Slow Cooker Black Bean Mushroom Chili

from EatingWell.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pound dried black beans, (2 1/2 cups), rinsed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mustard seeds
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, or ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, or ground cardamom
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces tomatillos, (see Ingredient Note), husked, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup water
5 1/2 cups mushroom broth, or vegetable broth
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1-2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, (see Ingredient Note)
1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack, or pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges


PREPARATION

1. Soak beans overnight in 2 quarts water. (Alternatively, place beans and 2 quarts water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain the beans, discarding soaking liquid.

2. Combine oil, mustard seeds, chili powder, cumin and cardamom in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Place over high heat and stir until the spices sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add onions, mushrooms, tomatillos and water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are juicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and stir often until the juices evaporate and the vegetables are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add broth, tomato paste and chipotles; mix well.

3. Place the beans in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the hot vegetable mixture over the beans. Turn heat to high. Put the lid on and cook until the beans are creamy, 5 to 8 hours.

4. Garnish each serving with cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Stovetop Variation: Total: 4 1/2 hours In Step 2, increase broth to 81/2 cups. Omit Step 3. Add the beans to the Dutch oven; cover and simmer the chili gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are creamy to bite, about 3 hours.

TIPS & NOTES
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Ingredient notes: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the specialty spice section of most supermarkets. Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeños packed in a flavorful sauce. Look for the small cans with the Mexican foods in large supermarkets. Once opened, they'll keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
Tomatillos are tart, plum-size green fruits that look like small, husk-covered green tomatoes. Find them in the produce section near the tomatoes. Remove the outer husk and rinse them well before using.

NUTRITION -  10 servings, generous 1 cup each
Per serving: 306 calories; 10 g fat ( 4 g sat , 2 g mono ); 20 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 18 gprotein; 13 g fiber; 415 mg sodium; 735 mg potassium.

Crock Pot Chickpea, Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Stew

serves 4-6 (depending on how big your bowls are!)

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 large carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2-3 tsp garam masala
1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs–average sized), peeled and chopped
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
fresh minced cilantro for serving



Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot and jalapeno and saute for about six minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 more seconds, and then add the garam masala, stirring well to coat. Take off heat.

Place the chickpeas, butternut squash, canned diced tomatoes, red lentils, vegetable broth and onion mixture in your slow cooker. Turn the heat on LOW and cook for 8-10 hours…the longer you cook, the thicker your stew will be.

Season with sea salt to taste and serve with minced cilantro on top. This stew freezes extremely well and will keep in the fridge for up to five days.

Tomato Spinach Soup & Chicken Vegetable Soup & Turkey Lentil Pumpkin Chili

Tomato Spinach Slow-Cooker Soup

10 ounces baby spinach, washed
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
2 leaves bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

Directions:
1.  Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. 

2.  Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
3.  Remove bay leaves, stir and serve.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Veggie Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 lb carrots, sliced thin
4 celery stalks, sliced thin
1 bay leaf
1 lb chicken thigh (I used boneless, skinless)
2 large split chicken breasts (I used bone-in and they are normally frozen)
4 cups water or chicken broth (I used water)
1 cup of cooked quinoa (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat and sweat chopped onion until translucent. Season with salt.

2. In the bottom of a slow cooker, layer the carrots, then celery and bay leaf. Add the chicken on top and season generously with salt.

3. Pour cooked onions over the chicken and then carefully pour the water or chicken broth over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

4. When finished, pull out the chicken and allow to cool. Spoon veggies into a bowl. Pour the broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into the bowl with the veggies. Shred chicken and add to the bowl. Add the cooked quinoa at this point, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (Per 2 Cups of Soup)

Calories 261; Total Fat 9g; Total Carb 15g; Fiber 4g; Sugars 5g; Protein 33

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Turkey Lentil Chili With Pumpkin

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey {dark and light meat mixed has more flavor and iron}
1 tablespoon dried onion
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1 cup dried lentils
15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 cups chicken broth
sour cream for topping
shredded cheese for topping
chopped cilantro for topping

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pan. 

2. Add turkey and cook until browned. 

3. Add dried onion and garlic at the very last minute, cooking just until the garlic starts to brown a little. 

4. Place meat mixture in crock pot. 

5. Add chili powder, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, lentils, pumpkin puree, and broth to crock pot. 

