Crockpot Enchilada Casserole

3 Tbsp diced green chili's
1/2 C mild salsa
1/4 C chopped green onion
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
15 oz can- black beans, drained
11 oz can- yellow corn, with red and green bell peppers, drained
10 oz can- enchilada sauce
2 large eggs
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 1/2 C shredded Mexican four-cheese blend

1. Stir together chilies & next 6 ingredients in a lightly greased 4 qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 3 hours.
2. Whisk 2 eggs in a medium bowl, stir in muffin mix. Spoon batter over bean mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 1 hour or until cornbread is done.
3. Sprinkle cheese over cornbread. Increase heat to high; cover and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Spoon into shallow bowls. Garnish with sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Crockpot 3 Envelope Pot Roast Sliders

1 3-4lb beef roast
1 Cup water
1 Cup salsa
1 envelope each: onion soup mix, Italian dressing mix, Au Jus mix

Place beef in crock pot. Whisk together all other ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Shred meat.

1 pkg King's Hawaiian Rolls
sliced Swiss cheese
Creamy Chipotle Sauce (recipe below)

Cut each roll in half and place on baking sheet. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on the bottom half of each roll. Place baking sheet in oven with broiler on low. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the edges of the rolls are golden and the cheese has melted (be sure to watch them closely so they don't burn!) Remove baking sheet from oven.

Place a spoonful of shredded beef on top of each roll with Swiss cheese on it. Spread Creamy Chipotle sauce on the top half of each roll. Assemble each slider.

Creamy Chipotle Sauce:
1/4 Cup sour cream
2 Tbsp chili sauce
2 tsp creamy horseradish sauce

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

1.5 lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Combine everything except chicken breasts in the crock pot. Season the chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, shred chicken and stir. Adjust salt and seasoning if needed. Serve over rice.

Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce

Disclaimer: I do NOT like horseradish, but something about this one intrigued me... and I am SO thankful! This was absolutely delish! We served it with green beans, cous cous, fresh strawberries and some foccacia bread.

1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (4 lb) boneless sirloin tip roast, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 Cup beef broth
Horseradish Sauce (see below)

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub salt mixture evenly over roast halves. Coat roast halves with cooking spray.
2. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add roast halves, browning well on all sides. Place roast halves in a 3.5 to 4 quart electric slow cooker. Add broth to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Pour broth mixture over roast. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting; cook 6 to 8 hours or until tender.
3. Remove roast halves from slow-cooker, reserving au jus (meat drippings) in cooker. Let roast stand 15 minutes; cut diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with au jus and Horseradish Sauce.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 3 oz. roast, 2 Tbsp au jus, and 4 tsp Horseradish Sauce.)

Horseradish Sauce:
2.3 Cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 Cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Yield 1 Cup (serving size: 4 tsp)

Mexican Black-Bean Chili

1 lb dried black beans
2 Cups water
2 Cups chopped onion
1 Cup coarsely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 Cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1 Cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) Cans chili-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 oz) Can tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt
6 tsp (1.5 oz) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
6 Tbsp low-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1. Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Removed from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.
2. Place beans, 2 cups water, and next 12 ingredients (through garlic) in a 4-quart electric slow-cooker, stir well. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and salt. Ladle chili into bowls; top each serving with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 Cups chili, 1 Tbsp cheese, 1 Tbsp sour cream, and 1 tsp cilantro.)

Again, thank you Cooking Light. SOOOOOO GOOOOD!

Rio Grande Meat Loaf

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 Cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp minced seeded jalapeno pepper (I left this out.)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 taco shells, finely crushed (I used crushed tortilla chips.)
2 large egg whites
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs ground round
1/2 Cup salsa

1. Coat a 3.5-quart electric slow cooker with cooking spray. Tear off two sheets of aluminum foil long enough to fit in bottom of slow cooker and to extend 3 inches over each side of slow cooker. Fold each foil sheet lengthwise to form a 2-inch-wide strip. Arrange foil strips in a cross fashion in cooker, pressing strips to bottom of cooker and extending ends over sides of cooker.
2. Combine beans and next 11 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl. Crumble beef over vegetable mixture; stir just until blended. Shape mixture into a loaf the shape of slow cooker container. Pleas loaf in slow cooker over foil strips. (Foil strips become "handles" to remove meat loaf from slow cooker.)
3. cover with lid; Cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting; cook e2- to-3 hours or until done. Use foil strips to lift meat loaf from cooker. Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes; cut into wedges. Spoon 1 Tbsp salsa over each serving.
Yield: 8 servings

Makes GREAT leftovers. Thank you again, to my friends at Cooking Light (Slow Cooker Cookbook, 2004)

Mediterranean Beef Soup

This was so G.O.O.D., courtesy of our friends at Cooking Light in the Slow Cooker Cookbook, circa 2004. I wasn't sure about the cinnamon, but it made the dish!

