Slow Cooker Pork Stew

Just set it all up in a few minutes and come home to meltingly tender pork and flavourful vegetables in a satisfying one pot meal.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb pork shoulder, cubed

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, quartered

3 tsps minced garlic

2 carrots, diced

5 or 6 mushrooms, halved

1 lb potatoes, cubed

1/2 cup edamame (or peas)

2 cups beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp celery seed

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp cold water

Toss pork cubes with flour and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with the vegetables (except the edamame). Pour in the broth, tomato paste and add the seasonings. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. In the last 30 minutes make a slurry with the cornstarch and cold water and add to the stew along with the edamame. Remove the bay leaf and serve. Serves 3-4 

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Sweet and Sour Slow Cooker Chicken

This saucy dish is a little sweet and just a bit sour as the name suggests. And it's the easiest dump and go meal you'll see today! 

Ingredients:

1 lb (500g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in 1 1/2" cubes

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 tsps sesame oil

2 tsps sriracha sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsps soy sauce

2 tsps cornstarch

1/4 tsp 5 spice powder

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 green onions sliced to garnish 

Mix everything except the honey, oyster sauce and green onions together in the slow cooker. Cover and set on high for 2 hours. In the last 30 minutes add the honey and oyster sauce and stir through. When done plate and garnish with sliced green onions. Lovely with jasmine rice! Serves 3

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Slow Cooker Ginger Pepper Beef

Tender and succulent beef with a robust amount of garlic and ginger to warm your heart! Great idea for a Valentine's dinner for two ♥  

Ingredients:

1 lb stewing beef, cut in 1/2-1" cubes

1 large bell pepper, diced

1 large (or 3 small) onions, cut in wedges

2 tbsps minced garlic

2 tsps grated ginger

1 tsp dry onion soup mix

1/4 cup water

2 tbsps soy sauce

2 tsps brown sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper 

2 tsps cornstarch

2 tsps cold water

Place beef in the bottom of the slow cooker and top with bell pepper and onion. Mix the garlic, ginger, dry onion soup mix, 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar and black pepper together and pour over the meat. Slow cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. In last 30 minutes mix the cornstarch and cold water together and stir into the pot. Serves 2 

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Slow Cooker Turkey Carcass Broth

Nothing better than homemade soup! And broth made in the slow cooker is a no brainer. Great base to start soup season with!

Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass (this one was a 22 pounder!)

1 onion, halved

2 celery stalks

2-3 garlic cloves

2 carrots

1 tbsp apple cider vineger

salt and pepper to taste

cold water to cover

a sprig or 2 of rosemary

Simply put everything in your slow cooker and pour in enough water just to cover it all. Set to high for 8 hours or low for 24 hours. Once done cool and remove vegetables and bones. Pick the meat off the bones... you'll be surprised at how much you'll find. Pour the broth into a colander lined with cheesecloth to remove small bones and bits. Use or freeze the broth as is or cut up the slow cooked veggies into the broth along with the salvaged turkey for a healthy soup. Maybe add a can of diced tomatoes and cooked rice if you like. Makes 10-12 servings. 

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Slow Cooker Pork and Vegetables

This dinner for two cooks up fall-off-the-bone tender pork with savory mixed vegetables. 

Ingredients:

2 pork shoulder steaks

3 medium potatoes, quartered

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 small onions, roughly chopped or quartered

1 unpeeled apple, halved and cored

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsps garlic powder

2 tsps smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp dry thyme

salt and pepper to taste 

Add potatoes, onion, carrots, mushrooms and broth to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the pork and apple halves on top. Mix the olive oil, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper together and spoon over the pork. Cover the slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours depending on the thickness of the steaks. They should be fork tender when done. Serves 2

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Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Sweet, succulent and slow cooked to fork tenderness. 

Ingredients: 

4 - 1/2" thick bone-in pork chops

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsps minced garlic

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup apple juice

3 tbsps apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsps cold water

fresh parsley to garnish

Salt and pepper the chops then brown in a skillet in hot olive oil. Sear both sides 3-4 minutes per side. De-glaze the pan with 1/2 cup apple juice. Place the pork in the slow cooker. In the skillet, whisk the minced garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar with the juices in the pan. Pour over the pork, cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together and pour into the slow cooker, mixing together in the last half hour of cooking to thicken the sauce. Serve garnished with parsley. Makes 4 servings  

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Slow Cooker Bone In Chicken and Potatoes

If you liked my One Pot Chicken and Rice recipe you'll love this go-to homestyle meat and potatoes meal. You can also sub the chicken breasts for thighs. Just make sure to check for doneness on the early side for breasts and maybe a little longer for thighs.

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken breasts 

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano 

1/4 tsp rosemary 

1/4 tsp thyme

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 tbsp butter

1 lb potatoes, quartered 

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsps garlic powder

2-4 small onions, whole (optional)

1 bell pepper (optional)

Add butter to a skillet and season chicken with basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Brown chicken on each side 3-4 minutes. Set aside. 

Toss potatoes with olive oil then add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spray oil on the inside of the slow cooker then dump in the potatoes. Top the potatoes with the chicken and tuck in the onions and bell pepper if using. Cover and slow cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F.

