Recipe: German Short Ribs

This is a great way to cook short ribs!

Recipe: German Short Ribs


Ingredients:

· 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
· 3 pounds beef short ribs
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 large onion, sliced
· 1/2 cup dry red wine
· 1/2 cup chile sauce
· 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
· 3 tablespoons vinegar
· 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
· 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
· 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
· 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the short ribs with the flour mixture.

In a slow cooker, combine onions, wine, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and chili powder. Mix thoroughly. Transfer the short ribs from the skillet to the slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Remove ribs, and turn the slow cooker control to High. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup water, and stir into the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Recipe: Beef Burgundy

This is another family favorite recipe!

Recipe: Beef Burgundy

from the South Beach Diet Cookbook

Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

· 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 1 1/2 lbs round steak, cubed

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 1/2 pound pearl onions

· 1 pound mushrooms, quartered

· 3 clove garlic, minced

· 3 cups burgundy wine

· 4 cups beef broth

· 1/4 cup tomato paste

· 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

· 2 bay leaves

Directions:

In a zip-top plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper.  Add the beef and toss to coat well.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat,  Working in batches, add the beef and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until browned.  Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining beef.

Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan.  Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

Add the wine, broth, tomato past, cocoa powder, bay leaves, and beef.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves.  Serve with whole wheat pasta, if desired.

Recipe: Curried Chicken with Peaches

This recipe is one of my family's favorites!  It has wonderful flavor and the chicken is always nice and tender.

Recipe: Curried Chicken with Peaches

Makes 4 servings

Preparation Time:  5 minutes

Ingredients:

· 4 Chicken Breasts

· 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper

· 1 can (29 ounces) sliced peaches

· ½ cup Chicken Broth

· 2 tablespoons butter, melted

· 1 tablespoon dried minced onion

· 2 teaspoons indian curry paste

· 2 cloves of garlic, minced

· ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

· 3 tablespoons cornstarch

· 3 tablespoons cold water

· ¼ cup raisins

Directions:

Place Chicken in slow cooker, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drain the peaches reserving ½ cup juice, set peaches aside

In a small bowl, combine the broth, butter, onion, curry, garlic, ginger, and reserved juice; pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or until chicken juices run clear.

Remove chicken and keep warm.  In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices.  Add raisins.  Cover and cook on high for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in peaches; heat through.  Serve over chicken.

Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore

Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
· 6 boneless chicken breast pieces
· 1 14-1/2 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes with onion and bell pepper (Del monte brand)
· 1 small can tomato sauce
· 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
· 8 oz. fresh mushrooms thinly sliced
· 1/2 each yellow, red, and green bell peppers diced
· 1/4 cup water
· 1/4 cup white wine, optional
· 2 tbsp minced garlic
· 1 tbsp Italian blend herbs
· salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix everything together in crockpot. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 7-9 hours on low

Serve with cooked whole wheat linguini or other whole wheat pasta. (Optional)

Recipe: Pork and Apple Curry

I really love curries with fruit and this is one of my favorite recipes!

Recipe: Pork and Apple Curry

Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

· 2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
· 1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped
· 1 small onion, chopped
· 1/2 cup orange juice
· 1 tablespoon curry powder
· 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
· 1 garlic clove, minced
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
· 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 2 tablespoons cornstarch
· 2 tablespoons cold water
· Hot cooked rice (Optional)
· 1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 10 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring once.

Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with raisins.

Recipe: Tomato Zucchini Casserole

This is a family favorite vegetarian dish.  The leftovers also work nicely for a side dish with a later meal!

Recipe: Tomato Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb Zucchini
• 1 lb Tomatoes
• 1 cup Herb Stuffing Cubes
• 4 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• Sugar
• 1/4 lb Mozzarella Cheese
• 4 Slices Provolone Cheese
• 1 Heaping Tablespoon Chopped Basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

Slice unpeeled zucchini very thin, lay out in a single layer, and sprinkle with salt.  Leave for about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Skin tomatoes and slice thin.  Pour melted butter over bread cubes.  Butter a soufflé dish and layer 1/2 zucchini slices on bottom. Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Lay 1/2 tomatoes over zucchini.  Scatter 1/2 the basil over the tomatoes and sprinkle with sugar.  Lay provolone slices over tomatoes.  Cover with 3/4 of bread cubes and 1/2 the mozzarella cheese.  Repeat the layers, leaving out the mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes.  Cover with the rest of the mozzarella and bake covered for another 20 minutes.  Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe: Parmesan Pork

I found this recipe to be a bit sweet for the summer heat but it is still an excellent recipe that I plan to use again in the future.

