Garlic Lovers White Bean Soup

Serves: unknown. I will let you know when I try this!

In addition to the 60 minutes of prep time, this recipe requires 4 and 1/2 hours in the crockpot.

2 cups great northern beans
1 tsp. baking soda
12 cups hot water
2 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
10-15 garlic cloves, separated but unpeeled
3 onions, peeled & coarsely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
5 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup lean ham, cubed
salt & pepper

1. Soak beans for eight hours or overnight, with 1 tsp. baking soda in the water. Drain beans and rinse.

2. Place beans, water, chicken broth powder, onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf in a a slow cooker. Cook on High for 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, place garlic cloves in foil; roast at 350F for 30 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

4. Add ham cubes, if using. Reduce to Low and cook approximately 4 hours.

5. Remove about 1 cup of the soup from the pot and place in a bowl. Cut open the garlic and press it out of the skins into the bowl. Blend until smooth with a hand mixer. Add back to the crockpot.

6. Let it cook another 1/2 hour to blend the flavors. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

January 2008 Meals

A couple of things to explain about my meal plans:
1. This list doesn't include things I made repeatedly. For example, I made Crockpot Potato Chowder at least 3 times this month.
2. This list is only for dinners. My husband takes care of breakfast (usually with an egg dish, often incorporating food we need to use before it spoils), and generally, we use dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. So for our family of two, this actually covers most of what we buy in a month.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese with Applesauce and Steamed Green Beans

Fettuccine with Bruschetta Sauce

Roasted Corn Chowder

Homemade Vegetable and Cheese Pizza

"Chicken" Nuggets with Barbecue Sauce

Chili with Cornbread

Frozen Enchiladas with Leftover Cornbread

Lemon-Pepper Pasta and Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Garbanzo Beans

Queso Blanco Soft Tacos with Aunt Carol's Carrots

Italian Wedding Soup

Burritos with Black Beans and Yellow Summer Squash (Using leftovers from Soft Tacos)

Chili Dogs with Grilled Onions

Crockpot Potato Chowder (made several times for dinner)

Baked Potatoes with Chili (Using leftovers from Chili Dogs)

Lentil and Barley Soup

Tater Tot Casserole

Smoked Salmon Vermicelli with Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Crockpot Ratatouille with Garbanzo Beans

Serves 6-8

In addition to the 15 minutes of prep time, this recipe requires 4-5 hours in the crockpot.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
4 small Italian eggplant, peeled and diced
3 bell peppers, (1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow), diced
3 small zucchinis, diced
1 15 to 20-oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat 1 tbs. oil in skillet on low. Add garlic and onion and cook 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add eggplant, season with salt and black pepper, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook until eggplant is tender, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to the crockpot.

2. Add all other ingredients and stir well to mix.

3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 4 and 1/2 to 5 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

Recipe from the book "Slow Cooker Recipes for All Occasions"

Crockpot Paella

Serves 6

In addition to the 20 minutes of prep time, this recipe requires 4 hours in the crockpot.

2 14-oz cans broth
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked converted white rice
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup dry white wine or water
1/2 tsp. powdered saffron, or ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1. Combine broth, rice, pepper, wine (or water), saffron, and pepper flakes in the crockpot. Mix well.

2. Cook on low for 4 hours, or until liquid is absorbed.

3. Stir in peas, and cook for 15-30 minutes, or until the peas are hot. Season with salt.

Recipe from the book "Slow Cooker Recipes for All Occasions"

Maple-Glazed Meatballs

Makes 48 Meatballs

In addition to the 20 minutes of prep time, this recipe requires 5-6 hours in the crockpot.

1 and 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbs. quick cooking tapioca
1 and 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 16-oz packages frozen fully-cooked meatballs (or "veatballs"-no meat)
1 20-oz can pineapple chunks in juice, drained

1. Combine all ingredients but meatballs and pineapple in crockpot. Stir until mixed.

2. Partially thaw and separate meatballs. Carefully stir meatballs and pineapple into ketchup mixture.

3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Stir before serving.

Roasted Corn Chowder

Serves 6-8

2 tbs. yellow curry powder (good quality curry comes from an ethnic food store, not Safeway. It makes a big difference.)
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 tbs. butter
2 cups chopped onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
3 cups corn (Trader Joe's Roasted corn from the frozen section is especially good)
4 cups milk (mix in a little half and half)
generous amount of fresh black pepper
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1. Cook the diced potato in boiling water until just tender. Drain well and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper, celery, and salt. Saute over medium heat until the onion and celery are tender. Stir in the corn, and saute for another 10 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes and milk. Season to taste with black pepper and curry powder.

Recipe adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook by Angela Beason.