6. Mix, cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
7. Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning to taste, and add toppings before serving. Enjoy!

crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies, drained (hot or mild, depending on preference)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, including juice
1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt and pepper
4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 avocado diced and tossed with lime juice to prevent browning
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Place chicken in Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
In a separate bowl, combine chilies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, 1/2 c chicken broth and cumin. Blend and pour over chicken.
Cook on high for 3 hours. When chicken is tender, use the tines of 2 forks to shred. Adjust seasoning and add additional chicken broth if necessary.
Just before serving, add tortillas and cilantro to Crock-Pot® slow cooker. Stir to incorporate. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve in soup bowls, topping each with shredded cheese, diced avocado and a squeeze of lime.


Serves: 4-6
Size: 3-6 quarts

Clean Eating Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 (12 oz.) jar of clean salsa
4 small raw zucchini, halved, quartered, then sliced (shredding works too)
1/4 medium, fresh pineapple

Directions

1 – Turn on a crock pot to the low setting and put in the chicken and salsa. Cook for about 4-6 hours. Crock pots vary, so base the time on that. The chicken should fall apart easily when finished.

2 – Shred the chicken using two forks and mix in your raw zucchini and fresh pineapple.Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1/4 of the recipe

Calories: 151
Total Fat: 2 gm
Cholesterol: 57 mg
Carbohydrates: 13 gm
Sodium: 889 mg
Protein: 22 gm

Please note: I was surprised to find that this dish was so high in sodium. Most of the sodium in this recipe comes from the salsa. If this is an issue for you, find a clean, low sodium salsa and this will magically become a lower sodium dish!

* find it here

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Servings: 10 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 203.7 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 33.3 g • Fiber: 10.0 g • Protein: 16.9 g

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
  
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points).

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is a classic hearty Italian soup with tomatoes, white beans, pasta and vegetables. You can use Swiss chard or kale instead of spinach if you wish and you don't have to puree the beans, it's just my preference. I modified this for the crock pot but I prefer to make this soup on the stove and let it simmer for about 45 minutes before adding the zucchini and pasta. The crock pot however is so convenient when you are working all day and want to come home to a cooked meal. I highly recommend adding the Parmesan cheese rind. This is also great with mini turkey meatballs, or even some sauteed crumbled turkey sausage.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 4 • Points+: 5
Calories: 215.7 • Fat: 0.7 g • Protein: 8.7 g • Carb: 42.0 g • Fiber: 6.7 g

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
• extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)

Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper.Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.

Click here for the recipe at Skinny Taste

25 CrockPot Recipes

(pictured is Slow Cooker Orange Chicken)

Click here to get 25 Crock Pot Recipes to try!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1/4-1 tsp cayenne (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
6-8 chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in)

Stir all ingredients except chicken into the bottom of a large plastic container. Add the chicken and coat the chicken completely with the marinade, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Masala:
1 can 28 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can 5.5 oz tomato paste
2 inches fresh ginger, grated (store your ginger in the freezer and it will be super easy to grate)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp tikka paste (could use mild curry paste instead, but then also add about a tbsp of lemon juice)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt
1 cup cream
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Turn your oven to broil. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack over top. Take the chicken out of the marinade (discard the marinade) and place on the baking rack. Place under the broiler about 6-10 inches from the heating element and broil on each side about 10 minutes. You could also do this on the BBQ. You don't have to worry about cooking the meat all the way through, you are just looking for a nice browned color.

While the chicken is broiling, in a pan over medium high heat, add about a tsp or two of oil. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes to soften. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a few more minutes until the mixture is nice and fragrant. Place the mixture into your crockpot. To that, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garam masala, tikka paste, cumin, chili powder and coriander. Stir together. When the chicken is done broiling, add them straight to the slow cooker and stir into the masala (sauce). I have cooked and experimented with this dish quite a few times, and it by far tastes the best when the chicken is first broiled and then slow cooks in the masala sauce. It gives the sauce a real richness of flavor. Slow cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

Before serving stir in 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala and salt if it needs it. I find this just brightens up the spice flavors a bit. Then stir in the cream and fresh cilantro. Serve a chicken thigh with lots of sauce over basmati rice or Yellow Basmati Rice: 2 cups basmati, 4 cups water, salt, and 1/2 tbsp of turmeric. Stir together and prepare as you normally would. When the rice is done, stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas.

Here's the link