These are my crockpot secret weapon.
Put frozen fajita mix in the bottom of your crockpot (I always use a crockpot liner…I hate clean up), then add frozen chicken right on top of the veggies, sprinkle with the packet of your choice (no water). I used the Chicken Scaloppine one. 4-6 hours on high or 8 on low.
Add all of the following to a blender
1 can of drained and well rinsed cannellini beans
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 level tablespoon of natural creamy peanut butter
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Just enough water to make the blender run smooth.
Makes 4 servings.
Per Serving: calories 112 fat 2 protein 6
Why make mock hummus…well white beans and peanut butter is cheaper than chickpeas and tahini.
1 jar of Classico roasted poblano Alfredo sauce
1 lb box Velveeta
1 13oz can of Great Value chunk chicken
1 16oz box of Barilla campanelle pasta
Salt for the pasta water
Salt and pepper to taste (I like to add as much as a level tablespoon of black pepper to the sauce.)
In a large pot put all of the Alfredo sauce and fill the jar with hot water, shake the jar to remove all the remaining sauce, and add the water to the pot. Drain the can of chicken and flake the chicken into the pot. Cut the Velveeta into small blocks and add to the Alfredo sauce mixture. Bring the pot to a very low simmer, just hot enough to melt the cheese. Make the pasta according to the box directions. When drained add the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce.
If you want to make it “extra fancy” poor the mac-n-cheese into a serving dish and crush some croutons on top.
Honestly, it is going to take me longer to type out this post than it takes to make this recipe.
Here is what you need for 2 people.
One can of Great Value 98% fat free Cream of Chicken soup…get one with the pop top and you won’t need any thing except a bowl and your fork.
One package of Uncle Ben’s Garden Vegetable Ready rice…cook it in the microwave according to the package directions…takes 90 seconds.
And for extra chickeny goodness, one can of Chunk Chicken. I like the ones canned in water and low in fat. (As said above a pop top makes this recipe extra easy)
Now beyond salt and pepper that is really all you need. As your hot rice comes out of the microwave let it rest in the package. Mix the chunk chicken and the Cream of Chicken soup together and heat it in the microwave until just hot should take about 2-3 minutes. Stir the hot soup mixture and add the rice. All the ingredients should be hot and ready to eat.
If you want to “dress” it up you can put it in a baking dish and top with crushed croutons–makes it look like you worked really hard.
I served this to my family warm and cold. Personally I like it chilled, but that could have something to do with the heat wave that was in Arkansas during the recipe’s creation.
1 Can of Tuna (I like the spring water varieties)
1 Bag of Egg noodles cooked, rinsed under cold water, and drained very well (I use No-Yolks)
1 Can of English Peas drain off the canning liquid and rinse with cold water to remove any starch. (Le Sueur Very Young Small Early Peas)
1 Cup of Light Sour Cream (you can use full fat or fat free its up to you.)
1 Cup of Olive Oil Mayo (you can use regular or fat free)
Salt and Pepper to taste
(if you want to up the WOW factor you can add a 1/2 teaspoon of Curry Powder to the mayo before mixing into the noodles)
In a bowl large enough for all of the noodles, mix the sour cream and mayo together. Into this mixture add the tuna and blend until all the chunks are broken up. What you are looking for is a smooth sauce like consistency. Add the cooled noodles to the bowl and toss lightly to coat each noodle. Add the peas and toss gently, try not to mush the peas. At this point you can salt and pepper the noodles or allow each person to adjust to their own taste. You can serve it immediately or chill before serving.
This recipe “came” to me when I was shopping for a quick meal at the local Kroger. I knew that I wanted to each chicken and the I overheard someone say, “Let’s have cheese dip.” Almost instantly I knew what I was going to do…
1 8-10 oz package of precooked chicken
1 jar of Tostitos Monterey Jack cheese dip
1 can of Ro-tel (I like mild, but what ever heat level you like, go for it!)
1 can of green chilies
1 package of Velveeta Original
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of dark chili powder (if you like it hotter, use chipotle powder.)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
In a dutch style pot add all cans with juice, onion, garlic, chili, cumin, and chopped chicken. You want the chicken to be in bite sized pieces. Cook until all of the liquid has boiled off. Now add the jar of Monterey Jack Queso and tun the temperature down to low (very low).
