Fat Flush Soup

This came unattributed though my Facebook feed. Sounds like a good recipe to keep on hand, ready for the random "I'm hungry!!" cries from my Lambies! 

"Fat Flush Soup" 

2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalk celery, diced
2 small yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon paprika
2 bay leaves
4 (15 ounce) cans kidney or navy beans, drained and rinsed (optional, leave out for Primal option)
8 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes 
8 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional, for serving (1 1/2 teaspoon per serving)

Add all ingredients, except spinach and olive oil, to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Add spinach, stir and continue cooking just until wilted, approximately 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Tip: If you prefer a thicker soup, after 5 hours of cooking, simply remove 2 cups of soup, along with ingredients, mash ingredients with a fork, return to the slow cooker, stir and continue cooking 1 to 3 hours. When serving, drizzle a little (optional) olive oil over each bowl of soup.

Note: Olive oil helps the body absorb nutrients more efficiently and supports a healthy digestive system.

Beef BBQ Sandwich Filling

I found this recipe at Taste of Home.

Beef BBQ Sandwich Filling

1 beef sirloin tip roast (4 pounds)
1 can (5-1/2 ounces) spicy hot V8 juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
16 kaiser rolls, split

Cut roast in half; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the V8
juice, water, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar
and seasonings; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10
hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat and shred with two forks; return to slow cooker and heat through. Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture onto each roll. 

Yield: 16 servings.

Paleo Spicy Rib Appetizer

I found this at Hajnal Szakacskonyve's blog.   

PALEO SPICY RIB APPETIZER

• 3 lbs pork spare ribs
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp sweet basil, dried
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste after dish is cooked

For the sauce:

• 1 cup tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 serrano peppers, chopped and peeled
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ small onion, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 pinches of salt

1. Cut ribs into single pieces.
2. Rub pieces with the spices and place in the slow cooker.
3. Put tomatoes in a bowl, smash them with a fork and mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
4. Pour mixture over the ribs, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until ribs are tender.
5. Add salt and pepper after cooking.

Peppery Venison Roast

I found this on an online forum.

Peppery Venison Roast

4-6 pound venison roast
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, diced
4 carrot, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 Tbsp pepper, freshly ground
2 cups beef broth or water
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano AND basil
Salt to taste

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in cast iron and sear roast on all sides.  Add meat to crockpot.  Add remaining butter and coconut oil to pan. Add 2 tsp of the pepper, the onion, carrots, celery and sauté about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another few minutes on low heat. So not burn the garlic!  Pour this mixture over the roast in the crockpot.  Add broth and spices.  Sprinkle remaining pepper on top of roast.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Salt to taste.  Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

I found this from redsie05. I certainly don't do Weight Watchers, but this recipe is yummy! I changed it around to suit our tastes and cooking style, of course.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

1/2 onion, chopped
10 oz (dry) EACH black beans and pinto beans, soaked and cooked (can sub 16 oz canned beans if desired)
16 oz can tomato sauce
1 pound bag frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili peppers, chopped (optional)
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, if desired. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Peach Honey

This is an incredible recipe. I found it at pickyourown, which is a very useful and often visited (by me) site.

Peach Honey

When peeling peaches to can, save peelings in a large pot. Rinse them, if not previously washed.

Cover peelings with water and cook peels until they are soft. I let my peelings sit in water overnight, since it was late when I was finished with the peaches.

Strain the water, which is now peach juice, off of the peels and measure. Pour juice in a pot and add half the measure of sugar, ie: 10 cups juice, 5 cups sugar. Compost peelings. Bring the juice and sugar to a boil, then transfer to a crockpot. Cool on low until juice is thickened. I cooked it half a day, then overnight and it was ready in the morning. The juice has thickened into 'honey' and tastes great! Use in recipes calling for honey, as a spread on a peanut butter sandwich, to stir into oatmeal, etc.

If you wish to can your honey, fill jars to 1/4", and do a Boiling Water Bath for 5-7 minutes.

Chipotle Roast

I adapted this recipe from, where else?, Recipezaar or Food.com as it's now called. It's my favorite chipotle meat yet! This is the crockpot version, but it tastes even better if you cook it in a cast iron dutch oven over low heat for a long time.  So good! 

Chipotle Roast

3 lbs chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
3 chipotle chiles in adobo
1 (4 ounce) cans green chilies (I used homemade)
1 (7 ounce) cans salsa verde (I used Green El Pato)
1 cup sliced onions, optional
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup beef broth or water

Place roast in crockpot. Place all the other ingredients in a blender and liquify. Pour over roast and cook on high for 5-8 hours, the longer the better. When done, remove from crockpot and shred. Put back in crockpot liquid and mix. Serve.

