Paprika-Sahne-Hähnchen

 Paprika Cream Chicken

4 Chicken breasts

2 red peppers, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 dried chili pepper

200 ml cream

200 g sour cream or creme fraiche

1 tsp tomato paste

125 ml vegetable broth

1 Tbs paprika

1 tsp hot paprika

100 g grated cheese (I used Parmesan)

Oil

Salt and more paprika

Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt and paprika and place in a casserole so that the breasts will be very close to each other. Put pepper slices over chicken breasts. Heat the oil and saute the onions. Add the chili pepper and press the garlic cloves into the onion mix. Add the 2 paprikas and tomato paste. Pour in the broth and scrape up the bits. Add the cream and sour cream; salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and pepper strips, making sure all is covered by the sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 355 for about 30 minutes. Serve over wide egg noodles, Spätzle, or rice.

This would be even better if chicken breasts are flattened well prior to baking. Could potentially work well in the crockpot, probably on high for 4 hours or low for 6. Add cheese afterwards and then broil to melt the cheese. Possibly shred the chicken if done in the crockpot!

Brown-sugar balsamic glazed pork tenderloin

Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients

2 pounds Pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon Ground sage

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Pepper

1 clove Garlic; crushed

½ cup Water

½ cup Brown sugar

1 tablespoon Cornstarch

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

½ cup Water

2 tablespoons Soy sauce

Instructions

Mix together the seasonings: sage, salt, pepper and garlic.

Rub over tenderloin. Place ½ cup water in slow cooker; place tenderloin in slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

hour before the roast is finished, mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a small sauce pan: brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water, soy sauce.

Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.

 

Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. (For a more caramelized crust: remove from crockpot and place on aluminum lined sheet pan, glaze, and set under broiler for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and caramelized. Repeat 2 to 3 more times until desired crust is achieved.)

Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Amazing Potluck Taco Meat

After this New Year Union Meeting we had a taco salad potluck.  Because we'd been out of town I thought it would be great to have a slow-cooker option for the meat.  Found a winner!!  This would be great for a taco bar and or just to have done and then freeze in meal-sized packages!  Also, because Kent isn't a huge fan of the flavor of cumin, I changed the recipe I found so that there isn't so much of it and due to the base of people we thought we might have, I also made it not so spicy.

Super easy!

3 lbs ground beef, crumbled in greased slow-cooker crock
1/2-3/4 c. cholula hot sauce
1-2 Tbs. chili powder
1-2 Tbs. granulated garlic
1-2 Tbs. granulated onion
1-2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
salt (I omitted)
1/4 -1/4+2 Tbs. water

Mix hot sauce, spices and water, pour over beef, mix well, cook on high 3-4 hours.  Each hour, use a potato masher to mash and mix the beef.  Ok, so after 2 hours my meat looked fairly well done so I turned it down to low for the last 2 hours.  I also wasn't able to mix it that last time because we were in meeting, but it turned out just perfect!  I will make this again!

Per Request Part II

Well, since I just updated and I tried more recipes, I'll update again!  I hope that begins to satisfy the blog post craving! Haha!

A few days ago I made a pork recipe in my slow-cooker that we really liked!  When I had the meat shredded, I blended the sauce and drizzled a little on the meat that I had placed on a baking sheet to put under the broiler to crisp it up just a little (like carnitas) and then served the sauce as a "salsa" on the side.  Next time I would consider adding a fresh jalapeño to spice it up a bit! Oh, and I halved the recipe for just the two of us and it was plenty!

Slow-Cooker Green Chili Pork

1 1/2 pounds poblano or Anaheim chiles (about 4 large)

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder

Salt and pepper

1 28-oz. can green enchilada sauce

4 tomatillos, husked and quartered

Flour or corn tortillas for serving, optional

Preparation

1. Place a rack 4 inches from heat source and preheat broiler to high. Place chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil until skin is blackened, 6 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally. Place in a large bowl; seal with plastic wrap. Let stand until skin has softened, about 7 minutes. Peel, seed and roughly chop chiles. Use immediately or refrigerate overnight in a ziplock bag.

2. Season pork with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker. Add chiles, enchilada sauce and tomatillos; turn to coat.

3. Cover and cook on low until meat is fork-tender, 6 to 7 hours. Remove pork to a baking dish and shred with two forks. Tilt slow cooker and spoon off some fat. Place pork back in slow cooker, cover and rewarm on high heat. Season with salt and pepper; serve with tortillas, if desired.

Last night we had company and so I made a summer pasta salad and grilled veggies along with some homemade bread.  The bread I made with 1 c. white flour and the rest whole wheat.  I vary that recipe all the time!  For the veggies I simply sliced a large zucchini lengthwise into 4 thick slices.  I brushed them with olive oil and then used fresh ground garlic salt and pepper to season it.  I also cut red peppers into quarters and did the same thing.  We then grilled them directly on the grate and they came out SOOO tasty!  I also tried a green bean recipe that could have been grilled but my grill basket is too hole-y so I just sauteed them. That recipe is also delicious!  

Grilled Green Beans

The marinade works with broccoli and asparagus, too.

8 oz. green beans

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp Kosher salt (optional)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except cheese in a ziploc bag and allow to marinade for 10 minutes.  Grill or sauté over medium heat until crisp-tender.  Turn frequently.  Sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.

And finally the pasta salad.  I only barely follow this recipe!  

Greek Tortellini Salad

1 (20 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini 

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 large cucumber, chopped

1 cup kalamata olives, pit removed and chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain the tortellini and rinse with cold water.

2. Place the tortellini in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until salad is well coated. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator.

Note-this salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

So my recipe looks something like this:

12 oz. dried tortellini - cook according to package directions and cool 

1 small red onion, diced

handful of Kalamata olives (pitted), coarsely chopped

1/2 red pepper, or so, diced

cucumber, diced - until it looks right

about maybe 15-20 grape tomatoes, chopped

fresh mozzarella balls (about 1" diameter) cut into quarters -- again, until it looks right

4 oz. of Genoa salami slices cut up

large handful of baby spinach, cut into thin strips (maybe a leaf or two of fresh basil, too!)

marinaded artichokes, cut up -- until it looks right

The dressing from the recipe above with a bit of the marinade from the artichokes for more flavor.  

The beauty of pasta salad is you can do what you want and what suits your taste!  

Yumminess!

We were chatting at work today and I mentioned to my co-worker that I LOVED this cheesy lasagna.  I could have almost had time to make it today, but I was just too tired and too cranky to go shopping for the ingredients! I'll have to make it soon, or leave the recipe out for Tiana to do it sometime next week!  Or we could work on it together!  Slow-Cooker Lasagna With it I will have to make these homemade garlic Parmesan breadsticks!

Soft Parmesan Breadsticks

2½ c bread flour

3 tsp. 50% faster active dry yeast

½ tsp. garlic salt

¾ tsp. Italian seasoning or dried oregano

1 Tbs. sugar

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

¼ c. hot tap water

½ c. milk

1 large egg, room temperature

¼ c. butter, melted, for brushing on top

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top

(This is done in a food processor!)  Combine and pulse to mix the flour, yeast, garlic salt, Italian seasoning or oregano, sugar, ¼ c. Parmesan, and 1 Tbs. butter.  In a 2-cup microwavable glass measure, combine the hot water, milk and egg.  With the motor running, add all but 1 Tbs. of the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.  The dough should leave the side of the bowl and form a ball.  If it doesn't, add the remaining 1 Tbs. of liquid.  Knead with the machine running for 30 seconds.  Discard any unused liquid ingredients.  Remove the dough and the steel blade from the bowl.  Knead the dough by hand a few seconds, adding flour if the dough seems too sticky.  For the dough into a doughnut and replace it in the processor bowl.  Cover the bowl loosely with a damp tea towel or microwavable plastic wrap.  Place the processor bowl in the middle of the microwave and and 8 oz. glass of water next to it.  To micro-rise, set the microwave power at the 20% and heat for 3 minutes.  Let rest for 3 minutes.  Heat for 3 minutes at 20%.  Rest for 21 minutes or until about doubled in bulk.  Remove the dough from the microwave and processor bowl.  Punch down and knead the dough for a few seconds on a floured surface.  Lightly grease a 13x9 microwavable pan.  Roll the dough into a 13x9 rectangle; place in pan.  Cut the dough into 10 13' strips, then cut the strips in half forming 20 strips.  Brush the sticks with 2 Tbs. of the melted butter and sprinkle with ¼ c. of Parmesan cheese.  Place the breadsticks back in the microwave beside the glass of water.  Repeat the micro-rise steps, except rest for 6 minutes at the end instead of 21.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375º.  Bake the breadsticks on the middle rack in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove the breadsticks from the oven.  Set the oven control to broil.  Brush the hot breadsticks with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Place under the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese starts to sizzle and turn light brown.  Watch carefully!!

From Bread in Half the Time by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts

 

Peasant STEW

We're going to argue this one the whole rest of our lives, but last night's dinner was STEW!!!  I made it, I followed the recipe and that's what it said!  Kent's thoroughly convinced I sneaked chili into his diet (and not as a condiment, either!) and he just doesn't like chili.  But this is Peasant STEW so it's okay!  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture, but this recipe comes HIGHLY recommended!  It came in last weeks' "My Recipes - Weekly Specials" and was out of "Cooking Light" magazine.

PEASANT STEW

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 6  chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeño peppers and spices, undrained
• 1  (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
• 1  (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4  cup  minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4  cup  reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation

Combine cumin, salt, and pepper; sprinkle over chicken.

Place chicken in an electric slow cooker; stir in onion, tomatoes, and chiles. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 3 hours. Stir in beans. Cover; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour.

Place 1 chicken thigh in each of 6 soup bowls; ladle 1 1/4 cups stew into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 teaspoons cilantro and 2 teaspoons sour cream.

*Note: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it shredded itself when I stirred in the beans.  For time reasons I also cooked it on low for 6 hours and bumped it up to high for the last hour or so when I added cold beans. (I had drained and rinsed them before work and added them, refrigerated, before class.)

Nutritional Information Calories: 214 (16% from fat) Fat: 3.9g (sat 1.4g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.9g) Protein: 21.5g Carbohydrate: 23.7g Fiber: 6g Cholesterol: 61mg Iron: 3mg Sodium: 773mg Calcium: 85mg

Chicken Paprika

Usually we have this dish made with pork tenderloin, but tonight I tried it with skinless, boneless chicken breast! Very much a favorite around here! Served over German Spätzle with a salad and dinner is served!

Pork Tenderloin Paprika
1½-2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

3-4 Tbs. flour

1 Tbs. paprika

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

Olive oil

1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, pressed

1 c. chicken broth

3 Tbs. tomato paste

3 Tbs. red wine or cider vinegar

½ c. sour cream

Cut meat into 1" cubes. Mix flour, paprika, salt and pepper in resealable bag; add meat cubes, tossing to coat evenly. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Quickly brown meat and onions. Put pepper and garlic into slow-cooker crock. Add browned meat and onions. Mix broth, tomato paste and vinegar. Add briefly to skillet, scraping up bits; pour into slow-cooker, stirring well. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Add sour cream 15 minutes before serving.

Cuban Ropa Vieja

I got this recipe as part of a recipe swap that I'm doing at Cuppas and Cards. Since I've been raving to everyone about it, I decided I'd just share it here, along with the recipe card it was sent on. Thanks, Jeanne, for the awesome recipe!!

Cuban Ropa Vieja
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 lbs. flank steak
1 c. beef broth
1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chopped cilantro
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. white vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. brown flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice. Add sour cream, cheese and fresh cilantro on the side.

My note: Cut the steak into smaller pieces before cooking so that when you shred it, the shreds are shorter and easier to eat!!

Tonight's Yumminess!

One of the ladies over on Cuppas and Cards posted this fabulous, oh-so-timely crock-pot recipe. We had it tonight, at Tiana's begging and it is soo good -- AND HEALTHY!!

Lime Chicken Tacos

1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 c frozen corn
1 c chunky salsa
12 fat-free tortillas (6 inches) warmed
Sour cream, shredded cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Place the chicken in a 3-qt slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce

Makes 12 tacos

1 taco (calculated without sour cream and cheese) = 148 calories
2 g fat (trace saturated fat)
31 mg cholesterol
338 mg sodium
18 g carbs
1g fiber
14 g protein

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENT!!!

The picture of 38! Tonight Kent requested Slow-cooked Sour Cream Pork Chops, Chocolate Pudding and for a delicious surprise (even to me -- a new recipe!) I added Coffee Toffee Cookies. We'd had the pork chops when the workers were here and we ALL agreed they were a hit and a definite keeper! So, I'll share the recipe with you as well!

Sour Cream Pork Chops
6 pork chops (use thick cuts!)
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
½ c. flour (add more salt, pepper and garlic powder to this, too!)
1 large onion, sliced
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 c. boiling water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbs. flour
8 oz. sour cream

Season pork chops with spices, then dredge in seasoned flour. In skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil. Place chops in slow cooker and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water, mix in soup and pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Preheat oven to 200º.
After the chops have cooked, transfer chops to the oven to keep warm. CHOPS WILL FALL APART! In small bowl, mix 2 Tbs. flour with sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker to high for 15-30 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over chops (and rice or noodles!)

For dessert we had chocolate pudding.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa
2 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch salt
1 qt. whole milk
1 large egg, beaten
4 oz. finely chopped, high quality semi-sweet chocolate (we HIGHLY recommend Valrhona 71% dark, found inexpensive at Trader Joe's)

In large saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Once milk boils, continue cooking for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Beat egg in large heat-proof bowl, add hot mixture quickly, making sure to whisk constantly. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour into 6 oz. ramekins, cover with waxed paper and refrigerate until time to serve.

Thanks to a Reynolds Parchment ad for this recipe!

Coffee Toffee Cookies
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. sugar
2 Tbs. instant coffee
2 Tbs. milk (or substitute a shot of espresso for both!)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2½ c. flour
½ c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 pkg. (8 oz.) toffee bits, divided
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or your SilPat!!), set aside.
Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar together until light and fluffy. Dissolve coffee in milk. Beat in coffee mixture, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, cocoa, soda and salt until just blended. Reserve ¾ c. toffee bits; stir remaining bits into dough. Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2" apart onto cookie sheets. Combine chocolate chips, almonds and remaining toffee bits; set aside.
Bake 4 minutes (cookies will still be wet on top!) Remove from oven; press cookie flat with the back of a measuring spoon. Sprinkle heaping ½ Tbs. almond-toffee mixture onto each cookie. Using back of measuring spoon again, lightly press topping into dough to form a larger round cookie. Continue baking 8-9 minutes longer or until cookies are set. Do not overbake.
Become addicted!!

A Family Favorite

I was up early this morning to head into work, but before I left I started our lunch. As soon as Tiana heard what I was making she was gleeful! I prepped all of the ingredients last night, and this morning fired up the George Foreman grill to brown the chicken and threw it all in the crock-pot. Serve it shredded over biscuits and you have a FABULOUS meal! Oh, and did I mention? It's low-fat, low-cal (not including the biscuit!) and just awesome!

Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs. lemon-pepper seasoning
1 lb. fresh soup vegetables, chopped (I use carrots, celery, onion and sometimes parsnip)
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

Coat chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and warm over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes, or until browned on both sides, turning once. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add vegetables. In a medium bowl, combine soup, half a soup can of water, and rosemary. Pour over vegetables and chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.

Per serving: 205 calories, 21 g protein, 18 g carbs., 4 g fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 940 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

Diet exchanges: 0 milk, 1 vegetable, 0 fruit, 1 bread, 1-1/2 meat, 0 fat