Slow Cooker Chicken & Shrimp

This is a very easy and versatile dish.  You can add shrimp or scallops or just use chicken.  I like to serve it with barley, but it’s great with rice or pasta also.  And it smells really good while it cooks!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, white or dark, cut in chunks
• non-stick cooking spray
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine - use the good stuff :-)
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes – drained and cut up
• 1 tsp. dried leaf basil
• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined - use Wild Alaskan Company spot prawns to really elevate the dish! :-)
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut chicken into cubes or strips.  Lightly brown in frying pan with olive oil.  

Generously spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker.  Sautee onion, garlic and parsley in same skillet for about 1 minute.  Stir remaining ingredients, except shrimp, into skillet and then pour over chicken.

Cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours.  Add shrimp and cook an additional 30 minutes on LOW.  Be sure shrimp is cooked through before turning off slow cooker.  Serve with pearl barley, whole grain wild rice or pasta.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers

Chicken breast has become my go-to meat protein after my cardiologist convinced me that giving up red meats would benefit me greatly. He was right... labs are the best they've been in a very long time. White meat is not the easiest to work with as there's just no fat at all, so I'm always looking for new ways to have fun with this nutritious meat.

I was inspired by a recipe in America's Test Kitchen's cookbook Slow Cooker Revolution. Swapping the protein and leaving out the rice along with a few seasoning adjustments made the dish my own, and I'm happy to share this very flavorful creation especially with my diabetic followers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground chicken breast
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 5 cloves garlic - smashed & minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 4-5 orange and red bell peppers depending on size
• 1 club roll or hard roll - just the white part from inside
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 small zucchini - cut into 1/4" pieces
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp minced fresh basil
• shredded Parmesan for final garnish 

Preparation:

Combine onion, garlic, tomato paste, Aleppo pepper and evoo in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix, microwave 2 min on high, mix and repeat once.

Cut the tops off the peppers, making them as even as possible and remove core and seeds. Chop some of the tops to add to filling mix.

In a large mixing bowl combine the bread and milk and work it into a paste. A fork works well for this. Add the onion/garlic mix, chopped pepper top, zucchini, ground chicken, both cheeses, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Use your hands to mix thoroughly.

Stuff the peppers with a spoon, making sure there are no air pockets.

Place peppers into your slow cooker along with 1/3 cup water. Lean the peppers against each other and or the sides as they will tend to droop otherwise when they get soft. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

It can get a little tricky getting the peppers out. I have found working with tongs and a large slotted spoon works best. The pepper will be filled with liquid, so instead of trying to lift them out upright, I roll them onto the slotted spoon so excess liquid stays in the slow cooker. Garnish tops with fresh chopped basil and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan. Serve with a tossed salad made with a homemade dressing to avoid sugars all around. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Country Pork Pasta

This dish is a classic slow cooker delight, and yes... you can have pasta because the glycemic index of pasta is in the low range at 52. The thing to watch is the portion size determining the glycemic load, so take the time to measure out a two oz portion. It's not much, I'll give you that, but it's better than no pasta at all. :-) Alternately, you can use pearl barley for an even lower glycemic index. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs country style pork ribs
• 2  28oz cans Redpack whole peeled tomatoes in thick puree
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 celery stalks sliced
• 2 medium onions cut up
• several cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 cup of wine that you feel pairs well with pork
• salt & pepper to taste
• 8 oz pasta of choice (This makes four 2 oz servings)

Preparation:

Place the oil, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, thyme and 1/2 can tomato paste in a large skillet and cook on medium flame 8-10 minutes. Stir in half the wine and pour mix into slow cooker. Mash the tomatoes by hand with a masher and mix into slow cooker.

Brown the pork in same skillet and place into sauce in slow cooker, submerging the meat. Deglaze the skillet with the rest of the wine and add to slow cooker. Cook for ~7 hours on low. Spoon off the fat/oil before removing meat to a covered serving bowl. Stir remaining tomato paste into slow cooker to thicken up sauce.

Add fresh flat leaf parsley to slow cooker while preparing the pasta separately for an additional burst of fresh :-) Once pasta is cooked, divide into 2 oz servings and top with pork and veggies. Alternately serve pork over pearl barley for an even lower glycemic index.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Full credit for this one goes to the ADA's Diabetic Food Hub 

Source: The Diabetes Cookbook. Recipe Credit: Lara Rondinelli Hamilton, RD, LDN, CDE and Jennifer Bucko Lamplough. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock.

Searing beef on the stovetop adds a few minutes to your slow cooker routine, but it’s well-worth the payoff in flavor. Serve this stew with a side of steamed green beans for a balanced weeknight meal that makes your kitchen smell inviting all day long.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp flour

• 1 lb lean beef stew meat - visible fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cups low sodium beef broth

• 1 cup water

• 6 large carrots – peeled & chopped

• 8 oz mushrooms - chopped

• 1 large sweet potato (peeled and cubed)

• 1 onion - diced

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Place the flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add beef and toss to coat.

Add oil to a pan over high heat. Add beef and sauté for 6-8 minutes, turning frequently until evenly browned.

Transfer beef and all remaining ingredients to a large slow cooker.

Cover and cook in slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

Serve as is or over pearl barley cooked in beef broth. Tri-color quinoa is a good choice as well.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Korean Beef

Credit for this dish goes to Amber De Florio at Taste.com.au.

