blogspot.com/2012/02/12-more-crockpot-recipes-for-stress.html) and my husband and I both really liked it. I did have a problem with the sauce…there wasn’t enough and thickening it didn’t work for us…so I have adapted the recipe to my liking. The pork was very tender and the sauce was sweet and so flavorful.

Prep: 10- 15 minutes

Cook: on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3.5 to 4.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
• salt and pepper
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard or country-style
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or Maple Sugar Seasoning

Directions:

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork in the slow cooker. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme and maple syrup for the sauce (feel free to add a little extra of everything if you prefer more sauce to pour over the pork when serving); pour over the pork in slow cooker. Turn pork to coat thoroughly. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork to a plate and serve sliced with the juices poured over the top. (The original recipe called for pouring the juices in a saucepan and thickening them by adding cornstarch and cold water…it was way too thick- plus I just prefer a sauce over a glaze- and there wasn’t very much sauce to simmer and reduce so I will eliminate this step the next time I make it).

Yields: 4 servings

We ate this with a side of bread and roasted asparagus with balsamic browned butter!

Happy Eating 🙂

Slow Cooker Green Chile Flank Steak

So it will be good for me to tell you early on that I AM A PINTEREST ADDICT! And the main thing I pin is food. So many of the recipes you will see on my blog I have found on pinterest. That being said I got this recipe from: http://www.lifetimemoms.com/food-family-recipes/blog/flank-steak-recipe?cmpid=CNP_LTMAffil_ShannonShaffer

Even though the recipe has green chiles in it, we used half of the can, it was not spicy at all and just sooo deliciously flavorful! It has to be noted that my husband called this recipe “melt in your mouth flank steak” so needless to say it was a hit!

Prep: 15-20 minutes

Cook: 4-6 hours depending on whether you want it sliced or shredded

Ingredients:

• 1 Flank Steak –  about 1 3/4 lbs (cut in half)
• 1 small can of green chiles (we just used half)
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic minced (depending on taste)

Directions:

In a small pan, brown flank steak in olive oil on both sides.

Add all ingredients to slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours if you would like the steak sliced, cook 5-6 hours if you prefer it shredded. (Seriously can it get any easier? Gotta love this recipe!)

Yields: 8 servings

We had this flank steak with our favorite Summertime Mac & Cheese and Oven Roasted Broccoli (both on the blog). I was in the kitchen for awhile (on and off the last two hours before we ate) though so if you want something quick and easy I would do a side of bread and green beans or a salad.

My parents have their leftover flank steak on sourdough bread with dijon mustard the next day…I highly suggest trying this…it’s awesome!