Serves 4

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Slow Cooker Turkey Stock

Homemade turkey stock, a.k.a. liquid gold or Jewish penicillin, is chalk full of good stuff made unseasoned so it's ready to go into any recipe where you need a good stock.

Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass

Stems from broccoli, cauliflower, kale

2 bay leaves

Enough water to cover everything

Put everything in a large piece of cheesecloth and tie up with kitchen string. Place in a 7 quart slow cooker and fill with water enough to cover bones. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. Take the cheesecloth packet out of the pot. Remove the bay leaves, take all the turkey off the bones and chop up the vegetable stems. You might need to strain the broth but the cheesecloth should have kept the broth pretty clear.  You can freeze containers of stock for future use or make a nice turkey soup with some of the broth, the chopped vegetables and tender cooked turkey pieces. Just add your favourite seasonings and you're all set!

Makes about 14 cups of stock. 

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Slow Cooker Coffee Chili

What? Coffee? That's right, coffee's earthiness compliments the spicy chili adding depth of flavour. You won't actually taste coffee, just a good, hearty chili.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil 

2 onions, diced 

1 green pepper, diced 

3 tbsps minced garlic 

1 lb medium ground beef 

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes 

1 tbsp tomato paste 

1 - 19 oz can red kidney beans, drained 

1 - 14 oz can baked beans

1 tbsp instant coffee

2 tsps ground cumin 

2 tsps smoked paprika 

2 tbsps chili powder 

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp black pepper

 

Heat oil in frying pan to medium high. Add onions and green pepper and cook 4-5 minutes to lightly brown, then add the garlic for 1 minute. Make a well in the center and add the beef breaking it up as it cooks until no pink remains. Drain off any excess grease.

Dump the meat mixture into the slow cooker crock pot along with the remaining ingredients. (Easy peasy!) Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or a nice piece of cornbread!

Serves 6

 

Try this Honey Cornbread recipe:

https://www.hotandcoldrunningmom.ca/2016/11/honey-cornbread.html 

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Pumpkin

Not fancy, just a homestyle rustic one pot meal! Anybody still got pumpkin?

Ingredients:

3 lb chicken

1 onion, quartered

2 cups pumpkin (or other winter squash), cut in chunks

3 medium potatoes, quartered

2 tsps garlic powder

1 tsp dry minced onion

2 tbsps BBQ sauce

1 tbsp maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Spray cooking oil in the crock pot then add the onion and pumpkin. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and sit it on top of the vegetables. Combine the BBQ sauce and maple syrup and brush over the chicken. Add the quartered potatoes around the chicken and sprinkle everything with garlic powder and dry minced onion.

Cover and slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or until vegetables are tender and the chicken's internal temperature reads 165°F.

Serves 4

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Saucy Slow Cooker Beef Ramen

Love, love, love me some easy peasy beef ramen! And so flavourful! Not from that ramen flavour packet (toss that out!), but from the vegetables and seasoning simmered together in the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 1/2 cups julienned carrots

1 bell pepper, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

3 tsps minced garlic

1/2 cup soya sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup chicken broth

2 ramen packages (just noodles, throw out the flavour packet)

Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion slices and hot sauce

 

Brown the ground beef in a pan, drain fat then place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the carrots, bell pepper, green onion and garlic. Combine the soya sauce, brown sugar and chicken broth and pour over the vegetables and ground beef. Mix together and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Now turn up to high and place the ramen bricks in and cover with sauce. Break up the bricks if needed. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir together and serve garnished with green onions, sesame seeds and if you like, some hot sauce.

Serves 4

Adapted from myincrediblerecipes.com

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Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore Drumsticks

This is a large recipe. You will need a 7 quart slow cooker to cook all this yumminess!

Ingredients:

Topping:

24 chicken drumsticks

4 tsps smoked paprika

2 tsps dry oregano

1 tsp dry basil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 - 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

2 tbsps smoked paprika

2 tsps dry oregano

1 tsp dry basil

1 1/2 tsps salt

2 red onions, thinly sliced

2 bell peppers, diced

1/2 - 1 cup stuffed green olives (optional)

Combine the topping ingredients and coat all the drumsticks. Then, in the slow cooker crockpot, mix all the sauce ingredients and nestle the drumsticks in. You will probably need to layer them and that's ok as long as they are mostly covered in sauce.

Place the onions, bell peppers and olives (if using) on top. Cover and set on low for 6 hours. (You can see here just how full this 7 quart crock is!)

And it's ready to serve with your favourite rice or pasta!

Serves 10

(The leftover sauce can be boiled down for a hearty pasta sauce too!)

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Crockpot Frozen Chicken Legs

Straight from the freezer to the slow cooker to fall-off-the-bone tenderness!

3 (frozen solid) chicken legs

3 or 4 carrots (optional, but why not?)

1 cup of your fave BBQ sauce

1 cup chicken broth

Lay the carrots on the bottom of the crockpot if using, then put the chicken in on top. Or put the chicken right into the bottom of the pot. Pour the chicken broth in. You can see that the chicken legs were frozen together in one chunk! No problem!

Pour the BBQ sauce over the legs and spread evenly. Cover and slow cook on low for 6 hours. Cooking on low rather than high ensures tenderness.

These fall-off-the-bone fork-tender chicken legs will serve 3-4 people.

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