Recipe: Parmesan Pork

(from Taste of Home Slow Cooker December 2010)

Ingredients:

• 1 Boneless Pork Loin Roast
• 2/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons Water

Directions:

Cut Roast in half and transfer into the slow cooker.  In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch and water.  Pour over the pork.  Cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours or until the meat in tender.

Remove the meat to a serving dish.  Skim the fat.  Combine the cornstarch and water.  Mix into the sauce slowly and cook on high for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.  Slice the roast and pour the gravy over the pork.

Recipe: Easy Sourdough Bread

I've had great success with this recipe as long as my starter is active enough to rise and I am patient enough to let the dough rise enough both times. There might be a theme there... If it doesn't rise properly the result is very thick, dense and completely inedible once cooled, I fondly refer to it as a hockey puck.

Note: This recipe makes use of an active sourdough starter!

Easy Sourdough Bread

(from Sourdough Baking, The Basics by S. John Ross)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Starter (before a feeding)
• 3 cups flour (I like to use whole wheat flour)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

To the starter, add the sugar, salt, and oil. Mix well, then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. (Note: The Flour amount is approximate! Trust your hands and eyes more than the recipe, always.)

Let the dough rise in a warm place, in a bowl covered loosely with a towel. (Note: Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread. I like to let mine rise overnight.) Let the dough double in bulk, just like yeast-bread dough. When a finger poked into the top of the dough creates a pit that doesn't "heal" (spring back), you've got a risen dough.

Punch the dough down and knead it a little more. Make a loaf and place it on a baking sheet (lightly greased or sprinkled with cornmeal) or in a loaf pan. Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a paper towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.

Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350^o Farenheit and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes. Do not preheat the oven. The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

Recipe: Italian Pot Roast

This was a delicious recipe that was the result of adapting to ingredients that we keep in the house.

Recipe: Italian Pot Roast

(based on recipe from Taste of Home "Slow Cooker" December 2010)

Ingredients:

6 whole peppercorns

4 whole cloves

4 whole allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1 pot roast or beef chuck roast

2 celery ribs

3 cups baby carrots (roughly half a large bag)

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup beef broth

1 jar (24oz) Spicy Basil-Tomato Sauce

Directions:

Place the peppercorns, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon (break into pieces) on a square of cheesecloth and tie closed.

Place the meat on the bottom of the slow cooker and top with celery, carrots and spice packet. Add garlic, beef broth and tomato sauce and mix gently. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Discard spice packet before serving.

Recipe: Thai Curry-Peanut Sauce

My favorite Thai restaurant serves their salad with a peanut sauce dressing which makes it on my list of favorite ways to have salad. As a salad hater, that really means something. This recipe was my first attempt at making my own and I really liked it, though it might need a bit more curry paste...

Thai Curry-Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until the aroma of the garlic has mellowed, about 1 minute. Add the red curry paste, and stir for 1 minute more. Whisk in the peanut butter, brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, olive oil, and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Jambalaya

We like our Jambalaya nice and spicy so I've added extra andouille sausage! I also make it without shrimp for the seafood hater in the house but I think shrimp would go in very nicely. For best results, serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1.5 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp without tails (Optional)
• 
  
• Directions:
• In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
• 
  
• Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

Recipe: Mushroom and Steak Stroganoff

This recipe was an absolute hit with the family and is being posted by special request of a family friend. It isn't precisely a phase one recipe but it is close enough that I use it as one.

Mushroom and Steak Stroganoff

(from Slow Cooker Recipe Cards, Taste of Home December 2010)

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1-3/4 lbs round steak, cut into 1-1/2 inch strips
• 1 can, 10-3/4 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup onion soup mix
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 TBSP minced fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Add the meat and shake to coat.

Transfer the meat to the crock pot. In a medium bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, water, and soup mix. Pour over the meat. Cook on low for six or seven hours.

Stir in the mushrooms, sour cream and parsley. Cook for fifteen minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Serve with whole wheat noodles, for phase two.