Often, you are planning dinner, but can't make just what you want because your main dish needs the oven, so you have to choose a side that doesn't need to be made in the oven. Well, why not use your crock pot for that side dish? This week I am offering you Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Casserole. It's a good way to get veggies into your meal without a lot of work. I have to warn you though, if you haven't cooked with broccoli too often, it does have a pretty strong smell that some don't enjoy. So, yeah, I warned you there. Ha ha!

And I would like to welcome Thompson's IGA in Cuba City as a sponsor of Julie's Crock of the Week! Welcome aboard!

Your Thompson's IGA ingredient list:

Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

• 2 lbs fresh (not frozen) broccoli florets, washed and trimmed
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
• 1 cup low fat or fat free milk
• 1 cup chicken or veggie broth
• 1 cup shredded fancy white cheese (swiss, gouda, provolone, fontina, etc)
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Use a 4 quart crock pot. Cut up and wash the broccoli. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper & mustard. Toss the broccoli florets in the flour mixture, coating all the florets.  Pour into slow cooker. Stir in the cup pf fancy white shredded cheese. Pour in the milk and broth. Top with the parmesan cheese and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-4, until the broccoli is at desired tenderness. Give it all a good stir before serving. Makes about 8 cups, each cup is about 130 calories.

Salsa Chicken 2-for-1!

This week, I am giving you a bit of a 2-for-1 treat. I made this original recipe, Crock Pot Salsa Chicken, for the first time a few years ago and LOVED it. It comes from the great cookbook "A Year of Slow Cooking" by Stephanie O'Dea.  I recently came upon a variation of the original which made it into a soup, on her blog, which is the same name as her book (Google it, it's worth it!).  So I decided to try the soup version over the weekend and it was SO TASTY! My husband and I both agreed it is one of our favorite things I have ever made in the slow cooker. So not only am I giving you the soup recipe, but I'm also giving you the original salsa chicken recipe. Not only can you enjoy it as is, but it also works great as a filling in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, etc,  when you shred up the chicken.  It's also very low fat! YAY! Would be a nice dish for a taco bar at your Super Bowl party this weekend!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 cup chunky salsa (1.5 cups if you use breasts)
• 1 cup frozen corn

Pretty simple here...put the chicken in the crock (frozen is fine), and pour the other ingredients over the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

• 1 lb boneless chicken ( I used frozen breast tenderloins)
• 1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained & rinsed)
• 4 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1-16oz jar salsa
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end, I used light)

If you know you are going to make this the day before, I recommend using the dried beans, just soak them overnight for at least 8 hours. I really think they tasted great in this soup, and are less expensive than the canned. But the canned beans would work well too, I am sure.

Pour beans into the crock. Lay the chicken on top, and then pur the remaining ingredients over the chicken and beans. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you are using the dried beans, it will be closer to 8 hours, check the beans for tenderness. With an hour or two to go, shred up the chicken in the crock (or remove, shred, and put back in crock, which is a bit easier!).  When the soup is done, stir in the sour cream before serving.

When serving, you can top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc. 1 cup serving on it's own is only 200 calories!

Slow Cooker Savory Chicken

Holy cow, it’s COLD!!!! Definitely crock pottin’ weather!  This week’s recipe is a simple, basic crock pot recipe, but I know that when I was first on my own and started cooking for myself, I needed basic recipes to start to learn how to cook, without my mom around to ask So here ya go. Plus a serving of this (1 breast with a good scoop or two of the veggies) Savory Chicken is this week’s Crock of the Week.

Slow Cooker Savory Chicken

• 1.5 – 2lbs boneless chicken breasts (I used 4 large)
• 2-15oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chunked up
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme (or herb blend of your choice)
• salt & pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup chicken broth (I use low sodium)
• 4 cups broccoli florets

Put chicken on the bottom of the crock (Fresh or frozen works fine). Put all the ingredients in the crock EXCEPT the broccoli, and cook on low for 6-7 hours. A half hour before it is done, add the broccoli. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Simple but delicious! And good for you, too.
I used more than 1 cup of chicken broth, so you won’t have quite so much liquid as is in this photo when you make it, unless you are like me and like extra broth!

With this cold January upon us, I really enjoy soups & stews. Plus the leftovers I get to enjoy for lunch at work for days after is also a nice bonus! This week’s recipe is another pretty healthy meal for you and your family, White Chicken Chili! Even my 3-year old said “Mmmm, tasty!” when he tried it.  One serving (1 cup) is only 226 calories, and protein packed, so it fills you up and holds you until your next meal.

White Chicken Chili

• 2 lbs. chicken breasts
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 (15.5) oz cans white kidney beans (cannellini), drained & rinsed
• 32 oz chicken broth, low sodium
• 2 cups corn, frozen
• 2 (4-oz) cans chopped green chilis
• 1 lime
• shredded colby-jack cheese, low fat

Put chicken breasts in the crock pot, and cook for about 4 hours. you can add a bit of water if you like, but it isn’t necessary. I use frozen breasts, too. When those are cooked enough to easily shred/chunk up, take them out of the crock to shred up on a plate with 2 forks, empty the cooking “junk” out of the crock.  Place shredded/chunked chicken back in the crock and add all other ingredients except for the lime and cheese.

Cook on high for an hour, then low for another 1-2 hours.

Just before serving, squeeze the juice from the lime into the chili, and top with 1 tablespoon of cheese per 1 cup serving once it’s in a bowl.