Mexican Pot Beans

And not that kind of pot, you sickos! I don't know where I got this recipe, but I have used it for several years. I often make it just to put the beans in the refrigerator. My teenage son eats them cold when he's famished ten minutes after a meal. Enjoy!

Mexican Pot Beans

2 pounds pintos, soaked overnight
1/4 cup bacon drippings
1 small onion, chopped OR 1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried oregano
salt to taste (add later)

Combine everything except salt in crock pot. Add 3 cups water. Cook on high for 5-6 hours till done. Add salt to taste. Lower temp to low or warm until serving.

If you forget to soak the beans, you can still make this recipe. Just add more water at the beginning and leave it on high all day.

Lentil Soup

This is going to make an appearance next week for lunch. I found the recipe link at Crockpot Your Way to Happiness. She converted this recipe to a crockpot version. You can find it at the link.

Lentil Soup

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp chili pepper
2 cups lentils
2 quarts chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt

Pour olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, sea salt and pepper. Saute until onions are clear, about 3-5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, garlic, cumin, coriander, and chili pepper. Stir and cook until vegetables are soft. Add lentils. Stir until lentils are coated with oil. Add enough stock to cover lentils. Cover pot and let simmer 30-45 minutes, until lentils are soft and creamy. Add more stock if lentils are too thick. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and 1/2 cup of yogurt. Reheat slowly before serving. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt.

Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter

I found this at Food In Jars. It sounds delectable!

Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter
makes approximately 3 1/2 pints of butter

8 cups of pureed blueberries
2 cups sugar
1 lemon, zested
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Put the pureed blueberries in a slow cooker. Place a lid on the pot and turn it on to low. After about an hour, give it a stir. At this point, you use something to prop the lid a bit. Laying a wooden spoon across the rim of the cooker and then placing the lid on gives just enough room to let the steam evaporate.

At the beginning of hour five, add the spices and the sugar, remove the lid completely and turn the heat up to high, in order to speed the cooking down.

Once it’s cooked down sufficiently (perhaps an hour or so at high), pour into jars (leave a good 1/2 inch of head space), wipe rims, apply lids and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Butter Made in the Crock-pot

Pumpkin Butter Made in Your Crock-Pot

(you can double, triple, etc. this recipe)

2 cups of cooked, pureed fresh pumpkin (or you can use a 15oz can of pumpkin if you don't want to use fresh) (just put the fresh cooked pumpkin pieces in a blender to puree it)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in crock-pot and stir to mix well. Cook on High for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. It will thicken as it cooks. Do not let it burn or stick. After it is done, fill the pint jars or 1/2 pint jars and seal. Process in water bath canner for 40 minutes.

From Laura William's Musings. She also has some recipes that use this butter in her blogpost.

Herb Roasted Crockpot Chicken

Herb Roasted Crockpot Chicken

Blend together:
4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp EACH cayenne pepper, onion powder, thyme, and white pepper
1/2 garlic powder AND black pepper

Rub all over
1 roasting chicken

Refrigerate spiced chicken overnight. If you do not do this ahead of time...no big deal. I didn't, and it tasted great!

In the morning, place chicken in crockpot with NO ADDITIONAL WATER. The chicken will make its own broth!

Cook on low for 4-8 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees. I think it took about 6 hours for mine to be done.

Greek Herbed Chicken and Potatoes

Greek Herbed Chicken and Potatoes
8 medium potatoes, quartered
10 chicken thighs. skinned
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp EACH fresh oregano and basil
1 tsp EACH sea salt, celery salt, course ground pepper, onion powder
1 cup EACH fresh green beans, halved and carrots, chunked

Layer a small layer of potatoes, then chicken, then remaining potatoes,the vegetables, finally, the lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. Add herbs on the top. Pour the chicken broth over it all. Cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 5 hours.

Son of a Gun Stew

Son of a Gun Stew
2 lbs beef stew meat
6 chopped potatoes
1 (15 oz) can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup EACH celery, corn, peas
1/4 cup broccoli
3 qts. water
1/2 cup hulled barley (not pearled, please, see note below)
3 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
3 bay leaves
4 tsp fresh parsley, minced
1/4 tsp EACH dried basil and oregano
cornstarch or arrowroot powder to thicken

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat a small amount of olive oil. Add garlic and chopped meat and sear meat on all sides. Add onions, tomatoes, potatoes, barley, seasonings and water. Cook for 2 hours. Add remaining vegetables and cook 1 more hour, adding water if needed while cooking. Thicken with cornstarch.