Mulligatawny Soup

Serves: 6

In addition to the 30 minutes of prep time, this recipe requires 8-10 hours in the crockpot.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled, medium dice
2 celery ribs, medium dice
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tart apple, peeled and diced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
4-5 red bliss potatoes, diced
(optional) 2 cups chicken tenders, cut into about 1 inch slices
¾ cup lentils, dry
2 ½ quarts stock

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Stirring often, cook the vegetables until just begin to soften and brown.

2. Transfer the vegetables to the Crock Pot along with the remaining ingredients. Cook on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally.

Recipe from crock-pot.com

Queso Blanco Soft Tacos

Serves 4 as a main dish

3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 cups, or about 1/4 small head of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup salsa of your choice
12 oz. queso blanco (Mexican frying cheese), cut into 12 slices
12 corn tortillas, warmed
1 lime, quartered

1. Arrange green onions, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce and cilantro on a platter. Pour salsa into a serving bowl.

2. Heat a non-stick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add cheese and cook, turning once, until dark brown in spots, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Place one cheese slice in each tortilla and fold in half. Serve immediately, adding toppings from the platter, salsa and a squeeze of lime juice.

Recipe from Kristine Hass, from my Nutrition class.

Chicken with Lemon Pepper Linguini

Serves 4

8 oz. uncooked linguine
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup broth
1/4 cup white wine (I imagine this can be substituted for more broth)
1 lb. cooked skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter (less if desired)
1 tsp. lemon zest
3 tbs. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs. chopped parsley, preferably fresh

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for about 1 minute. Mix in chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

3. Combine chicken, butter, and parsley (if using), with ingredients in the saucepan. Stir in the cooked linguine, and continue cooking 2 minutes, until pasta and chicken are well coated.

Recipe from Shannon Bassi, from my Nutrition class.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Serves 26

2 and 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
5 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all above ingredients except for the almonds. Dough will be thick and sticky. Add the almonds.

3. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray. Roll dough into two loaves about 3/4 inch thick. Place one loaf on each baking sheet.

4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until loaves are soft like muffins. Remove loaves from the oven, and reset the oven to 325 degrees.

5. Allow loaves to cool for 30 minutes, then cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on their sides on the baking sheets, and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

6. Flip the slices over and bake for 15 more minutes. Let cool, and serve with tea.

Note: Biscotti keeps very well. It can keep upwards of a month in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy of Ashley Wright,from my Nutrition class. Ashley bakes these biscotti for several local coffee houses.

Crockpot Bean Dip

Serves: 1 party

2 cans fat-free refried beans
1 tub light sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bar (8-oz)cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1 onion, diced
1/2 - 1 packet mild taco seasoning

1. Stir together in crockpot & cook on high for 1 and 1/2 or 2 hours. Serve with chips.

Recipe from flylady.net

Buckaroo Beans

Serves:

2 cups dried pinto beans
4 cups water
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 tbs. brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. chili powder
(optional) 1 ham hock or ham shank, leftover ham bone, or smoke flavoring

1. Soak the 2 cups pinto beans overnight in the 4 cups water. In the morning, drain the beans. Put in crockpot with all the other ingredients.

2. Let it simmer in the crockpot all day on low. Before eating remove ham bone from crockpot. Remove the meat, dice it and return meat to crockpot.

Note: This dish freezes well.

Recipe from flylady.com

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Serves: 6-12

6-12 potatoes, washed and pricked with a fork
aluminum foil

1. Wrap the potatoes with foil. Fill the crockpot with the wrapped potatoes. Do not add water. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 2 and 1/2 to 4 hours.

Recipe from Rival Crockpot Cookbook.

Slow Cooker Apples

Serves: varies depending on the amount of apples added

Fuji, Gala, Braeburn or similar apples
1/2 cup water
optional-1/4 cup red hot candies, 1 tbs. curry powder, 1 tbs. baking spices, etc.

1. Peel the apples, then core and slice them. Put them into the crockpot, and add the water, and whatever seasonings you like.

2. Cook on low overnight, or all day. Depending on the spices you use, this can be a chunky applesauce, a chutney, or a healthy side dish with meats.

Recipe from flylady.net

Lentil and Barley Soup

Serves: unknown--I'll let you know when I try it!

1 cup lentils
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups broth
2 1/2 cups water
14 1/2 ounces Italian-style or regular stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (optional)

1. Sort through lentils to remove debris and shriveled beans, then rinse.

2. Add lentils to crockpot along with carrot, celery, onion, garlic, dried herbs, and bay leaf. Pour in broth, water, and tomatoes.

3. Cover and cook on low heat for 13 to 14 hours, or on high heat for 5 to 6 hours. Discard bay leaf. Just before serving, stir in parsley and vinegar (if using).

