Crock Pot Freezer Meals Part 3

Here are a few more of my favorite crock pot freezer meals (click here for Part 1 and Part 2)

QUINOA CHILI

In crock pot or zip lock:
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can rotel
- 4 (16 oz) cans black beans
- 16 oz frozen corn
- 1 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (can use fresh minced)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- OPTIONAL: 2 large chicken breasts

(I eyeball the spices and adjust to the taste buds of my family)

Day of cooking:
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth

Cook time: 6 to 8 hours LOW

(if used chicken, shred it before serving)

Serving suggestion: cheese, sour cream, favorite chili toppings.


BLACK BEAN AND CHICKEN TACOS

In crock pot or zip lock:

-  1 lb skinless chicken tenders or breasts
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can rotel
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Cook time: 4 to 8 hours LOW

Serving suggestions: Shred chicken and serve with corn taco shells and favorite taco toppings and/or slaw.

For slaw:
- 1 1/3 cups shredded red cabbage
- OPTIONAL: 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste


KOREAN BEEF TACOS

In crock pot or zip lock:
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- OPTIONAL: 3 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar (also called rice wine vinegar)
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Mix well then add:
- 6 pounds beef

Cook time: 6 to 10 hours LOW  (remove sauce and thicken on stove.  Replace sauce to serve)

Serving suggestion: soft corn or flour tortillas, sour cream, and slaw (also good if you fry the soft corn tortillas)

For slaw:
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- couple pinches of salt
- - pinch red pepper flakes
-2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- OPTIONAL: 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
- OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

To toast sesame seeds, heat a small pan over medium heat.  Add the sesame seeds and stir for about 4 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic.  Remove immediately and set aside.  In a small bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, and salt.  Add onions, mix and let stand about 15 minutes.  Combine remaining ingredients, reserving sesame seeds until just before serving.  Can be made a few hours ahead and kept in fridge, sans sesame seeds.

Black Bean Stack

I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to try it. 

I made a couple of changes ... here's how I did mine.

4 flour tortillas (as close to the same size as your springform pan as possible)
a blub of canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (I took out the seeds and ribs)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces of beer (I used Little Creatures Pale Ale)
2 cups frozen corn
3/4 cup spring onions, thinly sliced
2 & 1/2 cups tasty (or cheddar) cheese, shredded

So, if your tortillas are bigger than your springform pan, use the bottom of the pan as a guide, and trip them to the right size. Set aside. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir and cook til soft ... maybe 5 minutes. Throw in your beans and beer. Increase heat and bring to the boil. (About now you should turn your oven on to 400F/200C.) Reduce heat back to medium and simmer, about 10 minutes or until most of the been has evaporated. Add corn and spring onions. Simmer a bit longer to reduce liquid just a bit more. Maybe only another minute or two. Layer like this ... tortilla, beans, cheese. Use 1/2 cup cheese for the first three layers and then finish the top layer with 1 cup cheese. Bake about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove side of springform pan and voila ... black bean stack ! I had a bit of cilantro left from the carrots I made as a side dish, so sprinkled that one top !  Served with a bit of Greek yoghurt too.  Delish.  I had this for lunch the next day and it was just as good leftover !! 

Baked Potato Bowls

So ... I saw this recipe and wanted to try it. I didn't make it quite the same way, mainly because I forgot the bacon. How I did THAT, I don't know ! I cooked them anyway, and they were good but they will be so much better next time when I add the bacon. I changed a little bit about mine ... here's how I did them.

1 large potato per person, (and I of course did extra's for lunches the next day)
1 egg per potato
bacon, cooked and diced (probably one piece per 2 potatoes)
shredded cheese
fresh herbs, optional
salt and pepper

Bake the potatoes. Lay the baked potato on its side, and cut off the top of the potato. Scoop out the insides to make a “bowl", (I didn't know what to do with these innards last time but next time I'll be planning gnocchi for the following evening !) Break and egg into each bowl. Top with bacon, cheese, fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350F/180C for 20-25 minutes, or until the egg whites are set. Serve immediately.