To tell you the truth, I seared the meat, then threw everything in at once except the cornstarch and cooked it for a couple of hours, and it was done. This could easily be done in the crockpot, as well.

I was out of hulled barley, so I used brown rice instead. Pearl barley is to hulled barley as white flour is to wheat flour and iceburg lettuce is to romaine lettuce. Don't bother.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

This is a delicious meal that really tastes good. I am beginning to consider a lower-carb lifestyle and this is one meal we eat that will not need to be adapted. I'm including this in Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday Low-Carb Edition.

Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 whole chicken
3 small lemons
3 large cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp EACH oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme
2 tsp lemon juice

Slice lemons and garlic into slices. Lay 1/2 of the lemon slices and 2/3 of the garlic slices on the bottom of the crockpot or baking dish. Place remaining lemon and garlic under the chicken's skin. Season chicken with salt, pepper, herbs. Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes OR cook in crockpot on high for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from pan and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove lemons and garlic from bottom of pan and thicken juices to serve over the chicken.

Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock

4 pounds bony chicken pieces, including necks and backs (Roasted, is best)

2 or more chicken feet, if desired (they REALLY improve the flavor and nutrition of the broth)

1 large onion, quartered

4 carrots, washed and chunked

4 ribs celery, cut in half

1 leek, white part only, cut in half lengthwise

10 sprigs fresh thyme

10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems

2 bay leaves

8-10 peppercorns

2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

2 gallons cold water

Place cool water, chicken bones (and feet), veggies, spices and vinegar in a 12 quart stockpot or crockpot. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Cook on high until just boiling, then turn the heat down to medium. Skim the scum occasionally. Add hot water, if needed, to keep the bones and veggies submerged. Simmer, covered for 6-8 hours or up to 48 hours. (If simmering overnight in stovetop, turn heat to very low and keep tightly covered.) When using the crockpot, begin on high heat for several hours, then switch to low heat for the remaining time OR start with hot water rather than cold and keep it on low heat. 

Strain stock through a colander or strainer into another large pot. Discard the bones and veggie scraps, but save any meat. Put stockpot in sinkful of ice to cool quickly, then refrigerate overnight. Remove solidified fat from stock if desired. Keeps in fridge 2-3 days, or freeze for 3 months.

When refrigerated, the stock should be almost solid from all the gelatin.

Chulupa

I found this on a friend's blog, and have made it a couple times. Our family really likes it, and it's so darn easy! What could be better than that? The original recipe is HERE and here is how we made it:

Chulupa
2 pounds of dry pinto beans (no need to soak, just rinse)
1 cup onion, chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz chopped green chilies
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (made it once without this, and it's good, too!)
4 pounds beef or pork roast (with or without the bone)
1 1/2 teaspoons of oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt

Cover with water and simmer until beans are tender and meat falls of bone. Remove bone, return meat to crockpot. This takes about 6-7 hours in my crockpot.
Serve over tortilla chips or rice. 

Add any toppings that you would to tacos: salsa, sour cream, cheese, olives, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes etc.

We ate it wrapped in a warmed tortilla with many of the above toppings.

CrockPot Split Pea Soup

This came out really well! I made simple drop biscuits to be crumbled into the soup and almost everyone liked it a lot.

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup
3 cups dried split peas
12 cups water
1 chopped onion (or 1/2 cup dried)
6 chopped carrots (in bite size pieces)
6 celery stalks (sliced)
a few bay leaves
1 tbsp salt
Pepper to taste

Cook until peas are tender (you can put in at night and it may be done when you wake up!). Ladle out 1/2 into blender to puree. Add back to soup so broth is thick.

It took about five hours on high for my crockpot, and I didn't need to do the blending step, as it was thick enough for me.

Crockpot Refried Beans

Crockpot Refried Beans
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dried pintos, sorted and rinsed
1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp cumin powder
9 cups water (you may used up to 4 1/2 cups broth instead of all water, if desired)
3-4 Tbsp bacon grease

Soak beans overnight.

Rinse beans. Combine all ingredients in the crock, stirring to mix. Cook on high for 6-8 hours. When soft, strain, using care to collect the cooking liquid.

Remove beans to a large skillet. Add a few tablespoonfuls of bacon grease and some bean juice reserved from the crock. Fry over medium high heat, mashing with a potato masher till beans are as 'smushy' as you desire. I like to let some whole beans remain. Add more liquid as needed to avoid dried-out nasty beans!