This was my first foray into slow-cooker meal preparation. Just about everyone I know received one or more when they got married. I didn’t register for one because I couldn’t see the need. I still don’t think that it falls in the “can’t live without it category”, but I can tell that I’m really going to enjoy this “set and forget” form of meal preparation.

While I was chopping vegetables, defrosting chicken and measuring ingredients this morning I thought to myself “What’s the point? I have to do all this prep work when I make dinner on the stove top.” But then I loaded everything in the slow cooker, set the temperature and walked away. It was at that moment that I realized I was really going to like not having to babysit the stove.

I consider myself very fortunate, in that I work from home most days. Since I save time by not commuting, I often have ample time to prepare dinner. Just because I have time to hang out in the kitchen in front of the stove, doesn’t mean that I need to!

I picked up a 5.5 quart Rival Crock Pot at Target using a gift card from Christmas. This is the gift that will keep on giving. My model is very basic, but manual controls make sense because I am home all day. This is only my first recipe, but I think the size is just about right. Even though I only cook dinner for two people, I like to have leftovers.

My friend Carolyn sent me this recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup after she tried it and loved it. I followed her recommendations of adding a can of drained and rinsed black beans, and adding 2 raw chicken breasts to the pot and allowing them to cook in the soup. I shredded the chicken shortly before serving. Since I didn’t have a can of whole peeled tomatoes or enchilada sauce in the house, I made my own substitution. I mixed a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes with some honey, garlic powder, cumin, cilantro and poultry seasoning and use this blend in place of the tomatoes and enchilada sauce. I also used half chicken broth and half vegetable broth so I could try some of my home made stock.

This soup was SO good! I served it with crushed tortilla chips and a sprinkling of Mexican blend cheese. My husband said that it reminded him of Panera’s Chicken Tortilla Soup. It was warm and hearty with a nice kick. The original recipe states that it yields 8 servings, and I think that’s pretty accurate. We’ll probably have this again for dinner and lunch and then freeze the remaining portions.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Yields 8 servings

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed *
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce *
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups frozen corn
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

* can substitute 28 oz. crushed tomatoes (seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder etc.) for tomatoes and enchilada sauce

1. Place raw chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker.
2. Pour in chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
3. Stir in corn and cilantro.
4. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Before serving, remove chicken breasts and shred. Return shredded chicken to pot and allow to heat through before serving.

This was the first Mexican dish that I made that did not involve a pre-mixed packet of taco or fajita seasoning. When I first made this dish, my husband and I were amazed at how easy it was to throw together a warm, tasty Mexican dish. Turkey and bean burritos have become a staple meal in our home. They’re easy enough to make on a weeknight, and work well on their own or with a side of Mexican rice.

Over the years, the turkey and bean burritos have undergone some minor changes. The original recipe is for Turkey, Tomatillo, and Bean Burritos and can be found in Rachel Ray’s 365: No Repeats cookbook. The recipe uses tomatillo salsa as the base, but I initially used whatever regular tomato salsa I had on had. I now use tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and poultry seasoning in place of the salsa. I think it makes the filling more moist, and the flavor more consistent.

If I’m just cooking for Mike and I, I will only assemble and heat two burritos and store the filling in a bowl. I’ve found that pre-assembled burritos get soggy in the fridge. When it’s time for leftovers, I warm the filling in the microwave, and assemble the burritos before popping them in the oven.

And of course, no Mexican meal is complete without a margarita!