I topped the 'potato tops' with cheese and made potato skins. Yum !

And

I served these with sauteed mushrooms and onions, corn on the cob and a green salad.
Just realized that since I forgot the bacon, this was a totally vegetarian meal.

Bonnie Made The Ajiaco Soup !

And you all need to make it too !
This soup is so delicious !

I made it just like Andrea said ... with only a couple of changes.

I didn't use onion flakes, but rather, finely diced 1/2 an onion and sauteed with garlic.
I'm pretty sure I used a teesy bit more garlic than called for ...
And instead of adding the instant mashed potatoes
that, just for the record, contain about every
preservative in the book (!!), I used
a couple spoonfuls of whole
wheat flour ... it worked
just as well !!
YUM !

I can't wait til lunch ... leftovers !

Funky Lime Pizza

I got this recipe here. If you need a recipe for the dough she's got one included. Or you could try Khrista's whole wheat dough, or my bread maker dough. (I used my bread maker dough for this, as I do for every pizza I make !)

So ... I made two pizzas with this amount of topping ... (and yeah, I modified it but not too much)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 ear of corn, kernels removed

pinch of black pepper

1/2 t red pepper flakes (I just put this on the table for people to sprinkle as wanted)

1 lb Mozzarella, shredded

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

zucchini, thinly sliced

feta cheese, crumbled

fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, coarsely chopped

juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (she did a bunch of tricky stuff with the pizza baking process, i prefer simple so didn't do any of that ... you should go check out her way if you like tricky ... )

In a small bowl, combine the garlic and olive oil and set aside.

In a bowl, toss the corn kernels with the black pepper and red pepper.

Scatter half of the Mozzarella over the pizzas, leaving a 1/2" rim. Place the onion over the cheese and the zucchini over the onion. Scatter the remaining Mozzarella over the zucchini. Sprinkle with the feta and the corn.

Bake for about 8 minutes then swap which rack the pizzas are on. Bake for another 5 - 8 minutes, til cheese is done to your liking ! I like it a bit brown ...

Immediately after removing the pizza from the oven, brush the garlic oil onto the rim, squeeze the lime juice over the top and garnish with the cilantro.

This method of brushing with the olive oil left the garlic a bit raw for our tastes. Next time, I think I will add the garlic to the pizza itself and just brush with plain olive oil at the end ...

Black Bean Salsa

As with all my GREAT recipes, I got this recipe from Shay. We are going to a BBQ tonight and so I made this to take. Thought since I was making it, I'd take some photos and post the recipe so you all can enjoy it too !
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In a big bowl, whisk the following:
crushed garlic
2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls lime ( or lemon ) juice
salt
southwest seasonings ( chilli powder, cummin, oregano)
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Add:
1 red bell pepper ( capsicum ) - roasted and chopped
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/3 cup fresh cilantro ( coriander )
chopped shallots ( spring onions )
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Mix.
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Better after sits for a while.
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Serve with corn chips or veggies or on top of baked potatoes !
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BONUS PEPPER ROASTING LESSON ...
Just in case you don't know how to roast capsicum (bell peppers), here's how you do it. Cut the pepper into big pieces and lay on your tray in the broiler ( grill in Australia ). Turn on to high.

Broil until the skin looks like this ...

Now, I have seen recipes that say not to do this but I do it anyway. I transfer the broiled peppers into a bowl of water. It cools them off and helps the skin come off EASILY !

Peel the skin off (just using your fingers) and you'll be left with the "meat" (left) and the skin (right). Throw the skin into the garbage !

Easy, eh !? I love peppers done this way !! I will eat them just like that, add them to a salad, put them on a pizza, on a sandwich, serve with hors' d'ouvres ... whatever !! I used to put them in a jar with garlic and olive oil to store in the fridge. THAT IS DELICIOUS !! Great to put on pizza !!
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