Black-Eyed Pea Soup (updated)

This is one of my personal favorite comfort foods. It's so delicious with a big slice of hot cornbread & butter.

I soak the beans overnight Nourishing Traditions -style (covered in water and 1-2 Tbs. whey for boosted nutrition), then drain and add to the crock-pot.

1 lb. Dried black-eyed peas

½ lb. Smoked ham, cubed

4 carrots, sliced

3 stalks of celery, sliced

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

2 small bay leaves

2 Tbs. bacon bits

½ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. black pepper

8 cups hot water

Add above ingredients to crock-pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours. 
Then saute in some olive oil:

1 med. Onion, diced
1 head of collard greens, chopped (optional)

Add to crock-pot and continue cooking for another hour on low. 
Just before serving, add:

1 tsp. salt

⅓ cup minced fresh parsley

*Serve with cornbread.

Barbeque Drumsticks

2 pkgs. chicken drumsticks (approx. 2 lbs. each)
1 onion, chopped
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. honey

Saute diced onion in olive oil until translucent, then add to crock-pot. Add remaining ingredients.
Cook on LOW for 5-7 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

Sweet Potato Minestrone

Add to crock-pot in this order:

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
5-6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
2 cups cooked navy beans
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes
7 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, then add:

1 bag frozen green beans

Set crock-pot to warm and cook 1-2 more hours.

Hearty Green Soup

2 lbs. green split peas, soaked overnight
enough water to cover the peas by 1 inch
1 large diced onion
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, then add:

4 large stalks of celery, diced
1 whole cabbage, chopped
4-5 carrots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
2 tsp. onion powder

Cook on LOW for 3 more hours. Serve with a splash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos and a dallop of sour cream. Enjoy with bread.

All Day Chana Dahl Soup

1 1/2 lbs. pre-soaked chana dahl
9 cups water or chicken stock
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 Tbs. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbs. Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 Tbs. curry powder

Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours. In the last hour, add:

1 bag frozen cut-leaf spinach

Top with mozzarella cheese or Greek yogurt. Serve with buttered toast.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

1 1/2 lbs. soaked black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
4 carrots, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
pinch of red pepper flakes
5 cups beef broth
1 can pumpkin puree
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Add to crock-pot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Then remove 2 cups of beans, puree in a blender, & add back to soup. Serve with a dallop of sour cream.

*Adapted from this recipe.

Navy Bean Stew

3 cups dry navy or Great Northern beans, soaked & rinsed
6 cups. water
2 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped

Add all to crock-pot and set to LOW. Cook for 4 hours. Then add:

1 lb. browned ground Italian sausage
6 carrots, sliced
1 bag frozen corn
1/2 Tbs. parsley
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Cook on LOW for another 1-2 hours.

Mexican "Noodles"

This 4 ingredient recipe seemed to good to be true, but we ALL loved it!

1 head of cabbage, sliced thin (like noodles)

Add to crock-pot, cover and set to LOW. Cook for 4 hours. Then add:

2 lbs. browned ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 packages of low fat cream cheese (12 oz. total)
2 cans of diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers OR diced tomatoes with green chilies

Stir just to mix. Set to warm and leave alone until ready to serve. Stir well before serving.

*adapted from the Trim Healthy Mama book.

Overnight Oatmeal

3 cups steel cut oats*
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
6 cups water
2-3 cups milk

Mix all ingredients together and set crock-pot to LOW. Cook 6-8 hours.

*Do not substitute old fashioned oats. They will turn to mush.

Quick Turkey Chili

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey/beef

Brown ground beef in a skillet, then transfer to crock-pot and add:

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 cups water or chicken stock
2 cans kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 bag frozen corn
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbs. chili powder
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbs. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.

Serve over Fritos and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Black Bean & Lime Soup

3 cups dried black beans, rinsed & soaked overnight, then drained
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
6 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Place the above ingredients in crock-pot and cook on LOW 4-5 hours. Then add:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
5 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbs. molasses or brown sugar

Cook on LOW 1-2 more hours. Then remove half of the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth and return to the crock-pot. Just before serving, add 1/4 cup lime juice.

Serve with chopped cilantro, sour cream, and chopped avocado.

Adapted from this recipe from Simply Recipes.com. 

Barbacoa Sweet Potatoes

Somebody posted this photo on Facebook and I immediately knew I had to duplicate it. This is a Hot Mess from Pecan Lodge in Dallas. It's a sweet potato stuffed with barbacoa, cheese, chipotle cream, bacon, and green onions. Sounds amazing!

