Panera Beef Stew

Panera Beef Stew

recipe Panera 

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds cubed beef chuck

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup flour

2 TBS olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

3/4 cup chopped celery

2 1/2 cup small baby-cut carrots

1 tsp minced garlic

3 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 can low-sodium diced tomatoes

1 1/2-2 cups low-sodium beef broth and/or dry red wine

1 TBS low-sodium Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season beef with salt, pepper, and thyme. Roll it in the flour.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add beef (in batches if necessary to prevent crowding) and cook until browned all over, 4-5 minutes. Remove to a slow cooker. 

3. Discard all but 2 TBS of the fat in the skillet. Add onions and celery, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Chop 1/2 cup of the carrots and add them to the skillet along with the garlic. Cook 2 minutes, and then transfer to a slow cooker. 

4. Add the remaining carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broth or wine, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving. 

Such a delicious, hearty soup!

Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

recipe and image from Laura's Sweet Spot

Ingredients
2 pounds Pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon Ground sage
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper
1 clove Garlic; crushed
½ cup Water
½ cup Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup Water
2 tablespoons Soy sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together the seasonings: sage, salt, pepper and garlic.
2. Rub over tenderloin. Place ½ cup water in slow cooker; place tenderloin in slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4. hour before the roast is finished, mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a small sauce pan: brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water, soy sauce.
5. Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
6. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. (For a more caramelized crust: remove from crockpot and place on aluminum lined sheet pan, glaze, and set under broiler for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and caramelized. Repeat 2 to 3 more times until desired crust is achieved.)
7. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

*This pork tenderloin was amazing!!!! Joe LOVED it! And he is pretty partial to his smoked pork but he loved the glaze on this. Yum!! I think we served the pork with mashed potatoes. 

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

Hawaiian Pulled Pork
from Hoku Pilami

INGREDIENTS:
1 pork shoulder roast
1 can tomato sauce
1 can soy sauce (use the tomato sauce can to measure)
1 can sugar (use the tomato sauce can to measure)
3 cloves garlic, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together tomato sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic.
2. Place roast in crock pot. Pour mixture over roast.
3. Cook for 8-10 hours.
4. When finished, trim the fat, remove some extra liquid, and shred the roast.
5. Serve on rolls or over rice.

Mediterranean Pork with Couscous

Mediterranean Pork with Couscous

recipe and image from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat (or the equivalent of boneless pork chops)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil

1-2 cups couscous, prepared according to package directions

DIRECTIONS:
In a liquid measuring cup combine the oil, broth and spices. Cut small slits with a paring knife into the pork roast (or pork chops). Place the pork in a 4-quart slow cooker and pour the broth/spice mixture over the top of the pork. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours until the pork is tender.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred into pieces. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and toss with the juices/liquid. Serve the meat/juices over couscous.

*This is a wonderfully light pork tenderloin. We love how flavorful it is and how delicious it tastes with the couscous.

San Francisco Chops

San Francisco Chops
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Hot Cooked Rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker.

2. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.

4. Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.

*I actually cooked the pork chops on high for 3-4 hours and I felt like it was too long because they were a little dry. Next time I would cook them on low. Also, I didn't have to thicken the sauce at all. The flavor was really good and we really liked it served over rice with Asian green beans.

Sweet and Spicy Crock Pot Roast

Sweet and Spicy Crock Pot Roast
from My Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
4-7 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed of large areas of fat
1-2 tablespoons saute spice (equal parts garlic powder, salt and black pepper)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can root beer
1 can (around 9 ounces) red chile enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup of water or milk

DIRECTIONS:'
1. Pat the roast(s) dry with a paper towel; then rub the saute spice all over the roast. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or pot until it is shimmering. Brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil, for about 1 minute on each side. The oil should be hot enough to get the roast nicely browned without burning it. Transfer the roast to a crock pot.
2. In a bowl, combine the root beer, enchilada sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
3. Remove the roast, reserving juices in the slow cooker. Tent the roast with foil to keep warm.
4. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water/milk, stirring well until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the juices in the slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, on high for 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve sauce over roast with mashed potatoes or any other side that you want.

*This roast was so moist and delicious! We absolutely loved the sauce on the pot roast and over the mashed potatoes. Yum! Definitely a wonderful alternative to the regular "Sunday pot roast".

East West BBQ Crock Pot Chicken

East West BBQ Crock Pot Chicken
recipe and image from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

INGREDIENTS:
2 medium onions, sliced, about 2 cups
2 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin on
5 chicken drumsticks, bone-in and skin on
1 cup spicy barbecue sauce such as Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet n Spicy
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
hot sauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place sliced onions in the crock pot and top with the chicken.
2. In a small bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and orange juice. Pour over the chicken.
3. Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 4 - 5 hours or low for 7 - 8 hours.
4. When the cooking time is complete, remove the chicken to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
5. In a small pot over medium high heat, add 1 cup of the sauce from the crock pot. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir into the sauce in the pot and cook for 3 - 5 minutes until it is thickened. Pour the thickened sauce back into the crock pot and stir to combine. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with extra hot sauce if desired.

Serve with a noodle salad:
INGREDIENTS:
half pound of cooked and drained linguine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 cup each steamed broccoli, green beans, yellow pepper
a few shakes of sesame seeds and red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:
1. Toss all ingredients with cooked linguine noodles.

*This chicken was so moist and flavorful and went wonderful with the noodle salad!

Crock Pot Southwest Chicken Stacks

Southwest Chicken Stacks
recipe and image from My Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups salsa
tortilla chips
toppings- lettuce, cheese, avocado, sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, ect

DIRECTIONS:
1. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the frozen chicken breasts on top. Cover with beans and salsa.
2. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.
4. Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and top with additional toppings.

