SLOW COOKER CABBAGE ROLLS

4 cups water
12 large cabbage leaves
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 tsp salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 can (6-oz) tomato paste
3/4 cup water

Place the 4 cups of water into a deep pan and bring to a boil.  Remove the water from the heat and soak cabbage leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes or just until softened.  Remove from water and drain well.  Allow to cool enough to handle.

Combine the ground beef, rice, salt, pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and cinnamon until well blended.  Place 2 tablespoons of this mixture on each cabbage leaf.  Roll up firmly and stack in the slow cooker or crockpot.

Combine the tomato paste and 3/4 cup of water; pour over the cabbage rolls.

Place lid on cooker and cook on low setting approximately 8 hours.

Yield: 6 servings of 2 cabbage rolls each

EASY SLOW COOKED BEEF STROGANOFF

1 lb round steak, fat trimmed and cut into cubes
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 can (4-oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1 con cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
cooked noodles for serving

Place the steak in a crock pot or slow cooker and sprinkle the mushroom stems and pieces over the steak.  In a mixing bowl, using a wire whisk, combine the cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup, and the dry onion soup mix until blended; pour over the meat and mushrooms.

Place lid on cooker and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

Before serving, stir in the sour cream, blending well.  Serve stroganoff over hot cooked noodles.

Yield: Approximately 6 servings

WEIGHT WATCHERS CATALAN SEAFOOD STEW

This is a Weight Watchers recipe.  I have never tried it as I don't touch seafood and I don't do Weight Watchers.  However, I get requests for both so here you go.

1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can (15-oz) kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (15-oz) chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 can (14.5-oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 bell pepper (any color), cut into 1-inch chunks
2/3 cups brown rice
1/2 lb skinless halibut or cod fillet, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Transfer onion mixture to a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker or crockpot.  Stir in beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, bell pepper, and broth.  Cover and cook until vegetables are fork-tender, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

About 30-40 minutes before cooking time is up, cook rice according to package directions.

At end of the cooking time, stir fish and shrimp into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high until they are opaque in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Divide the rice among 4 plates with rims and top with the stew.

Sprinkle the cilantro leaves over the tops of the plates.




Yield 4 servings of 1 cup stew over 1/3 cup rice = 297 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 56 mg cholesterol, 470 mg sodium, 46 g carbs, 10 g fiber, 24 g protein, 101 mg calcium

Weight Watchers Points = 5

(Have a connection to WW that allows posting recipes as long as it states it is WW.)

SLOW COOKER VEGETABLE LASAGNA

3/4 lb zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 carton (15-oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 pkg (8-oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 jar (26-oz) prepared pasta sauce with garlic
1/2 cup water
8 lasagna noodles, break into half
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Lightly spray the inside of the cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the slliced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, and the diced bell pepper; set aside.

Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, parsly, garlic, and pepper; set aside.

Spread a half cup of the pasta sauce over the bottom of the cooker.  Top with 4 of the noodle halves, overlapping if needed.

Blend 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce with the water; set aside.

Stir the rest of the pasta sauce along with 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese into the vegetable mixture.  Layer half of the mixture over the lasagna noodles.  Top mixture with the another 4 halves of the lasagna noodles.  Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles and top with 4 more noodle halves. Top with the remaining vegetable mixture and top with the last 4 noodle halves.  Spread the pasta sauce/water mixture over the top.

Place the cover on the cooker and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high about 4 1/2 hours.  During the last 10 minutes of the cooking time, sprinkle the last cup of the mozzarella cheese and the fourth cup of the of the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Remove lasagna from the heat (if that is possible with your cooker) and let set for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

USDA GUIDELINES ON COOKING TEMPERATURES

Sometimes I get questions regarding slow cooking, temperatures, and food safety.  First let me say I have never heard of anyone getting sick from food cooked in a slow cooker.  I'm sure someone somewhere has; people get sick all the time from improperly prepared foods.  The fact is, cooking in a crockpot and/or slow cooker is perfectly safe.

The United States Department of Agriculture guidelines say that bacteria in food is killed at a temperature of 165 degrees.  Meats cooked in a slow cooker/crockpot reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees in beef and as high as 190 degrees in poultry.

If you follow the cooker and/or recipe guidelines and keep the lid on during cooking, your food is perfectly safe!

PORK CHOPS AND SAUERKRAUT

4 pork chops, 1/2-inch thick
1 tbsp canola oil
1 can sauerkraut with caraway seeds, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp paprika

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; brown the pork chops on both sides. 

Remove chops from skillet and place in slow cooker or crockpot.  Top with the sauerkraut and sprinkle paprika over all.  Place lid on cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before end of cooking time, add the sour cream.

Yield: 4 servings

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH GROUND BEEF ATLANTA-STYLE

1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15-oz) kidney beans, rinsed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup uncooked rice
2 cans (16-oz each) stewed tomatoes
3 1/2 cups water
5 beef bouillon cubes
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans

Cook the beef in a skillet with the onion and garlic until beef is browned, stirring to break up the meat.  Drain of the excess fat.  Place the meat into a slow cooker or crock pot.  Add the kidney beans, carrots, celery, rice, tomatoes, water, bouillon, parsley, salt, basil, pepper, and green beans if using fresh. (If using frozen green beans, add during the last hour of cooking.)  Stir mixture to combine well.

Place the lid on the cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

WISCONSIN BEER AND CHEESE SOUP

Note: I have never made this soup but it has been recommended as a good one for those of you who have asked for a beer/cheese soup.

2 to 3 slices pumpernickel or rye bread
1 can (14.5-oz) chicken broth
1 cup light-tasting beer
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp dried thyme
6-oz  American cheese, shredded
4 to 6-oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice bread into 1/2-inch cubes and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees for around 10 minutes or until crisp, stirring once. Set your homemade croutons aside.

In a 4 1/2-quart crockpot or slow cooker, combine the broth, beer, onion, garlic, and thyme; cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Turn cooker to high.  Stir in the cheeses, milk, and paprika.  Cover and cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the soup is hot and the cheeses are melted.  Stir soup well the blend in the cheeses.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with the homemade croutons.

Yield: 4 servings

HEARTY BEEF STEW WITH TAPIOCA

2 lbs stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut in chunks
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 large size can tomatoes
1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 whole clove (or 1/2 teaspoon ground clove)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Trim all the fat from the meat.  Put all ingredients in CROCK-POT.  Mix thoroughly.  Cover and cook on Low 12 hours. (high: 5 to 6 hours.)

This is an old recipe that came from this book I got with my first crockpot in the 1970s.

TIPS FOR COOKING IN A SLOW COOKER OR CROCKPOT

Here are a few tips to make your crockpot or slow cooker meals turn out at their very best:

• If you are cooking meats and vegetables together, place the vegetables in the bottom of the cooker with the meat on top.  This will keep the vegetables from drying out and will allow the meat to absorb more flavors from the vegetables.
• When a recipe calls for cooking 10 to 12 hours on low, you may shorten the cooking time by first cooking on high for an hour then lowering the heat to low.  This can cut a couple hours off the low temp cooking time.
• It is not necessary to brown lean meats before putting in the cooker.  Brown fatty meats first to eleminate some of the fat before placing in the cooker.
• If a recipe calls for cooking pasta before adding to the cooker, be careful not to overcook.  Pasta should only be cooked to just tender, otherwise it will become too limp in the cooker.