Turkey and Bean Burritos
adapted from Rachel Ray’s Turkey, Tomatillo, and Bean Burritos (found in 365: No Repeats)

Yields 4-6 servings

6 10-inch flour tortillas
1 package (1 1/3 pounds) ground turkey breast
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup tomato sauce (plain, no-salt added)
1 cup chicken broth
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
shredded cheese of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 275.
2. Brown turkey in large non-stick skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Once turkey is browned, transfer to bowl. Drain most of the fat, leaving a small amount in the skillet. (Or, drain fat and use olive oil)
3. Add onions, garlic and pepper to skillet. Saute on medium heat for several minutes until onions are translucent and peppers are soft.
4. Add browned turkey to pan and mix in. Season with cumin, chili powder and poultry seasoning.
5. Stir in the black beans, tomato sauce and chicken broth.
6. Increase heat and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes more, or until the mixture is thickened.
7. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
8. Heat tortillas in microwave to make them more pliable.
9. Spoon turkey mixture onto tortillas, top with shredded cheese and roll up.
10. Place rolled tortillas seam-side down on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10 minutes.

I’ve tried a number of different Mexican rice recipes over the past few years, but none of them were quite right. When I saw this recipe on Dinner & Dessert, I knew I needed to give it a whirl. Since my husband Mike and I were planning a Mexican night with company last weekend, this seemed like the perfect side dish to try out.

This Mexican Rice recipe is a great find! It does take awhile to prepare this dish, but the finished product is certainly worth the effort. It has a great flavor, and was the perfect accompaniment for our black bean and turkey burritos. This recipe makes a lot of rice, but I’ll be following Erin’s recommendations and freezing the leftovers. It will be nice to be able to pull perfectly-flavored rice from the freezer any time I want.

Mexican Rice (source: Cook?s Illustrated September 2004)
found on Dinner & Dessert

2 ripe tomatoes (about 12 ounces), cored and quartered

1 medium onion, preferably white, peeled, trimmed of root end, and quartered

3 medium jalapeno chiles

2 cups long grain white rice

1/3 cup canola oil

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 ? teaspoons table salt

? cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary. Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess so that volume equals 2 cups). Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalape?os and discard; mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalape?o, including ribs and seeds; set aside.

Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water.

Heat oil in heavy-bottomed ovensafe 12-inch straight-sided saut? pan or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and fry, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and seeded minced jalape?os; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven; bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and reserved minced jalape?o with seeds to taste. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately.

My husband and I are big fans of salsa. He’s been known to eat it by the spoonful, and his college roommates like to tease him about a time he ate an entire jar in one sitting. Needless to say, it’s hard to keep enough of it in the house.

This recipe for homemade salsa from Annie’s Eats is delicious and easy to make. With minimal effort, you can create flavorful, restaurant-style salsa at home. Using the food processor simplifies prep work, as you only need to rough chop the vegetables before processing them. I’m also submitting this post to the Tasty Tools: Food Processor blogging event hosted by Joelen’s Culinary Adventures.

My food processor is pretty small, so I had to work on this recipe in two separate batches. I processed the first 8 ingredients, and then removed half of the pureed mixture from the work bowl. Next, I added half of the fresh vegetable and herbs to the food processor, pulsing as instructed. Once the first batch was done, I moved onto the second.

The only jalapenos I could find were on the larger side, so I only used one. Next time, I’ll probably add about 50% more to increase the heat a bit. I opted to drain the diced tomatoes to prevent the salsa from becoming too watery.

The resulting homemade salsa isn’t chunky, but it has noticeable bits of vegetables. It’s is fresh and spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. After serving this to company last night, we have plenty of tasty salsa left over. It’s out mission to finish consuming the batch this week!

My Favorite Salsa
from Annie’s Eats

Yields 4 cups

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
juice of one lime
1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don?t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Since the New Year, I’ve been making an extra effort to create a thorough meal plan for the week. In doing this, I’ve also been taking more time to flip through cookbooks and search out new recipes. During my last pass, two recipes caught my eye: Ellie Krieger’s Tuscan Vegetable Soup (from The Food You Crave) and Cooking Light’s Tuscan Chicken Soup (from The Best of Cooking Light: Everyday Favorites)

Both had some sort of tomato product, chicken broth, spinach, onion and cannellini beans. I liked that the Cooking Light recipe incorporated chicken and roasted red peppers, while Ellie Krieger’s had more vegetables. I combined the best of both worlds, adding mushrooms in place of carrots and celery and substituting dried basil and oregano for thyme and sage. In my house, you never have too many mushrooms or too much oregano! I was happy to have the opportunity to use my homemade roasted red peppers.

