Ride Home Recipe: Barbacoa Beef Tacos

With the snow over the weekend, we went searching for a HOT taco recipe …

Ingredients

3 pounds beef eye, of round or bottom round roast (all fat trimmed)
5 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, medium-size
1/2 lime, juice
2-4 chipotles in adobo sauce (to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Salt and Pepper
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oil
1 cup water

Instructions

Place the garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chipotles and cloves in a blender.

Next, trim all fat from the beef, cutting into 4-inch chunks. Season with salt and pepper and brown, on high heat, with the oil. Add liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and simmer on low for two hours in your crokckpot.

(NOTE: if you’re making this in a regular pot, you will have to double the cooking time (or more), covered on low flame, adding more water from time to time, to make sure it doesn’t dry out.)

Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove and place in a dish. Shred it with 2 forks and reserve the liquid for later (you can discard the bay leaf).  Return the shredded meat to the pot, add salt and cumin to taste, then add some of the reserved liquid back.

Simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes to let the flavors penetrate.

Enjoy!

Source: anonymous

Ride Home Recipes: Autumn Sausage Crockpot Casserole

The first hint of chilly temps prompted a new recipe today … this one is pretty amazing!

Ingredients

1 pound chicken sausage (no flavor preference, just nothing with cheese)
2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2-cup carrots, chopped
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1/2-cup raisins
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2-teaspoon allspice
1/2-teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-teaspoon black pepper
1/3-cup chicken broth (we used water)

Instructions

Dump all the ingredients into the crockpot, in order, and mix / stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. You’re really only heating through, allowing the vegetables to soften.

The resulting dish has the consistency of fried rice, so use bowls to serve rather than plates.

This recipe feeds 4-5 people with leftovers. If you have more people to feed, add more rice and sausage. It’s pretty easy to adapt to your needs. Enjoy!

(adapted from 365 Days of Crockpot Cooking)

Ride Home Recipe: Turkey Sausage & Tortellini Soup Crockpot

Another recipe before the cold weather leaves us … you will LOVE the Turkey Sausage & Tortellini Soup crockpot dish!

Ingredients

6 ounces cooked smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrots (coleslaw mix)
1 cup loose-pack frozen cut green beans or Italian-style green beans
2 14-1/2 ounce cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 10-1/2 ounce can condensed French onion soup
3 cups water
1 9 ounce package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a 3-1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker, place the sausage, coleslaw mix, green beans, undrained tomoates, soup and water.

Cover. Cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in tortellini. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

(adapted from Gran Sheena’s Slow-Cooker cookbook)

More snow means we need a good crockpot meal!

Jill fired up the Chicken Pot Pie crockpot recipe again yesterday, before I left for downtown … the smells are amazing!

Ingredients

3 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth
1 package (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust

In Crockpot Slow Cooker, combine chicken, potatoes, chicken broth, mixed vegetables, onion, celery, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bay leaf.  Cover; cook on Low 8 to 10 hours or on High 4 to 6 hours.  Remove bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 400F. In small bowl, mix milk and flour. Gradually stir flour mixture into Crockpot.  Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon pepper, poultry seasoning and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. If using a removable Crockpot, carefully place 9-inch pie crust over vegetable-meat mixture. Place removable crock inside preheated oven; do not cover. Bake 15 minutes or until crust is browned.

For a non-removable Crockpot, spoon vegetable-meat mixture into 13 x 9-inch casserole dish. Roll out pie crust and carefully place on top of vegetable-meat mixture.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until pie crust is brown.

Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Jill’s Chicken Pie Crockpot recipe, as prepared by Grandma Sheena this morning

Ingredients

3 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth
1 package (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust

In Crockpot Slow Cooker, combine chicken, potatoes, chicken broth, mixed vegetables, onion, celery, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bay leaf.  Cover; cook on Low 8 to 10 hours or on High 4 to 6 hours.  Remove bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 400F. In small bowl, mix milk and flour. Gradually stir flour mixture into Crockpot.  Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon pepper, poultry seasoning and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. If using a removable Crockpot, carefully place 9-inch pie crust over vegetable-meat mixture. Place removable crock inside preheated oven; do not cover. Bake 15 minutes or until crust is browned.

For a non-removable Crockpot, spoon vegetable-meat mixture into 13 x 9-inch casserole dish. Roll out pie crust and carefully place on top of vegetable-meat mixture.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until pie crust is brown.

Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.