Crock Pot Freezer Meals Part 2

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

CHEESY CHICKEN

In crock pot or zip lock add:
- 2lbs boneless skinless chicken (thighs, breasts, or combo)
- 2 (10.5oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10.5oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


Cook time: 8  to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: over rice or noodles.

Optional variety: add a little spice or frozen broccoli...can garnish with shredded cheese.







SAUSAGE LENTIL SOUP

Brown:
- 12 to 14 oz sliced kielbasa sausage
- 1 onion diced
-  3 garlic cloves minced (can use more or less to taste.  Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I just use garlic powder)

Add browned meat mixture to crock pot or zip lock along with:
- 2 cups lentils
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes

Season with favorite Italian spices (I use parsley, oregano, and basil)

Day of cooking: add 2 quarts of water to crock pot.  (can use less if you want it less soupy)

Cook time: 4 to 5 hours HIGH or 8 to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: fresh bread or rice

Serves: 6


SAUSAGE AND BEAN SUPPER

Brown:
- 1lb sausage (can use ground turkey and season)
- 1 onion diced

Drain meat and add to crock pot or zip lock along with:
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 can rotel
- 1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Cook time: 4 to 8 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: shredded cheese over rice

Serves: 4 to 6

Channa Dal (Curried Chickpeas)

The recipe in the book was much more labor intensive. It involved dried chickpeas, toasting several different spices and whatnot. I simplified it a lot by using canned chickpeas and my nice curry powder - it had all of the spices the recipe called for and then some. Anyway, this is SO simple and quick to make and YUMMY!

1 14oz can chickpeas
4 tsp curry powder
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 cloves pressed garlic
1 T grated ginger
3 T butter
1-2 T chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onions are soft and golden. Add curry.

Add chickpeas and a 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until liquid is reduced to a nice sauce (feel free to turn up the heat if you get impatient!).

Place chickpeas in a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.

Hummus {of the} Roasted Garlic Variety

I got this yummy recipe from The Urban Spork
I served it with The Perfect Crackery Crackers that I made too !!
Tonight I'm going to take this, and some more crackers and carrot sticks to a party.
YUM.

I mostly stuck to the recipe this time ... I never use the same amount of oil though, I always combine steps and I didn't do any garnishes. Here's how I did mine ...

1 whole head of garlic
olive oil
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons tahini
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 305F/180C

Cut the head of garlic in half and set in a piece of foil. Drizzle olive oil over the halves and fold the foil over the top. Roast in the oven til cloves are soft. And golden brown. And smell delicious. Like ... you want to eat it and just forget about the whole hummus sort of delicious ! It takes about 30/45 minutes to get to that point.

Squeeze the garlic out of it's skin.

Stick everything into a food processor. Process. It it's not smooth enough, add a bit of the juice from the chickpeas to thin it out ...

Now ... every hummus recipe I've ever read says to drizzle olive oil over the top ... and lots of it. I never have. Probably never will. I don't think it needs it. But ... you can make your own decision !!

Zucchini Ankara

My dear friend Kim prepared this one day when we were visiting, and I LOVED it! It is really simple to prepare and so good for you!

Zucchini Ankara

2 cups chopped onion
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 zucchini or yellow squash, cut into half-moons about 1/2 inch thick
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 cup cooked, drained, garbanzo beans
1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives, preferably salty Greek ones
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
juice of a lemon
salt
black pepper
5 ounces feta cheese

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.
Add the squash and marjoram and cook on medium heat, stirring often,
until the squash is just tender. If the squash hasn't released enough
liquid to simmer in, add 1/4 cup of water. This should be a juicy
dish. Add the beans, cumin or mint, lemon, and seasonings.
Remember that if the feta that will be added later is quite salty, little
or no salt will be needed in the vegetables themselves. Continue
cooking until everything is thoroughly heated. The squash should
not become overly soft.

Adjust lemon and herbs to taste, and ladle the vegetables over rice
or couscous. Top with grated feta and serve immediately.

We'll try *THIS* variation next time.