Sunday Beef Stew

Sunday Beef Stew
from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2-2 lb. lean stew beef, cut into even smaller bite-sized pieces (just pull out a pair of kitchen shears and cut anything that looks like you'd need to use a knife and fork on)

4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped

4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 onions, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 12-oz. cans or 3 c. vegetable juice cocktail (like V8 or even Bloody Mary mix)

1 10-oz. can condensed tomato soup

10 oz. water (just use the can from the tomato soup to measure)

1 tsp. basil

2 beef bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. beef base)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in crock pot.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours. (or until veggies are nice and tender and meat is cooked through.)

French Dips

I can't believe I haven't posted these either! I love french dip sandwiches, yum!

French Dips

INGREDIENTS:
1.5-2 lb roast (I usually buy a 3 lb roast and split it in half to use two different times)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 ounce package dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
1 beef bouillon cube
4 large buns
sliced provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and salt and pepper roast.
2. When hot, place roast in pan and brown all sides.
3. Place roast in crock-pot and sprinkle with onions soup mix.
4. Pour water over roast. Place beef bouillon cube in the crock pot as well.
5. Cook on high for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5.
6. After the meat is done cooking, shred with two forks.
7. Cut buns in half, place on cookie sheet, top buns with roast and slice of cheese. Broil for a few minutes- just until cheese is melted and buns are a little golden brown.
8. Serve sandwiches with juices from crock-pot for dipping.

Southwestern Beef Wraps

Southwestern Beef Wraps
recipe and image from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2-ish pound beef roast, trimmed of fat but left whole
1 heaping tsp chili powder
1 heaping tsp garlic powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
1 heaping tsp Kosher salt
2 bell peppers (you can use 2 green bell peppers or mix it up a little with red, yellow, or orange; just make sure one is green), chopped
1 14 1/2 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes OR 1 can of Rotel tomatoes (regular or mild, depending on your preference)
Small flour tortillas
Desired toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Combine seasonings in a small bowl and then rub seasoning mixture all over the roast.
3. Place roast over onions, top with chopped peppers, and then pour the canned tomatoes on top of everything.
4. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours or start this in the morning, cook it on high until things start to boil and then cook on low until dinnertime.
5. Shred meat with two forks and serve in tortillas with desired toppings.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore
from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. chicken breasts or chicken breasts and thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 c. white flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and either crushed or halved

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1 c. white wine, white cooking wine, or apple or white grape juice

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using cooking wine; you may shrivel up and die if you add the salt in addition to cooking wine because cooking wine is treated with salt to make it undrinkable)

1 bay leaf

1 c. sliced mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, chopped
spaghetti (We really like multi grain or wheat pasta!)
we sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil, and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.
2. In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour.
3. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
4. While chicken is draining, add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth.
5. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours.
6. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the mushrooms and the chopped green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Boil water and cook spaghetti. Remove bay leaf from crock pot and serve over pasta.

This was delicious with wonderful flavor! Joe said it tasted great as leftovers as well. We served the cacciatore with these breadsticks for our Sunday dinner!

Sunday Roast

Sunday Roast
from Mom

INGREDIENTS:
beef roast
canned whole potatoes, or peeled, cubed potatoes
baby carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 5-6 hours, depending on how big of a roast.

Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes

Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes
from Mom

INGREDIENTS:
potatoes, peeled and sliced (enough to fill the crock pot)
2 cups cubed ham
1/2 onion, diced
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depends on how much you are making- 1 can for small crock pot, 2 cans for big crock pot)
1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup (same as above)
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix soups together in a separate bowl.
2. Layer potatoes, onion, ham, cheese, and soups in crock pot. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper.
3. Make sure the last layer is COMPLETELY covered with soup. (If the top layer of potatoes is exposed to the air, they will turn gray.)
4. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

Rumbi Island Grill Mango Chicken

Rumbi Island Grill Mango Chicken
from The Sisters' Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
4-5 chicken breasts
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups mango salsa
cumin to taste
lemon pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Add spices. Cover and cook chicken until tender.
2. Shred chicken on a plate and return to crock pot. Save juices in separate bowl.
3. Add corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If mixture seems dry, add some of reserved juices.
4. Serve over coconut jasmine rice for that Rumbi Island Grill taste. Garnish with cilantro or parsley, if desired.

*I cut this recipe in half for us and still had a little leftovers.

Chimichangas

Chimichangas
from Becca Nelson

INGREDIENTS:
1 rump round roast
1-2 cans green chilies
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper

oil
tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook roast with green chilies, garlic, and spices in crock pot for several hours.
2. Shred meat and let simmer in juices for a while.
3. Heat oil in pan or deep fryer.
4. Fill tortilla with meat, roll, secure with toothpick.
5. Fry in oil until golden brown.
6. Serve with toppings- enchilada sauce, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, salsa, and lettuce.

Sweet-n-Sour Pineapple Chicken

Sweet-n-Sour Pineapple Chicken
from Mom

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or more tenders
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup oil

Sauce:
1 13.5 oz can pineapple chunks
1 cup sugar
1 TB soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 cup vinegar
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 TB cornstarch (I usually mix this with a little water to make a paste so it doesn't clump in the sauce.)

DIRECTIONS:
Chicken:
1. Dip chicken in milk and then coat with flour, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat oil and brown chicken on all sides.
3. Place chicken in crock pot or baking dish.

Sauce:
1. Drain pineapple, pour syrup into measuring cup and add water to make 1 1/4 cups.
2. In saucepan, combine all ingredients, cornstarch last (to thicken). Boil for two minutes.
3. Add pineapples.

Both:
1. Pour sauce over chicken.
2. Cook on high in crock pot for 3-4 hours or cook in oven at 350 for 45-60 minutes.