Ethiopian chicken stew

I was a bit hesitant about this recipe, mostly because I know nothing about Ethiopian cuisine. There wasn't anything overly special about this recipe. It was actually a bit spicy for me. I don't know that I would make it again, but if you like flavor, give it a try. The chicken was extremely moist as well.

Ethiopian chicken stew-adapted from More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'dea
Total time: 6 hours
Serves 4

• 1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• 2 cups water

Grease a 5-quart slow cooker. Pour in the can of tomatoes. Top with chicken, then the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or high 4-5 hours or until chicken juices run clear and onions are tender.

Little Smokies

I made these for watching football and the fights last week. It's pretty much your standard recipe, but still tasty!

Little Smokies-adapted from More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea
Total Time: 4 hours
Serves 8

• 28 ounces little smokies sausages
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar

Grease the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours, until sausages are warm throughout.

Eggplant Parmesan

I honestly can't remember ever having eggplant. This recipe was such an awesome surprise! You really didn't need any meat, because the eggplant was meaty enough! The only thing the recipe was mushrooms. Only because I love mushrooms. In pasta. It's so yummy.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplan Parmesan-adapted from Stephanie O'dea's More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow
Total time: 4 hours
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large eggplant, sliced (up to you if you'd like it peeled-we did not)
• 8 ounce mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• Cooked pasta of your choice

Use a 4-quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Put the olive oil in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine all the seasonings. Use a brush to lightly coat both sides of the eggplant with olive oil and then sprinkle both sides with the bread crumb mixture. Place in the slow cooker and top with cheese. Then add the mushrooms and top with pasta sauce. 

Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Serve with your choice of pasta.

**PS. I did tag this as gluten free, but only because you can use something other than pasta-it's not the main component of the dish :)

Baked Bean Soup

As I said in my baked bean post--I'm not a huge bean fan. I'll still try it when I come across a recipe though! This soup definitely wasn't bad, but it reminded me of a meatless chili! I'm not even sure what I'd do to change the recipe, but I don't think it'll get made again...

Photo Courtesy of Crockpot365

Baked Bean Soup-Adapted from More Make It Fast Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

Total Time: 8 Hours

Serves 6

• 1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans, or pinto beans (if you are going to use dry, pre-soak 2/3 cup overnight, and then cook until beans are soft)--no need to drain canned beans
• 1 cup finely diced onion (I used 2 minis)
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
• 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (and juice!)
• 2 cups water
• salt to taste before serving

Use a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Put beans into pot, and top with onion and carrot. Add all seasonings and spices. Pour in the entire can of tomatoes, and add water. Stir.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your beans were dry, you might need to go as long as 10 hours, depending on altitude and humidity.

Before serving, pulse a bit with a hand-held stick blender to blend some of the beans. This will thicken your broth and provide a richer flavor. If you don't have a stick blender, scoop out about 1 cup of liquid and pulse CAREFULLY! in a traditional blender, and stir back into the crock.