Crock Pot Seafood Chowder

(originally posted on WGLR.com on 3-25-13)

Well folks, here we are! It’s the last ‘Crock of the Week’ for the season! Remember, all recipes are archived on Julie’s blog to see all year ’round.  Click here: http://juliescrockoftheweek.blogspot.com/

This week’s recipe is from the winner of our “Julie’s Crock of the Week” giveaway! We had 81 entries! Amazing! 

Cathy’s recipe is Seafood Chowder, which is a perfect meal for this time of the year. Now, when I was putting this together Saturday morning, I was very much distracted by my 3 year old, 9 month old, and husband, who were all in the kitchen. I realized when it was too late that I had diced up all the potatoes and threw them in without peeling them. OOps! It was too late to go back, so I just soldiered on. It still tasted great, but didn’t look too pretty at the end (quite brown, ha!), so I am not posting a pic of it, LOL! The only other change I made was that I added in some Old Bay spice. But this was a tasty meal, thanks Cathy! My husband loved it. It’s the first time I have ever used fish in a slow cooker too.

Cathy’s Seafood Chowder

1 1/2 lbs. fresh or frozen fish fillets (Haddock, cod, etc.)
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped green onion, with tops
2 to 3 potatoes, pared and cubed
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 13-ounce can evaporated milk

Thaw frozen fillets and cut into bite-size peices. In small skillet, saute bacon and onion until golden, drain and put into CROCK-POT with fish. Add all remaining ingredients except evaporated milk. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 9 hours or until potatoes are tender. (High: 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours) Add evaporated milk during last hour.

THANKS AGAIN to everybody who submitted a recipe! And thanks for all the fun from the second season of ‘Julie’s Crock of the Week.’ I always enjoy the notes and calls I get from listeners to chat about recipes 

- Julie Jacobs

Bell Pepper Stew with Ground Turkey

(originally posted on WGLR.com on 3-18-13)

Hard to believe this is my last Crock of the Week for the season (You’ll still get one next week, BUT it will be the winning recipe from “The Crock of the Week Crock Pot Giveaway!”).

So, remember, I told you at the New Year that you would be getting some healthier crock pot recipes because the Jacobs’ household was making an effort to get healthy? I am happy to say we have stuck to the resolution, haha! This soup is one I have made a few times for us in the last few months. It is delicious AND healthy, and works great for The Husband and I to take to work for lunches. Make a double batch, and you’ll have lunch at work for a week for you and another person.

So now, let’s talk ground turkey. Some love it, some hate it. It is a healthier option than ground beef, BUT I have to say I am not a fan of a regular old boring turkey burger. However, I am a HUGE fan of it in combination recipes. It works awesome for Mexican dishes like tacos, and also in Italian dishes like lasagna. So, if you aren’t usually a fan of ground turkey, give it a chance in this recipe. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t let the recipe name scare you away! This tastes like stuffed peppers in a soup, it really does! And a 1 cup serving is only 140 calories!!! For real!

GROUND TURKEY BELL PEPPER STEW

1.5 lbs lean ground turkey

1 onion, diced

salt & pepper

paprika

1 tsp minced garlic

30 oz canned diced tomatoes (you can use no-salt if you’d like)

32 oz chicken or turkey broth (I use low-sodium)

Two bell peppers, diced (you can use green, red or yellow. I use one green and one red)

4 oz uncooked brown rice

curry

Brown the turkey in a skillet with the onion, garlic, some dashes of salt & pepper and paprika. transfer mixture to the crock pot and add all the remaining ingredients. You can throw in some more salt & pepper and curry to taste if you would like once everything is mixed together.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.5 hours. Serve with some shredded mozzarella cheese if you would like.

Slow Cooker Shepherd's Pie

(originally posted on WGLR.com on
3-11-13)

HAPPY ST.PATRICK’S DAY! 

Last year for this Irish holiday, I posted the classic St.Patrick’s meal of  Corned Beef & Cabbage , made easy peasy in your crock pot! So I am offering you another traditional Irish meal this week, Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie! This recipe uses beef, and I have to say that I really like how it turned out. I have made it before in the oven, and the potatoes tend to get overdone and too dry, in my opinion. But, the potatoes stayed nice and moist when made in the slow cooker. Yum, yum YUM! This meal is great year round, and will make all of your leprechauns, young and old, very happy!

SLOW COOKER SHEPHERD’S PIE

• 2 lbs potatoes (yukon gold work well)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• salt & pepper
• seasoned salt

Prick potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave potatoes on high, turning once, until tender, about 15 minutes (I have one of those cool baked potato microwave bags) . Remove from microwave, let cool slightly, then peel and mash with milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper. You could also peel and then boil and mash, or even use instant mashed potatoes if you like.

In a skillet on medium heat, pour in the olive oil. Add onion and cook for a few minutes, until the onions start to get translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute, then add in the ground beef.  When the meat is almost browned, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and thyme.  in a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch with the 1 cup of water, and add to the ground beef mixture when it is all browned up. Once it thickens up some, transfer the mixture into the slow cooker. Layer veggies on top of the meat, and then top with potatoes.  Sprinkle some seasoning salt on the potatoes.  Cook on low for 3 hours.