The finished product was attractive and delicious. Served with crusty bread, it was a perfect dinner!

Tuscan Chicken Vegetable Soup

Yields 6 Servings

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 10 oz)
1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can plain no-salt-added tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes w/ juices)
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach *
1/8 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic minced)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano

1. In a small bowl, mash half of the beans with the back of a spoon and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, zucchini and mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently until the vegetables are tender (about five minutes).
3. Add the broth and tomato sauce. Season with garlic powder, pepper, basil and oregano.
4. Add the chicken and whole beans. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium. Add spinach and mashed bean (stir well to dissolve). Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

* You can either heat the spinach ahead of time, or allow it to defrost in the soup.

A warm bowl of homemade soup seemed like a fitting end to yet another snowy Sunday. I’ve been planning to make a Mexican-inspired soup for awhile, but had not had a chance to search for the perfect recipe. I decided to use this Tomato Cheddar Soup recipe as a general inspiration for a brand new creation.

I omitted both the milk and cheddar cheese, choosing to only top the soup with shredded cheddar. I swapped in Mexican seasonings and added corn, zucchini and black beans to the garlic and onion. Next time, I plan to add some diced red pepper and minced jalapeno pepper to round out the vegetables.

The resulting mexican tomato soup had the familiar feel of a tomato vegetable soup, but with a fun flavor kick. Adding a side of cornbread really completed the meal…perfect for a cold winter’s night.

Mexican Tomato Soup

Yields 4 servings

3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2/3 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1 28 oz can tomato puree
1 15 oz can fat free chicken broth
2/3 cup corn
2/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, zucchini and garlic; saute for 10 minutes, or until zucchini has softened.
2) Add tomato puree, broth, corn and black beans. Stir well to combine.
3) Season with chili powder, cumin, salt and red pepper.
4) Simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes to heat vegetables through and to allow flavors to combine.

I clipped this recipe for White Bean and Turkey Chili from a Cooking Light magazine a few years ago, thinking it would be good with shredded chicken. It seemed like it might be a little bland as-is, so I looked over some other white chicken chili recipes and made a few more modifications. In addition to reducing the amount of meat to two cups, I used two cans of Great Northern beans and one can of cannellini beans. I also added a chopped jalapeno to give the chili an extra kick and substituted tomato sauce for chopped tomatoes.

The resulting white bean chicken chili was rich and hearty. It was a perfect meal for a chilly winter night. The flavors developed nicely overnight and the leftovers were just as good, if not better!

White Bean Chicken Chili

Yields about 6 1-cup servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups diced yellow onion
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 8 oz. can plain, no-salt added tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp dried cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1) Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion for 10 minutes, or until onion is tranlucent.
2) Add chili powder, garlic, jalapeno pepper and cumin; saut? for 2 minutes.
3) Add oregano, salt, pepper and beans; cook for about 1 minute.
4) Add broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer for at least 20 minutes.
5) Place 2 cups of bean mixture in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
6) Return pureed mixture to pan and add chicken. Cook for five minutes or until thoroughly heated.
7) Remove from heat and add dried cilantro and lime juice.

Preparation for this dish requires a great deal of chopping, but the results are well worth it. Ratatouille is an interesting way to incorporate many different kinds of vegetables into a meal.

This is yet another meal that I found inspiration for on allrecipes.com. My finished product is somewhat saucier than the original. I have made a number of modifications to the original ratatouille recipe, including reducing the amount of cheese used and switching out some vegetables. Since mushrooms are a favorite in my house, I opted to use a full 10 oz package, as opposed to only 2 cups of sliced mushrooms. Given my aversion to fresh tomatoes, I substituted a 28 oz container of crushed, seasoned tomatoes. Finally, the original ratatouille recipe calls for eggplant, but I had more than enough vegetables without it.

