Simple Crockpot favorites

all your usual all-in-one dishes will work (like chili) of course - you probably knew that already. You might need to add some cornflour and water to thicken since it won't boil thicker. Creamed corn works too!

I don't know how much this will help you, but I usually throw in a protein (fish or chicken could work, or even tofu chunks), a can of chopped tomatoes and suitable flavourings and another veg of some kind, sometimes potatoes. Since my lump of protein is usually pork or beef and frozen solid you probably wouldn't need to cook it for as long if you were doing chunks of tofu!

I see no point whatsoever in browning everything first. The whole point of the crockpot for me is that you minimise the work and get to make dinner at breakfast. I can't imagine myself defrosting a lump of meat overnight and browning it and some vegetables at breakfast! The only exception to that might be onions, which do take on a totally different flavour when fried rather than boiled from raw. Personally though I might consider having fried onions on the side if I was going to make such a fuss. Again, frying onions at breakfast or even lunch is more than I can handle.

Soups work too, though clear is better unless you like lots of cornflour or lots of creamed corn! You can always add small quantities of instant mashed potato flakes as a thickener too if you have them.

I've never 'roasted' anything or done anything dry in mine. I've done a Chinese rice dessert though (glutinous black and white rices), but it usually only reaches the right consistency by the third day!!!

I think if you do wet stuff it's very straightfoward, and if you like cooking with cans of soup then it's even more versatile and easy. Just remember that it will stay wetter than stovetop dishes and adjust accordingly. And common sense will go a long way - just because it says fry it first doesn't mean it. Oh, and chicken will break apart naturally after a while, so no need to cut up anything first if you leave it on long enough!

Ratatouille is a great thing to do in there too, and you can always throw a protein in it if you want, or just have it over pasta or rice.

Kerri.

My easiest crockpot recipe:

Almost fill the crockpot with cut up potatoes (I don't peel them, but you can if you want), carrots and onion in any ratio you like. Add some chicken breast tenders. Sprinkle with lemon pepper and add about 2T butter and about 1/4 C water. Mix everything together a couple of times during the cooking time so that the seasoning gets on everything. Cook on high from lunch until dinner or on low from breakfast until dinner, depending on when you want to get it going. I like it with a lot of lemon pepper, but a couple of my kids think it's too much pepper that way. If you don't use much lemon pepper in it, you might want to add some salt to make up the flavor.

Ok, it's not a real recipe, but it's soooo easy and it tastes good.

Lauralyn

chicken - tenders, breast, legs, whatever part you like.

cream of mushroom soup
cheddar cheese soup
dry onion soup mix

mix together and cook all day on low.

serve over rice!

Also, chicken with a jar/bottle of you fav bar-b-que sauce. YUMMY!

Jana

Asian chicken:
several chicken breasts (boneless)
1-2 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup orange or pineapple juice
chunks of green and/or red peppers
chunks of sweet onion
4 cloves garlic pressed over
minced fresh ginger to taste (I use 2 tablespoons)
5 Tablespoons soy sauce

Let all cook several hours on low, take out everthing from the juice, turn pot up to high and thicken juices with cornstarch cold water mix. Pull chicken meat apart, add everything back to pot and add frozen, thwed broccoli florets and sliced shitake mushrooms briefly softened in the microwave. Stir well and let simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

White Chicken Chili:
bite sized pieces of raw boneless chicken breast
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced green chili
1 can sliced black olives
1 diced sweet onion
1 cup chicken broth

Cook all on low for 6 hours or so-do not stir!
Turn off heat, gently stir in 1-2 cups sour cream and 1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese cheese, cover and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
(I have also thrown frozen corn kernels and a can of drained diced tomatoes in this to extend it)

I love my crockpot.
Have fun!
-Jo

Shaun, not sure how your day's routine is at the moment, but I find that I can adapt recipes that need the onions cooking first (tomato sauce for pasta etc) by putting the onions and oil in on high for an hour, then adding in the wet and/or bulk ingredients. That only works if you're around an hour later to put in the rest, of course! Mine have been a little more brown on the edges that you might want a couple of times! This method seems to give a bit more flexibility in adapting non-traditional crock-pot dishes.

Zillah

throw some porkchops in the crockpot and a bottle of BBQ sauce..thats it. cook for about 2 hours on high..

a whole chicken with tons of lemon pepper.. about 3 hours on high.