Teriyaki Chicken

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 C. honey
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 C. cold water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Sesame seeds, optional
Green onions, optional

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a slow cooker.

In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, ginger, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Pour over the chicken.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and cut/shred into pieces.

Pour the sauce in the slow cooker through a strainer into a saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water. Pour mixture into the saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil for a few minutes to thicken.

Pour sauce over chicken and toss to coat. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions when serving. Serve with rice and cooked stir fry vegetables (I like to sauté fresh mushrooms and then add a frozen vegetable mix that includes broccoli, sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, celery, water chestnuts, onions, and red peppers).

New England Pot Roast

From Betty Crocker.

4-pound beef arm, blade, or cross rib pot roast
1-2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 8-oz. jar prepared horseradish
1 C. water
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 small bag baby carrots

Cook beef in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until brown on all sides. Place carrots and onion wedges in 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place seared beef on vegetables. mix horseradish, salt, and pepper; spread evenly over beef. Pour water into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8-10 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

From Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight. I thought this was best when reheated the next day as the flavors have time to meld. Tastes like a sloppy joe.

3 C. thinly sliced onion (from about 3 medium-sized onions)
1 tsp. oil
1-3/4 lb. (28 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 C. ketchup
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
8 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Place onion in a 4-quart oval electric slow cooker. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of chicken and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place chicken in a single layer on top of onion. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.

Combine ketchup, vinegar, molasses, mustard, spices, and hot sauce. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours until chicken is tender and sauce is thick.

Remove chicken from slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks and stir back into sauce. Spoon 3/4 C. chicken mixture onto each toasted bun.

Notes: Adjust the onions according to your preference. I like onions and they mellow out in the cooking process, but the texture might not be something everyone likes.

Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

Prior to trying this recipe, I had never cooked a pork tenderloin. I had bought a tenderloin at the grocery store but didn't know what to do with it. I just browsed the Internet for a recipe and found this one that seemed pretty easy to make and could cook in the slow cooker while I was at work. It was so juicy and yummy!

2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
1/2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. brown sugar (or honey/maple syrup or Stevia for low carb)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pepper

Combine the vinegar, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Combine the sugar, cumin, garlic powder, and pepper. Rub the pork with the brown sugar mixture and place in the slow cooker. Pour vinegar mixture over the top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until pork is very tender. If desired, top with balsamic glaze or reduce the cooking liquid to create your own glaze. For a crisp exterior, place under a hot broiler for 4-5 minutes.

White Chicken Chili

From The Recipe Club. Perfect for a cool day!

16 oz. box low-sodium chicken broth
2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped
2 4-oz. cans mild diced green chiles, undrained
2 cans (14-16 oz.) great Northern beans, undrained
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Place ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high 3-5 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, shred chicken and return to slow cooker.

Right before serving, add:
1 C. sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese

Top with shredded pepper jack cheese, avocado, Fritos, extra sour cream, sliced jalapeno peppers, cilantro, pico de gallo, etc.

Note: The original recipe called for three chicken breasts, but I thought it was too "chicken-y." If you prefer lots of chicken, use three chicken breasts instead of two. I used light sour cream and light cream cheese. I have also omitted the onions with no discernable difference in flavor.

Mango Chicken

I have been blog stalking some recipe blogs. I found this one, tried it, and liked it.

2 C. tomato-based mango salsa
2/3 C. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Place salsa, brown sugar, and salt in slow cooker. Mix well. Add chicken to slow cooker. Spoon sauce over tops of chicken breasts. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks. Use chicken in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, salads, etc.

Note: You can find tomato-based mango salsa at Costco in the refrigerated section. It is the Mango with Peach Salsa by Santa Barbara and comes in a 48-ounce container.

Slow Cooker Chicken

A co-worker gave me this recipe.

1 8-oz. container cream cheese (plain or onion & chive)
2 cans cream soup (any combination of cream of celery, cream of mushroom, or cream of chicken)
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
egg noodles or rice, cooked according to package instructions

Melt cream cheese and soup together over stove and stir until smooth. Salt and pepper chicken breasts and put into slow cooker. Pour soup mix over chicken and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Note: I tested this recipe with one can cream of celery soup and one can cream of chicken soup.

Chocolate Mess

Big John brought this in to work one day and I thought I had died and gone to chocolate heaven. The cake is very moist and super rich. I was impressed to see a man who isn't afraid of a kitchen.

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 3-oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 C. vegetable oil
1 C. water

Spray a 4-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the water, then add the sour cream and oil and beat until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or on low for 5 to 5-1/2 hours, until top springs back when touched very lightly with finger. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Philly Cheesesteak Tortillas

This recipe is adapted from a recipe using elk meat that our family received from a friend of my dad.

2 lbs. hamburger
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
pepper to taste
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced long
1 package pepper jack cheese
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

Brown ground beef in skillet. Put in crock pot; add soy sauce, pepper, onion, and green pepper. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours. One hour before cooking is finished, add cheese and mushrooms. Serve with warmed flour tortillas spread with sour cream.

Slow-Cooked Taco Casserole

This recipe is from my sister-in-law Kacey.

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1.25-oz.) package taco seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 C. tomato paste
1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (11-oz.) can corn or Mexicorn, drained
1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chiles
9 (5-1/2 inch) corn tortillas
6 oz. (1-1/2 C.) finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 (2-1/4 oz.) can chopped ripe olives
sour cream

Spray inside of 3-1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker with Pam. In large skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, salt, pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste, and enchilada sauce.

In bowl, combine black beans, corn, and green chiles.

Place 3 tortillas in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 beef mixture, 1/3 bean mixture, 1/3 shredded cheese. Repeat layers two more times. Spread olives on top of the three layers.

Cook on high setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or on low setting for 6 to 7 hours. Uncover slow cooker for last 30 minutes of cooking time. Top individual servings with sour cream.

Note: You can substitute ground turkey for ground beef.