Sausage Spinach Tomato Soup

*originally published on www.WGLR.com on 10-21-13*

This weekend was our first really chilly one of the season, so I HAD to make something to warm us up on Saturday! That meant a delicious soup was needed. This one fit the bill! I made a double batch and will be enjoying it for lunch all week at work, too.

Sausage Spinach Tomato Soup

• 1 lb. bulk Italian Sausage
• 1-24oz jar pasta sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained & rinsed
• 1 box (10oz) frozen chopped spinach
• 4 large carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup diced yellow onions
• 1 lb ditilini pasta (you can also sub rice)

Brown the sausage in pan before putting it in your crock. Throw in all ingredients except the pasta. (note...I subbed brown rice for the pasta in my soup. You can put 1/2 cup dry brown rice into the crock with everything and it will cook up just fine in the soup). Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.

Before serving, cook pasta according to box directions. Add to soup and serve!

*Note: I used turkey sausage, and brown rice instead of pasta (as noted above), and I was lazy and just bought match stick carrots, all worked well for a delicious soup! And my version is only 230 calories a cup, in case you are looking for a healthier modification.

The Crock is back! Season 3's first recipe is Cafe Rio Chicken!

(originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 10-14-13)

IT’S BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

The first Crock of the Week for this season! This is the third season of sharing recipes with you all, and I enjoy it so much.  I use my crock pot all year long, not just in the colder months. This particular recipe I made a few times this summer, it’s PERFECT for parties and get-togethers. For my daughter’s 1st birthday in June, I had a chicken taco/nacho bar, and made a huge batch of this for people to build their own tacos with. I also had some buns on-hand for those who preferred to eat it in sandwich form. I also made it when we had a cabin getaway weekend with friends, everybody loved it! It’s so versatile! leftovers can be used for a taco salad, enchiladas & burritos, cheesy chicken dip for your next football party, you name it. Plus, it freezes well. Make a double or triple batch and freeze some of it to use later for a lickety-split meal. And I admit that I call it “crack chicken” because it is so addictive! It’s so  tasty! Haha!

CAFE RIO CHICKEN

• 2lbs chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
• 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 packet (3 Tbsp) dry ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup water)
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin

Put chicken in the crock pot. Add all ingredients, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken easily shreds up with a fork. Shred chicken with 2 forks and return to crock. I like to let it cook for at least another half hour so the shredded chicken soaks up all the juices. Enjoy!

**TIP!!! If you make a double or triple batch, here is a SUPER easy way to shred a large amount of chicken: If you have a stand mixer like a kitchenAid, put the cooked chicken in there with the paddle attachment, and in less than a minute, you will have perfectly shredded chicken!

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.

Slow Cooker (NO BOIL!) Manicotti

This week’s recipe is sure to impress your family and friends, because it seems like you have some amazing culinary skills when you serve it…Slow Cooker Stuffed Manicotti! There is a tiny bit of prep involved (but NO BOILING of the manicotti!), but if you want to enjoy a tasty meal that everyone will not believe you made in the crock pot, this is something you should make ASAP. Pasta doesn’t have to be soggy and mushy in a slow cooker, and this recipe proves that. I used low fat cottage cheese and ricotta for the filling, worked well!

SLOW COOKER (no boil!) STUFFED MANICOTTI

For the filling:

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (1/2 cup reserved)
• Italian seasoning blend

• 1 large jar of your favorite marinara sauce
• 1 package manicotti (uncooked, about 14 pieces)

Pour some marinara into the bottom of your crock pot. I used my 6qt oblong crock. The oblong ones work better than the tall crocks for this. Now it’s time to make the filling…mix together the cottage cheese, ricotta and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Also pour in the italian seasoning, about a tablespoon, but I like more, so you can use your own discretion here. Now, if you have some cake decorating piping bags, you can use one of those to pipe the filling into the manicotti shells. If you don’t have one, grap a ziploc bag and cut a hole in a corner, that works well, too! Pipe cheese into one end of the manicotti shell, about enough to fill it up halfway, then turn the shell around to pipe in the cheese on the other side. Lay shells on top of the sauce in the crock in a single layer (I had about 3 manicotti on top of others, I couldn’t fit them ALL in a single layer, still worked fine).

Pour the remaining sauce on top of the manicotti. I used more sauce than the original recipe because I know my crock runs hot. You can use less sauce if you want, but make sure you check a few times while it is cooking then, because you don’t want it to get too dry and burn. I also threw in some frozen meatballs on top because I knew my 3 year old would need some meatballs when we ate this!

Cook on high for about 2.5 hours. Check around 2 hours to see how the firmness of the pasta is. About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top, so it can melt.
Delicious!

Here is my pic, mid prep, showing the just stuffed manicotti in my crock pot.

Slow Cooker Sauced Chicken

This week’s recipe is mainly for the sauce. I got the recipe from a friend, and she says they use the sauce on many things, but it is especially good on chicken and ribs. I made it with chicken breasts, because that is what I had on-hand, but you can use any cut of chicken you like, bone-in or out, fresh or frozen. It just seems to be a good sauce for many different meats. Plus it is easy to make! I had everything in my pantry for it, I love recipes with basic ingredients that are so versatile and easy to whip up! I served the chicken with sauce over white rice, and it was delicious.  If you try it on ribs, let me know how it is!

SLOW COOKER SAUCED CHICKEN

• 1 can tomato soup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1tsp chili powder
• 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken pieces of your choice

Place the chicken in your slow cooker. Mix all the other ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.