You'll need 2 crock-pots -OR- 1 crock-pot and 2 days to make this.

Crock-pot #1:

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbs. garlic powder
1/4 cup distilled vinegar

Cover it all with water and cook on HIGH about 4 hours or until meat is tender and falling apart.
Drain liquids and shred the meat with two forks. Then add:

1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chili powder
salt to taste

Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

Crock-pot #2: 


Slow Cooked Sweet Potatoes


Wash 6-8 large sweet potatoes and pile into crock-pot. Add nothing. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

Condiments:
Cheddar cheese
bacon bits (homemade or not)
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped


Chipotle Cream
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp. cumin

Serve buffet-style and enjoy!

Ground Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

½ stick butter

1 carton fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 carton sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. egg noodles, cooked al dente

Cook ground beef, onion, and butter in crock-pot for an hour on low. Add remaining ingredients (except noodles) to crock-pot and cook an additional 2-4 hours. Spoon all over cooked noodles.

Duggar Tortilla Soup

*this is a slightly modified version of Tortilla Soup Grandioso, found in A Love that Multiplies by Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 quart homemade chicken stock

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cups frozen corn

Add all to crock-pot and cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Just before serving, add:

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

Serve with:

grated cheddar cheese

1 small carton sour cream

tortilla chips

Santa Fe Chicken Burritos

These burritos were ridiculously easy and were a big hit with the whole family.

Add the following to crock-pot and set to LOW:

2 cans black beans, drained

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

2 cups of thick & chunky salsa (a 1 lb. jar)

6-8 chicken breasts or thighs, chopped

Cook for 3 hours. Then add:

8 oz. cream cheese

Cook on LOW for 1 more hour.

Serve in warmed flour tortillas.

Kielbasa Sauerkraut Stew

2-1/2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1-1/2 lbs. kielbasa, sliced
2 cans sauerkraut, drained & rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut crosswise into rings
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp caraway seed

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Place potatoes and onions in crock-pot and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Place remaining ingredients (except cheese) in crock-pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Hawaiian Chicken

• 6 skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large cans pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1/2 bag frozen broccoli florets
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup cornstarch

Place chicken breasts, drained pineapple, and frozen broccoli in crock pot . Whisk pineapple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, ginger, and brown sugar. Pour over chicken mixture. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on LOW.

Cook as much rice as needed for your servings. Serve over rice.

Cincinnati Chili

Add the following to crock-pot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours:

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1 cup chicken stock

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans kidney beans, drained

1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. cocoa

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

You will also need:

1 pkg. thin spaghetti

1 pkg. oyster crackers

cheddar cheese

Cook spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Ladle chili over spaghetti. Top with cheddar cheese and oyster crackers. Enjoy!

Gretchen's Lentil Soup

My friend, Gretchen, found this recipe on the back of a Stonyfield yogurt container and made it for dinner. It was easy to make, inexpensive, healthy, and her kids scraped their bowls clean. I couldn't wait to try it! Of course, I had to convert it to a crock-pot recipe. ;)

5 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 stalks celery, chopped
4-5 carrots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp chili pepper
2 cups lentils
2 quarts chicken stock

juice of 1 lemon
2 cups whole milk plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Add all to crock-pot, except lemon juice and yogurt. Cook on low for 6 hours. Turn crock-pot off and add lemon juice. Stir gently. Garnish with a generous dollop of yogurt and a bit of fresh parsley.

ETA: I served this to my kids with cornbread for lunch. They licked their bowls clean. I kid you not. This soup is delicious!

B & B Soup

(aka Bean & Bacon Soup, but we thought that name was too boring.)

1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
9 cups water
1/2 pound bacon
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups water

1.Cook the beans on HIGH in 9 cups of the water for one hour. Drain, rinse, and dump back in crock-pot. (If you soak & rinse your beans, you can skip this step.)
2.Cook the bacon to your desired texture (soft or crisp, whatever you prefer) and drain except for 1/4 cup grease. Coarsely chop the bacon. (In a pinch, I used a jar of real bacon bits instead and used 1/4 cup butter for the next step. It was fantastic this way.)
3.Add the onions and celery to the reserved grease and bacon and saute until soft, do not drain. Add the chicken base or cubes, 4 cups water, beans, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cloves, and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Serve over cornbread.

The kids (and adults) all loved this soup. Everyone asked for seconds. Great flavor!