2 medium zucchini (about 1.25 lbs), cut into bite-sized pieces -- I used yellow squash
1 large onion, cut into 6 wedges
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
3/4 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 (14.5- ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1/2 tsp black pepper
3.5 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1.75 cups uncooked rice-shaped pasta)

Place first 6 ingredients in a 3.5 qt. electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray; stir well. Cover with lid, cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 7 to 9 hours. (Mine only had to cook 4-hours on low, after the first hour on high.) Discard cinnamon stick. Serve over orzo. Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/2 cup pasta)

**I did not serve ours over orzo. We just ate it like stew, and it was still delicious!

Easy Brunswick Stew

Easy. Different. Crockpot. Delicious.

3 lb bonesless port shoulder roast (Boston butt)
2 medium-size new potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (18 oz) bottle barbeque sauce
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 (9 oz) package frozen baby lima beans, thawed
1 (9 oz) package frozen corn, thawed
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt

1. Trim roast, and cut into 2 inch pieces. (I had some stew meat in our freezer, so I opted to just use that instead. It was beef, not pork, and still tasted great.) Stir together all ingredients in a 6 qt. slow cooker. (I didn't thaw my veggies, either. They had plenty of time to cook, and stayed a little crunchier that way...)
2. Cover and cook on LOW 10 hours or until potatoes are fork-tender. (My crockpot only took about 6 hours.) Remove pork with a slotted spoon, and shred well with two forks. Return shredded pork to slow cooker, and stir well. Ladle into stew bowls.

Thank you, "Southern Living Slow- Cooker quick fixes." You've yet to disappoint!

Best Ever Beef Dip Sandwiches

Made these for dinner tonight (by "made" I mean threw all of the ingredients in the Crock pot, left all day, and enjoyed them at dinnertime!) and they were SO good! I found the recipe on Pinterest (don't judge), but altered it a bit.

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (I used oregano)
3 bay leaves (I didn't use any)
1 Cup soy sauce
6 cups water
(I also added: 2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce)
3-4 lb beef chuck roast
rolls or buns
sliced provolone (I used Swiss)

1. Combine garlic, rosemary (or oregano), bay leaves, soy sauce, and water (and teryiaki and Worcestershire, if using) in a slow cooker. Stir to combine.
2. Place the roast in the liquid in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-10 hours. (I cooked mine for the full 10. Because the meat is completely covered by the liquid, it didn't dry out at all, and the flavor was divine!)
3. Remove roast from slow cooker. Place liquid from slow cooker in another container and remove bay leaf. Return beef to slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add small amount of the reserved liquid-- just enough to make the beef nice and moist.
4. Place sliced rolls or buns on a baking sheet. Place a moderate amount of beef on each side of bun or roll and cover with one slice of cheese. Place on the center rack of an oven under the broiler. Broil until cheese is melted.
5. Serve with reserved liquid for dipping.

YUM!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

I LOVE my crockpot! I mean, seriously, I use it for 2-4 meals a week.. and I'm not at all ashamed ;) It's my best friend in the kitchen, and a major assistant in the time management department. Here's the first of many crockpot ideas.

PS- I saw them for $16 at our Sam's Club. Now THAT'S the gift that keeps on giving!

You Need:
2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1.5 C water
1 envelope onion soup mix (dried)
1 onion, chopped
4-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bag baby carrots

1. Place meat in crock pot.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper and pour over meat. Toss meat to coat.
3. Combine the next four ingredients and pour over meat.
4. Top with onions, potatoes and carrots.
5. Cook on high 4-6 hours.

Meal idea-
Serve with 1 can refrigerated biscuits.