Serve with a baguette, and olive oil for dipping.

Recipe from flylady.net

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves: unknown--I'll let you know when I try it!

In addition to the 15 minutes of prep time, this recipe reqires 3 hours in the crockpot.

12-15 1/2 oz frozen meatballs, quartered (I'll use veggie ones)
6 cups broth (equivalent to 4 cans)
1/4 cup chicken (equivalent to one chicken breast), chopped
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1 bunch spinach, with stems removed
1/4 cup Romano cheese
garlic salt, to taste
lemon pepper, to taste
1/4 cup tiny pasta, such as orzo, to add during last hour of cooking

1. Defrost the meatballs enough that you can quarter them.

2.Combine all ingredients except pasta in crock pot. Cook all day on low, or 3 hours on high. Add pasta during the last hour of cooking. (You can also add the pasta at the beginning, but it will be more of a thickener, instead of a visible ingredient.)

Note: This soup freezes very well.

Recipe from flylady.net

Crockpot Potato Chowder

Serves: unknown--I'll let you know when I try it!

In addition to the 30 minutes of prep time, and the last step of this recipe, 8 hours of time are required in the slow cooker.

1 box of scalloped potatoes
4 cups broth
1 or 2 stalks of diced celery
1 onion, diced
2 cups half and half or skim milk
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp. pepper
Optional: one cup of diced ham

1. Mix potatoes, sauce mix, ham (optional), broth, celery, onion, pepper in crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat 7 hours.

2. Mix half and half with the flour, gradually stir flour mixture into chowder until blended. Cover and cook on low one more hour stirring occasionally until thick.

Recipe from flylady.net

From-Scratch Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 and 2/3 cups unbleached flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin.

2. With a blender, thoroughly blend the oil, syrup, egg, and pumpkin in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the blended mixture, and stir gently to form a thick batter.

4. Immediately spread the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Recipe courtesy of Ashley Marquardt, who was in my nutrition class.

Chocolate Blueberry Cake

Makes 3 dozen bars

Cake:
1 box Pillsbury Devils Food cake mix
1 21-oz can of blueberry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs beaten

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
5 tbs butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup or 6-oz semi sweet chocolate pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease and flour a 13x 9 pan.

3. In a large bowl combine ingredients, stir by hand until ingredients are well mixed.

4. Pour into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

5. In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After 1 minute, remove pan from heat and add chocolate pieces. Stir until smooth, and pour over warm cake.

Recipe from Lorraine Harms.

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

Serves 6 as a side dish, 2 as a main course

Note: Although the preparation of this dish takes only 30 minutes (much less than that if you use pre-shredded cheese), this recipe does require 2 hours in the slow cooker.

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese (sharp cheese will add more flavor)
1 12-fluid-oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
(some people like to add grated onion, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, or a little spicy paprika. Another variation is to add two beaten eggs to the milks in step 1, and add broccoli florets when the cheese is added, for a kind of quiche.)

1. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together fresh and evaporated milks. Mix in uncooked macaroni and 3 cups shredded cheese. Add garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Stir until well mixed, and transfer to slow cooker.

3. Cook on low for approximately 2 hours. Stir halfway through to prevent browning on the bottom and sides.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Angel Food Pudding

This is very similar to a recipe my Grandma Ogden used to make.

Serves 15

Note: Although this recipe only takes 15 minutes to prepare, it does require 2 hours of refrigeration.

1 (9 inch) angel food cake
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
4 cups cold milk
1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered English toffee, chopped

1. Tear angel food cake into bite-size pieces (1 to 2 square inches) and place in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.

2. Prepare pudding with milk as directed on package. Gently stir whipped topping into pudding; pour mixture over angel food cake pieces. Sprinkle with crushed toffee bars.
3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

For a lighter option, use sugar free pudding made with nonfat milk, and light or sugar free whipped topping.

Refried Bean Soup

Serves 6-8

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced, OR 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 30-oz can nonfat refried beans (spicy is best)
1 14-oz can vegetable broth
optional: chiles, cilantro, chips, cheese, sour cream to garnish.
Serve with warm crusty bread, apple and orange slices or a green salad.

1. Stir together onion, garlic, and tomatoes, heat to boil for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in beans and broth, simmer--do not boil-- for 15 minutes, stirring often.

3. Serve in bowls with toppings to taste.

Tres Leches Cake

Serves 20 (this is a very rich cake)

5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups milk (traditionally whole, but 1% works too)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.

2. Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, beat well.

3. Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.

5. Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk together. Poke a liberal amount of holes in the top of the cake with a fork, pour milk mixture over the top of the cake.

6. Whip whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Serve cold, and be sure to keep cake refrigerated.

Recipe from allrecipes.com