Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Recently, I was asked to download a few e-cookbooks and try out recipes. So far, I’ve been able to cook a total of one. I planned my weekly menu and created the shopping list for three but the meat selection was limited. The meats in the recipes aren’t unusual or extravagant, but on this trip, my neighborhood grocer had a very limited selection of ground beef, chicken and pork chops.  I was looking for flank steak and a 3 lb chuck roast. Red beans and rice are easy to come by so I decided to give it a try.

This recipe calls for bell peppers. I love raw bell peppers in my salad so I decided to prepare and freeze this recipe on Sunday when I prepped my salads (see previous Salad in a Jar post). It froze really well. When I freeze slow cooker meals, I don’t add the liquid until the day I’m cooking the meal, and I usually freeze the meat in the same bag. As long as you are immediately freezing the ingredients, the meat will be fine. BUT if you are uncomfortable freezing your meat with your other ingredients, simply chop it up according to the recipe and freeze it separately.

Since the recipe came from an e-book, I will only post the link. The author was offering a free download, but I’m not sure how long the promotion will last. Even at $2.99 (retail after the promotion) I recommend trying it out. There are several recipes that looked tasty and easy enough for me to try. So far, the only one I tried was loved by my family. Honestly, I was a little worried my husband wouldn’t like this meal. He likes spicy read beans and rice and this recipe wasn’t very spicy. It does call for red pepper and I didn’t add much for fear my little ones would push the plate away untouched. Without the red pepper, I thought it would be kid friendly and went ahead with it. My husband loved loved it. He had seconds and even said, “This is really good!” So this one is a keeper. Which anything more than a nod or shoulder shrug in response to a healthy recipe is a huge compliment.

The recipe can be found in Slow Cooker Cookbook: 20 Easy-to-follow Slow Cooker Recipes.

There are no bananas in this recipe. 😉

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Homemade Coffee Creamer

Have you ever looked at all of the ingredients on the back of coffee creamer products? I hadn’t until someone posted a picture of their homemade creamer on Facebook. There are a lot of ingredients listed! Usually, I drink hot tea in the mornings but sometimes I go through spells where I can’t get enough coffee. I probably should drink my coffee black but don’t so I thought I’d try the recipe posted for a less processed version.

Before I post the recipe, please note this is not a light version, but you can find a diet friendly version with a quick search.

RECIPE

1 can sweetened condense milk

2 cups milk

Put in mason jar and shake it up!  That’s it.  Sugar and milk.

I’ve added some pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to the jar and it was a wonderful fall treat. You can also add some of the flavor syrups but my desire was to get away from extra ingredients. This is also not as thick as store bought creamer but it is creamier than a teaspoon or two of sugar and milk.

I’ll be completely honest and say I like the store bought creamer’s taste better, but I don’t want to drink all of the extra stuff. I’ve switched and still enjoy my morning coffee.

The Best Meatballs I’ve Ever Eaten

I ran across a website a couple of years ago full of FREE healthy recipes.  Because her recipes are free, I will post my version below (as well as the link straight to her master recipe).

My family, which ranges from toddlers to teenager and adults, eats this meal every time I serve it with NO COMPLAINTS.  We LOVE it.  I’ve also served this when I’ve had our family over for lunch.  It is a hit every time and it makes me look like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen.  I prefer putting this in pita bread with some shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top, but it can be eaten with spaghetti, in a toasted sub or in a bowl by itself.

We are church goers so I prefer something easy on Sunday that cooks in the amount of time we are gone on Sunday morning.  (Usually the 4-6 hour recipes are my Sunday lunch menu.)  This is one of those recipes.

My Version:

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons egg white

1 tspn salt

1/3 c Italian Bread Crumbs

1 small onion, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced (if you prepare your ingredients before you start, 3 cloves are used in the meatball and 3 are used in the sauce)

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

3 lbs of ground turkey or ground chicken  (OR you can do 1 lb of ground meat and 2 links, casing removed, of chicken or turkey sausage.  I prefer no sausage but have done it both ways and both were equally loved by all.)

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14oz can Italian diced tomatoes

2 tspn Italian seasoning but if you don’t have that,  I’ve used whatever “Italian” that I have, Oregano, basil, etc.

1 c chicken broth

1 bay leaf

Method:

Stir together the egg whites, bread crumbs, 1/4 of the onion, Parmesan cheese, and 3 minced garlic cloves.

Add your meat to the mixture and gently mix until just combined.  Roll out your meatballs to about 1 inch diameter (makes approximately 24).  Put the meatballs into the slow cooker.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the remaining onion and cook for about 5 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and seasoning.  Stir for 30 seconds.  Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and bay leaf.    Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture over the meatballs and cook on low for 6 hours.  (Remember, don’t remove the lid until the cooking is done!)

ENJOY!

You can find the original recipe and MANY OTHERS by clicking here!

So delicious! (My pictures are never as pretty as the website’s.)