At this point you could eat this, and it would be lovely on some pasta. BUT I wanted the thick cheesey dip that only Velveeta can get you, so I added an entire loaf of Orignal to this tasty brew!
Watch is carefully and stir to melt the chopped Velveeta. (The smaller the chunks of cheese you chop the quicker you can eat!)
Serve this with your choice of chips or (my favorite) warm flour tortillas.
1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce (or homemade). You will need about 2 cups of sauce total
3-4 frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon of garlic powder or fresh chopped, 3-4 cloves
1 teaspoon of onion powder or fresh chopped, one small onion.
salt and pepper to your taste.
In a non-stick or sprayed baking dish place the frozen chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper & onion and garlic. Then gently (as not to disturb the seasonings) cover the entire pieces with sauce.
In a convection oven set the temp to 425 degrees and speed bake the dish for 30-40 minutes. (doneness is important when eating chicken.)
In a conventional oven set the temp to 400 degrees (F) and bake the dish for one hour. (If you have small pieces of chicken you should check the doneness about 50 minutes into the cooking time)
I like to serve this dish over either cooked pasta or (my personal favorite) brown rice.
Enjoy!
Crispy Flax Fillets
2 c. cooked dried beans, any kind
2 c. Italian bread crumbs
3 tbsp. finely chopped onion
5 tablespoons ground flax, mixed with 1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ketchup
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup of finely chopped pecans and 2 tbsp of ground flax, mixed and scattered on a plate
Mash beans. Add the crumbs, onion, flax, salt, ketchup and pepper. Mix well, shape into patties and press each side into the pecan flax coating. Brown the patties in olive oil over medium heat.
Check out the contest on Veggie Queen Adventures!
Your most versatile recipe in the war on dinner, fat, taste and ease
2lb bag of your favorite bean.Mix and match your beans if you desire.
You will need a 5-6 quart slow cooker with a removable crock.Now you may be asking yourself why would I a single person, or member of a small house hold need such a large cooker.If you do nothing else than make this recipe in the slow cooker it will pay for itself and your precious kitchen space.
Rinse the beans in cold water in a colander.Run your hands through the beans and look for anything that might not be a bean.It is RARE but sometimes a rock that is shaped like a bean might get through the bagging process and end up in your kitchen.However, the errant bean shaped rock will possibly be the cleanest rock that you will ever encounter.Just pitch the rock in the trash, yard, or Zen garden and move all of your rinsed beans into the crock that you have removed from the slow cooker heating element.
Fill the crock up with water, covering the beans with at least an inch or two of water above the beans.Now put the lid on and walk away…you heard me…walk away.I don’t know what you should do—go out and eat Chinese, just leave the beans soaking in the cool water until the morning.(I suggest not longer than 15 hours.)
Now, good morning!Take out your trusty colander again and rinse your soaked beans.Rinse out the crock and put the beans back in to the crock and refill with water.This time the amount of water is a bit more crucial.You do not want more the two inches of water over the top of the beans, and I prefer something close to an inch and a half. Place the crock into the slow cooker heating element and turn it on HIGH.
It is seasoning time.Add all of these to the water:
1 tablespoon of salt (Yes it is a lot, but you have in the neighborhood of 20 servings of beans!)
2 tablespoons of onion powder and garlic powder
1 tablespoon of curry (I like the hot, but any kind of curry powder will do.)
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of dry mustard powder (adds warmth without that kick that chilies do.)
1 tablespoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons of black pepper (freshly ground is nice, but wasted with the long cooking time.)
1 tablespoon of dry cilantro
1 tablespoon of dry rubbed sage
1 tablespoon of dry oregano
Stir all that into the beans and water, cover, and don’t come back for at least 6 hours.And yes, you can put it on as you are walking out the door to work and it will be fine.If that is your plan make sure that you do have 2 inches of water above the beans, and if you plan to be gone longer than 8 hours put the beans on the LOW setting.HIGH is fine for about 8-10 hours.
What you have when your cooking time is up is the best source of fiber, protein and heart healthy low fat food known to man!
You can eat them just like that or with a few additions you can make just about anything that you want to eat—from soup to chili, to burritos to dip. Beans are AWESOME!
Variations:
Uses for Cooked Beans:
