Gadget Tuesday: CrockPot Smart Pot

This week I am going to talk about my CrockPot . The idea behind it is great- put your food in the crock in the morning and have a warm tasty meal waiting for you at the end of the day.

The first Christmas that my husband and I were dating, I asked for a slow cooker. I tend to be overly practical at times when I should probably be more extravagant, but I was a broke graduate student and thought it would make life easier.  He balked at the idea of buying a kitchen appliance for me and said that it wasn't a real gift. It was the only thing I really wanted.


We flew to Arizona so that he could meet my parents and dragged all of our gifts with us. As he handed me the large and very heavy box I knew what it was- my CrockPot. I peeled back the wrapping paper and saw that it was an old beat up crockpot box. He had gotten me a used one- he really was perfect!! :P After some encouragement and a couple strange looks from my sisters I opened the box to find a brick and a big jewelry box. I know- your thinking engagement ring! I did too for a minute, but it was actually a beautiful gold A&M watch that I had mentioned wanting one time. Awesome surprise and a great gift! The ring came a couple months later. Anyway, I was also told that I had a brand new CrockPot waiting for me at home.

There are many, many thing about about this crockpot that I love.  The 4.5 quart capacity give me lots of room to cook big roasts and huge batches of chicken and dumplings for our family of 5.  Its black and stainless exterior matches the rest of my kitchen which thrills my husband. It has a timer that goes up in 30 minute increments. At the end of the time it switches over to keep warm so your food stays hot, but doesn't continue cooking.

I have friends who this works out great for. For me however- I end up with a black charred mass if I try to cook more than half as long as the recommended cook time. My Crockpot has a flaw -  its WAY WAY WAY too hot. It boil liquids on keep warm and can cook a roast in about the same time as my oven. The longer I have this CrockPot, the worse it gets. The thing is starting to earn the nickname Blaze in my household. Its like it is ramping up to take on the sun. Considering that I am at home most of the time, its not really a big deal. I just cook things for a shorter period and add liquid if necessary. I can melt a giant pot of chocolate for Christmas candy in 15 minutes! From reading some reviews and looking online- this happens to a lot of people with this model of CrockPot.

Would I suggest getting this slow cooker or looking for another one? I would definitely suggest a different model and doing lots of research beforehand. I however will be keeping Blaze. After 7 years she is a member of the family.

Harvest Meat Pockets

This recipe is a great one for the kids. My little ones love food that can be held in their hands and this one has a bonus of being fun shaped! My 10 year old had a great time making these and I got a night off.

There isn't really a specific recipe for this super simple dinner, but this is how we made them. We mixed about 1 cup of seasoned ground beef with a cup of ricotta, garlic salt and Italian seasoning.

Then I rolled out the pie dough that I had diligently worked on all afternoon. Ok, just kidding. I sent my husband to the store for a box of ready crusts. For customers I will make dough, but when I am going to be letting the 10 year old cook I don't put in that much effort. Yes, call me lazy, but it was a great shortcut and one I would recommend when you don't have the time to make your own dough. We used pumpkin and turkey shaped cookie cutters to make the shapes.

The cut shapes were placed on a cookie sheet. About a tablespoon of meat mixture gets placed on the dough shape.

The top shape was then laid over the top of the meat and pressed down on the edges. I would suggest rolling the rolling pin over the cut top shape a bit to stretch it out a bit. This will help it to cover the meat and bottom shape fully.

The meat pockets were cooked for 15 minutes at 350.  We served them with a tangy marinara. The kids enjoyed them and the 10 year old was excited to have made dinner. Personally, I was happy to have a night off!

 This is one of the turkey ones made by my 10 year old. Not bad for someone so young!

There is an endless amount of variations that can be made to this recipe. We have had them filled with taco seasoned meat, tomato and Monterry Jack and dipped into salsa. I have hidden enough veggies in these that a friend always asks what I am sneaking her when she tries my treats! My favorite thing to do is add a a bit of pureed carrot and some frozen spinach to the meat mixture.

Let me know if you have tried these or if you have any ideas for variations. I am always looking for great filling ideas.

Recipe of the Week: Cranberry and Rice Stuffed Turkey Breast

I have been getting a lot of requests for some of my favorite recipes, so I thought I would do a featured recipe of the week.

This week's recipe is both easy and elegant enough to serve the in-laws. The flavors are great and as a bonus- its gluten free! Several of my friends have had to go the gluten free route lately for various reasons, so it always makes me happy to see really good and easy gluten free recipes.Cranberry and Rice Stuffed Turkey breast was really fast to put together and tasted great. We had it with steamed garlic asparagus and tossed green salad. If I would just remember to get those slow cooker liners the cleanup would have taken less than 5 minutes!

One of the things I like about this recipe is that it can be easily adapted to your families tastes. You can replace the white rice with brown, cherries for cranberries and use peach or plum preserves to change up the flavor slightly.

You will start with a 3-4 pound fresh or frozen boneless turkey breast. I used a cajun seasoned Butterball all white meat turkey breast.

The first thing to do is remove the skin from the turkey breast. It should peel off really easily.

After skinning the turkey breast, cut several slits about 3/4 of the way through and 1/2 inch apart.

Take the stuffing mixture and press it into the cuts

Place the stuffed turkey breast in the slow cooker and cover.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Unless of course you have a blazing hot slow cooker like idea that cooks at warp speed. My turkey breast was overdone in 3 hours. :(  The flavor was great, but it was just a bit dry. I need to remember to adjust the cook times in my flame cooker.

You can also add an additional glaze of more preserves and worcestershire sauce.

The flavor was slightly sweet with a bit of heat from the cajun flavoring. I will definitely be going to the store to stock up on frozen turkey breasts before they disappear after the holidays. 

Let me know if you try it and what variations you attempt! Next time I am thinking possibly blueberry?



Cranberry and Rice Stuffed Turkey Breast

3-4 lb turkey breast

2 cups cooked rice

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp poultry seasoning

¼ cup apricot preserves

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Stir together rice, pecans, cranberries, poultry seasoning, apricot preserves, Worcestershire sauce,

Cut slices ¾ way through the turkey. Stuff rice mixture between the slices and place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low 5 to 6 hours or until turkey registers 165 on meat thermometer.

Slow Cooker

The Great Pork Stock up

In honor of the awesome sale on whole pork loin roasts at the new HEB, I am posting some of my favorite tried and true pork recipes. So stock up and fill those freezers for those crazy weeknights when the temptation to eat out strikes. The holidays are coming and I need a fat wallet not a fat butt from eating out all the time!

This first dish is a great one to have a busy weeknight. I serve this Slow Cooker Green Chili Pork with corn tortillas and topped with some pico de gallo. Add some black brand and corn salad and you have a great, healthy and super easy meal.

Slow Cooker Green Chili

3 pound boneless pork loin
8 oz jar of salsa Verde

3 tablespoons of lime juice

Place all ingredients in a large freezer bag and freeze.

Thaw completely and place contents of bag in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve with corn tortillas and salsa of your choice.

This one has been a favorite of friends and customers. The roasted pork looks amazing on its own, but once you add the tart cherry sauce it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Doesn't it look awesome!!!!

Roasted Loin of Pork with Tart Cherry Sauce (Diabetic)

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 4 pounds), fat trimmed
Salt
Pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons chopped shallots or onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
1 pound fresh or frozen cherries
1/4 to 1/3 cup Equal Spoonful or Splenda

1. Lightly sprinkle roast with salt and pepper and place in a gallon freezer bag.

2. Combine wine, orange juice, shallots, garlic, ginger root, allspice and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a quart size bag and seal. Place in the bag with the roast. And tape to the bag of frozen cherries – Freeze.

3. Thaw completely

4. Place roast on rack in roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in center of meat. Roast at 325°F (160°C) until thermometer registers 170°F (80°C), about 2 hours

5. Heat the contents of the wine bag to boiling in medium saucepan; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

6. Heat to boiling once more. Mix cornstarch and cold water; stir into boiling mixture. Boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in cherries; cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in Equal® Spoonful™ Slice pork and arrange on platter; serve with Cherry Sauce.

Makes 12 servings.

Note: Tart Cherry Sauce is also excellent served with venison or other game.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Serving Size: 1/12 recipe (approximately 4 ounces of meat) Calories: 315, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Protein: 33 g, Cholesterol: 90 mg, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Fiber: <1 g, Total Fat: 16 g, Sodium: 99 mg


The next one is Pork Roast with Apples and Mushrooms. This  is a wonderful fall dish. The only problem is that you have to remember to go back to the store to get mushrooms and apples for cooking day.

Pork Roast with Apples and Mushrooms


Serves 12

1 tablespoon dried thyme
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3-4 pound boneless pork loin



Sauce:
½ cups apple juice
¾ cup chicken broth
¼ cup dry sherry

For serving day:

4 small cooking apples – peeled cored and cut into wedges

2 cups mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter

Combine thyme, salt and pepper. Package in a sandwich bag Combine the sauce ingredients and package in a one quart freezer bag. Place the pork loin in a gallon freezer bag, tuck in the pieces and sauce bag- seal and freeze.

To serve-thaw the roast and rub with the thyme mixture- Place on a rack and roast at 325 for 2 hours or until thermometer registers 160.

Meanwhile in a large skillet melt butter and add the sauce packet then add the apple wedges. Cook and stir until golden. Remove the apple wedges and add the mushrooms until tender.

Serves slices of pork with the apples and mushroom sauce.

Challenge: Vegetarian Freezer meals Part 1

As you might have noticed from my last post, I am have been put on a crazy diet from hell. It has something to do with fat clogging my heart and blah blah blah. Whatever.  Ok seriously, I have a family history of really high cholesterol and my father has recently had a stroke and a stent put in his heart, so I am paying attention to what the nutritionist said and taking my meds to get things under control.  Part of getting used to the diet is realizing that I am really going to have to go vegetarian for at least one meal a day. I mean, I could eat just the reduced fat and fat free varieties of everything and probably be fine, but then I feel like I would be eating more garbage than I was to begin with.  The plan is to try to keep the food as real as possible, but with some tweaking to keep things under control.

Last week a new grocery store opened up in my neighborhood. One of its great opening week deals was an awesome price on rib eye steaks. Rib eyes are super tasty, but also have about 5 grams of saturated fat per steak. In order to have a yummy steak for dinner, I needed to have a really low fat lunch that was still yummy and filling to keep me from snacking all afternoon and blowing my calorie allowance.  Curried Lentil Soup really fit the bill!

I know, your thinking lentils ???? what the heck??? But seriously, this soup was GOOD. I had been looking to find a really tasty soup that could be frozen and heated quickly for lunch and this was perfect.  With a mix of veggies, lentils and coucous it is perfect for freezing.

Doesn't it look yummy?

And look at all my little orange rimmed containers in the freezer!! Ignore the corn dgos leftover from my daughters birthday party. I am pretty sure I would drop dead immediately from eating one.

So here is the recipe - enjoy it!!!

Curried Lentil Soup

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts (10 1-cup servings)

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 cups water or Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup dry couscous
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Combine lentils, onion, celery, garlic, cumin, and water or broth in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover loosely and cook until lentils are tender, about 50 minutes.

Stir in couscous, tomatoes, curry powder, and black pepper. Continue cooking until couscous is tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Per 1-cup serving

■Calories: 107
■Fat: 0.4 g
■Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
■Calories from Fat: 3.5%
■Cholesterol: 0 mg
■Protein: 6.4 g
■Carbohydrates: 20.2 g
■Sugar: 1.6 g
■Fiber: 4.2 g
■Sodium: 280 mg
■Calcium: 34 mg
■Iron: 2.4 mg
■Vitamin C: 4.3 mg
■Beta Carotene: 48 mcg
■Vitamin E: 0.4 mg

The Challenge: Less than 10

I have been given a new challenge: Consume less than 10 grams of saturated fat a day. Well technically this is supposed to be less than grams of saturated fat and trans fats combined, but I rarely eat prepackaged foods so giving up trans fats is really easy. Saturated fat is harder because its in cheese. I LOVE cheese. Even reduced fat cheeses have around 3 grams of saturated fat in one ounce. ONE OUNCE!!! That is nothing! So you can see my challenge.

The first day I realized that my morning omelet had almost all 10 of those grams so it needed some tweeking. I switched to egg beaters from whole eggs, a nonstick pan with cooking spray from a pan with olive oil, a mix of reduced fat and fat free cheese for whole milk cheese. this brought the saturated fat down to one gram and only 104 calories. Honestly it doesn't taste the same, but everything is an adjustment.

The good thing about this diet is that it has helped me find some new and interesting recipes that I never would have tried before. The other night we had Pan- seared Portobello Mushrooms with Grilled Polenta. It was SO tasty and only a whopping 160 calories!!! I actually went overboard and ate another half of a mushroom and a couple extra polenta squares and still didn't go over 300 calories for the entire meal. That left me with plenty of calories and fat left for the rest of the evening. Sadly, my favorite reduced fat ice cream bar still has 7 grams of saturated fat but I am working on finding a flavorful alternative. ANY suggestions are greatly appreciated.


Since I know you are all dying to find out more about those healthy recipes I tried out, I will post the recipes and pics. You are really gonna love them. Even my daughter who normally hates mushrooms loved the meaty portobello.


The first thing I made was the Grilled Polenta. The name is kind of misleading because it is actually broiled not grilled, but it was still really tasty.  I doubled the recipe and we had a bit left over for my family of 5.

First you cook the polenta on the stovetop until it is thick.

Then you spread it on a baking sheet and place it in the fridge for a bout an hour.

Once it is set, cut it into squares and broil until crispy.

Grilled Polenta


Makes about 8 slices
1/2 cup dry polenta
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 vegetable oil spray

Combine polenta, water, salt, and rosemary in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring often, until polenta is very thick. Spread on a baking sheet in a 1/4-inch layer and refrigerate until completely cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat broiler. Cut chilled polenta into slices (about 2"×3") and arrange on a vegetable oil sprayed baking sheet. Place under broiler and cook until crusty, about 10 minutes. Turn and cook other side 10 minutes.

Per slice
■Calories: 32
■Fat: 0.2 g
■Saturated Fat: 0 g
■Calories from Fat: 4.3%
■Cholesterol: 0 mg
■Protein: 0.7 g
■Carbohydrates: 6.7 g
■Sugar: 0.1 g
■Fiber: 0.4 g
■Sodium: 149 mg
■Calcium: 3 mg
■Iron: 0.4 mg
■Vitamin C: 0 mg
■Beta Carotene: 10 mcg
■Vitamin E: 0 mg

Source: Healthy Eating for Life for Women by Kristine Kieswer; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.

For the mushrooms you place them top side down in a saute pan with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and red wine.

After 3 minutes flip them over and continue cooking. They were really good and had a great meaty flavor.


Pan-Seared Portobello Mushrooms


Makes 4 servings

4 large portobello mushrooms
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine or water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano



Clean mushrooms, trimming stems flush with bottom of caps.

Mix oil, wine or water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and oregano in a large skillet. Heat until mixture begins to bubble, then add mushrooms, top side down. Reduce to medium heat, cover and cook 3 minutes. If the pan becomes dry, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Turn mushrooms and cook second side until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Per mushroom


■Calories: 58
■Fat: 2.8 g
■Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
■Calories from Fat: 43.6%
■Cholesterol: 0 mg
■Protein: 3.3 g
■Carbohydrates: 4.9 g
■Sugar: 0.2 g
■Fiber: 1.8 g
■Sodium: 273 mg
■Calcium: 10 mg
■Iron: 0.7 mg
■Vitamin C: 0.5 mg
■Beta Carotene: 5 mcg
■Vitamin E: 0.4 mg
Source: Healthy Eating for Life for Women by Kristine Kieswer; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.


I served it with some beans for added protein and a couple veggies. It was really a fantastic vegetarian lowfat meal.

Gadget Tuesday: Cuisinart Smart Stick

Yes, I know it has been awhile. Life gets the best of me sometimes, what can I say?! The other day I was making a batch of really delicious manicotti when I realized that I use my Cuisinart Smart Stick for everything and needed to tell the world.

This little powerhouse of a kitchen appliance can do so many cool things. It comes with a chopper attachment that makes it into a mini food processor, a whick for whipping up fluffy cream to top decandent desserts, a large measuring cup that is perfect for blending up smoothies in, and my favorite part- the immersion blender.

I am pretty embarrassed to admit the number of times that I have blown the lid on my standard blender when trying to puree warm soups. It is really dangerous to send scalding soup flying, plus I really hate cleaning so scraping pureed split peas off the ceiling is not my idea of a good time. When my kids were tiny I would use this to puree just about anything into a smooth baby food consistency. Seriously I love it!!!

The chopper can take an onion from this:

to this in a just a minute.

After sauteeing the chopped onions and making into a really great fresh tomato sauce I attached the blender motor to the immersion blade.

This made the smoothest tomato sauce for my manicotti without making a huge mess in my kitchen.

One of my favorite uses for the blender is in making soups that usually call for cream. You can really get a get creamy texture without having to actually add the cream by pureeing up a bit of the soup. It really thickens it up and makes for a very healthy way to get that rich texture with no fat.

You can make awesome smoothies right in the blender cup and puree steamed veggies with a bit of the cooking water for a really nutritious baby food.

So, seriously everyone check it out. I purchased mine at Sams club, but they are available at the most stores. There is a version available with out the chopper attachment, but it is really useful and I highly recommend it. So go get one and then try out the recipe below for Broccoli Leek Soup from William Sonoma. It will be totally worth it!!

Ingredients:

For the garlic croutons:

4 to 6 slices coarse country bread, each 3/4 inch

thick, crusts removed

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise





For the soup:

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 leeks, including tender green portions,

rinsed well and finely chopped

1 1/2 lb. broccoli, trimmed, florets and stalks

cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste



1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives

Directions:

To make the croutons, cut the bread slices into 3/4-inch cubes. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil and garlic. Fry until the garlic turns brown, about 4 minutes; do not allow it to burn. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out and discard the garlic. Add the bread cubes to the pan and fry, stirring often, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.



To make the soup, in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes more.



Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.



In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth and return the soup to the pan. Alternatively, process with a stick blender in the pan until smooth. Reheat the soup gently over medium heat. Season with salt and white pepper.Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the sour cream, croutons and chives. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Immersion Blender