Cranberry-Chipotle Chicken

From Better Homes & Gardens Simple Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
8 oz bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 (16oz) can whole cranberry sauce
1 canned chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. In a large skillet cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Drain off fat.

2. Transfer bacon mixture to a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker. Stir in black beans, cannellini beans, tomatoes, rice, chicken broth, 1/2 tsp salt, cumin, cinnamon, and garlic. Add chicken.

3. In a small bowl combine the cranberry sauce, pepper, lime juice, and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over mixture in cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours (high 3 to 3 1/2.)

Comments:
I don't know about this one. I didn't really like it much. I did sub a habenero for the chipotle and some frozen cranberries for the canned stuff, but that shouldn't have changed the overall taste too much. Not sure what exactly it was, but it wasn't good. Won't make this again.

Turkey Goulash

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 pound ground turkey
1 15oz can kidney beans
1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp extra-spicy seasoning mix
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Lightly mist a medium nonstick pot with olive oil spray. Set over medium heat. Place the onions and garlic in the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Set the pot over medium-high heat until it is hot enough for a spritz of water to sizzle on it. With an oven mitt, briefly remove the pan from the heat to mist lightly with olive oil spray. Add the turkey to the pot. Cook, breaking into chunks with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the beans with liquid, squash, tomatoes, chili powder, seasoning mix, salt, cayenne, and reserved onion mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Comments:
My only problem with this cookbook as a whole is their weird directions. And their obsession with "lightly misting" olive oil spray. Gargh!

Anyway, I made this my way. That is, in a way that makes sense. I put some olive oil in the pan, heated it, added the onions, garlic, and turkey. Cooked it until the turkey was done, added everything else (except the "spicy seasoning mix." What the heck is that?) and cooked it for 40 minutes. Turned out fine. Perhaps I added a few more calories using actual oil rather than a spray. Eh. It'll happen.

I thought this was very good. A nice spicy burn in the background from the chili powder and cayenne. Adam hated it. He has this thing against beans and it ruined the whole thing for him. He pretty much picked out the squash, ate some turkey, and then declared the dish "too bean infested." He then snacked on potato chips. I thought that might happen. Oh well. More leftovers for me!

Cheesy Hash Brown Chili

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 1-pound bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add the beans and the tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

2. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.

Comments:
This is very easy to assemble. I didn't have diced tomatoes (and had JUST gone to the store so I couldn't bring myself to go back just for that) so I used crushed instead. It probably made a difference in texture, but it worked. Adam didn't like the chili part, so this will probably be banished to the Land of Unwanted Recipes. Oh well. I thought it was good.

Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad

From Everyday With Rachael Ray June/July 2008



Ingredients:
lime juice
EVOO
salt & pepper
corn
pasta
onion
chili powder
ground beef
kidney beans
tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese

Comments:
I altered this recipe a bit. I left out the cilantro since it's gross. I also used frozen corn rather than fresh corn off the cob. I used a white onion, all finely diced and cooked since I don't particularly like raw onion. I also seeded and diced the tomato rather than putting whole wedges in. It turned out great. Lots of flavors, textures, and color. It probably tastes pretty good cold but I haven't found that out yet. Adam tried it and declared it was "not his cup of tea." Oh well. Can't win them all.