Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

My infant requires a no-dairy, no-soy diet of me.  This means I have had to start making a lot of my own food.  It also means I am on the look out for tasty and easy recipes!  Here is a simple and good one, a pinterest success (found on budgetbytes.com)

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 medium onion 

- 2 stalks celery 

- 2 medium carrots 

- 1 lb. uncooked black beans 

- 1 cup salsa 

- 1 Tbsp chili powder

- ½ Tbsp cumin 

- 1 tsp oregano 

- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

- 2 cups water

Mince the garlic, dice the onion and celery, and grate the carrots on a large holed cheese grater. Rinse the black beans in a colander under cool running water and pick out any stones or debris.  (I soaked my beans overnight.)

Combine the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, black beans, salsa, chili powder, cumin, oregano, vegetable broth, and water in a 5-7 quart slow cooker. Stir well.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 6-8 hours (you want the beans to get VERY soft). Once the beans are very soft, use a blender to blend the soup until it is thick and creamy (leave some beans whole if desired). Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the broth used).  (I used a potato masher because I was feeling lazy about pulling out the blender.)

Slightly mashed or pureed, it is a tasty soup!  Garnish with fresh cilantro or chopped red onions or cheese or even a scoop of rice!

4 Ingredient Mexican

A friend and I were talking about how cooking with young babies and kids in the house includes lots of quick meals.  But, it is also important to us to provide balanced meals.  This is definitely one that fits the family-friendly, balanced, provides-variety kind of meals!  I stole this meal from my sister-in-law years ago and just have never shared here.  

Enjoy!

- 2 cups frozen corn

- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

- 2 large frozen chicken breasts (about a pound)

- 1 1/2 cups salsa

Pour frozen corn on the bottom of the crock pot and place chicken breasts on top.  Cover with beans and salsa.  Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.  (adjust time if using thawed chicken breasts) 

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.  Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir until the corn, chicken, beans, and salsa are combined.

Here is the reason I love this dish:

Serve over a bed of chips.  Garnish with cilantro, cheese, lettuce, tomato, lime wedges, ... favorite toppings

Or, serve over rice, garnished with favorite toppings

Or, serve in a tortilla with rice and favorite toppings as a burrito

I love the versatility of this one!!  Becomes a great way to eat Mexican at home.  Nachos for an at-home take-out kind of meal.  Rice bowls.  Burritos.  Easy to accommodate each person's favorite! 

Pasta Fagioli Soup

I love a crockpot recipe. In the fall and winter I love hearty, comfort-food soup. This recipe fits both those descriptions perfectly! I got this one from my cousin-in-law's amazing reciple blog, who got it from A Year of Slow-Cooking which is another great site. This recipe makes a ton, but it is wonderful! This is a great one to share; I took some to a couple who just had a baby and still had enough for at least 3 or more meals for my family. Definitely worth your crockpot (or your dutch oven)!

- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 jar pasta sauce (or some homemade marinara)
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp tobasco sauce (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry pasta

Use a 6-quart crockpot, or cut recipe in half.

Brown the meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.

Chop up the onion, carrots, and celery. Add it to the empty crockpot. Drain and rinse the beans, add them. Add the tomatoes and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth, the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tobasco sauce. Stir in the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Cook pasta to al dente.  To serve, put soup in bowl and then add a scoop of pasta in the middle.  (picture like restaurants serve a bowl of gumbo)  [The original recipe says to add pasta in for last hour.  I felt like the pasta swells way too much.  And, since this creates TONS of soup, the pasta in the leftovers is definitely really mushy.  So, I say just cook as much pasta as you think you will need each time.  That will keep the pasta more fresh and not mushy.  Freeze without pasta.] 

Serve with parmesan cheese if you have it.

This was really yummy!! Will and I both really enjoyed it. If you want it a bit more soupy, maybe add a bit more broth. Will likes it more soupy. I enjoy it hearty. Both of us enjoyed the flavor and the varying different ingredients. I will definitely be making this again!

Mom's Crockpot Mac 'N Cheese

I love this recipe of mac 'n cheese! Easy, yummy, and a crowd pleaser!

- 1 (8 oz) box macaroni noodles
- (16 oz) shredded cheese
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp milk
- 1 stick melted margarine
- 2 eggs beaten

Cook and drain noodles. Grease crockpot with butter or Pam. Add macaroni to crockpot. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with salt. Add evaporated milk, milk, and melted margarine to egg and salt mixture. Mix well. Add mixture and shredded cheese to crock pot. Stir until well mixed. Cook on low for 3 hours. (High for one hour, low for one hour works if in a hurry.)

The Best Pulled Pork Ever!

Okay, Will and I have cooked a pork shoulder three times now. We were bound and determined to get it right. The third time was absolutely the charm!!! You absolutely have to try this!

- a pork shoulder
- Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning)

The Recipe for Essence
- 2 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp dried leaf oregano
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.


Rub "essence" into the pork shoulder. Place the shoulder fat side up in a crock pot. Cook a 5 lb shoulder for 9-12 hours on low. Cook a 7 lb shoulder for 11-14 hours on low. It will be perfectly cooked and pull apart effortlessly with a fork.

Will and I agree that this was as good as any restaurant pulled pork we have eaten. We can't wait to have this again!

Beef Roast with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

This is wonderful! I think you could leave out the spicy (red pepper flakes) and it would still be great. It is really easy, just takes a few minutes of work right before serving.

- 1 (2-2 1/2 lb) sirloin tip or chuch roast
- salt and ground black pepper
- 4 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 2 tsp herbes de Province
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup evoo

Preheat the oven to 375.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence.

Heat the evoo in a medium, heavy roasting pan or dutch oven over high heat. Sear the beef on all sides until browned. Place the se asoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place thepan in the oven. (I have cooked it in the crockpot before.) Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the beef reads 130degrees F for med-rare or 135degrees fr medium, 30-40 minutes. Tent the roast loosely with foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. The internal temp of the meat should rise 5 degrees more and the juices with redistriubte into the roast.

While the meat rests, place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, 3/4 tsp salt, the red wine vinegar, and the roasted tomatoes and process until pureed. With the machine running, add the evoo in a steady stream.

To serve, slice the roast and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl alongside.

from Giada deLaurentiis Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites

Simmons's Spaghetti Sauce

When Will and I got married, he said that the one recipe, I had to get from his mom was her spaghetti sauce. When I approached my mother-in-law, she said that my father-in-law had told her the same thing. This is the recipe his mom gave her. Kinda cool! This has been passed down from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law for a few generations.

SAUCE
- 2 large cans tomato sauce
- 3 large cans water (I use only 1 can and then add as needed.)
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 pkg spaghetti sauce mix (like, McCormick's Zesty Italian Mix)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp butter

BEEF
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- green pepper (optional)

 Mix all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Add to ground beef and simmer as long as you have time. The longer the simmer, the yummier the sauce. This is a wonderful recipe to put in the crockpot for as long as you need. My personal touch is to put a jalapeno in to simmer for a while.

Also a common occurrence at this house is to have a medley of roasted vegetables, rather than a salad, on the side.  Yum!

Mom's Roast

This is super simple, but always gets rave reviews! If you haven't found a good roast recipe, this is it!

- 2lb beef roast (eye of round is most lean)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can french onion soup

Mix soup togethers. Rinse roast under cold water. Place in oven proof baking dish. Pour soups over roast. Cover. Bake at 350 for 2 hours. Or, do the same in crockpot for 3 hours on high, 6-7 hours on low.