Who needs takeout when it takes just 10 minutes to prepare this slow cooker Korean beef? Simply get all your ingredients together and let the slow cooker work its magic. The beef melts in your mouth with every bite thanks to the sweet and savory flavors of the bulgogi sauce, onion, garlic and ginger. The smoky notes from the sauce also infuse into the meat, and the addition of toasted sesame seeds on top show how easy it is to create a rich and complex flavor profile with such simple ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 2.5 lbs beef chuck steak - cut into bite size pieces
• 1 yellow onion - finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
• 2" - 3" piece ginger - grated or shredded
• 16 oz bulgogi sauce and marinade
• 1 tbsp corn flour (I prefer Wondra flour for the easy button)
• 2 scallions - thinly sliced diagonally
• Toasted sesame seeds - to serve

Preparation:

Combine the beef, onion, garlic, ginger and bulgogi sauce in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours 30 minutes or until beef is almost tender.

Place the flour and 1 tsp water in a small bowl and stir to combine. Stir into beef mixture and cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened and beef is tender.

Top beef with shallots and sesame seeds and serve with a whole grain wild rice or barley. Add a green vegetable that you enjoy.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Mushroom Marsala

You know how much I love the ease of slow cooking. Well, this one may seem really simple but it packs a whole boatload of flavor! Chicken, mushrooms and wine.... How can you go wrong? :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs skinned boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut up
• ~2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion cut up, like bite-size
• 10 oz baby ports (small portobello mushrooms), halved or quartered depending on size
• 1 bunch scallions, cut in 3/8 - 1/2" sections
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine
• 2  10.5 oz cans unsalted condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tsp table salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste - I do 6 twists of pepper mill
• chicken broth or white wine for thinning if needed

Preparation:

In large skillet or Dutch oven heat one tbsp of olive oil, sear chicken pieces and place in slow cooker.

Cut up onions, mushrooms and scallions and lightly saute

in same skillet with another tbsp olive oil if needed.

Add Marsala and blend to a simmer.

Add cream of mushroom and again bring to a simmer and blend.

Season with 1 tsp table salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste and pour over chicken.

Cook for 4-5 hours on high.

Serve over pearl barley or noodles (rice for non-diabetics) with a green veggie side.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Sunny's Pot Roast

My friend Sunny was a total foodie. We could talk about food for hours and shared many recipes, processes and kitchen hacks. She taught me all about "free scallions" and introduced me to up-to-your-elbows-in-butter Dungeness Crab feasts on newspaper covered tables at crab shacks in Florida. Unfortunately my friend is no longer with us, but she did leave me with the recipe for her coveted slow cooker pot roast. Sunny, like me, never shied from sharing as she was one of the most giving people I was ever honored to know. To that end, here is my friend Sunny and her delectable pot roast... pretty much the way she gave it to me. If you do make this dish, please be sure to let her know how good it is. :-) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pound beef roast, the cheaper the better
• 6 peeled carrots in chunks
• 4 peeled onions, cut up
• 4 unpeeled potatoes, cut bite sized
• 2 ribs of celery sliced bite size
• 1/2 pound of button or baby portobellos, scrubbed and whole
• Fresh garlic
• Roasted garlic
• 1 can of beef broth
• 2 cans of reduced fat condensed cream of mushroom soup
• About 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1-2 cups Cabernet or other red wine
• 1/2 envelope onion soup mix
• Adobo seasoning (regular)
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter

Preparation:

We're going to start this around 10:00 AM and you’ll need at least a 6 quart slow cooker minimum J Drizzle some olive oil into a hot heavy sauté pan. Place your roast in the oil, sprinkle it with Adobo and brown the meat on all sides. Once that's done, remove the roast and place it in a slow cooker that's been coated with cooking spray.

Add the butter to the pan, then the onions and some roasted garlic. If you aren't keeping roasted garlic in the house, you're missing out. Sauté until the onions are just a little tender, and then pour them over the roast in the slow cooker. Deglaze the pan by pouring Marsala wine into it and scraping the bits off the bottom. Add this to the slow cooker as well. Add the carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, the celery and the tablespoon of fresh garlic, the onion soup mix, the beef broth and Cabernet to taste ...then cover and set on high.

After 6 hrs add the mushroom soup, give the whole mess a good stir, set to low and go turn on a movie. It needs about two hours more to blend the flavors. If you don’t have room for the two cans, scoop out some of the gravy into a saucepan and add a dash of the mushroom soup. You’ll add this back to your main gravy after the meat is removed from the slow cooker.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Black Beans & Barley

Legumes are among some of the very best foods for us diabetics. There's a reason I devoted a whole Weekend Ramble to them a while back. Visit The Health Benefits of Legumes for more information.

Today I share with you a recipe found in one of my favorite recipe books, The Comprehensive Diabetic Cookbook for Beginners by Keith Laurence. In this dish he combines black beans (GI 30) with my absolute favorite grain barley. The recipe calls for hulled barley (GI 20-25) but if that is hard to come by, pearl barley (GI 30) will work equally well.

I personally prefer to use more than three cloves of garlic, but... well that's just me. LOL

The key to making this butt-ugly protein work is to pair it with something that will create a party in your mouth, because it certainly is NOT pretty to look at. The whole concept of attractive plating is just out the window with this one, so don't even think of a party for your eyes! LOL. I've found that an Italian tomato salad or my German Cucumber Salad take care of this nicely and will bring about the always loved Yummy Noises. :-)

I hope you enjoy this earthy dish as much as I do, and as always... feel free to make it your own with seasonings and sides that YOU like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups hulled barley
• 2 cups dry black beans - rinsed and drained
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lge yellow onion - chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a 6 qt slow cooker.

Give all ingredients a good stir.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until beans and barley are soft.

Remove the bay leaf and discard. Serve warm with a tossed green salad, traditional Italian tomato salad or my German Cucumber Salad.

For a breakfast treat next day form small patties, dip in egg and panko and fry to a crispy golden brown. 😊

Blessed be... and happy cooking!