When I made this dish tonight, I ended up using 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash. Since yellow squash tends to have thicker skin, I sliced it very thin. Out of laziness, I skipped the fresh garlic cloves, opting to shake a little garlic powder on each layer of vegetables. While the resulting dish was flavorful, it was lacking that garlic zing. Next time, I’ll make the effort to mince and saute a few garlic cloves. Finally, make sure bake the Ratatouille in a dish that is large enough. I used a 2.5 qt casserole dish, and the vegetables were a little firmer than I would prefer, even with additional time. In the past, I have used a 9×13 baking dish that has allowed the vegetables to cook more quickly.

Ratatouille Recipe

Yields 4-6 servings

olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic powder)
2 tsp dried parsley
salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced into rings
10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with Italian spices

1) Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottom of 13×9 baking dish with a small amount of crushed tomatoes.
2) Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and saute garlic until lightly browned.
3) Spread zucchini over bottom of prepared casserole dish, mixing in the sauteed garlic. Lightly salt and sprinkle this layer with cheese. Cover with a thin layer of crushed tomato.
4) Continue layering with the onion, mushroom and bell pepper, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt, cheese and crushed tomato. Cover the top layer completely with crushed tomato.
5) Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Since I have concluded my baking marathon, I’ve decided to return my focus to regularly cooking filling, flavorful, wholesome meals.

I found this Black Bean Chili recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. My husband was initially skeptical about trying a chili recipe with no meat. His fears were allayed when he found that this chili is hearty and tasty. The combination of beans and other vegetable result in a rich, flavorful chili. Pureeing some of the chili lends thickness to the finished product.

The only modification I have made to the chili recipe is to substitute 28 oz. of canned diced tomatoes for the fresh diced tomatoes. I’m not a fan of the consistency of fresh tomatoes, so I usually substitute some sort of canned tomato product or sauce.

Using some canned or frozen products and employing a food processor to chop the vegetables greatly reduces prep time. It was only recently that my husband and I realized how much time we could save by using our food processor (took awhile, I know). What started off as my husband prepping the ingredients for me, turned into a full-on cooking session. He was pleased at how easily the chili came together. It’s worth noting that this black bean chili does not need to simmer for a long time, making it suitable for weeknight meals.

As with most chilis and soups, this chili tastes even better the next day. It also freezes well.

Colorful, tasty sauteed vegetables

Black Bean Chili Recipe

Yields 6 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
10 fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt.

1) Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, red bell peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms and corn for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2) Season with black pepper, cumin and chili powder.
3) Stir in diced tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth and salt.
4) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5) Place 1 1/2 cups of chili in food processor and process until smooth. Stir the pureed bean mixture back into the stock pot.

Sunday marked the first snowfall of the year. A cold, wintry day calls for a warm hearty dinner. I love this recipe for Pasta e Fagioli. Since this soup is best when simmered for about an hour, it’s perfectly suited for weekend evenings when one has time to hang out in the kitchen. Preparing the vegetables was also a time-consuming process for me, as it took me awhile to julienne the carrots.

Due to copyright restrictions, I am unable to post the recipe here. However, you can find it on Top Secret Recipes. The flavor of this pasta e fagioli soup is very similar to the one found at Olive Garden, but this soup is thicker and seems to contain more pasta.

I have made very few changes to the original recipe. Due to personal preferences, I used crushed tomatoes in place of diced tomatoes and substituted ground turkey for ground beef. I also omitted the chopped celery, adding 1/4 tsp of celery salt for flavor.

When I prepared the pasta e fagioli soup this time, I found that the finished product was too thick, so I added 1 cup of chicken broth a few minutes before I served the soup. Next time, I might cut down on the pasta. According to Top Secret Recipes, this recipe yields 8 servings. In my experience, it yields 8 large servings! I’m going to try freezing some of the leftovers to keep on hand for quick weeknight meals.