**TIP: I mashed up one of the cans of beans to give the stock a bit more texture.

Per 1 cup serving:
Calories:  226 Fat: 5.2g Carbs: 20 Dietary fiber: 5g Protein: 25g

Crock Pot Savory Bean & Spinach Soup

Ok everybody, I have to warn you…the Jacobs’ household has started a “get healthier” goal for the new year, so the Crock of the Week will be taking a healthier turn for now, since I make everything the weekend before I post it to make sure it is good (if it is a new recipe) or just to make it to take a photo for the WGLR website! BUT, since I have a 3 year old in the house, I am making every effort to make DELICIOUS healthy recipes, which your whole family will enjoy, hopefully! This week’s recipe is an example of that. I was really happy with how this new recipe turned out. I made a double batch so my husband and I can enjoy the leftovers for lunch for a good chunk of this week. One serving of this soup (1 cup) is only 150 calories! We each had 2 servings for dinner last night, and with the beans in it, it really was quite filling, and only 300 calories! AWESOME.  I hope you like it, too! And you don’t have to be on a diet to enjoy it! This is meat free, so a good dish for any vegetarians out there, or if you are just trying to eat less meat in your diet overall. 

Crock Pot Savory Bean and Spinach Soup

• 32 oz vegetable broth (I did half veggie, half chicken stock)
• one 15 oz can tomato puree
• one 15 oz can great northern beans or white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 cup UNCOOKED brown rice
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 tsp dried basil (I used oregano because I didn’t have basil on-hand)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 cups coarsely chopped spinach or kale
• finely shredded Parmesan cheese (I forgot to add this when serving, still was good!)

Mix together all ingredients EXCEPT spinach and Parmesan cheese in the crock. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or high for 2.5-3.5 hours. Add the spinach about 5 minutes before serving. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top when serving.

One cup serving is 150 calories. Makes about 5-6 servings.

DIPS!

With our new & improved WGLR website, I can keep a fe recipes at a time on the Midday Buffet page at WGLR.com, so I am a bit behind moving som eover into the archives! These two dips were the Crock of the Week over Christmas & New Year. Both are good year 'round, and especially with the Superbowl just around the corner. Great for parties! Both can be kept warm in the crock pot for hours to serve and enjoy.

Crock Pot Reuben Dip

• 1 8oz brick cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded swiss cheese
• 1 lb. corned beef, finely chopped
• 1 can sauerkraut (about 15oz can), not drained
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Thousand island dressing (depends on how soft you want the dip)
• 1 to 2 loaves rye or pumpernickel cocktail party bread

Cube up the cream cheese and add to the crock with the shredded swiss cheese and the corned beef. Give that all about a half hour on high to melt together. The add the can of kraut, stir. Add the thousand island dressing until it is the consistency you want (it will get a bit thicker as it cooks together). Continue to cook on high for about another half hour until it is all heated through. Then you are OK to keep it in warm to serve and enjoy for a few hours. Spread on the cocktail bread to eat. YUM! Store leftovers in the fridge, and just warm leftovers in the microwave.

Crock Pot Salsa Spinach Queso Dip

• 1 8oz brick cream cheese, cubed up
• 1 lb Velveeta, cubed up
• 1-10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, drained
• salsa of your choice, about 12-16 oz (or 1 can Rotel if you want more kick)
• a handful of chopped up fresh cilantro (optional, but tasty!)

Throw the cheeses in the pot and add the other ingredients on top. It will take about an hour on HIGH for everything to melt together nicely, stir every 10-15 minutes to keep it all blended and melting evenly. Then just set on warm for people to enjoy for hours! We used tortilla chips, but I think chunks of bread or cocktail rye would work nicely with this dip too.
You can use light versions of the cream cheese and Velveeta (2%) if you would like.
Happy New Year! I hope 2013 is a great year for you all!

With the chill in the air and leaves on the ground, it’s time to pull out that crock pot! And back by popular demand, is Julie’s Crock of the week! Every week during the winter months, Julie Jacobs will share a slow cooker recipe to help warm up your belly.

Here comes Christmas! So, this week’s recipe is geared at helping you with your holiday meal. My mom’s side of the family usually enjoys a ham for Christmas dinner, and I recently came across this recipe online and thought I would give it a go. Yes, it’s true! Ham in a crock pot! Slow Cooker Honey Baked Ham. I have to give a shout out to where I found this recipe, it is a fantastic cooking blog called “Six Sister’s Stuff.” You really need to follow them, so many delicious recipes! I also spaced out and forgot to take a photo of my ham yesterday when I made it, so I am posting their pic from their blog. Check them out! And wow, did the house smell good yesterday while this was cooking. I did have to cut a chunk of the end off to fit it in my crock pot, but if yours is too big, look here for how to cook it without the lid http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/12/slow-cooker-honey-baked-ham.html

Slow Cooker Honey Baked Ham

7-10lb spiral ham (mine was about 8lbs)
2 Tbs brown dijon mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup water

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. In a saucepan, mix together the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the water. Simmer together for a few minutes until all is melted together. Put the water in the crock with the ham, and then pour the saucepan mixture over ham.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, basting every hour or so.

If you would like, you can make a glaze/gravy from the juices when your ham is done. Put the juices in a saucepan with 2T cornstarch and 1T water. i skipped this step because the hame was so good as it was! Again, this pic is not mine, it’s from the Six Sister’s Blog (link above!)